1. Google Makes ‘Swirl’ 3D Ad Option Available for Display and Video 360 Campaigns
Google has announced that its ‘Swirl’ 3D ads will now be made available to all Display and Video 360 customers globally. This format will enable advertisers to utilize interactive, 3D presentation formats in their promotions. [Source: Social Media Today]
2. Facebook expands Instagram Reels to India amid TikTok ban
Instagram said it is officially rolling out Reels — a feature that allows users to create short-form videos (up to 15 seconds long) set to music or other audio — to a “broad” user base in India. [Source: TechCrunch]
3. YouTube’s Adding More Ads, with Mid-Roll Breaks Available in Shorter Videos
YouTube has announced an update to its monetization policy which will mean that videos of 8 minutes in length, instead of 10, will now be eligible for mid-roll ads. [Source: Social Media Today]
4. Google Adds New Prediction and Trend Tools to Help Maximize Ad Campaigns
Google has announced some new tools for advertisers, including updated recommendations based on evolving search trends, new tools for managing campaigns and improved transparency into its automated ‘Smart Bidding’ process. [Source: Social Media Today]
5. Twitter is working on a new subscription platform, hints job listing
Twitter appears to be working on a subscription platform for its social networking service. A new job listing reveals that Twitter has a new internal team, codenamed “Gryphon,” that is building a subscription platform. [Source: The Verge]
6. YouTube Adds New RPM Metric to Help Creators Better Understand Monetization Performance
YouTube is adding a new RPM, or ‘Revenue Per Mille’, metric, which will make it easy to see how much a creator earns per 1,000 views of their videos. [Source: Social Media Today]
7. Google Adds New Knowledge Panel Insights to Google Image Results for Added Context
Google is now adding informational tools into its image display, with new Knowledge Panel listings on selected images, helping to provide more context about the content, including related queries, location information, and other insights. [Source: Social Media Today]
8. WhatsApp Adds QR Codes for Businesses, and Catalog Links to Simplify Sharing
WhatsApp looks for ways to monetize the app’s 2 billion active users by adding two new features- QR codes for businesses and Catalog sharing to help brands better promote their presence on the platform. [Source: Social Media Today]
9. Instagram swaps out its ‘Activity’ tab for ‘Shop’ in new global test
Instagram is starting a small global test of the Instagram Shop tab, which allows Instagram users to shop from top brands and creators via a new tab in the app’s navigation bar with just one tap. [Source: TechCrunch]
10. Google Testing Thumbnail Images in Search Results
Google is testing the use of thumbnails images in different search contexts. The first version is in the search engine results page (SERP). The second version is using thumbnail images in the Google Suggest drop down. [Source: Search Engine Journal]
