Posts tagged with "Snapchat"

Above, Snap reports that more than 250 million people engage with augmented reality (AR) on Snapchat every day. (Photo source: Snap)

Snapchat’s trippy new brand campaign aims to answer the question, what is Snapchat for?

January 27, 2023

When former Wieden+Kennedy executive Colleen DeCourcy joined Snap last year as the company’s chief creative officer, she said it was “the best known, least understood” social platform, reports Fast Company.

A new brand campaign, called “Wait’ll You See This,” is aimed at remedying that problem.

Whether it’s Apple pulling heartstrings or Amazon getting a bit celebrity silly with Alexa for the Super Bowl, we’re now accustomed to seeing tech brand advertising that includes very elaborate product demonstrations. Snap’s new ad is no exception—except that it feels more like a product demo inside a fever dream.

People with horse heads, dogs with three butts, the dead-eyed goofy gaze of fellow commuters on the subway: It’s all in there. For some, it will be the stuff of social media dystopian nightmares—for others, a peek into the funhouse of creative possibility. The brand is aiming for the latter.

DeCourcy says one of the primary goals is to start a conversation between people who use Snapchat and those who don’t. “As a non-broadcast platform, which is the beauty of it, if you’re not there, you don’t know. So, we’re trying to get people there,” DeCourcy says. “We’re trying to punch a little hole in the Snapchat box and let it leak out into the world so that people can see what it does.”

This is not just a one-off campaign, but the start of what DeCourcy says will be an ongoing brand platform. It was created in-house, under Snap Executive Creative Director Eric Baldwin, who joined the company last August, and previously worked with DeCourcy as ECD at Wieden+Kennedy.

New brand work already has started to trickle out, with a New Year’s Eve billboard in Times Square and a float in the Rose Bowl parade. This work will get its national TV debut during the NFL’s AFC Championship game on Sunday, January 29. “It’ll hopefully be this moment, with people watching a game together, where those who know will get excited and show the others in the room what it’s all about,” Baldwin says.

Snap reports that more than 250 million people engage with augmented reality (AR) on Snapchat every day, with more than 6 billion daily AR plays. The platform has 300,000 AR creators and developers who’ve built more than 3 million AR Lenses for the platform.

“There is this Super Bowl-sized audience on the platform every day,” says DeCourcy. “In a very cynical world, though, people have to experience it to get it. I don’t want to make things about the platform; I want to make things with the platform.”

That’s where this new work gets most interesting. Baldwin and DeCourcy’s creative team worked with Snapchat’s Arcadia Creative Studio to make the spot fully integrated with the app’s AR lenses. Every single frame of the spot, whether you view it online, as a screen shot, or during an NFL game, is scannable and will take you to a new suite of lenses, with a few surprises like a limited edition merch drop mixed in.

Arcadia Creative Studio’s Global Director Resh Sidhu, says Snap’s AR technology is world-class, and the spot itself is the perfect platform to show off how it all works. “We wanted AR to be at the heart of this campaign, and this was the perfect way to do that,” Sidhu says. “What excites our AR team is how this creates a platform for us to continue to share our work with the world. It’s all about getting it in the hands of people and allowing them to experience it.”

Research contact: @FastCompany

Above, applicants should be curious, empathetic, and nimble. (Photo source: Marriott International)

Marriott is looking for three travelers to serve as TikTok correspondents

January 24, 2022

For TikTok enthusiasts and influencers—or anyone seeking a significant change amid the “Great Resignation”—Marriott has a unique new job opportunity.

The global hotelier is launching a contest to recruit three individuals who will essentially serve as TikTok correspondents—chronicling their experiences at Marriott properties around the world over the course of nearly a year on the popular video social media app, reports Fortune.

Dubbed 30 Stays in 300 Days, the program is an extension of Marriott Bonvoy’s Power of Travel campaign, launched last year to promote the healing nature of travel after pandemic lockdowns in 2020.

“As the world inches back to a place of normalcy, travel is one of those primal needs that we feel needs to be met,” Brian Povinelli, SVP of Brand, Loyalty, and Portfolio marketing at Marriott International, tells Fortune. “This initiative will amplify wanderlust and spark the motivation to travel by facilitating a true trip around the world that allows viewers and potential adventurers to experience each destination to the fullest.”

Marriott has a strong social media presence already—across Instagram especially, with frequently updated and numerous accounts for the parent company and subsidiaries, as well as individual locations. Marriott Bonvoy joined TikTok last year. But why TikTok (over say, Instagram or Snapchat) for this particular program?

Povinelli answers simply: TikTok is where people are at. “It’s what they’re paying attention to, and it reaches the audience that we are keen on engaging. TikTok, by necessity—due to the parameters of the platform—encourages would-be travelers to be creative, succinct, and brief in their appeal to be a Marriott Bonvoy TikTok Correspondent,” Povinelli continues. “It forces people to use a finite amount of time to make a big impact. And because TikTok is so pervasive, we feel it creates an inviting environment for anyone who feels moved by this initiative to be able to participate.”

Winners will get to stay at properties across the entire Marriott Bonvoy portfolio, including The Ritz-Carlton and Westin Hotels and Resorts, Courtyard by Marriott, and Autograph Collection Hotels. It also includes at least one stay in one of the over 50,000 luxury home rentals listed on Homes & Villas by Marriott International.

The stays are only the beginning of what the correspondents will be receiving. Other perks include airfare between destinations; Uber vouchers; a $10,000 Marriott Bonvoy Gift Card to cover items such as on-property meals, spa services, and activities; a “Take Me Away” kit featuring items from branded online retail stores on Marriott Bonvoy Boutiques; progression toward Marriott Bonvoy Elite Status, giving participants the opportunity to unlock exclusive benefits like late check-out, room upgrades, and more, even once their 300-day travel experiences are over; and a $15,000 check to use as desired.

Prospective applicants must be at least 21 years of age and be permanent residents of the United States. And for anyone who wants to (and can) continue their existing day jobs while working remotely, Marriott says the trips are flexible, and will allow for both work and travel for those with a position that allows.

“This opportunity is not for the faint of heart, but it is also open to all travelers, whether seasoned or just starting out on their journey,” Povinelli says. “We recommend that applicants think realistically about their ability and desire to travel around the world for up to 300 days (divided amongst several trips) ….While arguably an experience of a lifetime, the right person should be well equipped for the adventure.”

While Povinelli notes that Marriott doesn’t want to see the correspondents glued to their phones for the entire experience, the goal is to see each person post at least once per day while on a trip—whether that be about the current hotel stay, the food, locals, cultural experiences, or whatever else may be important or interesting to that correspondent that day. There is no prescribed length for the videos—some may be a minute or longer if a winner has an interesting story to tell our members, while others may be a few seconds of a funny or inspiring moment from the road, or just chiming in on a TikTok trend, Povinelli explains.

“We want to see energy, paired with genuine excitement and an attitude that embraces change and new experiences with optimism and wonder,” Povinelli says.

‘They should also have a vigor for life and a desire to challenge the status quo,’ Povinelli says. ‘They should be curious, empathetic, inquisitive and able to adjust and be nimble when things don’t go as planned. People that are interested in growth and pursue it with tenacity and enthusiasm.’

To apply, submit a TikTok video using the hashtags #30stays300days and #contest from January 18 through March 18, answering the question, “How has travel shaped you?”

After the deadline passes, three individuals will be selected and begin their journeys in spring 2022; dates subject to change in accordance with CDC and international travel guidelines. While the winners are not guaranteed any full-time or permanent positions once the 300 days are up, Povinelli says the possibility is there for a continued partnership.

“Ultimately, we’re looking for that intangible star quality,” Povinelli says. “Travel has the unique ability to change perspectives, open people’s eyes to new ways of doing things while bringing people together. The ideal person would recognize the power of travel and embrace it throughout the trip by truly embodying what it means to be a travel correspondent with an attitude that is both curious and eager to welcome every experience.”

Research contact: @FortuneMagazine

Your dog can be transformed into an animated creature using SnapChat's Cartoon Face. Filter. (Photo source: Facebook)

You can now transform your dog into a cartoon character using a new Snapchat filter

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August 20, 2020

If you think your pet simply couldn’t be any cuter, try the new cartoon face filter on Snapchat. Suddenly, your “fur-ever friend” will look like a character out of a Disney animated film.

After the filter was discovered by a dog owner named Danielle Sugdenm, she took took to the Facebook group, Dogspotting Society, to share the news, the UK’s Daily Mirror reports

Sugdenm wrote: “For those that don’t know… Snapchat has a new filter and it basically Disneyfies your dog. YOU ARE WELCOME. Plz post your Disney dawgs here.”

People went wild over her post and it quickly garnered over 9,000 likes and more than 3,000 comments. What’s more, her fellow dog lovers soon began sharing their own photos.

“Aww omg,” replied one user.

Another said: “So I guess I’m getting Snapchat now.”

A third added: “I just woke the baby from laughing so loud.”

The filter seemed to work on most pups – but there were a few users who couldn’t use it on their dogs. In one hilarious instance, the filter was applied only on the end of the dog’s nose. Its owner joked: “He looks just like a prince now from Disney.”

Research contact: @DailyMirror

Above, Twitter Founder and CEO Jack Dorsey. (Photo source: #jackdorsey on Instagram)

Elliott Management buys stake in Twitter; looks to replace CEO @jack Dorsey

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March 3, 2020

Hedge fund Elliott Management has taken a sizable stake—although it won’t say just how much- in the San Francisco-based social network Twitter and plans to push for changes at the company, including replacing Founder and Chief Executive Officer Jack Dorsey, according to people familiar with the matter.

According to a report by Reuters, Twitter is one of the few U.S. technology companies headed, but not controlled, by one of its founders. It has given shareholders equal voting rights, making Dorsey, who owns only about 2% of the company, vulnerable to a challenge from an activist investor such as Elliott.

And word is out that Elliot would like to see Dorsey go. NPR reported on March 1 that Elliott is concerned that Dorsey hasn’t focused enough on Twitter, because he is also chief executive of payments company Square. The hedge fund is pushing for a CEO whose sole job is running Twitter.

Adding pressure, Elliott has nominated four directors to the company’s board, according to two people familiar with the matter, NPR said. The two sides have had constructive talks, according to the people, who were not authorized to speak publicly. Twitter and Elliott declined to comment.

The worry is that under Dorsey’s leadership, Twitter is not poised to capitalize on a flood of news this year—including the U.S. presidential election, the summer Olympic Games in Tokyo—and the coronavirus outbreak, that could attract people and advertisers to the platform.

Elliott approached San Francisco-based Twitter about its concerns privately and has had constructive discussions with it since then, the people said.

Twitter has been a potential target for activist investors for years, according to Bloomberg News. The company only has one class of stock, the news outlet notes, which means co-founder Dorsey doesn’t have voting control of the company like Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg or Snapchat co-founders Evan Spiegel and Bobby Murphy.

Research contact: @NPR

he musical Jonas Brothers post their aging faces on Instagram.

Russian roulette: FaceApp has gone viral, but is it a new case of Russkie (and risky) skullduggery?

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July 19, 2019

Maybe cheese and wine get better with age, but people? Not so much. The human face and body tend to sag, wrinkle, and discolor as the years go on—no matter how good the bone structure.

So why is everyone on social media so excited about a new smartphone app that allows users to upload selfies and see their future faces, replete with jowls and graying hair?

Celebrities such as Drake, LeBron James, and the Jonas Brothers all have used the instant aging app, much to fans’ delight.

In fact, according to a report by The Washington Post, FaceApp has altered photos for more than 80 million users since its 2017 release; and allows smartphone users to change a facial photo’s age, gender, or hairstyle—often with convincing results. The app uses artificial-intelligence software to automatically alter the photos in seconds, much like similar features offered by Instagram and Snapchat.

But there is one major catch, we are just finding out: On July 17, the Democratic National Committee warned presidential campaigns against using the viral face-transforming FaceApp, citing the software’s Russian developers. It urged campaign staff to “delete the app immediately.”

“This novelty is not without risk: FaceApp was developed by Russians,” DNC Security Chief Bob Lord wrote in the alert to campaigns, which was first reported by CNN. “It’s not clear at this point what the privacy risks are, but what is clear is that the benefits of avoiding the app outweigh the risks.

Founder and CEO Yaroslav Goncharov told The Washington Post that FaceApp’s research-and-development team is based in Russia but that no user data is transferred into the country, and “most images” are deleted from company servers within 48 hours.

However, the app’s terms of service say users grant the company a “perpetual, irrevocable . . . [and] worldwide” license to use a user’s photos, name or likeness in practically any way it sees fit, the Post points out.

If a user deletes content from the app, FaceApp can still store and use it, the terms say. FaceApp also says it can’t guarantee that users’ data or information is secure and that the company can share user information with other companies and third-party advertisers, which aren’t disclosed in the privacy terms.

Goncharov said that users who want to remove their data from FaceApp can make the request through the app by clicking “Settings,” then “Support,” then “Report a bug” with “privacy” in the subject line. “Our support team is currently overloaded, but these requests have our priority,” a company statement read.

FaceApp’s terms of service say it can share information with a government agency if a subpoena, court order or search warrant is issued and the company has “a good faith belief that the law requires” it to do so. This information can also be shared with any country that FaceApp maintains facilities in, including Russia.

According to the Post, people who use the app also “consent to the processing, transfer and storage of information about you in and to the United States and other countries, where you may not have the same rights and protections as you do under local law.”

Kate O’Neill, a tech consultant, told the news outlet that FaceApp’s privacy terms are still murky, despite the company’s clarification. “People should be savvy about when apps and memes and games are encouraging everyone to engage in the same way,” she said. “It puts the data in a vulnerable state that becomes something that can train facial recognition and other kinds of systems that may not be intended the way people are using it.”

Research contact: @washingtonpost

Snap unveiled its own Snappables AR mini-games in October. (Photo source: ARcritic.com)

Snap plans launch of gaming platform in April

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March 18, 2019

The U.S. technology and camera company, Snap, finally will introduce its widely discussed (but never-disclosed) gaming platform at a summit for content and developer partners in Los Angeles on April 4, Cheddar has reported.

The mobile game platform, internally code-named “Project Cognac,” will feature several games that outside developers have designed specifically to work in the multimedia Snapchat app, according to a person familiar with the matter, Cheddar said.

In addition, the company will launch more videos similar to the augmented reality Snap Originals that it began posting last October.

An invitation to the event that was seen by Cheddar includes the tagline, “Less talk. More play.”—a nod to the gaming platform.

To help bolster its push into the games sector, Snap last year acquired a small Australian gaming studio called Prettygreat for $8.6 million, according to financial documents obtained by Cheddar. One of the employees of Prettygreat was behind the hit mobile games “Fruit Ninja” and “Jetpack Joyride.”

Snap also already has demonstrated its interest in gaming by launching a handful of its own lightweight, augmented reality games—called Snappables— early in 2018.

A year earlier, the Chinese tech giant Tencent—known for its popular messaging platform WeChat, as well as such games as “League of Legends”—acquired roughly 10% of Snap’s publicly traded shares.

Games could provide a new source of revenue for Snap, Cheddar notes—either through in-app purchases or advertising.

A Snap spokesperson declined to comment on the record for the Cheddar story.

Research contact: @cheddar

Holiday cheer, doggy style. (Photo source: Snapchat)

Mutt shots: Snapchat offers lenses for dogs

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December 27, 2018

The Internet already is a dog-eat-dog world, with pooches worldwide vying for “top dog” (and top money) on such sites as Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

Now, Snapchat has introduced special lenses that will help proud owners to digitally dress up their hounds for the holidays in reindeer ears, eyeglasses, pepperoni pizzas, and even butterflies.

To try them out, PC Magazine advises, simply open the Snapchat camera and press on the screen to open the lens carousel, as usual. Scroll through the carousel until you find a lens with a little blue pawprint icon on it, aim your camera at your dog, and prepare to say “aww.”

Dog lovers have been “barking mad” since October, when Snapchat brought cat-friendly lenses to its platform, but left out filters for Fido. With both available as of this week, we can expect more varieties (and maybe a few filters for our iguanas and parrots?).

Appealing to dog and cat owners might just help Snapchat offset declining user engagement on the platform, PC Magazine reports. The company also recently introduced Snap Originals, five-minute exclusive shows that feature new episodes everyday. Originals can be found in the “Discover” section of the app or via Snapchat search.

Research contact: @Snapchat

Photo source: UC San Diego Facebook Study

Among social media users, Facebook rules

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March 14, 2018

Facebook remains America’s most popular social media platform, with roughly two-thirds of U.S. adults (68%) self-identifying as users and about 75% of them catching up with their “friends” at least once a day, based on findings of a poll by The Pew Research Center released on March 1.

With the exception of those 65 and older, most Americans across a wide range of demographic groups now use Facebook, the poll of 2,002 Americans over the age of 18 concluded.

Only YouTube gets more traffic, with 73% of respondents noting that they visit the site regularly. The video-sharing site—which contains many social elements, even if it is not a traditional social media platform—is now used by nearly three-quarters of U.S. adults and 94% of 18- to 24-year-olds.

In line with that trend, some 78% of 18- to 24-year-olds use Snapchat—whether or not Kylie Jenner loves it anymore—and a sizeable majority of these users (71%) visit the platform multiple times per day. Similarly, 71% of Americans in this age group now use Instagram and close to half (45%) are Twitter users.

Of course, that’s not counting President Donald Trump, whom Fox News says has given Twitter “a big boost.” He even fires his high-level employees via the platform—which he used on March 13 to oust Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and install CIA Director Mike Pompeo in his place.

Several other platforms are popular among special interest groups, including:

Pinterest, which remains substantially more popular among women (41% of whom say they use the site) than men (16%).
LinkedIn, which continues to be especially popular among college graduates and those in high-income households. Some 50% of Americans with a college degree use LinkedIn, compared with just 9% of those with a high school diploma or less.
WhatsApp, a messaging service that is particularly popular in Latin America, and this following extends to Latinos in the United States—with 49% of Hispanics reporting that they are WhatsApp users, compared with 14% of whites and 21% of blacks.

Finally, the share of social media users who say these platforms would be hard to give up has increased by 12 percentage points compared with a survey conducted in early 2014. But by the same token, a majority of users (59%) say it would not be hard to stop using these sites—including 29% who say it would not be hard at all to give up social media.

Research contact: tcaiazza@pewresearch.org

Photo source: The Oddfellows UK

Striking a (love) match

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February 6, 2018

Was that a tingle you felt when you first saw your significant other—or was it just your smartphone vibrating? While 59% of U.S. adults agree that dating apps “are a good way to meet people,” there still seems to be a cringe factor when sharing that information with friends and family, based on results of a poll conducted by Civic Science and released on February 2.

Dating apps such as Tinder—with an estimated 46 million users globally—may be all the rage, but only 14% of respondents to the recent poll think that finding someone online will lead to a lasting romantic relationship. In fact, 40% of American adults think that meeting in person is the best start for a solid relationship. Just over one-quarter of U.S. adults think there is equal opportunity to meet online or in person.

An estimated 15% of all adults are on dating apps, but the general population still believes in the randomness of an interaction on the street. Men are slightly more likely to think people can find relationships online.

People influenced by social media (and heavy Snapchat users) are more likely to believe people are “Equally likely to find relationships online or in person.” It seems familiarity with technology overall doesn’t mean you’re trusting it with matters of the heart.

How does age factor into our takes on love? Baby Boomers are more likely to believe that relationships should start in person, rather than online. Millennials—presumably the generation most familiar with dating apps—are most likely to believe that there is an equal opportunity to establish a lasting relationship, whether you meet online or in person.

Overall, while a favorable sentiment towards online dating may be growing, across all demographics, people are still more likely to believe the best relationships start by meeting in person.

Research contact: emma@civicscience.com

Photo source:AAFP.org

Anonymous survey finds Netflix pays more than other tech companies

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December 5, 2017

Recently, Blind—the anonymous chat app that is being used surreptitiously by thousands of employees nationwide—asked followers who work at tech companies a sensitive question, Business Insider reports: Do you think you are paid fairly?

The answers, from over 4,000 respondents, were somewhat unexpected. For example, the tech workers who are happiest with their compensation are not employed at tech giants Google or Facebook; they are at Netflix, followed by Dropbox, NerdWallet, Twitch and Snapchat.

Conversely, based on the survey findings, the employees who are least happy with their earnings work at Walmart Labs. And 40% or more of employees polled at PayPal, Spotify and Twitter said they weren’t happy with their remuneration, either. In fact, 49% of all respondents were not satisfied with their salaries; leaving 51% who were.

As to which companies had the most employees in this poll who were dreaming of leaving for the day and not returning? Groupon, HPE and Oracle each came in at around 90%.

Among the ten hottest tech companies today, Microsoft has the least loyal employees in this survey—with about 75% of its staff who responded that they are looking to leave.

Amazon also scored at the top of corporations that were not good at retaining staff, with about 60% of the company’s respondents on their way out the door.

Finally, it is little surprise that the most steadfast employees worked at Netflix, where respondents said they were happiest with their pay.

Research contact: blindapp@teamblind.com