Here is what’s been brewing in the social media this week: Pinterest shared Q2 2019 results and Facebook announced it will be open-sourcing two new algorithms to fight abuse on the platform. 

Also, YouTube will live stream Lollapalooza 2019 worldwide, Facebook published Local News Accelerator program results, TikTok partnered with Giphy and Instagram shared the major trends in food and drink in the UK and more. 

Make sure to check out our daily Social Media Roundup and subscribe to the AList newsletter and never miss out on key marketing news. 

Pinterest’s Q2 2019 Results Look Promising 

Pinterest Q2 2019 results released by the company this week showed a 62 percent YOY growth. 

Why it matters: In Q2, Pinterest reached 300 million monthly active users, who, according to a study conducted by the company, find the discovery platform, a “positive” and “inspiring” place, and therefore, makes it a key platform for visual marketing efforts.

The details: “Pinterest’s blowout quarter on the top and bottom lines is especially important in light of its post-IPO stumble in its first quarterly earnings. It’s clear that Pinterest’s ad business continues to scale through strong user growth and ongoing ARPU momentum, not to mention some signs that the international business might finally be getting off the ground,” Andrew Lipsman, a principal analyst at eMarketer, told Marketing Dive.

Facebook Aims To Make The Internet Safer With Open-Sourcing Photo- And Video-Matching Algorithms 

Facebook is now using open-source two technologies that detect identical and nearly identical photos and videos. The goal of the initiative, according to the social media giant, is to fight abuse on the platform. 

Why it matters: “These algorithms will be open-sourced on GitHub so our industry partners, smaller developers and non-profits can use them to more easily identify abusive content and share hashes—or digital fingerprints—of different types of harmful content. For those who already use their own or other content matching technology, these technologies are another layer of defense and allow hash-sharing systems to talk to each other, making the systems that much more powerful,” Facebook explains in a blog post. 

The details: The technologies, known as PDQ and TMK+PDQF, come from Facebook’s “tool box” used to detect harmful content, along with other algorithms and implementations, such as pHash, Microsoft’s PhotoDNA, aHash and dHash. The photo-matching algorithm, PDQ, was inspired by pHash, but built from the ground up as a distinct algorithm with independent software implementation. And the video-matching technology, TMK+PDQF, was developed by Facebook’s Artificial Intelligence Research team in cooperation with academics from the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia in Italy.

YouTube Will Bring The Iconic Festival To The Viewers Worldwide 

YouTube announced it will bring the Lollapalooza 2019 music festival to millions of fans around the world. 

Why it matters: As summer music festivals heat up, marketers are experimenting with new ways to reach engaged audiences, both in-person and online. 

“There is no other platform of its kind that allows artists to connect with a global audience and share their creativity in both visual and audio formats with billions of viewers around the globe, making the world smaller and music more expansive,” YouTube said in the blog post. 

The details: The fans will be able to watch their favorite artists’ performances on  Lollapalooza’s YouTube Channel from August 1 to 4. The channel is sponsored by COVERGIRL, Warner Bros. Pictures and T-Mobile.

TikTok Brings Giphy Integration To The Platform 

TikTok is partnering with GIPHY to bring GIFs to the platform. 

Why it matters: Giphy integration will allow TikTok users to import Stickers and export TikTok memes. TikTok spokesperson told TechCrunch,  “Giphy users can create and upload their own Stickers to the platform. Giphy Studios has worked with a wide array of brands and partners, such as TikTok, to create custom content, which they do on a case by case basis. TikTok worked with the creators and the Giphy Studios team to turn popular TikTok memes into GIFs. To create this content, we invited a group of creative, funny, and diverse creators, @DreaKnowBest, @Gabe, @BenoftheWeek who are excited to immortalize TikTok memes in GIF form.”

The details: The Giphy integration will be placed front and center into the app, which will enable creators to add a sticker to a post by simply clicking a Giphy button. 

Facebook News Accelerator Helps Boost Subscriptions Via Newsletters And Social Media 

Local News Subscriptions Accelerator program was launched by Facebook last year and over this time has expanded significantly. The report details that focusing on reader engagement, especially via a strong newsletter strategy, is one of the best ways to drive an increase in paying news subscribers. 

Why it matters: Per the report, “[The results] demonstrate that despite all the challenges facing the local news ecosystem, many of them detailed in a piece from The Wall Street Journal, growth and improvement are possible even within the Accelerator’s relatively short nine-month duration.”

The details: The report shows that projects funded through the Accelerator, brought tens of thousands of new digital subscriptions and hundreds of thousands of new email newsletter subscribers to the publishers. The project found that news organizations that put marketing resources into growing their email lists, building better digital testing and upgrading their digital marketing practices, including personalization are much more likely to increase their subscriber base.

You can read the full report here

UK Residents Want to Eat And Drink More Sustainably, Instagram Report 

Instagram shared a report that revolves around the trends in the most popular Insta topic in the UK–food and drink. Per the report, 39 percent of Insta users in the region say they are fans of food and/or drink related content. 

Why it matters: As food brands and retailers look to connect with consumers visually, the report notes that what foodies really want, in addition to delicious looking snaps, is a deeper connection to the food they eat and the producers who make it. 

The details: The key food and drink trends in the UK, according to Instagram, are “Honest Connections,” “Raw Fodies,” “Collectively Sustainable,” “Natural Discovery” and “Beyond Nutrition;” and the key takeaways for marketers include: 

  • “Consumers not only want companies to do their bit for society but are willing to go on a journey if a brand actively shares its values.
  • In a world of seemingly perfect looking food, people find connection through authentic food narratives.
  • As consumers take on individual responsibility to eat consciously, Instagram is becoming a place to learn sustainable eating hacks and be part of a community of change.
  • As diets become increasingly adventurous, people are exploring flavours from the natural world.
  • Functional eating is getting an exciting makeover through Instagram as consumers look to fit functional foods into their regular eating habits.”

Snapchat Introduces “Instant Create”

Snapchat shared a blog post announcing a new tool for creating vertical ads. 

Why it matters: Snapchat is looking to attract new advertisers who may not be used to creating ads in the smartphone-friendly vertical format and “Instant Create” is meant to simplify the process for as many users as possible. 

The details: To create a vertical ad, select your objective, for example, “increase web visits,” “app installs” or “app visits,” enter your business website, finalize your targeting and publish. 

Per Snapchat, “Instant Create” features include: 

  • Ability to pull in photos directly from your website to help create your ad.
  • Option to choose one of the imported images or upload a new one from your computer, allowing you to quickly set up your campaigns without having to search for a creative.
  • Streamlined ad creation flow that leverages the most popular templates.

Sex Tech Companies Unite To Push Back On Facebook’s Ad Policies 

Two sex tech startups, Unbound and Dame Products, created a website, “Approved, Not Approved” and are staging a protest outside Facebook’s headquarters in New York to bring attention to the fact that there’s a double standard when it comes to the sexualities of men versus women, trans and gender non-conforming people TechCrunch reported

Why it matters: Per TechCrunch, the companies’ goal is to bring more awareness to Facebook’s advertising guidelines that seem to favor products that cater to cisgender men and show how ads for sex toys and products targeted at men are more likely to be approved than those for women, trans or gender non-conforming people.

The details: Dame Products CEO, Alexandra Fine, told TechCrunch, “For so long, advertisements have been how we continue to reinforce the status quo of what we view as societally desirable and validating. Since we’re in a category that’s often denied, we wanted to create an experience that illuminates the disparity.”

Facebook Is In Talks With Disney, Netflix About Supporting Facebook’s New TV Chat Device 

The Information reported that Facebook approached several media companies, including Netflix, Hulu, HBO and Walt Disney Co. about streaming on Facebook’s new device for making video calls from televisions. 

Why it matters: The partnership will provide marketers with more opportunities to advertise on TV chat device, possibly worldwide.  

The details: The device, code-named Catalina, should be released this fall, and per The Information, will use the same video-calling technology in Facebook’s camera-equipped smart speaker, called Portal, which has a screen of its own and is designed to sit on kitchen counters and desks. The device will also come with a physical remote and streaming video services similar to other television boxes, such as Apple TV.    

Snapchat Trolls Instagram With Their New “Real Friends” Campaign 

The fact that Snapchat doesn’t have an account on Instagram didn’t stop it from starting a viral hashtag , #realfriends, on the rival’s platform. 

Why it matters: Hijacking attention via an Instagram hashtag is a clever way for Snapchat to promote its new campaign and reach a young, heavily engaged user base on the rival platform.

The details: Snap told CNBC that it partnered with “Quotefluencer” accounts on Instagram to post the ads. The ads are easily identifiable by the use of Snap’s signature yellow and ghost logo, nicknamed Ghostface Chillah.

Twitter Spotted Testing “Drag To Re-Order Attached Tweet Images”

The reverse engineering expert, Jane Manchun Wong spotted Twitter trying out a feature that would allow users to re-order multiple attached tweet images through “drag and drop.”

Why it matters: If launched, the feature would solve a major pain point of many marketers, making the process of uploading images to tweets much easier. 

The details: The feature would allow to simply drag and drop images into a tweet instead of uploading them in a specific order.

Infiniti Creates Immersive Instagram Driving Experience 

Infiniti introduced an immersive driving experience for Instagram users, which recreates the feeling of racing in a Q60 coupe. 

Why it matters: With its gamified experience, Infiniti aims to reach a young, tech-savvy audience and provoke high engagement with the content. 

The details: The experience is available in the “Stories Highlights” on Infiniti USA Instagram page. The users can pick a color for their Q60, and take a seat in a virtual Infiniti car. They are then asked to answer a series of quiz questions to select their next action in a “choose-your-own-adventure” experience. 

AList shares Social Media round-up

PBS Comes To YouTube 

PBS and PBS Kids will reportedly join YouTube. 

Why it matters: Considering that more and more people are abandoning their TV sets in favor of digital streaming, PBS might win a ton of new viewers on YouTube.

The details: PBS Chief Digital and Marketing Officer Ira Rubenstein said, “Our goal is to reach as many Americans as possible with content that educates, inspires and entertains. As a broadcaster that is rooted in communities, we appreciate YouTube’s commitment to local content, and we are pleased that this service provides audiences with access to programming that is produced and distributed by our member stations.” 

Pinterest Offers More Ways To Shop On The Platform 

Pinterest rolled out new ways to discover items and shop from personalized ideas at the top of the home feed and browsable catalogs alongside Pins.

Why it matters: The new updates make brands more visible and easily discoverable on Pinterest. Especially considering that the recent study by Neustar found that “participating retail brands saw a 2x higher return on ad spend from Pinterest than from [other] social media and a 1.3x higher return than from traditional search.”

The details: According to Pinterest, along with personalized shopping hubs at the top of the user’s home feed, an updated shopping section below Pins is added, making it easy to browse into the catalogs of brands. 

Facebook Expands Search Ads 

After relaunching search ads last year, this week Facebook expanded access to search ads, making them available to more businesses.

Why it matters: Search ads allow marketers to target people with relevant ads based on their searches.

The details: The way Facebook search ads work is when a user looks up a related term on the platform, a marketer can target that query, and have ads displayed in the results. 

LinkedIn Introduces New Tips On Choosing Ad Campaign Objectives

LinkedIn offered marketers fresh tips, explaining how to better utilize objective based advertising. 

Why it matters: According to LinkedIn, “Objective-based marketing is a complete reconfiguration of Campaign Manager, designed to keep your business objectives front-and-center at every step of the way.”

The details: The tips touch upon ways to maximize brand awareness, website visits, engagement, video views, lead generation, website conversions and other topics. 

To help marketers with setting up their target audience and improving their ad targeting process, LinkedIn also published a video tutorial.

Elon Musk To Bring Netflix And YouTube To Tesla

Elon Musk announced in a tweet that Tesla is preparing to launch in-car YouTube and Netflix streaming. 

Why it matters: The initiative might present an opportunity for marketers who advertise on YouTube to target their audience on the go. 

The details: Musk said the in-car software will support both YouTube and Netflix. He also said that the video streaming will be available only while the vehicle is stopped, however, this might change when full self-driving becomes an option. 

The Court Of Justice Of The EU Toughens Guidelines For Social Plug-Ins 

According to the press release published by Europe’s top court, sites that have Facebook “Like” buttons will be jointly responsible for the initial user data processing.  

Why it matters: At this time, Facebook’s “Like” buttons transfer personal data automatically during the page load  without any need for the users to interact with the plug-in.

The details: Per the report, “The Court makes clear that the operator of a website such as Fashion ID, as a (joint) controller in respect of certain operations involving the processing of the data of visitors to its website, such as the collection of those data and their transmission to Facebook Ireland, must provide, at the time of their collection, certain information to those visitors such as, for example, its identity and the purposes of the processing.

change how the plug-in functions to ensure no data is sent to Facebook prior to visitors being asked if they want their browsing to be tracked by the ad tech giant.” 

New Tool Lets Marketers Know When Their Competition Launches A Facebook Ad Campaign 

The new tool from PixelMe will send out email alerts to marketers when competitors launch a Facebook ad campaign, Social Media Today reported

Why it matters: Monitoring competition is a crucial part of marketing strategy and the new tool provides a major opportunity to react more quickly when a competitor releases a new Facebook campaign. 

The details: To utilize the tool, add in the URL of the Facebook Page to search for it.  

Then, by connecting to the Facebook Ad Library listing for that Page, see all the previous ads posted by a competitor.To enable alerts, click “Alert Me” and enter an email address where you want to   alerts. 

More instructions on how to use the tool can be found here

Editor’s Note: Our weekly social media news post is updated daily. This installment will be updated until Friday, August 2nd. Have a news tip? We’re looking for changes to and news surrounding social media platforms as they relate to marketing. Let us know at