Twitter makes first impressions matter, an IGTV pro shares some secret sauce, and the Great Chicken Sandwich War of 2019 rages on.
August 23, 2019
6 (Seconds) Is a Magic Number
#DYK impressions are formed in as little as one-tenth of a second? Thankfully, when it comes to advertisements, brands have a little more time to woo audiences (about six seconds more). Keeping this in mind, Twitter launched six-second video ad bidding — meaning marketers will only be charged if and when their ad is watched for more than six seconds. It’s meant to promote ads on mobile, which Twitter claims are most effective when optimized for sound-off viewing, clearly branded, and short, short, short. With this option, on-platform ads are still published at their full length, giving brands the flexibility to focus on ad-completion metrics while also leaning into short-form mobile consumption. And whether marketers opt for this ad unit or not, it’s a good reminder to make sure video ads make their messages clear up-front, because you only have one chance to make a first impression.
IGTV Ailments
If you’re struggling with IGTV, you’re not alone. Since its release, the Instagram feature has left many brands baffled and looking for help. Luckily, media site Thrillist is here to provide, sharing insights into its success on the video platform. Unlike the highly curated and perfectionist vibe of the OG Insta feed, Thrillist found IGTV videos with less polish and editing saw more engagement. And rather than title videos as they would for Facebook or YouTube, IGTV vids with caption-like headlines were most successful. Thrillist also recommends optimizing videos to be watched on mute — meaning captions or on-screen text are must-haves. Like any social platform, all brands have to play around to find their groove. But with these tips, marketers can eliminate some trial-and-error and be on their way to IGTV wellness.
Pinterest Class(ification) Is in Session
Understanding Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is #majorkey to getting discovered on Google. On Pinterest, the self-proclaimed discovery platform, brands should be thinking along those same lines — so its engineering team released a blog post providing insight into its Pin classification process. Let’s just say … it’s a little complicated. Basically, a Pin is classified by Taxonomy Levels, Labels, and Scores based on its subject, images within it, and other info provided. While marketers may not need to fully understand the ins and outs of the classification system (we’re not all engineers, and that’s alright), having a grasp on how it identifies and serves up Pins can be helpful in planning both content and strategy on the site. And just like with SEO, a little knowledge of backend processes can give you a big advantage over your competition.
SPARK OF THE WEEK
Choose Your Chicken
Amongst all the political angst and constant stream of less-than-pleasant news, all we can say is thank goodness for fast food brands on Twitter. They’ve all developed pretty feisty personalities on the platform, and the comic relief is as much-needed as it is mouthwatering. This week’s hot topic of debate? Chicken sandwiches, and whose reigns supreme between KFC, Chick-fil-A, Wendy’s, Boston Market, and Popeyes. And while we would never force our chicken opinions on our readers, from a branding standpoint, Popeyes won this cockfight.
Popeyes started the Twitter battle by poking fun at a Chick-fil-A tweet regarding its famously simple chicken sandwich. Since Popeyes only released its (very similar) sammy earlier this month, it didn’t have much to lose by going after the legacy sandwich. After all the other brands put in their two cents, Popeyes ended up with a newfound Twitter fanbase, raised awareness for its new menu item, and received quite a bit of earned media coverage. For audiences, it’s fun to see brands engaging with each other on social media. And for marketers, it’s a simple and affordable strategy to humanize and build awareness of your brand, and get people — both users and the media — talking.
