The Bulletin July 2023

Unless you’ve been living under a social media rock you may have heard of Meta’s new app Threads. Launching in early July it has quickly become the fastest-growing app of all time, having reached 30 million subscribers in 24 hours and a hundred million not long after. Yep, it even beat ChatGPT’s record. So what’s all the hype about? Threads is Meta’s answer to Twitter, fostering text-based positive human interactions. Though apparently unlike Twitter, Meta aims to continue their “gradual shift away from news and political discussion, in order to focus on more positive light entertainment,” as noted by Social Media Today. If anything, we are keen to see the positivity movement hit social media and maybe Threads is the way to go.

As reported recently by Verge, it appears Meta will try to take on the big players with their answer to Apple and Google app stores. The In-Facebook solution would allow people to download apps directly through Facebook ads, getting more funds directly to app creators without the fee from a separate store such as Apple and Google stores. The move will be rolled out first in Europe as new restrictions require Google and Apple to “open up their respective mobile platforms to alternative methods of downloading apps.” Only time will tell how much influence Meta can truly gain with this new venture.

This month the world of marketing changed forever as Universal Analytics was officially shut down and replaced by Google Analytics 4. This means that marketers have no choice but to use Google Analytics when running campaigns or tracking website performance. Google was warning advertisers about this for more than a year, but Search Engine Land has handy tips on how to migrate across if you’re not already familiar with Google Analytics. And if you’re with the TT team, we’ve got your back, no stress!

The X era is officially upon us as Twitter starts its rebrand, including a new icon and new moniker – which Elon Musk says may even be an interim branding measure. This move from Musk and the team at Twitter aims to usher the brand into a new era, perhaps away from the drama that has encircled it in the last few years. However, with some elements changing, some staying the same, and notes from Musk that nothing is yet set in stone, this rebrand was a half-baked way to waste 12 years of good solid branding. Even people who never used Twitter knew what a tweet was, making it almost a household name. To waste that has us all wondering what more absurdities we can expect in the era of X which is expected to be rolled out in the next few weeks.

Marketing has looked pretty in pink this month as Barbie took over pop culture. With over 100 brand collaborations in the film and unending hype, many brands have jumped on the Barbie wagon. And in-film marketing has pushed the bounds of creativity such as the earlier selfie-generator turned meme which allowed anyone to star as Barbie to the Airbnb partnership that lets fans stay in the dream Barbie doll house, and of course fashion collabs galore. And rather than being overwhelmed by hot pink, we’re leaning into it with the success of these campaigns showing that the good old collab is far from over.