Social in Six 85
1. Virtual influencers have arrived on TikTok
@tiktoknewsroom Introducing TikTok Symphony: our new Creative AI suite that blends human imagination with AI-powered efficiency to help marketers scale content development, creativity, and productivity on TikTok.
♬ original sound – TikTok Newsroom
The story:
- Symphony, TikTok’s suite of AI-powered ad solutions, has introduced Digital Avatars: generative AI avatars of real people that brands can enlist to promote products.
- There are two options: Stock Avatars, which are pre-built characters based off paid actors that have been licenced for commercial use; and the multilingual Custom Avatars, which brands can use to create a character based off their IP, spokesperson or a partnered creator.
- TikTok is also introducing AI Dubbing, which lets marketers translate their content into 10+ languages and dialects by automatically detecting, transcribing and translating your videos.
So what?
We’re well and truly in the age of AI influencers, with several fashion brands already launching them elsewhere on social – although they haven’t had the warmest reception from audiences. TikTok Symphony’s latest ad solutions are powerful and can take your brand or a partnered creator international without you having to source a translator, dub the video or find a local creator. Always be transparent and explicit when you’re using AI for this type of application. As mentioned, most people tend to find virtual influencers/spokespeople creepy at best and offensive at worst.
2. You can now add 20 audio tracks to your Reels
The story:
- Instagram has introduced an update that now allows users to add up to 20 different audio tracks in their Reels. Previously, Reels created in-app had a limit of just one track.
- Users who add more than one track to a Reel will create a unique audio mix that’s attributed to them. Other users can save and use the same mix of audio tracks in their own clips, plus they can access a full track listing of the audio used in the Reel.
- You can sync the segments of different audio tracks to the text, Stickers, and video clips that appear in your Reels.
So what?
This update opens up the floor for all kinds of creative remixes, mashups and memes to get involved with. Expect more UGC-driven content from brands too, as people can jump on audio trends or challenges using your unique mix. It’s most likely the case that you’ll be using some sort of third-party video editing software for your Reels, but this is handy for marketers without those resources or if you’re creating content on the fly. Plus, anything that helps you create great content natively is a plus – it means you’re less likely to get penalised for what the algorithm sees as unoriginal content.
3. TikTok has blended two ad formats to let you take creator content out of home
The story:
- TikTok’s new ad format, Out of Phone: Branded Mission is a combination of the two formats Out of Phone and Branded Mission, letting brands use TikTok creator content on billboards, within in-store displays, cinema promos, and more.
- Branded Mission enables brands to launch ad campaigns that creators can choose to participate in. Brands select their favourite creator videos on the theme and amplify them through boosted ad traffic.
- With Out of Phone: Branded Mission, brands can take UGC off-platform and display these creator-made ads in traditional out-of-home placements like billboards, bars, restaurants and airports.
So what?
Out of Phone: Branded Mission is exciting for two reasons: firstly, because Branded Mission campaigns are participatory, the content produced by creators is going to be reflective of creators being real, genuine fans of the brand. And secondly, because anyone who creates great content could end up on those billboards, it’s essentially democratising ambassadorship and influencer-dom. Watch this (ad) space…
4. X is set to introduce downvotes
The story:
- X is testing downvotes on public replies to posts to help its algorithm rank content. According to reports, the amount of downvotes a post has won’t be made public.
- A new downvote icon (a broken heart) has appeared in the back end of the app alongside the usual interactions (reply, repost, like, bookmark and share). However, it’s only showing up for post replies, not the original post.
- The thinking behind the feature is to help filter out spam and bot content, as X looks to be using the same ranking system for Community Notes – where the algorithm takes the political background of users into consideration when monitoring who downvotes specific types of posts.
So what?
Theoretically, this is a sound, but obviously not foolproof, way of filtering out those unhelpful spam or bot replies that have cropped up on the platform of late. If the feature works as X intends it to, it’ll no doubt be similar to Instagram’s comment ranking system – surfacing replies from accounts you follow, big celebrities, or genuinely helpful/informative content that’s ripe for an engagement opportunity. Only time will tell if it’s effective, though.
5. Instagram could soon let you add collaborators after publishing feed posts
The story:
- Instagram will soon improve its Collab posts, according to a video posted by Adam Mosseri in which he responds to a user requesting a feature that lets you add collaborators after the feed post has been published.
- Instagram recently added this feature to Reels, letting users add a partner retrospectively by going to the Reel in question, then tapping Edit > Add Collaborator.
- You can’t currently add a collaborator on feed posts and Stories unless you add them in the post creation flow, nor can you add a collaborator when scheduling a post.
So what?
This is a small but handy addition if you decide after the fact that you want to get your message out to more people, be it through a sponsorship brand partner or a creator collaborator. It also means you don’t have to pull your post if you forget to add the collaborator for a big campaign (hey, everyone makes mistakes). A top liked comment on Adam Mosseri’s video was a request for a feature that lets you schedule Collab posts ahead of time – so if Instagram’s still in the spirit of granting users’ wishes, then this is probably next.
6. Pinterest is using AI to help your product shots shine on the feed
The story:
- Pinterest is working on a text-to-image tool called Canvas that uses AI to generate different background options for your product shots in ads.
- Your product remains unaltered, but Canvas can generate different backgrounds using Pinterest’s extensive image library and text prompts from the user based on different styles; for example, “Japandi” or “maximalist” background interiors for a homeware product.
- Pinterest Canvas is still in the training stage, so at the moment it’s unavailable for public use, but it’s in testing with selected ad partners.
So what?
A heavily branded or overproduced ad sticks out in the feed. This update is a remedy to that issue, helping you better connect with potential customers with visuals that resonate with them and with what they’re searching for, without you having to create separate versions of your ad for Pinterest that differ from what you might share elsewhere, or design the creative entirely on this platform. Experiment when Pinterest rolls this out to all advertisers and try A/B testing with your original product shot creative to see if it improves results.
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