Would you pay $750,000 for a single self-destructing ad? That was the estimated cost of a day-long ad on Snapchat- but with new data suggesting the chat app’s video views are rivaling Facebook, it could be money well spent. As part of our review of the year, we look back at the key trends that shaped social media marketing in 2015, including the Google+ reboot, China’s social surge and the phenomenon that was #TheDress.
Key trends to check your 2016 plans against:
Biggest 10 stories of of the year:
Snapchat catches Facebook for video views as audience triples since May
The number of videos viewed every day on Snapchat has tripled since May this year to six billion, catching Facebook fast.
Nescafé ditches brand website for Tumblr
Nescafé has shifted its global websites on to the Tumblr blogging platform, declaring the ‘dotcom is dead’, as the Nestle-owned coffee brand looks to boost its reach with millenials.
Unilever proves social buzz really does drive sales
Positive mentions in social media really do directly result in more sales, according to research by Unilever, despite previous evidence to the contrary.
‘Confusing’ Google+ integration dropped across all products
Google+ profiles will no longer be required to access the other Google products such as YouTube, Search and Maps, after admitting the social network was ‘confusing’ users.
Twitter debuts live-streaming app ‘Periscope’
Twitter has launched Periscope, an app that rivals newly popular apps like Meerkat by letting users to instantly live-stream from a smartphone.
Watch this video from the Wall Street Journal demonstrating the new service below:
Alibaba invests $200m in SnapChat
Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group is investing $200m in SnapChat, valuing the photo-messaging app at a whopping $15bn.
The dress that divided social media: How brands responded
Last week, social media was divided over one explosive issue- just what colour was #thedress? The optical illusion created by a blue and black (or white and gold) dress became the biggest web phenomenon of the year so far. So how did brands respond? We look at the best tweets from the debate that split the globe…
#whiteandgold or #blackandblue? We found a way around science- you can have both! #TheDress #dressgate pic.twitter.com/5oj3ZTqOWk
— LEGO (@LEGO_Group) February 27, 2015
Twitter promoted tweets to appear on other websites
Twitter will show its paid-for promoted tweets across the internet, on sites that are not part of the micro-blogging service, with Flipboard and yahoo Japan the first sites to sign up.
WeChat tests ads: Coke and BMW first to sign for Chinese WhatsApp rival
WeChat is testing ads with BMW and Coke among the first brands appearing on users phones, as China’s most popular social networking app explores ways to monetise its huge user base.
Snapchat ads cost $750,000: Are they worth it?
Running an ad on Snapchat, the self-destructing messaging service that’s hugely popular with teens, costs a massive $750,000 a day, according to a new report.
