Need help creating your brand's social media designs? Get KIMP!

KIMP’s Picks 24th November: Weekly Highlights In Design, Marketing, AI, & More

Welcome back to KIMP’s Picks – our weekly social media round-up post. As the week comes to a close, are you ready to catch up on all the hottest trends and discussions on social media? Then you are in the right place. In the KIMP’s Picks 24th November edition, we have rounded up some of the buzzing posts and some insightful discussions from brands and creators around the globe. From the top AI news to discussions on marketing campaigns, updates to social media platforms and so much more. 

Ready? Let’s dive into the stories that sparked our interest this week. 

In the Marketing Realm 

Apple’s heartwarming holiday ad 

We thought of starting our list with a warm fuzzy ad for some inspiration. After all, with the holiday season just around the corner marketers everywhere are looking for ideas to craft a heartwarming message for their audience.

AdWeek spotlighted the below holiday ad from Apple. In fact, a lot of people have been discussing this ad these past few days. Take a look at the holiday film and you’ll know why it has won the hearts of several people. 

So, what can you take away from this holiday campaign from one of the most popular brands in the world? There’s not the slightest hint of promotion in this (except of course the momentary glances of the iPhone being used to shoot the stop motion video). As can be seen, emotions take center stage in this ad reiterating the effectiveness of emotional marketing during holidays. 

A quick retargeting guide 

Semrush is a popular tool when it comes to keyword research and website audits. They shared the below resourceful post about retargeting ads. 

The featured article quickly discusses the benefits of retargeting and then lists some effective strategies to plan retargeting ads along with suggestions for the best platforms for these ads. So, if you are looking to revisit your marketing strategy and retarget previous leads this holiday season, this is a post you cannot miss. 

Chipolte’s moment marketing magic 

No that was not a typo in our subheading – because Chipotle has momentarily renamed itself to Chipolte. And the reason behind it is where our moment marketing lessons lie. 

Entrepreneur magazine spoke about this creative move from the brand in their recent post. 

Okay, now for the backstory. Travis Kelce has been the latest buzz not just among the Swifties but also among social media users in general ever since the NFL star’s relationship with Taylor Swift has been in the spotlight. Therefore, some of his old Tweets have been resurfacing one among which included a misspelt “Chipolte”. 

The brand was quick to grab the opportunity here and respond to this Tweet. This quick move has once again proved the brand’s finesse in social media marketing. 

Why are people shopping this Black Friday? 

When you know about the why behind the purchase decisions of your customers, you gain valuable insights into crafting your campaigns. Statista recently shared a post highlighting some of the main reasons for shopping this Black Friday weekend. 

As can be seen in the infographic, buying gifts for the holidays was the number one reason. Marketers can take away something from this observation – holiday shopping starts early and surges even further during the Black Friday weekend. So, if you haven’t already planned your holiday campaigns for the year, now is a good time. 

Tapping into Google AI for holiday marketing 

Google shared a quick case study to show how Google AI can help boost your holiday marketing efforts. The post highlights the story of Branch Furniture, an office furniture brand that witnessed about 94% increase in their revenue on adopting Google AI. 

The brief video shared with the post goes on to explain how the brand tapped into Performance Max to optimize for search keywords and to give an overall boost to sales during holidays and beyond. The post shows how small business owners can benefit from investing wisely in Google AI for their advertising. 

So, we have been speaking about holiday marketing. Now there’s another question – what happens after the holidays? That’s what the below post from YouTube answers! 

Tackling sales after holidays 

Did you know that US consumers spend about $47 billion in retail purchases in the two weeks after Christmas? Google shared some interesting insights like this one in its post below. 

This post reminds brands of the need for focusing on content and campaigns for the weeks after December 25. The post gives a brief overview of planning for various digital touchpoints, to grab the attention of self-shoppers and to sustain the momentum beyond the holidays. 

In the Content Marketing Realm 

Tips to perform content audit 

Search Engine Journal has a treasure trove of information related to content marketing and SEO. They shared the below post about content audit. 

The featured article discusses the nuances of content audit and breaks down the process into easy steps for marketers to plan and execute the audit effectively. There is also a brief discussion on the types of metrics to monitor in order to gauge the effectiveness of your content and identify any gaps. 

Crafting content to answer questions

We live in an era where conversational bots can answer questions and simplify the process of finding information on the internet. So, people often end up asking questions, and posts and websites that give them answers are the ones they visit. So, optimizing your content to answer questions is one way to stay ahead in the game. That’s what this next post is about. 

Moz is a leading SEO software provider. They shared the below post about optimizing content for questions. 

The post discusses the types of questions brands should know about and aim to address. And the post also presents a list of tools to identify these questions so as to craft content that creates value for your audience. 

In the Design Realm 

Procreate Dreams is now available 

A new design tool means a mix of emotions for designers – the excitement of trying something new and the fear of the learning curve. Procreate is one design tool that challenged this with its user-friendly interface and brief learning curve. Ever since the announcement about Procreate Dreams, a new animation software, was out, animators around the world have been anticipating the arrival of the tool and the time is finally here. 

A couple of days ago, the tool was made available in the App Store. 

From editing videos to creating them and animating designs, the tool comes loaded with a bulk of features that excite animators. 

A peek into Adobe’s Text to Vector Graphic feature 

With Christmas and New Year fast approaching you might be busy creating your campaign designs and social media posts. So, Adobe has the perfect inspiration for creatives. In the below post, they shared a quick peek into the work of a creator to give a sneak peek into the Text-To-Vector Graphic feature.  

This feature and several other generative AI editing features were introduced into Adobe’s tools recently and they have changed the design workflow for creatives around the world. 

Talking about generative AI tools for creatives, this next one is from Canva. 

Canva’s Magic Erases tool 

Canva’s Magic Studio has been the answer to the emerging generative AI creative tools in the market. This includes a host of features. Check out our blog on Canva Magic Studio for an overview of everything new that was introduced into Canva. 

Canva shared the below post giving a preview of the Magic Eraser tool. 

The video in the post highlights the kind of transition that these new generative AI tools have brought with them. They truly have been time savers for creatives. 

Disney reacts to the AI Pet Portraits trend 

If you have been active on social media you probably already know about the AI Pet Portraits trend which has been popular for a while now on Instagram and TikTok. This viral trend involves creating Pixar-inspired AI pet portraits, using Microsoft’s Bing Image Creator. The trend has come to the attention of Disney raising copyright concerns.

Creative Bloq, a great source of art and design inspiration, shared the below post discussing this recent reaction from Disney. 

Given the scary good replication of the original style, Disney has raised concerns about trademark infringements leading to the term “Disney” being temporarily blocked on Bing Image Creator briefly. Instances like these continue to remind us of the challenges that generative AI tools bring with them and the need for ethical use of AI. 

Brand identity design inspiration 

Looking for some branding design inspiration? Then you will love this post shared by Creative Review, a magazine focused on design, branding, and more. 

The featured brand identity design was created for a coffee brand, Oddy Knocky. As can be seen, the fonts, imagery, and colors used in the design steer away from conventional coffee branding norms and bring in a playful theme. This is a creative way for the brand to stand out in a crowded space. 

The idea was to capture “independence” and “playfulness” to align with the brand’s ethos and the brand identity design with its quirky fonts and symbolism does this perfectly. 

In the AI Realm 

A quick generative AI refresher 

Before we talk about generative AI updates and tools from this past week, let’s look at a quick generative AI snapshot shared by Google. This one is a precursor to generative AI in general and comes in handy to those looking to experiment with Bard. The video talks about the basics of generative AI and an overview of where it can be used. 

OpenAI brings voice to ChatGPT free users 

One of the biggest updates on ChatGPT has been the introduction of different types of inputs including voice and images in September. Earlier, this feature was made available only on the mobile app for ChatGPT Plus users. OpenAI recently announced that the feature is now available even to the free users. 

This update brings voice input and voice output to the mobile app for free users making it easier for a wider group of audience to explore these new features. 

Exploring Google’s Product Studio 

Google’s Product Studio brings generative AI to advertising to US merchants using Merchant Center Next. Google shared the below post to remind advertisers of the capabilities of Product Studio so as to enhance their ads during the holidays. 

Product Studio brings a host of image editing tools including background modification and more so as to allow advertisers to enhance their product photos and create visually appealing product listings. 

Bard can now access and analyze YouTube videos 

AI educator, Paul Couvert, shared the below post discussing the recent update to Bard’s capabilities. He also shared a video that gives a preview of how to use this feature and how Bard can analyze and answer questions based on YouTube videos. 

Understanding YouTube videos is a huge leap for Bard. This allows users to engage with videos more effectively and clarify any queries they have especially with long educational videos. 

Stability AI introduces its AI video model 

Stability AI announced recently that there’s a new generative AI video tool being added to their ecosystem. Currently launched as a research preview, this tool comes as a contender to various other generative video tools currently trending in the market like the recent Emu Video announced by Meta. 

With customizable frame rates and other capabilities, Stable Video Diffusion is definitely a tool to look out for. However, Stability AI has made it clear that the model is currently not fully ready for commercial applications yet. 

Social Media Feature Updates and Algorithm Changes

TikTok’s new feature to help you understand conversions better 

Search Engine Land brings all the latest search and marketing news. They shared the below post discussing a new feature on TikTok. This tool is for content creators struggling to comprehend conversions in their accounts. 

Engaged View-through Attribution is a feature that helps creators understand the pattern of content consumption on their pages by giving them a preview of the engaged views. Evidently, the tool is a way to help creators understand what happens after the clicks. These inputs are valuable for creators to understand the factors that drive conversions and ones that cause a drop in engagement on their videos. In short, this is a handy feature for TikTok creators looking to enhance their content strategy for better conversions on the platform. 

Snapchat might soon have an ad-free subscription 

Social media platforms like X have premium ad-free subscriptions that allow users to enjoy an ad-free experience by paying a small monthly fee. Snapchat is the next social media platform to join the league. 

A leading social media news resource, Social Media Today, shared the below post discussing this possible update coming to Snapchat. 

The Snapchat+ subscription which is currently being tested, might not be introduced everywhere all at once but when introduced, it is likely to allow users to browse without being interrupted by ads on Lens and Story. What’s your take on social media platforms charging you for an ad-free experience? 

X is bringing back link headlines 

If you have been following our KIMP’s Picks series you might remember that we had earlier discussed X’s move in dropping headlines from link previews. Since then posts with links appear with just the cover image and a small link appearing in the bottom left corner. Some users have pointed out how this makes it difficult to discern posts with links. Whereas X had its own reason for this UI update. Reportedly, X is bringing back headlines to link previews very soon. 

Elon Musk confirmed this in a recent post. 

X Premium+ users will soon be able to use Grok on X 

There is a long lineup of exclusive privileges that X has been adding to its Premium users and the next one on the line is the option to access Grok within X. Elon Musk confirmed this in a reply to a post on the platform. 

With a lot of positive reviews accumulating for Grok already, the ability to use it on X will be a big step. 

Time to Bid Adieu!

That brings us to the close of the KIMP’s Picks 24th November edition. We cannot deny that this has been an exciting week for marketers and creatives around the world. With the holiday season just around the corner, there is a lot of marketing inspiration floating by, and several new AI tools and features launched. So, there’s so much more to keep an eye out for in the coming weeks. But fear not for we’ll be back with our KIMP’s Picks roundup every Friday giving you a quick summary of what everyone is talking about on social media. So, stay tuned and we’ll be back soon with another useful social media recap! 

Posted On

24 Nov, 2023

Related Posts
KIMP’s Picks 3rd May: Weekly Highlights In Design, Marketing, AI, & More
03 May, 2024
Read More
KIMP’s Picks 26th April: Weekly Highlights In Design, Marketing, AI, & More
26 Apr, 2024
Read More