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KIMP’s Picks 8th March: Weekly Highlights In Design, Marketing, AI, & More

Happy Friday folks! Wondering about all those social media discussions, AI updates and marketing inspiration you missed this week? Then you’re in the right place. The KIMP’s Picks 8th March edition is your ticket to travel back in time and revisit the social media chatter from this past week. It’s your time-saving tool to get a quick glimpse at some of the social media posts that were trending, and some hidden gems that can give you fresh perspectives.

So, are you ready to quickly catch up on anything you missed so that you can bid adieu to the week without regrets about not staying in the loop? Then let’s go!  

In the Marketing Realm 

Lefty proves the memorability of mascots 

Popular packaged foods brand, Hamburger Helper’s mascot Lefty was one of the most popular mascots in the 90s. The brand has chosen to relaunch this mascot and the announcement came through the brand’s TV ads and a host of other digital and traditional marketing channels as well. 

Given the volatility of the food branding sector, the mascot has not appeared in the Hamburger Helper commercials recently. However, the brand now has campaigns focusing on the affordability and practicality of their one-pot meals range. The signature mascot that once was an inseparable entity of the brand is now making a comeback to shift attention to this value that the brand creates. 

The popular online source of advertising information Advertising Week shared the below post discussing the relaunch of Lefty. 

The brand’s decision to bring back Lefty and the initial positive response that this mascot has been receiving are proof of the memorability of a well-designed and meaningful mascot. 

The brand’s changed marketing approach also comes as a response to the recent inflation especially in the food industry and the growing demand for affordable solutions. 

Target embraces subscription model 

Several ecommerce giants like Walmart and Amazon have subscription models that keep bringing customers back to them. Now Target is joining the league with the Target Circle 360 membership. 

Target’s decision to introduce a subscription is yet another reaction to the inflation. This one and the previous example show how brands can react to and adapt to unprecedented changes in the market. 

Membership plans like Target Circle 360 bring in additional revenue streams to brands. Moreover, they are also great ways to build customer loyalty by incentivizing repeat purchases. 

Google Business Profile websites have been shut down 

Earlier, small business owners had the option to create websites with Google Business Profile. But a few weeks ago, there was news that these websites would be shut down and this change finally happened on March 5th. Barry Schwartz, the visionary behind the popular web consulting firm, Rusty Brick, shared the below post discussing these changes to Google Business Profile websites. 

He also shared a quick preview of how clicking on the previously added URLs now redirect users to the Google Business Profile on Google Maps. His post also goes on to talk about crucial timelines for small business owners to remember. Reportedly, these URLs might soon be deemed invalid if business owners do not replace them with new website URLs. So, if you are a small business owner who has been using a Google Business Profile website, now is a good time to update your website and your profile as well. 

Nike still leads the race in the sneaker market

Statista shared the below post discussing the current state of the sneaker market. Given that the US is currently the largest sneaker market in the world, this data summarizes the state of brands in the US market. This data shows how Nike seems to be steadily leading the game followed by Adidas. 

Nike and Adidas are truly in leagues of their own when it comes to market dominance. If you are wondering how these two brands managed to survive the competition and have managed to stay ahead, here’s a blog you might like. 

The nuances of running Google Ads 

Running paid ads is a crucial decision but not an easy one to tackle. Semrush, a popular online marketing platform, shared the below post discussing the nuances of Google Ads. 

In this, Semrush shares some expert insights that help marketers plan and execute paid ads with confidence. From identifying the right platform to invest in paid advertising to choosing the right keywords, and right audience segments, the post discusses a lot of essential elements that make or break the efforts that go into paid advertising. 

Insight-driven marketing campaign from McDonald’s 

Looking for some marketing inspiration? You’ll love this McDonald’s campaign that Ad Age spotlighted. 

The campaign featured here was an innovative insight-driven campaign from McDonald’s. It takes into account the fact that fine-dining experiences are often expensive but seldom fulfilling. So, they created the above campaign in Dubai where users who were still hungry after dining at a fancy restaurant could exchange their fine-dining check for free food at a McDonald’s outlet. 

They used fun illustrated posters outdoor ads and posters to promote this campaign. This is a great example of the magic that data-driven marketing can create. 

In the Content Marketing Realm 

Google has announced Search’s core updates for March 

The below post is about Google’s core updates announced for March 2024. Content marketers and web creators need to stay updated with core updates because the changes can affect the way their content ranks. So, educating yourself about these core updates can help enhance your content strategy. 

Some of the changes include the use of multiple signals to identify valuable content and rank them. With every update, the emphasis on creating content for people rather than creating content for algorithms has been getting stronger. 

There are also a couple of new updates to the spam policies, expired domain abuse, scaled content abuse, and site reputation abuse. So, give this post from Google a quick read to ensure that your content strategies are on track. 

Identify and eliminate keyword cannibalization 

Brands spend a great deal of time researching keywords and creating content that ranks for the chosen keywords. But they do not pay enough attention to one other important aspect – keyword cannibalization. Search Engine Journal, a leading online publication of search-related news and insights discussed this crucial aspect in the below post. 

The post particularly talks about keyword cannibalization that can happen between organic and paid campaigns which can lead to wasted ad budget. The post begins with a brief introduction to the signs that indicate keyword cannibalization. And then talks about tips and strategies to help avoid this issue. So, if you are looking to fine-tune your content strategy, this post is definitely worth your time. 

In the Design Realm 

Adobe announces the new Adobe Express mobile app

Adobe’s Firefly tools have made AI an integral part of the design workflow for many creatives. Now to simplify the process even more and to allow users to access Firefly’s AI compatibilities on the go, Adobe has announced their new Adobe Express mobile app which is currently available in the beta mode for both Android and iOS devices.

The app will also allow users to access their designs from Illustrator and Photoshop directly on the app provided they have a Creative Cloud subscription.

An African Masquerades-inspired font 

Google Fonts library is a great place to look for fonts when designing. In the below post, Google featured Ojuju, a font inspired by a variety of African traditional dance costumes. 

Sans-serif fonts with strong personalities have been anticipated to trend in 2024. And Ojuju

is definitely one to add to that list. 

In addition to its culturally rich background, the font has a distinctive personality which makes it a great choice for designs where the text needs to make a statement. 

From bold and impactful headlines to designs that call for an artistic touch, this font can find its place in various themes. But yes, this might not be the best choice if you are looking for something professional or in small font sizes. 

Rebranding inspiration 

Rebranding can be tricky especially when the brand’s original identity has been etched in the minds of their audience. Because then a refreshed identity means the risk of customers failing to recognize the brand. So, if you are looking for some inspiration to tackle rebranding projects, the below design featured by the Creative Review magazine is a good one. 

The post showcases the refreshed brand identity created for a popular NY-based local bagel brand, H&H Bagels. Given the decades-old heritage of the brand, it was crucial to preserve the core elements that define the brand, the elements that customers have grown to be familiar with. 

In this case, the signature brand color was retained and the shape of the logo and fonts were changed. The custom lettering and the shape of the seal together infuse a touch of sophistication into the design cherishing the brand’s history. 

Given the need for an omnichannel approach and to resonate with the brand’s evolution, the refreshed identity also includes a sleek script typeface and a serif typeface all of them creating premium aesthetics for the brand. 

A creative application of Generative Recolor

With the advent of AI in the creative space, Adobe has been introducing a lot of cool AI capabilities within their ecosystem. One such feature is Generative Recolor. This innovative tool lets you imagine and generate color palettes in seconds with simple text prompts. These color palettes can then be instantly applied to vector artwork. 

You can experiment with variations based on different moods and visual themes by changing the color palettes. In the below post, Adobe shares the experience of a lettering artist who uses the Generative Recolor tool to bring her designs to life. The post also discusses the other AI features on Adobe that have helped the creator improve her hand-lettering workflow. So, if you are wondering where to start and how to make the most of Adobe’s recent AI features, this is a good read. 

Creating show-stopping packaging designs 

Packaging Of The World is an online community for package designers to find inspiration. They feature the works of creators from around the world. In the below post, they feature an innovative packaging design that uses illustrations to grab attention. 

The packaging incorporates seamlessly blended illustrations to capture the beach vibes. The elegant silhouettes and the lively colors together bring the designs to life. Additionally, the design also features plenty of negative spaces to let the text and the illustration stand out.

In the AI Realm 

ChatGPT can now read to you on the go! 

Did you notice something new on the ChatGPT app? If not, press and hold a response from the tool and check the last option! “Read Aloud” is the newest feature on this leading AI chatbot and the below post from OpenAI announces this update. 

Reportedly, this feature is now available in 37 languages and you can choose from 5 preloaded voices. The tool auto-detects the language of the response. This feature has now been made available both in the web version and the mobile app versions. Have you tried it yet? 

OpenAI adds a layer of security

With more and more people now using AI tools like ChatGPT extensively in their workflows, AI companies are paying more attention to the security aspect of these tools. Besides the Read Aloud feature on ChatGPT, another announcement from OpenAI this week was the addition of multi-layer authentication to the API and to ChatGPT. OpenAI shared the below post with a video demo on how to turn multi-factor authentication on to secure your account.

Midjourney is bringing V6 Turbo mode

Midjourney V6 continues to be among the top-performing generative AI creative tools for image generation. And the team has been slowly and steadily enhancing the model’s performance. In a recent post they announced that a turbo mode is coming to V6. This mode can reportedly generate images about 3.5X faster. But yes, that also can cost twice as much and require the fastest GPU machines. But when the requirements call for speed, this can be quite handy.

Another interesting announcement they made on their Discord channel is that a new version of the /describe command is being tested. This will be a way for creators to get descriptions of images. In other words, this would be an image-to-text model. This can be pretty useful for those working on prompt engineering and trying to understand the better way to phrase their prompts to get the best results.

The Stability AI x Tripo AI partnership simplifies 3D model generation 

Stability AI has been making huge steps in the generative AI space. In a recent announcement, they introduced TripoSR, a new tool from Stability AI released in partnership with Tripo AI. TripoSR can take single static image inputs and create stunning 3D models in seconds. Given the use of low inference budgets, this tool is said to be more suitable for diverse users and applications. 

Based on their report, the tool reportedly performs better than several other existing generative AI 3D modeling applications like  OpenLRM. 

There’s a new tool in the generative AI video space 

With the AI image generation space almost nearing its saturation stage, the next big thing seems to be AI video generation. The buzz about OpenAI’s Sora announced a few weeks ago hasn’t settled down yet and there’s another new tool in town – Haiper. Built by DeepMind alums, Yishu Miao and Ziyu Wang, Haiper looks like another promising contender in the generative AI video space. 

As of now the web application of Haiper is available for free. You can instantly start generating videos by logging in with your Google or Discord accounts. This is a text-to-video model that can right now generate short videos. Right now, in HD resolution, you can only generate 2-second videos, and with lower quality, the videos can go up to 4 seconds.  

In addition to text-based video generation, Haiper currently also supports animation of static images and simple edits to existing videos especially changing the aesthetics. 

TechCrunch, a popular source of all the latest tech news shared the below post discussing the announcement of Hapier and its capabilities. 

Anthropic announces Claude 3 

Claude has evolved into a dependable AI assistant for enterprise applications for businesses big and small. And now Anthropic has announced the next generation of Claude, Claude 3. This brings 3 distinctive tools Sonnet, Haiku, and Opus designed to cater to a wide range of applications. As of now, Opus and Sonnet are available on the API and web whereas Haiku is to be released soon. 

Based on some data shared by Anthropic, all 3 models in Claude 3 were observed to perform better even in complicated undergraduate level expert knowledge benchmarks. And the results were reportedly better than those of the most advanced models in the industry like the GPT-4 and Gemini 1.0 Ultra. 

One of the most interesting capabilities introduced is the ability to generate more data-rich visual formats like charts, technical diagrams, and graphs. 

Vimeo has a new AI-powered video hub

Popular video platform Vimeo recently announced a new AI-powered video hub. This is meant to be a big step toward simplifying video sharing and consumption within organizations. From leveraging videos for internal communication to creating content for the audience, the AI video hub is designed to handle a variety of applications. 

The AI capabilities within Vimeo include the option to automatically generate tags, titles and chapters for videos so as to streamline the video content for internal communication. Employees can also access highlight reels and quick text summaries. In short, the new features are meant to help employees better access and extract information from videos within the organization. 

In addition to the above AI features, Vimeo Central also comes with a host of other collaboration tools, screen recording features, analytics, and more. 

Social Media Feature Updates and Algorithm Changes

Instagram DM has new features 

Personalized communication through DMs is popular among brands and creators. Accordingly, Instagram recently announced a bunch of useful new features in DMs. 

These include the option to edit messages after sending them. This option was already introduced on WhatsApp recently and now your Instagram messages will also feature it. This lets you edit the text you send for up to 15 minutes after the message is sent. 

The other handy feature is the option to pin messages in the inbox. This lets you pin up to 3 messages to retain them at the top. So, if there is a customer conversation you do not wish to lose in a crowded inbox, this feature is for you. 

The other feature discussed in the post is the option to turn read receipts on or off from settings. Swipe through to learn more about these recent updates in the below post. 

Facebook & Instagram faced downtime 

For a few hours on March 5th, Facebook and Instagram were down. The internet went crazy. And the irony is that X (formerly Twitter) was still very much active and so Elon Musk grabbed the opportunity to post something witty. See for it yourself. 

Elon Musk’s post is a good example of moment marketing but it also shows Meta’s struggles in recent times. Moreover, downtimes like these show how important it is for brands to stop relying on merely one platform and to always have a backup plan. 

Threads might soon let you schedule posts 

Social Media Today often brings all the recent social media news and updates. They spoke about an upcoming essential feature on Threads – scheduling. Scheduling was not part of the Meta platforms earlier and so users were required to use third-party apps to schedule their posts ahead of time. However, slowly Meta started introducing this feature on various platforms like Facebook and Instagram. The below post discusses the talks about possibly bringing the scheduling feature to Threads. This will let you plan ahead and stay up-to-date on Threads. 

All about Creator Rewards Program on TikTok 

With the creator economy booming, several social media platforms have been introducing updates focused on enhancing the creators’ experiences. TikTok is the next one on the list. They recently announced the Creator Rewards Program which brings several changes to the monetization strategies on the platform. 

One of the notable requirements for the Creator Rewards Program is that the rewards only work for videos over a minute long. The platform also prioritizes content with original ideas and high-quality visuals, those scoring well in terms of originality. Additionally, the platform is also expanding the availability of subscription options for creators. 

And Now To Conclude…

This past week has undoubtedly been a roller-coaster of updates on social media. From exciting new AI tools that can boost your creativity and productivity to marketing campaigns that can alter your perspectives, there were posts that can truly spark your imagination. We hope that the ones we picked for you gave you that end-of-the-week dose of inspiration you were looking for. We’ll be back next week with a fresh set of posts and a fresh boost of inspiration. 

Posted On

08 Mar, 2024

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