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LOLA RED News + Digital Trends

VOL. 28PRESENTED WEEK OF DECEMBER 21, 2020

Instagram Shares Insight into the Most Popular Holiday Cookies Across the US

Source | Social Media Today

CHART OF THE WEEK

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Based on Instagram usage data, the top cookie flavors include peanut butter, shortbread, crinkle, oatmeal, sugar cookies, gingerbread, snickerdoodles and the classic chocolate chip.

The insights are derived from Instagram likes and mentions of cookies over the past month, using both in-feed and Instagram Story posts.

Beverly W. JacksonVP of Global Brand and Consumer Marketing, Twitter

“Twitter is real, unfiltered, [and] raw. I’m honored to… help shape how one of the most culturally significant brands of our time shows up in the world.”

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QUOTE OFTHE WEEK

Twitter’s new VP of Global Brand and Consumer Marketing on how she’ll be reshaping Twitter’s social brand presence. Source | Morning Brew

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Refrigerator staple, Tropicana Orange Juice, came under fire after the launch of an ad campaign that suggested parents should stash ingredients for a mimosa in fridges around the house to take a #TakeAMimoment for themselves. The ad campaign, which has since been shut down, was attempting to target stressed out parents who have been stuck at home with their kids during quarantine.

The ad was created in response to a survey conducted by Tropicana in which nearly half of responding parents confessed to hiding in the bathroom as an excuse to escape from the demands of dealing with small ones. According to Ad Age, the company VP/chief marketing officer called the campaign an acknowledgement that moms and dads just need a break sometimes. "We can't be our best for our families unless we as parents take time for ourselves. Tropicana recognizes that it's important to balance self-care with caring for others, especially in times like these," he said.

The backlash began nearly immediately, with many commenters on Twitter pointing out that the idea of drinking in secret from your family is probably not the healthiest way to cope with the stress of the pandemic.

In an apology posted to Twitter, Tropicana wrote that it has removed the campaign and that “the intent behind it was in no way meant to imply that alcohol is the answer or make light of the struggles of addiction.”

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APOLOGY OF THE WEEKTropicana ends 2020 with a major brand hiccup

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Casey Newton shared his predictions for what’s coming for the consumer internet in 2021 and we’re sharing our favorite highlights below. (P.S. We 10/10 recommend you subscribe to his SubStack, The Platformer.)

● Social networks go crazy for commerce: This one is well on its way — witness Facebook’s move this fall with the Instagram shopping tab and WhatsApp shopping carts — but look for others to try it on in 2021. “Live video shopping,” says Gautam Gupta, former CEO of NatureBox — one of several folks to predict that 2021 is the year QVC is reborn on mobile phones. “We believe that storytelling has always been a huge part of driving commerce (online and offline) and the ability to combine storytelling with community in the form of live and social shopping will change the face of e-commerce.”

● Public social networks continue to fragment: Parler won’t be the last breakaway republic from Facebook and Twitter. “I think that there will be more popular ‘free speech’ social networks, and it might even become a separate market, with all social networks either left-wing or right-wing echo chambers,” says this pseudonymous reader.

● The internet saves movie theaters: Maybe a streaming service buys one of the chains as a perk for subscribers. Or maybe the chains stay independent and rent themselves out as virtual conference centers.

● Silicon Valley accelerates its investment in products and services for individual creators: Platforms explore new ways to let creators monetize their audiences directly, while taking a cut for themselves. Charli D’Amelio for Instagram head of product?

● Remote work reshapes the industry: With tech giants telling workers they can stay home through June or later — and possibly forever — a thousand new problems will lead to 100 new businesses. Priya Sanger predicts 2021 is the year that we see major advances in augmented reality and virtual reality focused on office uses. Meanwhile, everyone begins spending more time in Austin and Miami.

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What’s up with the Internet for 2021?

Source // Platformer

THE TOP INSTAGRAM DESIGN TRENDS OF 2021

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ELEGANT SERIF FONTSThis trend is all about balancing delicacy and strength to provide a sophisticated first impression — while still being easy to read.

WARPED AND WAVY TEXTFrom distorted lettering to snaking type paths, text on images will be unpredictable and playful. Think melted plastic distortion, childlike handwriting, and dripping candle wax.

DESIGNED QUOTESWhile these aren’t anything new, they aren’t going anywhere in 2021. Designed quotes done right create a shareable factor to boost engagement. Try creating the same graphic in multiple colors to increase the shareability.

GRITTY GRADIENTS Gradients are making a comeback in a big way. You’ll often see them paired with quotes + tweets but expect to see a lot more grain & grit in 2021 and the vintage trends will be in full force.

MOODBOARD COLLAGESThis trend is so fun because it’s easy to make it your own. You’ll see ripped paper elements paired with bold fonts + vintage images to create a unique and thumb stopping image for any brand.

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Source // Later

WHAT DOMINATED THE NEWS CYCLE IN 2020

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In a year that was anything but predictable, there was one thing that we could rely on: that news travels fast.

Muck Rack took a look at media coverage in 2020 and the top seven trending or most prominent topics. From social distancing and the COVID-19 pandemic to police reform and #BLM, there’s a lot to consider and evaluate.

Taking home top awards:● Reopenings, closings and stay-at-home orders -

schools, gyms, businesses, etc.● COVID-19 vaccine - Pfizer, Moderna and Novavax

were the winners here● Video conferencing - hey, Zoom!● Presidential candidates - Trump, Biden, Warren,

Buttigieg, Kamala, Bernie● Police reform - #BLM, George Floyd, and what

defunding actually means● Emojis - the heart emoji has seen the most

coverage● Streaming platforms - Netflix, Disney+, Hamilton

and Tiger King to name a fewSource // Muck Rack

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COVID-19 CONTENT CONSUMPTION

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Who said public health in a pandemic was of bipartisan interest?

Axios recently reported on a Neal Rothschild study pulling exclusive data from the social-media platform SocialFlow.

States that voted for Trump tend to have high coronavirus case counts compared to how much COVID content they consume online. The opposite is true of states that voted for Biden.

Why it matters: This data highlights a widespread rejection of coronavirus news and information in states that supported Trump, even in areas where the virus has gotten particularly deadly.

"It’s clear that stories about COVID simply don’t animate red state residents the same way they do those in blue states," SocialFlow CEO Jim Anderson tells Axios. "This chart would look quite different if we were able to run it on the topic of election fraud."

Source // Axios8

WHAT ELSE YOU NEED TO KNOW: SOCIAL

LinkedIn introduces a new tab for companies to showcase their offerings and highlight key

product features. With Product Pages, users can spotlight product endorsements and testimonials

by customers, gather ratings and reviews, and generate leads with a custom call-to-action

button. Read details here.

LinkedIn Adds ‘Products’ Tab on Company Pages

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With no set date on the return to “normal,” Pinterest introduced two visual guides for the hospitality and restaurant

sector. Guides include planning and activation strategies, creative best

practices and insights. View both guides here.

Pinterest Shares New Marketing Guides For Restaurants +

Streaming Services in 2021

Snapchat Recaps their 2020 Top AR Campaigns

As AR continues to rise in popularity heading into 2021, companies like

Facebook and Apple are trying to stay on top of the trend. However, Snapchat is still the AR leader, recently adding a range of advanced AR tools. See their campaign

highlights from brands here.

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APPLE VS. FACEBOOK

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“Apple is making a huge change to settings on users’ iPhones in the name of privacy, and it will fundamentally change the way apps track your data in order to create targeted ads.”– Meg Graham, CNBC

What you need to know:With the latest iOS update, Apple will begin limiting the retargeting abilities from website pixel data connected to Facebook and Instagram. iPhone users will see a pop-up window on their app or website browser that reads “Facebook would like permission to track you across apps and websites owned by other companies”.

This all comes as no surprise, as the social network has been under fire recently for its privacy policies and transparency (or lack thereof) for its ad platform. Facebook immediately went into defense mode with its launch of full-page ads in publications such as the WSJ, WaPo and NYT bashing Apple and encouraging small businesses to "speak their mind" against Apple’s updates.

What does it mean for marketers?Advertisers will no longer be able to track and retarget users who have visited their website as freely. This means remarketing efforts will mainly rely on past social content engagers and existing customer databases. Facebook estimates a 60% dip in brands’ sales generated from social retargeting efforts as a result.

What now?Apple has since responded to Facebook’s blasts over the new privacy policies: "We believe that this is a simple matter of standing up for our users. Users should know when their data is being collected & shared across other apps and websites— & they should have the choice to allow that or not..."

Source // CNBC

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MEDIA SPOTLIGHT: Shayla Reaves, WCCO-TV

We’re showing some local love this week by featuring a new face to WCCO’s This Morning team - Shayla Reaves! Hailing from North Carolina, Shayla is an Emmy-award winning journalist with more than a decade of experience in television news. Before moving to the Twin Cities, Shayla’s career included stops in Louisville, Kentucky, Columbus, Ohio, Tampa, Florida and Greenville, North Carolina. She is a graduate of Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism and is looking forward to exploring the Twin Cities with her husband. Check out WCCO’s intro to her in this segment to get to know Shayla and follow along on Twitter (@wccoshayla) and Instagram (@shaylareavestv).

PUB SPOTLIGHT: Business Casual

In the Morning Brew’s “Business Casual”, host Kinsey Grant asks the biggest names in business to answer the biggest questions in business. With guests like Patagonia CEO Ryan Gellert and GM CEO Mary Barra, this podcast is not playing around. Check it out here.

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AXIOS: Trump's election loss has upended America's news landscape by Sara Fischer

It's cemented a parallel universe where even Fox News isn't Trumpy enough for millions of diehards.

THE ATLANTIC: The Danger of Assuming That Family Time Is Dispensable by Julia Marcus

Americans who are desperate to see their loved ones need advice that goes beyond “Just say no.”

TECHCRUNCH: Reddit acquires Dubsmash by Catherine Shu

Reddit announced that it has acquired short video platform Dubsmash, with undisclosed terms. Dubsmash will retain its own platform and brand, and Reddit will integrate its video creation tools.

ENGADGET: Netflix introduces an audio-only playback mode by Steve Dent

Netflix is taking on podcasts, in a way, by rolling out on audio-only playback mode in its Android app.

CNN: After 51 years, the Zodiac Killer's cipher has been solved by amateur codebreakers by Leah Asmelash, Cheri Mossburg

More than 50 years after the so-called Zodiac Killer first began terrorizing the streets of Northern California, a code-breaking team is believed to have finally cracked one of the killer's mysterious coded messages sent to the San Francisco Chronicle in 1969.

LA TIMES: ‘We are slowly being poisoned.’ How toxic fumes seep into the air you breathe on planes by Kiera Feldman

A Times investigation found that vapors from oil and other fluids seep into planes with alarming frequency across all airlines, at times creating chaos and confusion.

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VANITY FAIR: “There’s an Intimacy to What We Do”: How Peloton Became Must-Watch TV in 2020 by Kenzie Bryant

As the world (gyms included) shut down, the star instructors on the popular fitness app captured Americans’ imaginations while toning their glutes.

ELLE: The Journalist and the Pharma Bro by Stephanie Clifford

Why did Christie Smythe upend her life and stability for Martin Shkreli, one of the least-liked men in the world?

TIME: Meet TIME's First-Ever Kid of the Year by TIME Staff

Meet Gitanjali Rao, a 15-year-old scientist and inventor who uses technology to tackle issues ranging from contaminated drinking water to cyberbullying.

NYT: The Social Life of Forests by Ferris Jabr

Trees appear to communicate and cooperate through subterranean networks of fungi. What are they sharing with one another?

PEOPLE: BARK and Bud Light Team Up to Create '7-Pack' of Beer that You Can Enjoy with Your Dog by Kelli Bender

The 7-pack includes a plush crinkly bottle of "Bark Light" or "Barkweiser" for your dog to enjoy while you drink.

WSJ: How DoorDash Pulled Ahead in the Food-Delivery War by Luis Santiago, Preetika Rana

The startup went public last week, valued at more than $30 billion. Here is a look at how the San Francisco-based company has leapfrogged competitors.

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