The Campaign:

Burger Kings latest ad stunt is designed to ‘hijack’ people’s Google Home devices. Last Wednesday around noon, the fast-food giant introduced their 15-second spot on YouTube. The spot presents a single Burger King employee speaking to a camera. To prompt Google Home devices, the actor exclaims, “OK, Google, what is the Whopper burger?” This simple sentence triggered Google Homes devices across the country to read aloud the first paragraph of the Wikipedia entry about the Whooper.

Burger King’s Ad Stunt Hijacks Google home devices

The Hijack:

In its infancy, the spot generated extreme buzz. However, after airing during The Tonight Show and Jimmy Kimmel Live, the plan began to derail. As viewers began catching on to Burger King’s stunt, they quickly began editing the Wikipedia entry. At one point Wednesday night, the Whopper was described as ‘cyanide.’

Burger King’s Ad Stunt Hijacks Google home devices

Burger King Fights Back:

It didn’t take long for Google to catch on either. A few hours after the sport aired on the various nighttime variety shows, it stopped triggering Google Home Devices. It is being said that Google disabled the ad from working, although Google has yet to confirm. The narrative continues.

Burger King was quick to respond with a revised version of the device-hacking ad. The new version outsmarted Google, as it still had the ability to infiltrate the devices. Although this stunt generated some negative publicity and angered customers, it generated volumes of brand awareness. By Wednesday night Burger King was a trending topic across social media. You know what they say, any publicity is good publicity!

A New app by Dallas’ rewardStyle takes consumers from screenshot to shopping cart. Since 2011, rewardStyle’s feature LIKEtoKNOW.it. has been used by social media influencers. The platform is a social shopping service that lets influencers and bloggers on platforms such as Snapchat and Instagram get paid for their work. The screenshot option is the platform’s newest feature. It is extremely user-friendly and changes the way fashion addicts shop.

LIKEtoKNOW.it.

This was the first feature introduced by rewardStyle. After a blogger or influencers takes a picture of an outfit, they upload it to LIKEtoKNOW.it. and tag the featured items in the picture. After they tag the items, they then upload the corresponding links to where users can buy the products from. This is an extremely beneficial from all platforms and makes shopping easier!

Screenshot to Shopping Cart

The App:

In March 2017, LIKEtoKNOW.it. released its own app. The app lets audiences shop content from anywhere on your phone. It is doing this through one simple act: taking a screenshot. To use the new app all you have to do is take a screenshot of a photo you want to shop. After taking the screenshot, the app sends you a push notification, matching the image with influencer photos in its database. Shortly after, you can open the app and shop the content featured in the photo. Co-founder and president of rewardStyle, Amber Venz Box explains, “Liking’ has become transactional, but taking a screenshot is the most personal form of curation and it is the strongest indicate of purchase intent.”

If you, like myself, are an avid online shopper you won’t regret downloading the app. Take yourself from a screenshot to shopping cart with a simple download.

Screenshot to Shopping Cart

Facebook introduces story feature- Tuesday morning Facebook announced a new Facebook camera feature that allows users to overlay special effects on photos and videos. This new function labeled Facebook Stories, will permit users to post public updates to their feed that will expire after 24 hours. Sound familiar?

What is a “Story”

A story is simply a photo or video you post to your very own ‘stories’ section (or feed) of your account which is visible by you and all your friends. From 2013-2016, the word ‘story’ was synonymous with the social platform Snapchat. During this three year period, Snapchat was the only platform that had a story feature. Additionally, many brands utilize the ‘story’ feature to communicate with consumers. The story feature attracts brands from every industry from Sour Patch Kids to General Electric, and even Soul Cycle. These brands are using Snapchat to connect with customers in an authentic, low-cost, and personal way. Rather than posting traditional ‘polished’ content, the ‘story’ content is often raw and fun. This allows them to showcase their brand personality on a human level.

Facebook Introduces Story Feature

Facebook Strikes Again 

The addition of ‘stories’ speaks to the established strategy of Facebook. With a majority share of users,  Facebook drives growth by keeping those users engaged as much as possible. Facebook Camera product manager Connor Hayes explains, “as people mostly post photos and videos, Stories is the way they’re going to want to do it.”

Facebook’s introduction of ‘stories’ continues to blur the lines between their services, Instagram, and Snapchat. Frequent users visit Facebook for news, Instagram to connect with influencers, and Snapchat for direct messaging. While these ‘services’ may differ, the user-generated content is what brings the three platforms together. With the notable focus shift to smartphones, companies are forced to come up with engaging new features. The future is social and it’s an arms race between the platforms to come up with the next big idea.

Round Up and Donate

Lyft introduces a new charitable feature: Round Up & Donate.The San Francisco-based company will soon allow passengers to round-up their fares to the nearest dollar and give the difference to charity. Although users do not get to choose a specific charity, they can choose from a variety of causes. As of now, the various cause are the environment, veterans, and LGBT equality.  Continue reading →

YouTube TV:

YouTube is cutting the cord. On Tuesday, February 28^th, the company announced their new on-demand streaming site: YouTube TV. Although there has been a clear departure from traditional cable, this offer suits the modern consumer. YouTubeTV is offered at $35/month, so it is extremely affordable.

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Here I bring you Oscar Social Media 101: It comes as no surprise that such a big night in Hollywood generates amazing content. Taking into account the biggest nominees and talent, I’ve constructed a 101 guide: Who to Follow on social media during the 2017 Oscars. Continue reading →

About Spectacles

After an extremely successful launch in November, Snapchat has taken the approach to making their branded Spectacles more readily available. The ordinary looking glasses have the capacity to record 10 to 30 seconds of video at a time, capturing one’s personal view,

Initially, the company took a slow approach, introducing the new technology through scattered vending machines. At first, individuals waited hours to get this coveted accessories and according to CNN resellers listed the glasses for more than $900 on eBay.

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