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KIMP’s Picks 2nd August: Weekly Highlights In Design, Marketing, AI, & More

Keeping up with the social media chatter is no longer a luxury. Whether you are an entrepreneur or a marketer or a technology enthusiast trying to tackle your FOMO, you’re in the right place. The KIMP’s Picks is your ticket to a quick weekly social media recap. 

The KIMP’s Picks 2nd August edition brings a handpicked list of AI updates, posts about social media algorithm changes, marketing inspiration and so much more. So, are you ready to catch up on all the buzz from this past week? Let’s get going. 

In the Marketing Realm 

AI is changing the game for PPC ads

Search Engine Journal shared the below post discussing how AI is shifting the ad landscape. This article breaks down how to prepare your ads for AI automation. It talks about some of the basic tips like focusing on clear and concise keyword-rich landing pages. 

They also talk about the need to develop strong and impactful ad copy while continuously optimizing keyword strategies. The post also reiterates the fact that AI is merely a complementary add-on in the world of advertising, a tool to simplify tasks and hence there is still the need for continuous monitoring and refinement are essential. 

An unlikely yet interesting brand partnership

Skechers and John Deere recently launched a co-branded footwear collection. Ads of The World shared the below post discussing this unique and unexpected brand partnership. This campaign is a great source of inspiration for brands looking to tweak their co-branding strategies. 

This new brand partnership introduces a line of footwear that targets agricultural professionals, construction workers, outdoor enthusiasts, and everyday trendsetters. This collaboration effectively combines John Deere’s reputation for ruggedness with Skechers’ focus on comfort and innovation. In other words, it works because it is built on the unique brand strengths of the individual brands involved. 

Tapping into fan culture 

The best kind of marketing is one that listens to the target audience. YouTube recently shared a post highlighting this. The post is about McDonald’s WcDonald’s campaign that leverages anime fandom. 

According to YouTube, about 74% of GenZ consumers favor brands that understand their interests and engage with things that they love. The success of McDonald’s campaign is proof that in a competitive space, one way for brands to stay ahead is to closely monitor and keep up with their target audience’s deepest interests. 

Time for those back-to-school campaigns 

Google shared the below post highlighting the fact that the back-to-school shopping season has begun. While there is a huge shift in the shopping patterns during this season, this one does not get the attention it deserves. So, if you are looking for a potential shopping season with a little less competition than the big holidays ahead, then now is a good time. 

According to Google, about 80% of shoppers are comparing prices and brands and nearly 75% of them are researching online through product reviews and other information. So, it’s a good time to update your business pages on Google, clearly draft content that brings traffic, and plan campaigns that tap into the increase in demand. 

In the Content Marketing Realm 

Understanding Gen Z and millennials to create better content 

If reaching the young audience is your priority then this article from Mobile Marketing Magazine is for you. 

The post discusses findings from a new research from Censuswide. Reportedly, the reserach has revealed a significant surge in social media usage among Gen Z and Millennials during major events like the Olympics. No wonder brands rush to create the most creative social media campaigns to jump on these trends. 

The post highlights the heightened engagement during these events and how this presents a prime opportunity for brands to connect with these valuable demographics. The study found that 31% of respondents are more likely to purchase from brands they interact with on social media.

The post also emphasizes the growing influence of social media on purchasing decisions, especially among younger consumers. 

Content ideas from X 

In the previous section, we discussed the need for brands to monitor social media for trends and to jump on them at the right time. And how sports events are particularly dominating the scene. The post here from X further reinforces this fact. 

Reportedly, the Paris 2024 Olympics garnered a whopping 28 billion impressions on the platform with video views shooting up to 3.2 billion. Additionally, there has also been a 12% increase in impressions compared to the discussions on the platform during the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. This shows the strong growth in sports-related conversions on social media. 

In the Design Realm 

Canva acquires AI content startup Leonardo.ai

Canva announced the acquisition of Leonardo.ai, a generative AI content & research company. This strategic move hints that Canva is striving to become a global leader in design AI technology. 

Leonardo.ai boasts a powerful foundational model and a team of talented researchers and engineers. This acquisition will accelerate the development of Canva’s AI suite, known as Magic Studio. 

Reportedly, both companies will invest heavily in advancing AI model research and development to empower creators of all levels. This aligns with their commitment to making AI accessible for everyone. 

Luxury branding design inspiration 

The X page of The Brand Identity is a great space to check out if you need a quick creativity boost. They recently shared a branding design project for Sage Space, a brand known for “luxury dental rituals”.

What makes this branding design project stand out is the fact that it breaks the norms and sways away from the traditional perception of wellness branding and dental services. This one uses a chic and modern aesthetic to align with the sophistication the brand is known for. 

The idea was to take cues from sensory experiences and that’s exactly what the design team achieved. Their design reflects the luxurious ambiance that Sage Space is known for. The visually intriguing logo as well as the brand colors represent the brand’s personality accurately. 

Video marketing inspiration 

Another great place to look for design inspiration will be the X page of It’s Nice That. Their recent post is a great example. 

This post discusses a recent project from Kreatives a leading creating agency. The 2024 Paris Paralympic Games will be the first time all 22 sports will be broadcast. To help audiences understand the unique rules and adaptations of these often unfamiliar sports, Kreatives has developed a series of engaging explainer videos.

The agency has crafted visually stunning animations that not only educate the audience but also celebrate the athletes and their incredible abilities. Moreover, the agency infused the project with French artistic flair, referencing iconic painters like Monet and Rodin to create distinctive visuals for each sport.

This project shows the impact of custom illustrations in brand storytelling and also the need for video content in marketing. 

A unique brand identity design project 

This next one we have is also a brand identity design project for your inspiration and this one was featured on the X page of Creative Review, the global community for creatives. It discusses a unique brand identity designed for Crucible, a leading drinks, and flavour development lab. The source of inspiration for the design is what makes it one of the most intriguing branding projects. 

Reportedly the design draws inspiration from bacteria cultures. To tackle this, the creative studio cultured various samples in petri dishes. This let them capture the organic patterns that formed the basis of Crucible’s new logo.  

This project highlights how sometimes unconventional methods and sources of inspiration can lead to branding that cuts through the noise. 

The Toronto Raptors have a new logo 

The Toronto Raptors are celebrating three decades in the NBA with a fresh and playful logo. The design features a cartoon dinosaur taking a playful bite out of the number 30, bringing back a beloved mascot for fans. 

This new logo has generated significant buzz online, with many fans expressing excitement about the return of the dinosaur. As the Raptors reflect on their past achievements and look toward the future, this logo serves as a fun and memorable milestone.

It also stands as a testament to the effectiveness of incorporating mascots in branding and how they strengthen emotional ties with the audience, particularly in sports branding. 

In the AI Realm 

Midjourney announces V6.1

Midjourney recently unveiled its latest model, V6.1, promising significant improvements in image quality, coherence, and text accuracy. This upgraded version boasts faster processing speeds, enhanced detail, and a new personalization model for tailored image creation.

Reportedly, the new model brings with it a host of upgrades including advanced upscaling, refined text rendering, and a mode for increased texture at the cost of coherence. The model’s ability to accurately depict complex elements, from human anatomy to intricate patterns, marks a substantial leap forward in AI image generation.

This means that users can expect to see stunning and realistic images with greater control over details. The new personalization model allows for even more customized outputs.

Runway unleashes Gen-3 Alpha image-to-video & Gen-3 Alpha

Runway ML announced a major upgrade to its Image to Video tool. The new Gen-3 Alpha model offers enhanced control over video generation, allowing users to start with any image as a base and refine it with text prompts.

Additionally, Runway has introduced a faster version called Turbo, which significantly reduces processing time without compromising quality. This speed boost opens up new possibilities for real-time applications as well. 

These upgrades allow creators greater artistic freedom and efficiency. Additionally, users can now bring their visions to life more quickly and precisely than ever before.

Stability AI is adding some exciting updates to Stable Assistant 

One of the first updates will be the Control & Style feature. This new feature allows you to extract the artistic style of an image and apply it to your own creations. Simply provide a reference image and a text prompt, and Stable Assistant will generate a brand-new image that reflects the style of your reference.

The other news is that Stable Assistant is now also integrated in to Telegram. This lets you access all its features, including text-to-image generation and inpainting, through a dedicated bot. This seamless integration makes AI image creation more convenient and collaborative than ever before.

Google’s Gemma 2 is expanding 

Google DeepMind has announced significant advancements in its Gemma 2 language model family. They have introduced a new 2 billion parameter Gemma 2 model. This model is designed for efficient performance across various hardware platforms. It is a smaller model that packs a punch, delivering amazing results without the computational demands of larger models.

Additionally, DeepMind has also unveiled ShieldGemma, a suite of safety classifiers that detect and filter harmful content. This crucial step aims to mitigate risks associated with AI models.

Finally, DeepMind is promoting transparency with Gemma Scope. Gemma Scope is a toolset that allows researchers to delve into the model’s decision-making processes. By open-sourcing the weights, DeepMind encourages collaboration and fosters advancements in responsible AI development.

Select ChatGPT Plus users get Advanced Voice Mode 

OpenAI announced its gradual rollout of the Advanced Voice Mode. Reportedly, this feature is currently available to a few Plus users. 

This new feature promises more natural, real-time conversations with the AI, allowing users to interrupt freely. The tool will also be able to detect and respond to user emotions. 

While the initial rollout is limited to a small group of ChatGPT Plus users, OpenAI plans to expand access to all Plus subscribers by fall. The company is prioritizing safety and has implemented robust measures to prevent misuse.

The Advanced Voice Mode will make conversations with ChatGPT sound more natural and human-like. 

OpenAI is setting foot in the Search segment 

OpenAI recently announced that they are experimenting with a new conversational search tool, SearchGPT. In the post here, they also shared a video sneak peek of the tool. 

This prototype search tool will reportedly deliver quick and relevant search results. While ChatGPT already has the option to browse the web and provide answers, SearchGPT is meant to give real-time results expected from a typical search engine. The aim here is to simplify the process of using a search engine to find answers or solutions to specific problems. 

Perplexity AI has been emerging as a significant contender for Google in the Search Engine game. And now it looks like OpenAI is joining the league as well. All of these developments clearly indicate that the search landscape is changing drastically. 

Google is making Gemini faster and smarter with 1.5 Flash 

Google announced that 1.5 Flash is now available in Gemini in more than 40 languages and in over 230 countries. Additionally, to shape Gemini into a productive research partner, they are adding related content links and sources in the responses. This is in addition to their ongoing research in reducing hallucinations. 

Moreover, the European Economic Area (EEA), the UK, and Switzerland are also gaining access to Gemini in Google Messages. And finally, Gemini is also soon expanding access to teens in the coming weeks. 

Social Media Feature Updates and Algorithm Changes

Meta shares Q2 highlights 

Meta shared a post discussing some of their highlights and achievements by the second quarter. According to the post, Meta aims to make Meta AI the “most used AI assistant” in the market. 

They also celebrated Threads’ first anniversary recently and reportedly there are over 200 million actives on the platform as of now. And for WhatsApp, the monthly active user count rose to 100 million recently. Finally, about advertisers and brands on Meta platforms – their post suggests that there are over 1 million users currently advertising on the Meta platforms using their built-in generative AI features. 

Meta announces AI Studio 

Meta shared some good news for creators using Meta platforms for their content. They are introducing AI Studio which is touted to be an “AI extension” of the creators themselves. 

This marks the introduction of two types of AIs namely Creator AI and AI characters. Instagram Head Adam Mosseri shared a short video discussing this update. 

If you have been following the KIMP’s Picks series you perhaps remember that TikTok announced TikTok Studio for enhanced content creation and management by creators a few weeks ago. And now Meta is joining the league. These changes indicate that these social media platforms are continuously striving to make the space more productive and convenient to creators. 

Based on the post that Instagram shared here it looks like these features are designed to let creators personalize their AI versions or create AI characters to personalize audience engagement and also save time. 

You can now add lead gen ads on Reddit 

Reddit is one of the leading social media forums for brands to engage with their customers and also to find out what’s trending and what their target audiences are looking for. Therefore advertising on the platform is quite popular. To boost the appeal for ads on this platform, Reddit has announced Lead Gen ads. 

Social Media Today, a leading authority in social media news and updates, shared the below post discussing this update from Reddit. 

Meta is enhancing the Threads experience 

Meta’s Threads is enhancing its platform with a new feature that highlights trending topics directly within posts. Users in the U.S. can now tap on these labels to explore related content, sorted by popularity or recency.

This update aims to improve content discovery and engagement on the platform. Given that the platform has always been touted to become a worthy X contender, moves like these seem to reinforce the idea. 

Moreover, Threads is also experimenting with a multi-feed layout similar to TweetDeck to offer users more customization options.

To Conclude…

That was our list of share-worthy posts from this week. We hope you enjoyed the quick round-up and got to take away some quick and useful updates. There’s always something new being discussed on social media. And it can be tough to keep up with all of them. But that’s where the KIMP’s Picks comes in. We’ll make sure that you get your weekly dose of social media updates, of all things big and new in AI, marketing, and other segments. So, stay tuned and we’ll be back next week with another round of social media updates. 

Posted On

02 Aug, 2024

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