Twitter revamp of Direct Messages holds promise for brands

Is the sharing economy just a marketing trick? | The church must go social, Vatican official says | HotelTonight is Instagram's first startup advertiser Created for ignoble.experiment@arconati.us |  Web Version   August 14, 2014 CONNECT WITH SMARTBRIEF        SIGN UP | FORWARD | ARCHIVE | ADVERTISE The Big Story Sponsored By Is the sharing economy just a marketing trick? Companies such as Airbnb and Lyft aren't really about sharing, Noam Scheiber writes, arguing that instead they're about lowering transaction costs and monetizing underused assets. Branding the sector as involving "sharing" and "collaboration" is a smart way for companies to sidestep regulators, but it doesn't say much about their real function, Scheiber writes. The New Republic (free registration) (8/13) Share:  Godin • Besmertnik • Fishkin • Reynolds • Fernandez C3 2014 has got some serious star power that you don't want to miss. For two innovation-packed days, these renowned speakers and many more will take the stage to address the shift to blend content, SEO, and social into web presence management. Join these innovators and more than 1000 other marketers at C3 2014. Take 15% off with promo code: SmartBrief15 Connecting & Collaborating Sponsored By The church must go social, Vatican official says Catholics should maintain a presence on social media and use digital technologies to counter "bullies" and bring their message to new audiences, Monsignor Paul Tighe, the pope's top social media adviser, told a technology conference held by the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. "If we withdraw, then we're leaving those areas to the trolls," Tighe said. Los Angeles Times (tiered subscription model) (8/13) Share:  Top tools and trends for 2014. Download our 2014 Digital Trends report, created in partnership with eConsultancy, to discover the trends that are driving exceptional customer experiences. Based on a global survey of more than 2,500 marketers, our report found that customer experience, mobile marketing, and content marketing are major business imperatives for 2014. Get the report now to uncover more insights for the coming year. Marketer Moments Sponsored By HotelTonight is Instagram's first startup advertiser Startup hotel booking application HotelTonight has launched a monthlong Instagram ad campaign that shows people in everyday situations fantasizing about their dream vacations. Instagram's advertising unit is still in its infancy and until now has been used only by big-name brands such as McDonald's, Taco Bell and Gap. Adweek (8/13) Share:  Groupon picks up followers with its first Snapchat offer Adweek (8/13) Share:  Connecting with the U.S. Hispanic Market U.S. Hispanics are ahead of the curve when it comes to digital, presenting a huge opportunity for marketers looking to connect with them. Visit Think with Google to learn three important lessons marketers need to know when speaking with this growing audience. Platform News Sponsored By Facebook to reveal ad viewing, purchases across devices Facebook on Wednesday announced that it would begin to inform advertisers about which devices consumers use to interact with an ad or take an action, such as buying a product. The move is seen as an attempt by Facebook to demonstrate the effectiveness of its mobile ads. Bloomberg (8/13), Advertising Age (free access for SmartBrief readers) (8/13) Share:  Twitter's revamp of Direct Messages holds promise for brands Twitter is preparing to revamp its Direct Messages service in a way that holds promise for brands to better engage consumers, writes Jon Russell. Separately, Twitter is explaining to clients the implications of its acquisition of data-management firm Gnip and is listening to their concerns. TheNextWeb.com (8/12), Advertising Age (free access for SmartBrief readers) (8/13) Share:  The Inbound Website: Content Targeting & Lead Nurturing This eBook takes you through ways to use content targeting, nurturing and personas to increase relevancy and engagement with your visitors. Learn where to focus and how to use analytics to optimize your digital experience. Download the step-by-step guide to transform your website into an inbound machine. Measurement Matters Sponsored By Tech firms mine consumers' photos for brand clues Selfies and socially shared photos can provide a wealth of consumer information around brand affinity and interest, and several companies are developing advanced tools to analyze this freely available information. Ditto Labs, which works with Kraft, Coca-Cola and Cadillac, uses consumer photos to find out how products are actually being used. Mashable (8/13) Share:  TRUSTe 2014 US Consumer Confidence Privacy Report Consumer trust is falling. 55% of consumers (down from 57% in 2013) say they trust businesses with their personal information online. For a valuable barometer of consumer confidence, business impact and recommended business practices, download the TRUSTe research report now. Social Shareable "Salmon cannon" shoots fish over obstacles Government fish and wildlife officials are testing the use of pneumatic tubes to propel salmon over dams and other obstacles, helping them to reach their breeding grounds. "It's OK to laugh, this is utterly ridiculous," says Todd Deligan of fish-cannon manufacturer Whooshh Innovations. The Verge (8/11) Share:  Essential news for cable & broadcast industry professionals Get a daily news summary written by SmartBrief's expert editors, compliments of the Cable & Telecommunications Association for Marketing (CTAM). Get the news today. SmartQuote If I looked at two years of your photos, I could tell a lot about you." -- David Rose, CEO of Ditto Labs, as quoted by Mashable Share:    Andy Sernovitz, Editor at Large Andy Sernovitz is the New York Times best-selling author of "Word of Mouth Marketing: How Smart Companies Get People Talking" and the blog "Damn, I Wish I'd Thought of That!" He runs WordofMouth.org, where marketers and entrepreneurs learn to be great at word of mouth marketing, and SocialMedia.org, the community for social media leaders at the world's greatest brands.   Subscriber Tools Please contact one of our specialists for advertising opportunities, editorial inquiries, job placements, or any other questions.   Editor:  Ambreen Ali Managing Editor:  Stephen Yusko Contributing Editor:  Ben Whitford Advertising:  Dena Malouf Jobs Contact:  Elizabeth Stack     SIGN UP   SHARE   ADVERTISE   SEND FEEDBACK Update Profile | Change e-mail address | Unsubscribe |  Archive | Web version (print friendly) Download the SmartBrief App  iTunes / Android   Mailing Address: SmartBrief, Inc.®, 555 11th ST NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20004 © 1999-2014 SmartBrief, Inc.® Privacy policy |  Legal Information