Spring is upon us, the sun is shining and it’s completely acceptable to eat mini eggs by the truck load. So, sit back, throw away your big coat and butter yourself a hot cross bun as we give you a rundown of March 2019’s place in the PR history books.
INSTAGRAM CHECKOUT
Instagram has launched a built-in checkout function for brands to sell their products.
Brands such as Zara, Adidas and Kylie Cosmetics have made full use of the new e-commerce platform which allows shoppers to purchase products without ever leaving the app.
On content, clickable links take the shopper directly to a product page where colours, sizes etc. are chosen. Billing details can be saved so that the return visit can be slick and a fast route to purchase; I guess impulse buying very definitely exists online now too!
Many are predicting this will have a huge impact on the future of websites and e-commerce. What do you think?
SNAPCHAT ADDICTION
Snapchat has been accused of being ‘potentially addictive’ by MPs on the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport select committee in relation to “streaks which are used to mark a close friendship within the app.
Committee chairman Damian Collins commented on streaks stating, “it seems that the value of a relationship could be measured in the length of a streak.
The committee has put a number of questions to Snapchat and asked whether or not certain aspects within the app could be turned off for under 18-year olds.
Currently, there is no way of turning this feature off, however the comments from the committee are being taken into consideration by Snapchat.
Snapchat has also admitted that the age verification system it has in place is not successful at stopping children under 13 joining the app. Although it is fair to say that most social media sites have this problem.
BILLY’S DONUTS
The internet is often a miserable place, especially Twitter, with online trolls aplenty and not much to cheer about in the news at the minute. That’s why a wonderful story such as this one sticks out and warms the heart.
Twitter user Billy By’s father was holding a grand opening for his donut shop when no one seemed to arrive. Upset for his father, Billy decided to tweet to drum up some support and as you can see from the evidence below, the rest is history;
https://twitter.com/hibillyby/status/1104473014291185665
Since the tweet, customers have flocked in from all around the country to sample Billy’s donuts, with celebrities and media from all corners of the world sharing the post. His store was such a success that he ended up running out of donuts! #Feels
SOME OTHER PR AND SOCIAL MEDIA-Y STUFF:
The ultimate first world problem, besides the elevating prices of Starbucks coffee and the not being able to find your right wireless AirPod, is YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA NOT LOADING. Facebook, Instagram, Oculus and WhatsApp all went down over the past few weeks and parent company Facebook has blamed the outage on a ‘server configuration change’. Good job we still had Twitter or else no one would have been able to moan about it!
Recently, a lot of higher end brands and fashion houses have been embracing and addressing unconventional norms of ‘beauty’. Avon is one of the latest to tackle this by enlisting Burns survivor Catrin Pugh as the new face of its beauty campaign.
Catrin Pugh was given a one in 1000 chance of survival after suffering burns to 96% of her body in a bus crash in the French Alps. The horrible incident didn’t stop her being chosen to be the face of Avon’s new ‘Perfect Nudes’ range. With almost two thirds of women saying that they feel pressured by the beauty industry to meet certain standards, this story is a real feel-good positive contrast and one that the beauty industry needs to keep exploring.
So, another month has flown by, and another busy one. Go out, enjoy the sunshine and don’t worry about staying up to date in April, we’ll catch you up on all the latest news from the industry in the same place next month.
