The Bulletin August 2020

Well, we’re now officially closer to 2021 than we are to the start of 2020. Can you believe it? We’re steamrolling towards the latter half of the year that changed everything, so we’re excited to get stuck into what has changed in the digital world this month. The most recent news coming out is the Facebook statement to advertisers about the new iOS 14 release. Once again, TikTok seems to be taking up most of the news: Instagram has launched a brand new way to compete with them and Microsoft are actually in talks to buy the short-form video platform. Google has penned an apology letter to all Australians this month over a new ruling which could harm the way we use their site, Instagram is expanding its feed with a new ‘suggested posts’ feature whilst Facebook is testing out a feature which means people can decide exactly which posts they see of the people they follow (if any).

Are you ready to get stuck in?

In a blog post announced only yesterday (27th) Facebook is warning advertisers that they expect a weaker ad performance from iPhone users once iOS 14 comes out next month. In the statement, Facebook said they will not collect the identifier for advertisers (IDFA) on their own apps on iOS 14 devices and will remind users that they have a choice about how their information is used on Facebook and about their Off-Facebook Activity feature.

For businesses running app install campaigns, Facebook will require the creation and usage of a dedicated iOS 14 ad account, in order to preserve the fidelity of app install campaign measurement.

With the news of Trump attempting to ban TikTok in the US (and the subsequent legal action they’re attempting against the ban), it’s no wonder that other platforms are trying to quickly compete with the video-sharing site to create their own versions. The first to try is Instagram, which probably comes as no surprise seeing as they introduced IGTV to compete with YouTube and Stories as a way to contend with Snapchat. This month they launched Reels, a way to create “short and entertaining videos” which can be recorded and edited into 15-second multi-second videos with audio, effects and creative edits. Sound familiar? Of course, 15-seconds is a lot shorter than the 60-seconds you can create on TikTok, but this is pretty much where the differences end – you’ll be able to see the views and engagement of each Reel, the creator’s collection page is similar and if you can record and edit with TikTok then chances are you’ll find Reels super easy. We’ll be interested to see how its popularity plays out in the coming months.

The way you use Google Search in Australia is changing, and Google has a personal apology to make about the risks that could come from searching under a new proposed law: the News Media Bargaining Code. The letter is an apology, but it’s ultimately firing shots and criticising the government’s proposed regulation that could worsen how users experience Google. Your data could be accessed by news media and it puts the services provided by free services as risk. We’ll be able to say more about this next month if the code gets passed, but for now you can read the whole letter so see what Google has to say.

Would you consider $50 billion a bargain? If you’re Microsoft looking at a platform that could reach a valuation of $200 billion in a few years, it probably is – although if they do go through with their plans to buy TikTok, it will be their biggest in their history, after the $26 billion they paid for Linkedin. However, with any deal this big, there will of course be issues – especially as Microsoft are only planning on buying their operations in the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. It brings the question of concern around the “political, practical and strategic issues” that would come with owning only part of an extremely global business. This could potentially be huge for both parties, so we’ll be waiting to see if Microsoft goes through with it.

Think you’re already scrolling too much on Instagram? Well, it’s about to get a lot worse. Instagram are rolling out “suggested posts” to appear at the end of your feed from people you don’t follow. They’ll show up once you’ve scrolled to the bottom of your feed (an impressive feat in itself) to basically ensure you never turn off the app. It won’t be the same as the Discover feed, as it will be more curated towards the same things that you already follow, rather than things that are just similar, but it will contain ads too. Once again, it seems like they’re taking another feature from TikTok, which has a neverending feed of content. Goodbye social life.

As social media platforms grow, it makes sense that we’re starting to be able to take the wheel more and more in terms of what we can see on our feeds. Obviously we can already choose who we follow or who we want to be friends with, but now Facebook is rolling out a feature which means that you can pick and choose the exact bits of content you want to see – whether it’s just posts, offers, videos or live videos. This is good if you want a curated feed, but bad for businesses or brands who promote a lot of content through Facebook, as their audience can turn off all their posts and videos, reducing the reach and engagement of that content. However, this could also increase the reach and engagement of the posts they have chosen to see, as they’re more likely to show up on their page and posts will be less saturated amongst others as people curate their own feeds. Either way, it may force brands to reassess how they market their content on Facebook in order to make sure people are actively choosing to stick around.

As social media platforms grow, it makes sense that we’re starting to be able to take the wheel more and more in terms of what we can see on our feeds. Obviously we can already choose who we follow or who we want to be friends with, but now Facebook is rolling out a feature which means that you can pick and choose the exact bits of content you want to see – whether it’s just posts, offers, videos or live videos. This is good if you want a curated feed, but bad for businesses or brands who promote a lot of content through Facebook, as their audience can turn off all their posts and videos, reducing the reach and engagement of that content. However, this could also increase the reach and engagement of the posts they have chosen to see, as they’re more likely to show up on their page and posts will be less saturated amongst others as people curate their own feeds. Either way, it may force brands to reassess how they market their content on Facebook in order to make sure people are actively choosing to stick around.

There is some good news for Australians after Google’s apology letter. Hurrah! The Victorian Government has rolled out an awesome initiative which is designed to help smaller-scale businesses as they navigate business during Stage 4 Lockdown. It’s basically an eCommerce platform for local retailers which means consumers can easily support and shop with local businesses without leaving their house. It’s also designed to help farmers expand into the online market through training in eCommerce strategy. The initiative highlights the importance of an eCommerce platform and having an online presence whilst also helping to maintain the jobs and communities within local businesses.

Oh, and they’ve called it “Click For Vic”, which we absolutely love.