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KIMP’s Picks 3rd May: Weekly Highlights In Design, Marketing, AI, & More

Feeling overwhelmed by the never-ending updates on social media? We get it! Every week there are countless posts and updates from brands around the world vying for your attention. From trending topics to insightful discussions, there’s so much to explore and so little time at hand. Amidst this, how do you stay on top of everything? KIMP’s Picks is the answer.

This is our weekly social media roundup where we bring to you a curated list of updates in the realms of marketing, AI, design, and more. Social media algorithm changes, big moves from AI companies, campaigns that impress the marketing community – we have them all right here. 

In just a few minutes, you’ll have a comprehensive recap of the week’s social media buzz. Sound good? Let’s jump right in!

In the Marketing Realm 

Rare Beauty & TikTok Shop host IRL pop-up

Amid TikTok’s uncertain future following President Biden’s bill TikTok partners with Selena Gomez’s Rare Beauty to create a unique offline experience. A  pop-up set in Los Angeles aims to leverage their strong relationship with Rare Beauty. 

The pop-up event signifies the increasing importance of TikTok in the beauty industry, especially for reaching Gen Z consumers who heavily rely on the platform for shopping inspiration.

This campaign is proof that even in the digital age, nothing beats the immersive approach of experiential campaigns like pop-up shops to build brand awareness. 

Updates coming to Display & Video 360

Google NewFront has been the hottest topic of discussion on social media this past week. And in the below post, Google summarized some of the crucial updates to Display & Video 360. Most of these updates have to do with the growing trend of connected TV. 

Firstly, Google is collaborating with major streaming services like Disney+, Paramount+, and Warner Bros. Discovery to provide access to vast content libraries and audiences. And for the businesses looking to tap into the CTV advertising trends that ensue, Google is bringing a new tool. This aims at simplifying buying ad space with top publishers by allowing for customized deals directly within the Display & Video 360 platform.

From diversifying the options to reach streaming audiences and various privacy-focused solutions the above post discusses plenty of exciting updates for marketers to keep up with. 

An exciting collaboration between KFC and Cheetos 

In a recent post, Ads of the World shared a campaign from KFC. This multichannel campaign marks the collaboration of KFC and Cheetos to launch a new product, Crunchin’ Cheese Fried Chicken. 

Social media teasers featuring the mascots coming together have already piqued consumer interest. These teasers are a good example of how building a strong and memorable mascot can help boost brand awareness. The campaign also comes as a reminder of the kind of buzz that can be created when brands come together. 

Overall, the campaign for the Crunchin’ Cheese Fried Chicken launch highlights the effectiveness of strategic brand partnerships and creative mascot integration.

Google is bringing new AI features to Performance Max Campaigns

The marketing technology community MarTech shared the below post discussing some AI feature updates coming to Google’s Performance Max. 

The post discusses 6 such feature updates. These include Customer Value mode and Customer retention goal, catering to high-value customer acquisition and re-engagement respectively. The others include detailed demographics, budget pacing insights, account-level IP address exclusions, and Final URL Expansion which are all meant to empower advertisers in optimizing campaign performance and targeting. 

On the whole, these updates aim at delivering advertisers deeper audience insights and better digital marketing effectiveness. 

In the Content Marketing Realm 

What type of content should you post on social media?

What do consumers want from your brand on social media? That’s a tough question to crack right? And yet one of the most crucial ones too. Popular social media management platform Hootsuite shared the below post answering this big question. 

The post also features the Social Media Consumer Report which can be a useful reserve of information for marketers. The report discusses some vital statistics like the fact that more than half of consumers (about 52% of them) are exhausted by brands constantly posting self-promotional content on social media. 

The post itself gives some quick updates like the fact that consumers like content that teaches them something new, makes them laugh, inspires them and visually engages them too. 

Looking for more ideas on the types of content to post on social media? You might like our blog here. 

The balance between organic and paid social media 

Can you grow organically on social media? How much should you spend on paid social media content? These are big questions running on most marketers’ minds. Renowned social media toolkit company Buffer addresses these questions in the below post. 

The post highlights the benefits of both organic and paid social media and the need to achieve the perfect hybrid strategy for your brand. The post also delves into the differences between both and some ideas on finding inspiration for organic and paid social media content for brands. So, if you are looking to give your social media strategy a makeover, then this post is a good start. 

Tapping into AI to identify content gaps 

Do you have the right type of content for customers at different stages of the buyer’s journey? If not then the below post from Moz is for you. The post talks about using AI to your advantage, to identify content gaps and create the right content strategy to cater to the nuanced needs of every stage. 

The post discusses how gap analysis can be challenging for humans and how AI can help tackle this challenge. It talks about using AI to identify crucial topics that are missing from high-ranking blogs, keyphrases missing in a post, and other ideas. Therefore, this is a great read for content marketers trying to identify what they are missing in their content plan. 

In the Design Realm 

Brand identity inspiration for personal branding 

It’s Nice That is an online design community, a great source of inspiration for creatives. In a recent post, they featured a new brand identity created for Alba Larsen, a 15-year-old female motorsports prodigy. The branding design was created by Athletics, a New York-based design studio.

Creating a logo and brand for personal branding can be challenging. However, this project brilliantly tackles that by incorporating Alba’s personality and position as a rising star, setting her apart in a male-dominated field.

Elevating Alba’s first name over her surname defies the motorsport tradition of using surnames, highlighting her individuality. Additionally, the design itself strikes a balance between a strong, memorable wordmark and subtle feminine touches through color choices to differentiate her brand. Plenty of branding design inspiration there! 

KFC’s new campaign celebrates summer

The Creative Review magazine discusses a recent campaign from KFC which is a nod to the signature British summer. The campaign uses humor and wit to connect with customers. What stands out here is the simple design and visuals used by the brand. The visuals communicate the core message – enjoying BBQ flavors even indoors. Simple yet impactful Out-of-Home (OOH) ads showcase the KFC logo reflected in puddles, a playful nod to the rainy weather.

These are great examples to show that seasonal cues and contextual references in your visuals can add so much more depth to your ad and can make your ads more relatable too. 

Packaging design inspiration 

Designing packaging for healthcare brands can be challenging. While maintaining the visual intrigue you also need to keep things straightforward and clear. The design needs to be simple so that all the essential information is communicated effectively. The below product featured on the X page of The Brand Identity shows how a hint of creativity can tackle these requirements. 

The project discussed here is the brand identity and packaging system created for Metode, a pharmacy brand. The design was created by Norwegian design studio Goods. The design draws inspiration from classic pharmaceutical packaging of the 1950s and 1960s, featuring sans-serif typography and a clean grid system. This looks surprisingly modern and conveniently scalable too. The design also accommodates the need for sustainable pharmaceutical packaging. 

In the AI Realm 

Amazon announces Q, an AI assistant to boost business productivity 

In a recent post, Amazon announced a new AI assistant named Q. This assistant is meant to help business users enhance their productivity. 

Q is designed to help automate tedious coding tasks and allow developers to focus on more complex problem-solving. It can also analyze and summarize large amounts of data, providing valuable insights to business users and saving them time. 

From writing codes to answering questions and generating executive summaries among other tasks, Amazon Q is currently available for several parts of the business through Aamzon Q Developer, Amazon Q Business, and Amazon Q Quicksight versions. 

Google announces Med-Gemini for medical search and reasoning

Popular tech news website Gadgets 360 shared the below post discussing a new version of Gemini from Google. This is a new family of AI models reportedly called Med-Gemini, specifically designed for the medical field. While not yet publicly available, Med-Gemini holds promise for improved medical information access and reasoning for both healthcare professionals and patients.

The post discusses how this AI model’s brilliance in processing and analyzing extensive medical records and research papers, can come in handy in the medical field. More accurate and in-depth analysis of patient data can also empower clinicians with better decision-making tools.

This comes as a reminder that businesses in the healthcare sector should consider how AI can be integrated into their operations to improve patient care and optimize workflows.

GitHub reimagines developer environments with Copilot Workspace

In the below post, GitHub unveils GitHub Copilot Workspace, revolutionizing the developer experience by integrating natural language capabilities throughout the coding process. This platform is meant to help developers at all skill levels, from brainstorming to execution. 

Additionally, developers can also seamlessly share workspaces with team members,

enabling collaborative review and refinement of code before final deployment. The automation this brings allows developers to focus on problem-solving and core coding challenges. Also, it facilitates exploration by removing technical barriers and enabling rapid prototyping.

ChatGPT is getting smarter with Memory feature for ChatGPT Plus users 

OpenAI recently announced their Memory feature for Plus subscribers. This AI-powered functionality allows the chatbot to retain information from past conversations, improving future interactions. Which means that your conversations with the chatbot are to get smarter and more personalized. 

This means some simple changes like users no longer having to constantly re-introduce themselves or repeat background information. The Memory feature also streamlines interactions, making conversations with ChatGPT feel more natural and engaging. 

Stability AI introduces two new API features: Sketch and Structure

Stability AI, a leading developer of AI image generation models, has announced two exciting additions to their API: Sketch and Structure. These features are meant to allow users to create stunning visuals with even better control and flexibility. 

Sketch, as the name implies, is a feature that will let users bring simple sketches to life. The tool can create intricate scenes and details from raw sketches as seen in the example featured in the post. 

The other feature is Structure. This is similar to the Structure Reference feature that Adobe announced about a month ago. With this feature, users can input an image reference for the structure they wish to retain in their design. As Stability AI points out, this can be a cool hack especially when trying to recreate scenes. 

Yelp taps into AI to revamp user experience

AI is exploding at a surprising pace across industries. What’s even more surprising is the ways in which companies around the world leverage AI in their processes. One such application recently is Yelp’s use of AI to generate video previews of restaurants. The popular business news magazine Fast Company shared the below post discussing this new experiment by Yelp. 

Given that the platform is text-heavy with a lot of information in the form of reviews uploaded by users, these video summaries are meant to simplify user experience by presenting reviews in a more dynamic format. 

That’s not all! The other AI application that Yelp is exploring is Yelp Assistant, a new AI-powered tool, that allows users to find and hire service professionals with natural language queries. And there will also be AI-powered recommendations for users. On the whole, Yelp is working on improving their UI and UX on the whole with AI-powered features. 

Major Gemini upgrades underway 

The below post from Google highlights some major Gemini upgrades that are happening. One of them is that the Gemini mobile app is now going global with the iOS and Android apps now being launched in several more countries. 

Secondly, to access the Gemini chatbot on Chrome browser for desktop, all you have to do is to key in “@Gemini” and ask away for the question to be answered directly on the Gemini chat interface. Finally, the browser extensions for the Gemini app will also be available in more languages and countries. 

Social Media Feature Updates and Algorithm Changes

Instagram makes some ranking updates in favor of creators 

In a recent post, Instagram announced some major updates coming to their ranking algorithm. The changes are meant to favor creators and provide better content recommendations. 

One of the updates includes equal priorities for Reels from all types of creators so that content from those with a large following is not prioritized over others. In short, this new ranking factor will prioritize content from smaller accounts, increasing their visibility and reach. 

Reposts will be replaced with original content in recommendations, showcasing creators’ unique voices and ideas. Additionally, reposted content will now display clear labels, attributing credit to the original creator. Moreover, content aggregator accounts will be excluded from recommendations, ensuring genuine creator content takes center stage. 

LinkedIn introduces games to boost engagement 

The popular online newspaper TechCrunch shared the below post discussing LinkedIn’s new move of introducing games to boost engagement. Currently, there are three new puzzle titles: Queens, Crossclimb, and Pinpoint. These daily games aim to offer a casual and social way to connect with professional contacts.

The games are also intended to encourage users to spend more time on the platform while also creating a sense of community. Amidst all this, the platform is also very particular about ensuring that users do not spend too much time either. For this, each game can only be played once per day. While the long-term success remains uncertain, these new games offer a unique and potentially effective way to connect with professionals on a more casual level. 

LinkedIn tests TikTok-inspired video feed

There’s yet another update in the pipeline for LinkedIn to boost engagement. This is a TikTok-like video feed that will allow users to seamlessly scroll through the video content on the platform. With video becoming one of the most favored content types across most social media platforms, and with platforms like X already tweaking their UI to accommodate effortless video consumption, this move from LinkedIn might likely be received warmly. 

While the official date of the feature’s rollout still remains unclear, LinkedIn’s experiment with a short-form video feed signifies their commitment to evolving the platform. 

X might soon have some UI updates 

X Daily News, the place for finding all the latest updates related to X, shared the below post discussing some probable changes coming to the X interface. The platform itself has evolved tremendously these past few months. 

And now there’s news that there might be some updates coming to the UI changing what interacting with various action buttons on the platform will look like. These might also include additional features like swipe to like/reply and others. While there is no news about the date when these changes will be implemented from the preview video in the post they do look promising. 

A Final Word 

With that, we come to a close! We hope that you enjoyed catching up on the social media updates from this week. Does a weekly dose of inspiration like this one sound good? Then stay tuned and we’ll be back with another edition of the KIMP’s Picks next week. 

Posted On

03 May, 2024

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