Channel roundup : April 2013

Essential intelligence on the latest developments from the world’s leading digital networks and channels, brought to you by Red Ant.
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SOCIAL IN THE WEST 

Facebook : Purchase-based targeted ads launch in US
Facebook users in the US will soon see advertisements based on their purchases instead of interests or tastes. The data is drawn from 3rd party suppliers (using on- and offline sources) and can target brands across hundreds of categories. Facebook has reassured users that no personal information is shared between Facebook, 3rd parties or advertisers.

Encouraging ‘niche’ networks
Banners will shortly start to appear in some users’ news feeds encouraging them to ‘prune’ their friends. It’s part of Facebook’s ongoing attempt to promote the use of smaller, ‘niche’ networking groups (something that Google and its ‘circles’ acted on a while ago).

Pinterest : Bing gets in on the act
Bing is now posting Pinterest images in its search results to improve navigation. It has also introduced a new ‘Pin to Pinterest’ feature which allows users to pin image results direct from the search engine.

Tumblr : Storyboard comes to an end
Tumblr is cancelling its online journalism project Storyboard (where users curate and report on news) because of its complexity for users and lack of profitability (unsurprising, as Tumblr’s roots are social first, news second). This comes at the same time as The Guardian in the UK launches its new Guardian Witness tool, designed to encourage citizen journalists to upload stories, images and videos.

Twitter : Targeted tweeting
Twitter has introduced keyword targeting for brands using the channel for promotion. This will allow them to aim their ads at users based on key terms in their tweets.
Twitter says:
‘Let’s say a user tweets about enjoying the latest album from their favourite band, and it so happens that band is due to play a concert at a local venue. That venue could now run a geotargeted campaign using keywords for that band with a tweet containing a link to buy the tickets. That way, the user who tweeted about the new album may soon see that Promoted Tweet in their timeline, letting them know tickets are for sale in their area.’
Early trials by Everything Everywhere, Microsoft Japan and Walgreens have yielded positive results. The service is rolling out across its entire ad network – mobile and desktop – covering 15 languages and all markets where it currently serves Twitter Ads.

Making music
Building on its move towards a wider spread of social media formats, Twitter is to launch a music service that integrates with Spotify, Rdio and ITunes. Twitter plans to release music.twitter.com shortly, offering personalised recommendations for music.

SOCIAL IN CHINA 

News from the world’s largest and fastest-growing digital landscape

Wei Renmai : LinkedIn-style platform from Weibo and Youlu
Sina Weibo and Youlu have launched Wei Renmai (‘micro connection’), a LinkedIn-style social network.
It’s a bold move – there is a number of social networks for professionals launched in China, including Ushi, Tianji and Wealink, but none have (yet) emulated LinkedIn’s success.
In China, fewer people feel the need to develop professional connections than in the UK. One reason for this is that the number of users is consistently low for too long for new B2B channels to take off, and the user experience and sophistication haven’t been very good to date. Instead, those really wanting to connect via a professional social channel just use LinkedIn.

What gives Wei Renmai an advantage ?
It’s off to a promising start in combining Sina Weibo’s large user base with Youlu’s experience in developing mobile apps. The channel can also recommend people that ‘you might be interested in’ by drawing from a database of individuals’ work and education experience.

The difference between Wei Renmai and LinkedIn
Where LinkedIn is based on making business and professional connections first and foremost (with an element of career search and recruitment, of course), Wei Renmai aims to focus on job opportunities, allowing users to apply for jobs and send out recruitment information to companies.
And, unlike LinkedIn, Wei Renmai hasn’t put an emphasis on creating groups – instead, users are simply divided into contacts or non-contacts.

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