Instagram Launches IGTV, YouTube Releases New Creative Suite and Unilever Cracks Down on Influencer Fraud [Subject-to-Change]

June 26, 2018: Instagram launches IGTV, YouTube releases a new creative suite, Unilever cracks down on influencer fraud, Pinterest launches boxes to bring their trends to life, Facebook will allow Group Admins to charge for access

Here’s what’s worth knowing this week:

Table of Contents

IGTV Has Arrived

Instagram is welcoming longform video with open arms, this week announcing that users can now upload videos up to one-hour in length, up from the previous one-minute limit. The new video hub, called IGTV, can be accessed on the top right section of users’ Instagram home screen, and is also available via standalone app.

Within IGTV, viewers will be able to swipe through a variety of videos, or swipe up to visit a Browse tab of personally recommended videos, popular videos or creators they’re following. Users will also get in-app notifications from the IGTC button alerting them to new content. Unlike video on YouTube that is optimized for desktop-viewing, IGTV video content is optimized to fit how users watch video on their phones – with full-screen vertical videos. Videos will also offer a share button and a copy link features so users can easily share their favorite videos with their friends & followers. Super exciting stuff, but don’t spend too much time on the app.

What it means, IRL: If Snapchat and YouTube had a baby, it would be IGTV. With 1 billion users on Instagram, IGTV has the potential to gain popularity among creators who are not only trying to earn money but also grow their audience. Although IGTV is currently ad-free, Instagram is expected to build out a monetization option in the future with Instagram CEO Kevin Systrom mentioning that IGTV could be a “very reasonable place [for ads] to end up.”

Make it work: IGTV presents an opportunity for brands to work with influencers on Instagram in a new capacity: longform video. As video (both long and short form) continues to gain increasing value & importance among influencers and consumers alike, marketers can begin exploring IGTV as they would any other social channel.

Looking for some IGTV inspo? Think about working with influencers to hold Q&A’s, tutorials, webinars or IGTV exclusive segments. Then, use the link-out option to repurpose IGTV video content across multiple touchpoints.

YouTube’s Creative Solution

Days after Instagram launched IGTV and Facebook announced plans to expand Watch to all creators & publishers, YouTube released a suite of creative tools designed to let brands and agencies to test ads, target specific audiences with customized versions of the same ad, and tell stories over a series of ads. The new creative suite has two main focuses: deliver better and more actionable insights for brands – thanks to the Video Experiment and Video Creative Analytics tools – and help advertisers tell better stories with its Director Mix and Video Ad Sequencing tools.

We know that today’s consumers TV-watching habits have become increasingly digital. Pair this with platforms like YouTube, Facebook and Instagram investing in new tools to create, test & optimize video content, and it’s easy to understand why many marketers have begun re-allocating their TV budgets online. With platforms like YouTube releasing new tools that allow for video testing & measurement, brands should be leveraging influencers for video content creation, as working with agencies to create video can get really expensive, really fast.

Unilever’s Crackdown on Fraud

Unilever, the world’s second largest advertiser, has cracked down on influencers who buy followers, with CMO Keith Weed pledging that the brand will never buy followers or work with social media influencers who do so. According to Weed, the situation is three-fold and urgent action is required, pronto. Unilever’s commitment to transparency echoes a similar stance to P&G, who called for a similar industry reform earlier this year. As bots & fake followers become increasingly sophisticated, it is important that brands find technologies that will help weed out fraudulent activity.

Pinterest’s Shiny New Box

Pinterest has brought its Top 100 Trends Report to life with its first-ever Pinterest Box, a collaboration with lifestyle subscription box service FabFitFun. The Box will be sold on FabFitFun’s site and features items from top trends identified in The Pinterest 100 report, like makeup, personal care products, travel accessories, and more.

Marketers can work with influencers to curate a box that showcases products in a similar way. To start, have influencers identify their favorite products within your specific brand category and highlight your product as the central element in the box. By having influencers include your product in a box of their favorite items, their love for your product is experienced as authentic and genuine, making their followers more likely to engage with your brand.

Facebook Groups Now Come With A Price

Facebook just slapped a price tag on group membership. Facebook announced that it will now allow group administrators to start charging $4.99 to $29.99 a month for exclusive membership to select groups. While in the past Facebook groups have always been free, Zuck & Co. hope that with this new change, group admins who put time and effort into making their communities grow can be rewarded for their work. By definition, Facebook group admins are influencers and marketers should be thinking about how to incorporate these individuals into their larger influencer marketing strategies.