Check your inbox every Friday for Tunheim’s take on the week’s thumb-stopping and thought-provoking headlines in digital, communications, marketing and public affairs.
New video sharing platform could take a Byte out of TikTok’s market share
Four years after Vine was shut down, one of its creators is returning with a new (but very similar) video sharing app. Like Vine, content is limited to six seconds, but it allows for more creative videos with drawing and GIF capabilities. Almost a week after it’s launch, Byte has a long way to go to catch up to TikTok, but the Vine generation is hopeful that their favorite app has had a second coming.
Corona is unphased by the coronavirus
In the midst of global panic about the deadly coronavirus, Corona is keeping calm. The brand is doing something brave: trusting its consumers. Although Google searches have spiked for “Corona beer virus,” the beer’s parent company says they do not plan to address it, as they believe their customers understand that the virus is in no way linked to the beer or their brand. “Corona beer virus” has led to some free publicity in the form of memes, anyway.
Being respectful is more important than being relevant: brands mourn the loss of Kobe Bryant
Quickly turning around content that keeps up with the news cycle helps brands stay relevant, but companies have often been criticized for hopping on bandwagons in the wake of tragedy for their own gain. As the world mourned the loss of Kobe Bryant this week, most brands seemed to have learned their lesson and chose to stick with genuine sentiments instead of hashtags and promotions. #RIPKobe was of course trending, but almost completely dominated by fans grappling with the loss.
You can now report voter suppression on Twitter
Twitter’s “report this tweet” drop-down now offers “it’s misleading about a political election” or “it intends to suppress or intimidate someone from voting” as options for why you are reporting. Twitter has been notoriously ineffective about enforcing its own policies, and its now asking its users to help get this kind of content off of its platform. This update came just days before the Iowa Caucuses.
