Welcome back to our Weekly Social Media Bites! It's a brand new week and we have the latest snippets of what's happening in the social media sphere and adland below.
Social
YouTube Shares its Top Ad Campaigns of 2024
YouTube has shared insights into its best-performing ads of 2024 after analysing over 13,000 successful global ads. Key findings include the effectiveness of longer-form ads, such as Volvo's four-minute ad and Louis Vuitton's 11-minute conversation with Emma Stone, which surpassed industry watch-time averages. Influencer-led campaigns which used interactive elements and lo-fi production styles also performed well as viewers have expressed that they trust YouTube creators. Additionally, brands that connected with established fanbases like K-pop fans or The Sims enthusiasts saw increased brand awareness. Overall, brands that embraced creative storytelling, experimentation and tapped on the influence of communities achieved the best results.
Instagram Adds New Features for the Holidays
Instagram is rolling out new features for the holiday season, including Collages for Stories, seasonal "Add Yours" templates, new fonts, chat themes, and more. The Collage tool, which allows users to showcase their favorite memories from 2024, is now available for all users. Instagram is also introducing "Add Yours" templates to encourage participation in year-end trends. Additionally the updates include a "New Year" font, a "Countdown" text effect, and new “New Year” chat themes. Instagram will also highlight certain holiday phrases in Notes and DMs and has added a custom Like animation for end-of-year stories.
YouTube Expands Access To Auto-Dubbing in Different Languages
YouTube is rolling out its auto-dubbing feature, which allows creators to translate their content into different languages, expanding its reach. The feature, available to YouTube Partner Program channels that are focused on knowledge and information, enables creators to activate auto-dubbing by simply ticking a box during the upload process. While translations may not always be perfect, YouTube has assured their creators and viewers that they are working on making improvements to the dubbing so that the translations are accurate and that the voice matches the original speaker in the video.
Inspiration
Heineken Campaign Urges Spending Less Time on the Phone for Lunar New Year
Heineken has launched its festive campaign "Festive Celebrations," encouraging people to take a break from their phones and reconnect during the holiday season. The campaign centers on an aunt and nephew who, distracted by their phones, miss out on the joys of real-life celebrations. The campaign, Heineken's first Lunar New Year initiative across multiple Asian markets, promotes authentic human connections over mindless scrolling. Heineken aims to remind people that true socialising happens in person, with the goal of fostering quality moments of togetherness during the festive season. The campaign runs in China, Singapore, and Vietnam leading up to Lunar New Year on January 29, 2025.
KitKat and Publicis Middle East transforms Out-of-Office emails into holiday treats
KitKat has launched the "Auto Reply Break" initiative, turning out-of-office email replies into fun, redeemable moments of joy. Instead of just apologising for the sender's absence, the auto-replies offer a laugh and a KitKat, encouraging desk-bound workers to take a break. The campaign uses nostalgic ASCII art in the emails, paying homage to the pre-emoji era. KitKat aims to provide better breaks for employees working during the holidays, reinforcing its long-standing message of "Have a Break, Have a KitKat." The initiative highlights the importance of taking breaks, even in the midst of holiday work.
Interview: Lazada SG takes 'Squid Game' to homes in gamified campaign
Lazada Singapore's "12.12 All Out Sale" campaign incorporates a fun, Squid Game-inspired twist where consumers can participate in a game of 'scissors, paper, stone' for a chance to win SG$500 in vouchers. The campaign features a man dressed as a Squid Game guard delivering parcels and challenging residents to play the game. Online users can also join a virtual version to win vouchers and interact with Lazada's AI assistant, Lazzie, for a chance to win LazCash. The campaign, known for its entertainment-first approach, gamifies the shopping experience with a nostalgic childhood game, encouraging shoppers to "go all out" for the best deals. The campaign also includes a playful ad where a queen, dissatisfied with her sale, is transformed into a princess by the magic mirror, symbolising Lazada’s unbeatable offers. This activation aligns with Lazada’s goal of capitalizing on the "now or never" consumer mindset during the holiday season.
We hope you enjoy this edition as much as we do!
Copyright © 2022 Wild Advertising & Marketing, All rights reserved. Weekly Social Bites.