SOCIAL MEDIA TRENDS Stick or twist? 1 The advertising model reinvents itself p.6 Beyond algorithms 2 A two-speed world of social platforms p.12 is emerging Dedicated platforms... 3 In the age of “Social by Design” p.18 Changing social commerce 4 Multifaceted approaches taking form p.22 Strategic partnerships flourish… 5 Diversification is key p.28 Branded Influencer Fatigue settles in... 6 How to break the deadlock? p.32 Social Media Trends in Augmented Reality! Back to basics! Maximize social ties and commitment p.38 To reveal exclusive content in this 7 white paper: The year of hybrid creative formats Download the free SnapPress Diversify your social content mix p.42 app 8 Snap the pages where the magnifying glass is present The strategic axis of entertainment Add the appropriate dose of The show must go on…! p.48 know-how 9 And discover! Brand experience Made in China 10 Social media interconnects global p.52 marketing strategies 3 40% of the world’s population use social media. With some industry reports claiming that consumers on average spend two hours every day sharing, liking, tweeting and updating on these platforms, what does 2019 hold? Social Media Trends, now in its 5th year, highlights some of the biggest changes in the social landscape and charts the opportunities for brand marketers and communication professionals alike. Making sense of this INTRO- changing landscape is challenging and increasingly we’re seeing a connected intelligence approach where data across all media forms is being directly integrated with advertisers’ first-party data; the opportunities are endless! DUCTION Today, the sheer dominance of Facebook in social media cannot be ignored. Its properties include the flagship Facebook with desktop, mobile and Messenger applications, Instagram, Whatsapp – and even a burgeoning virtual-social capability in Oculus. While others like YouTube, Snap, Twitter, Pinterest and LinkedIn challenge this dominance, each tend to be more focused on niche audiences rather than the broad market subscriber base that Facebook has aggregated. In an environment where regulators are actively challenging Facebook’s privacy policies and business practices across Europe and the US, and in China where we are seeing the convergence of social media and user experiences – the key question is: how long will this monopoly last? How is social media changing for the better? Are the data privacy challenges behind us as brands and platforms alike evolve their relationship with connected consumers? Kantar Media’s Social Media Trends 2019 report uncovers this and more including: Social media advertising Platform algorithms Changing social commerce Branded Influencer Fatigue There has never been a more exciting time in media – we look forward to working together with our clients & partners to better understand this changing landscape throughout 2019 and beyond. 4 5 1 STICK OR TWIST? The advertising model reinvents itself As an advertising-reliant technology Analytica breach, US congressional company, Facebook has attracted and EU parliamentary hearings…) more users and data than ever plunging the social giant into crisis to be monetised. The figures are after crisis. overwhelming: according to the GSMA, the social media giant should When there have been crises, see its advertising revenue rise to however, we have seen the nearly $70 billion in 2019. Knowing introduction of new practices that the company already represents designed to restore trust: a series almost 20% of the entire digital of measures against data abuse, advertising market, with $54 billion information clarification policy in estimated revenues in 2018, this for users, a study of applications growth is significant. that could access a large amount of data before 2014, an audit of Of course, 2018 has been a “applications presenting suspicious significant year for Facebook, each activities“... Mark Zuckerberg, has day bringing its share of challenges even committed to rewarding people (the fake news scandal, question of reporting vulnerabilities on his Russian interference, the Cambridge platform. Snap to discover the trend in pictures 6 7 This also involves rethinking its To start with: an additional version business model, initially based on with no advertising but accessible targeted advertising through data by subscription. The idea is not so collected about its users. But perhaps strange. Our DIMENSION study easier said than done given that to confirms consumer appetite for date 98% of Facebook’s revenue is this, even if the rise of subscriptions based on targeted advertising. It’s doesn’t mean the fall of advertising. difficult under these conditions to For instance, in China, connected envisage its total disappearance. consumers have also declared Beyond targeting, there is also the themselves ready to subscribe to wide range of interactive engaging a premium social media service in formats proposed by Facebook certain cases. and all the big social players. What we called “the richness and According to a Bloomberg report, uniqueness of the social model” this is actually happening. Facebook and “new ad experiences” in last recently conducted market research year’s report. Thanks to original to gauge the feasibility of this formats like carousels, collections, practice. The social network giant canvas, lenses or filters that convey is also testing paid groups and, in the brand elements in a ‘fun’ 2018, announced a paid version and contextualised way, social of its WhatsApp messaging for ads are becoming increasingly professionals. personal, interactive, and valued by the consumer. Technological This trend is not confined to the developments, particularly around ecosystem of Facebook; Twitter is S OCIAL augmented reality (AR) and artificial experimenting with subscription NETWORK S HAVE intelligence (AI) are rapidly moving offers. One is expected to from science fiction to reality automatically promote posts on GONE BEYOND in digital advertising - and the the social network. The other, via THEIR ORIGINAL opportunities are incredibly wide- tweetdeck, would be reserved for FRAMEWORK ranging. its “power tweeters“, with premium features like exclusive alerts for AND BECOME Will infusing digital ads with creativity news, further analysis of users etc. POWERFUL TECH and technology be enough? Nothing LinkedIn meanwhile, has long offered is guaranteed of course, however premium subscriptions for its users CONGLOMERATE S , creative ad formats could help to according to their needs (social WHICH CAN come out on top. And that’s not all: selling, job search, monitoring and NO LONGER BE what could really unlock the situation expertise). for Facebook is to diversify. IGNORED 8 9 The diversification of revenues is And what about the tech expected to continue in 2019 and giants’ space ambitions? Jeff beyond, mainly thanks to the net Bezos is already looking to send giant’s ambitions in hardware. tourists into space in 2019. Rival Items on the menu include rocket company SpaceX, run connected speakers, with voice by billionaire Elon Musk, hopes commands and touch screen. to send a man to the moon by Facebook revealed its pair of smart 2023. Facebook, meanwhile, speakers: Portal and Portal+ last wants to launch Athena, its very W HY THI S I S September and is reported to be own internet satellite, in early IMPORTANT : preparing a hybrid video chat/ 2019. The objective? To provide TV set-top box to be launched internet access to ‘unserved and Advertising is still core to the sometime in the spring of 2019. It’s underserved’ regions on Earth. So, social giant’s model. However, codenamed: Ripley. no doubt that there are still many the diversification initiated other avenues to explore... by most social networks Other avenues could eventually also be monetised, like the The current crisis may be a fleeting over several years will most development of the start-up one for Facebook. Beyond the likely monetise and gradually incubator strategy, of which the operational procedures already rebalance the turnover of first milestone, Start-up Garage, being reviewed, the effort to social network giants. Sceptics was laid in January 2017 in the improve its image has already will then see how much social heart of the Parisian campus begun. It may even be the case networks have gone beyond Station F. Facebook’s research labs that Mark Zuckerberg asserts their original framework in artificial intelligence, which will the independence of his other and become powerful tech offer a plethora of opportunities social media offers (Instagram, conglomerates, which can no for diversification. While Artificial Whatsapp) even more. Rebranding longer be ignored. Intelligence Research (FAIR), as Google did with Alphabet, or Facebook’s European hub in Paris, Snapchat with Snap, could be focuses solely on experimental another approach. A change of basic research, the Applied name for a change of image? Machine Learning laboratory, located near Seattle, favours applied research. Scientific discoveries and new business are key in this field. What is the general attitude of 18-34 year olds with regard to advertising on social networks? 10 11 This is not a new phenomenon, of content too complex for an yet we are barely beginning to algorithm to grasp, with as much understand its magnitude. The finesse and nuance as human algorithms that underlie our social intelligence? media experience (and which are not exclusively confined to them) are Last June, Facebook announced that distorting our vision of the world. they were deleting the «trending» feature, launched in 2014, which Under question is the intrinsic mentioned the topics most talked Snap to discover functioning of these algorithms: about on social media at any given the trend in do they take context into account, moment. At the outset, this feature pictures aside from search history or literal was managed by humans; but in semantic proximities? In other words, 2016, the scandal broke and it was and as Olivier Ertzscheid, a French revealed that the Menlo Park firm blogger and lecturer in information was accused of manipulating the science explains: “Systematic subjects presented as trends on its algorithmization for recommendation site.