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KIMP’s Picks 27th October: Weekly Highlights In Design, Marketing, AI, & More

It’s time to wind up another exciting week. What’s exciting you ask? Well, take a look at the social media posts we have rounded up for you and you’ll know what we mean. Fresh progress in the AI realm, design inspiration shared from brands around the world, social media updates that marketers need to know about – there’s so much more in the KIMP’s Picks 27th October edition. 

So, are you ready to wrap up the week with some marketing, AI, and design inspiration? Let’s go.

In the Marketing Realm 

An overview of the short-form video platforms 

Short-form videos have grown to become one of the most popular content types favored both by brands and consumers. But there are many platforms for this content type. So, if you are wondering which of these to pay attention to, you’ll like this post from Statista, a leading provider of market and consumer data. 

The post highlights two things – the rapid growth of YouTube Shorts with its massive viewership within just 3 years since its inception. And the second point highlighted is that Shorts has also grown to become the 3rd most favorite among advertisers looking to deliver their messages through short-form videos. 

Talking about paid advertising, the next one is also about the same topic but with respect to Meta. 

Meta leads in the advertising game

Business and technology media company, Fast Company shared the below post featuring an article about Meta’s brilliant performance in the recent quarter. The post also highlights how Meta is leading in the paid advertising category. 

Considering that there was a steady decline in ad spending during the pandemic era, the recent growth suggests that it’s time for advertisers to rethink their social media paid advertising strategies. Because advertisers everywhere are betting big on them. 

Mercedes-Benz – The Iconic Playlist campaign 

Ads of The World is a creative advertising archive that showcases innovative and impactful advertisements from around the globe. They shared the below post highlighting a recent campaign from Mercedes-Benz. 

This campaign manages to highlight the brand’s historical associations with popular culture to engage and connect with audiences. Similar results can be achieved when you listen to your customers, to what they are talking about your brand. Moreover, the campaign from Mercedes spans multiple digital and print platforms in the form of vinyl art, social media designs and more. This works given the strong identity that Mercedes-Benz has created for the campaign. 

Leveraging spatial design in advertising 

When advertising, some brands choose unconventional ideas. And some choose unconventional surfaces – to display the ads. The latter aims at creating memorable immersive experiences that shape a positive brand image. Design and Art Direction, a globally recognized organization that celebrates excellence in design and advertising shared the below post throwing the spotlight on one such ad that uses spatial design strategies to make head-turning ads. 

Coors Light’s “Chillboards” campaign in Miami introduced billboards on apartment roofs featuring white roof coating to combat extreme heat, keeping residents cooler and lowering electricity bills.

The brand called these “ads that nobody can see but everybody can feel”. Isn’t that such an apt way to describe them? What better example than this to show how to design ads that make a lasting impact? 

This shows that innovative, socially conscious campaigns can not only raise awareness but also provide practical solutions that resonate with local communities, enhancing brand reputation and engagement. 

McDonald’s creative brand collaboration for branded merch 

Outlander Magazine shared the below post featuring a recent partnership between McDonald’s and Japanese brand graniph. 

This unique collaboration includes a limited edition merchandise collection, featuring iconic Golden Arches and beloved menu items and characters. This shows how incorporating recognizable brand elements can create a strong brand association and engagement. And it highlights the need for investing in merchandise marketing if you wish to generate excitement and exclusivity around your brand. 

In the Content Marketing Realm 

Leveraging video storytelling to connect better with customers 

Social Media Examiner is a leading online platform that provides valuable insights and resources for social media marketing professionals and businesses. They shared the below insightful post about tapping into video storytelling in marketing and its benefits for businesses. 

The post briefly covers the benefits of video storytelling and then goes on to list some ideas on the types of stories that a brand can tell in order to foster strong customer relationships. So, if you are looking to elevate your video content game, then this post is for you. 

The secret to updating outdated content 

When it comes to content marketing, most people talk about the process of creating content. But what happens after you create content? What happens when over time your content gets outdated? The below post from Moz, a leading SEO software company, answers these questions. 

The featured article talks about the need to update content regularly. It highlights how this helps in enhancing user experience and SEO. It also gives a peek into the signs to look out for to identify content that needs to be updated. So, this post is a great starting point for any content marketer looking to improve the performance of their content. 

In the Design Realm 

Adobe’s new features named the “Best Inventions of 2023”

If you have been following our KIMP’s Picks series you might have noticed a lot of posts about Adobe’s new features and the many announcements made at the creativity conference Adobe Max. Next in line is the recognition that Adobe has received from TIME magazine. The below post is a gist of that recognition. 

Among the many features that TIME magazine has named the “Best Inventions of 2023” are Generative Fill & Generative Expand in Adobe Firefly. If you have used these features on Adobe products you might already understand that these are indeed game-changers in the world of design. So, what are your favorite design inventions from 2023? 

The unique brand identity design for Wild 

The Brand Identity’s X page is filled with design inspiration. And they shared the below post highlighting a recent brand identity design for a popular experiential art platform, Wild. 

The idea was to create a more dynamic design with inherent simplicity. From the slightly skewed letterforms in the wordmark logo to the subtle illusion of motion in each design, the overall brand identity is unique and refreshing. This shows how challenging the norms in design can result in something distinct to capture your brand’s unparalleled personality. 

Elvis’s refreshed identity evokes nostalgia 

Like The Brand Identity, there’s one other X page overflowing with design ideas from brands around the world and that is It’s Nice That. They spoke about Elvis’s new brand identity in a recent post. 

When it comes to personal branding, it is crucial to let the person’s signature traits and unique personality shine. And that too for a legend like Elvis who was a trendsetter both with his music and his style, there are various visual cues to work with. 

The branding design discussed in the above post shows how thoughtfully done design can help preserve such traits that fans value greatly. This post is therefore a great source of inspiration for anyone working on the branding design for a personal brand. 

Talking about branding design, the logo is one of the pivotal elements. The next post we found discusses the effectiveness of logo design and animated logos in particular. 

An animated logo that clearly delivers the message 

Animated logos make it easier for brands to add an element of surprise, a deeper emotional value to their design. And that’s exactly what the animated logo featured in this below post from Creative Bloq does. Creative Bloq provides a daily dose of inspiration for creatives and marketers. The below post from this past week highlights an adorable animated logo for a pet brand, Fluffle. 

The static logo on its own looks like a simple wordmark but it’s the logo animation that adds more meaning to the design. The letters keep shuffling forming different silhouettes representing dogs with the little wagging tail detail in the animation. Designs like these are sure to bring a smile to the onlooker’s face. That’s the kind of design you need for your brand. 

Are you still contemplating whether you need an animated logo? Read our blog here to understand the benefits and to take away some design ideas as well. 

In the AI Realm 

Google to leverage AR for immersive shopping experiences 

The well-known tech news platform, The Verge shared the below post discussing Google’s recent AR features. 

According to the post, Google is expanding its AR features, especially in the shopping interface so as to allow a more immersive experience. Based on this, users will reportedly gain access to some AR beauty tools that will allow them to try items like hair dyes by visualizing the colors on them before making a purchase. 

Amazon’s generative AI tools to enhance ads 

Editing and enhancing images are some of the most common applications of generative AI. TechCrunch, an online newspaper that brings tech news and more shared the below post about Amazon’s next venture in generative AI. 

According to TechCrunch, Amazon’s new generative AI tool is designed to allow advertisers to create visually stunning ads that stand out. The tool aims at boosting the click-through rate by optimizing the Amazon ad images. 

Lenovo and NVIDIA’s new geenrative AI partnership 

Despite knowing the benefits of generative AI some businesses find it challenging to adopt the new tech. NVIDIA and Lenovo are reportedly partnering to help ease this transition. NVIDIA announced the same in the below post. 

The aim of the partnership is to make the process of adopting generative AI both faster and more secure for enterprises of different sizes. 

Generative Image Dynamics to create simple animations from static images 

The Google team is reportedly working on a new generative AI tool that will allow users to upload simple static images and add motion to them. The below post gives a snapshot of this tool. 

The Generative Image Dynamics tool aims to help creatives design simple animated loops and transitions from static images. Reportedly, the training of the model has been done based on motion trajectories observed in real-world settings. 

The AI search engine You is bringing better personalization 

In the search engine segment, Google has carved a niche for itself, no doubt. However, the AI search engine You has also been making news for its personalized responses and convenient interface. 

Richard Socher, the CEO of You.com shared the below video announcing some crucial updates coming to this search engine. 

Reportedly, this new update aims at helping users search better and access more personalized responses every time. This upgrade is likely to make You a more efficient personal assistant rather than just a search engine. 

Google’s answer to check the credibility of images 

With more and more generative AI tools being released, the internet is flooded with deepfake images. So, it’s getting tougher to discern reality from fakes, especially in image search. The below post from Google talks about tackling this challenge. 

In the featured article, Google lists 3 ways in which you can fact-check the images you see in Search. The new Fact Check Explorer is designed to help you know about the history of the image and the ways in which the image is being used in other sources. This aims to provide users with a way to identify fake AI-generated images. 

Grammarly’s new AI feature 

AlternativeTo is a website that provides users with alternatives to popular software and web apps. They shared the below post discussing Grammarly’s new AI feature. 

This new feature from Grammarly aims at observing and learning from the writing styles of a user. This learning will then be used to help improve the quality of AI-generated text on the tool. The feature which is currently available to Business accounts might soon be available to more users. 

Shutterstock is adding new AI image editing features 

To keep up with the generative AI craze, popular image libraries like Getty Images and Shutterstock have introduced AI image generation and other useful features. 

Product Hunt is a popular online community and platform that enables users to discover, share, and discuss new tech products and innovations. They shared the below post discussing the additional generative AI features coming to Shutterstock. According to this post, you will soon be able to edit the images you find on Shutterstock using AI image editing features on the platform. 

Social Media Feature Updates and Algorithm Changes

Pinterest to bring a new Information Hub for Creators 

Social Media Today, LLC, is a prominent digital media company providing insights on social media and digital marketing trends. They shared the below post about some useful updates coming from Pinterest. 

If you are a Pinterest creator or if you are looking to enhance the performance of your brand’s Pinterest page, then this new Hub coming to Pinterest is something you cannot miss. 

Can you guess the number of monthly active users on Threads? 

The growth of Threads has been nothing short of a roller-coaster journey. An explosive opening followed by a sudden drop in the usage! Critics and users around the world have expressed their concerns about the platform not making it as big as it anticipated. However, a recent announcement from Mark Zuckerberg changes that perspective. 

The tech news website Engadget shared the below post discussing some of the trends observed in the growth of Threads and remarks from Mark Zuckerberg about the app usage trends. 

As can be seen, Threads reportedly has about 100 million monthly active users at the moment which is a good number indicating that there is still hope for this platform to survive in the social media race. 

Yet another interface update on X 

Did you notice something new on your Home feed on X? Hint, it has to do with the bookmarks option. Yes, the platform has finally added the Bookmark button to the posts on the Home feed. So you no longer have to click on a post you like and then navigate to the next page to save it. As you scroll endlessly, if you come across something you like, you can directly bookmark the post from your Home feed.  

Remember that this option has currently been added only to the desktop version of the platform. X News Daily, a go-to source of all X updates shared the below post highlighting this update. 

TikTok might soon let you post long-form videos 

When you think of long-form videos you probably think of YouTube. Yes, Instagram lets you post longer videos but YouTube still dominates the game. Now TikTok is reportedly entering the race with its long-form video support. 

Search Engine Land, an online resource to find search-related information and updates shared the below post about the updates coming to TikTok. According to the post, the platform is testing the option to upload videos up to 15 minutes in length. 

Such an update coming from the platform that popularized short-form videos is sure to change the video content game. 

About LinkedIn Collaborative Posts 

Have you tried Collaborative Posts on LinkedIn? This generative AI-powered feature on the platform is quite resourceful and it has been a big hit with its users. Reportedly, the platform is planning to bring more updates to this feature. 

Social Media Today, an online information reserve for social media news and more, shared the below post about this. 

Reportedly, Collaborative Posts has turned out to be a big-time traffic driver for LinkedIn despite being relatively new on the platform. So, if you haven’t already explored this feature, now is a good time to start including it in your LinkedIn strategy. 

There’s a new ad format to try on Instagram 

Do you use Instagram ads to promote your upcoming events and product launches? Then the below announcement from Instagram is sure to excite you. It is about Reminder Ads, a new format that lets you remind your audience at the right time so that they would take action. 

You can choose the above ad format both with Story ads and Feed ads so as to ensure that your customers stay aware and get timely updates when the said event or product launch actually takes place. 

Instagram will let you add videos to Notes 

Notes on Instagram Messenger is an underrated feature that helps brands and creators provide instant updates to their followers. Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram shared the below post on his Threads page announcing an upcoming update to Instagram Messenger. According to his post, you’ll soon be able to share quick videos on Notes. This will play as a looping video ensuring that your message grabs your followers’ attention. 

Post by @mosseri
View on Threads

And, That’s a Wrap! 

That’s all we have for today’s KIMP’s Picks edition. We hope that these posts gave you a quick refresher on everything that happened on social media this past week. We’ll be back next week with a similar set of insightful share-worthy social media posts handpicked just for you. Until then, stay inspired and stay ahead in your marketing game! 

Posted On

27 Oct, 2023

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