Tag: Facebook

GUEST ARTICLE: What is social entertainment and how can brands benefit from it?

Mumbai: Social entertainment is not just merely content creation and people interacting with each other; it includes different high-tech activities such as video streaming, video chat communication, multi-player gaming, music and video streaming with the help of different social networking services. Social media, as well, comes under the umbrella of social entertainment, covering almost 80 per cent of the market with applications such as Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, etc. Users from across the world also confirmed that social entertainment is now even taking the place of television and cinema. In order to win the audience’s heart, brands must go to the roots and try being more creative with designing and content creation and communicating their message at the same time through collaboration with creators who have a good amount of fanbase. One of the biggest benefits to brands deals with the prolongation of content through digital collection of videos or posts.

Social media and social entertainment are similar and yet distinct. The social media landscape has changed over the last several years, and these days, social media platforms are intended to be more than just a count of your friends. Viewing other people’s films and photos has become a kind of enjoyment in modern times. The material is being engaged with by more individuals than ever in the social media era. In the history of social media, what you watch and the desire to see is more important than what you follow.

As we are aware, the pandemic in 2021 will greatly impact social media, particularly entertainment. The social platform and means of entertainment benefited from the pandemic.

Now, let’s talk about how brands can benefit

1. Increase brand awareness

In this era, everyone has a smartphone and is using social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, or Twitter, which is a natural place to reach new and highly targeted audiences.

Every single person updates there to see and show their side of living and making money out of it.

2. Humanise your brand

One of the keys to social media for businesses is that it benefits their brands. Introduce your products to the public by highlighting the benefits of your products to your followers.

Show how you embrace your brand values, how it works in people’s life and how you are interested in customers.

3. Establish your brand as a thought leader

No matter which industry your business is in, social media offers plenty of opportunities to establish thought leaders.

4. Stay top of mind

Keep your social media posts creative, entertaining, and informative. 80 per cent of people log in to their account once a day. Social media is a platform where you can connect with fans and followers every time.

If we are talking about the growth

1. Increase website traffic

The keys to increasing the traffic on social media are posts and ads. Sharing fantastic content from your album or website on your preferred social platform.

Participating in social reviews/chats can also be a great way to increase your brand’s visibility in the market.

2. Boost sales

Social networks will become more vital for product search and e-commerce as the number of individuals utilising social media keeps expanding and social sales technologies develop. The moment has come to match your social marketing initiatives with your sales objectives.

3. Partner with influencers

People who have a large following of people who can draw the attention of their immense social media following to your brand.

4. Promote content

Make sure you have a content marketing strategy in place to maximise the advantages of social media for the company.

Conclusion

Social media is undoubtedly simpler to use and has a wider audience than conventional media, which is advantageous for both companies and gaming gear. Everyone is quite active when it comes to social interaction, whether they are one year old or 70 years old. It allows you the chance to advertise your goods while also communicating on many channels. Whether a blessing or a curse, social interaction among people has never been impacted by other environmental elements since it has such a strong grasp on society and people’s daily lives.

The author of the article is Treasure Records managing director Deepak Gupta.

September 6, 2022
Meta and Jio Platforms team up to launch JioMart on WhatsApp

Mumbai: In a global first, Meta has partnered with Jio Platforms to launch an end-to-end shopping experience on WhatsApp, where consumers can shop from JioMart right within their WhatsApp chat. JioMart on WhatsApp will enable users in India, including those who have never shopped online before, to seamlessly browse through JioMart’s entire grocery catalogue, add items to their cart, and make the payment to complete the purchase – all without leaving the WhatsApp chat.

Meta founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in a Facebook post, “Excited to launch our partnership with JioMart in India. This is our first-ever end-to-end shopping experience on WhatsApp—people can now buy groceries from JioMart right in a chat.”

“Business messaging is an area with real momentum, and chat-based experiences like this will be the go-to way people and businesses communicate in the years to come,” he added.

Making the announcement, Reliance Industries chairman and managing director Mukesh Ambani said, “Our vision is to propel India as the world’s leading digital society. When Jio platforms and Meta announced our partnership in 2020, Mark and I shared a vision of bringing more people and businesses online and creating truly innovative solutions that will add convenience to the daily lives of every Indian.”

“One example of an innovative customer experience that we are proud of developing is the first ever end-to-end shopping experience with JioMart on WhatsApp. The JioMart on WhatsApp experience furthers our commitment to enabling a simple and convenient way of online shopping for millions of Indians,” he further said.

The launch is part of a strategic partnership between Meta and Jio Platforms to accelerate India’s digital transformation and provide people and businesses of all sizes opportunities to connect in new ways and fuel economic growth in the country, the company said in its statement.

Consumers can start shopping on JioMart via WhatsApp by simply sending ‘Hi’ to the JioMart number on the networking app, it added.

August 30, 2022
GUEST ARTICLE: How virtual reality (VR) is changing the dynamics of the content industry

Mumbai: By offering a vivid, immersive, and interactive experience, virtual reality is changing the very face of the content industry by allowing users to be at the centre of all the action.

The concept of virtual reality (VR) has sprung into prominence in the last couple of years. Although the technology has existed since as early as the 1990s, its applications were quite limited and confined only to high-tech, expensive gaming consoles. However, in the early years of the 2010s, VR started getting attention from wider sections of the industry, and consequently, the technology started reaching the doorsteps of potential customers. Going forward, VR has evolved significantly and has now established itself as one of the fastest and most cutting-edge technologies of the 21st century.

While VR has applications in a number of different business domains, it is proving particularly beneficial for the content industry. With the help of VR, creators can produce far more engaging and immersive content that can prove instrumental in enhancing user experiences. In fact, it won’t be an exaggeration to say that VR is significantly uplifting the creative abilities of creators and helping them to take their engagement with audiences to a different level.

With the help of VR-enabled content, users can experience the world like never before. Using specific headsets and devices, VR allows audiences to be there right in the middle of the action and experience the surroundings in immersive 3D formats. Just like we interact with our friends and colleagues on social media platforms, VR-enabled content takes this experience to another level through its immersive 3D experience. This captivating experience elevates the users’ experience and helps the creators strengthen their relationship with the target audience. No wonder, big tech giants such as Microsoft, Google, Amazon, and Facebook are betting big on the potential of VR and investing heavily to capture the imagination of the masses faster and better than others.

Before specifically elaborating on the role of VR in content creation, it’s important to put things in perspective. Let’s take the example of news, one of the cornerstone pillars of the content industry. Not long ago, we used to rely on television, newspapers, and radio to get our daily dose of news. While in the morning, newspapers were the primary source of information, news channels and radios were used to dish out the hot and happenings of the world in the daytime. However, fast forward to today, and the scenario is completely different. Digital media is leading the revolution in the news industry, and more than channels or publication houses, social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, and Instagram have become our primary sources of news and information.

In the backdrop of such altered realities, the content industry is now making a tectonic shift. To strengthen their user base and elevate the customer experience, many creators today offer their viewers the opportunity to experience the content in a completely immersive manner with the help of VR technology. Media outlets such as The Guardian, the BBC, and the New York Times are offering VR-enabled content that puts the viewers right in the “middle of the action”. It feels so real and engaging, as if you’re present at the venue and experiencing things as they are unfolding on a real-time basis. This unprecedented level of engagement that has never been completely unseen and unheard of before has become possible today only with the help of VR-enabled content.

One of the most popular ways in which VR manifests its utility in content creation is through the 360-degree video formats. These formats, coupled with augmented reality (AR), capture scenes from every possible direction and help evoke a more passionate response from viewers. Especially in the background of falling sales in the print media, content creators are now banking on these surrounding videos to widen their appeal among new sets of customers while strengthening their current viewer base. Along with video formats, computer-generated graphics for a vivid interactive experience are also part of the VR technology that is used to offer a more immersive experience to users.

Of course, there are many challenges that VR-enabled content has to overcome, with the high cost and gouging customers’ appetite for new-age technologies being the primary issues confronting the industry currently. To find satisfactory solutions, content creators, including the broadcasting studios mentioned above, are collaborating with leading VR players and other stakeholders in the industry, including policymakers, among others. The idea behind this coming together is to offer audiences a vivid perspective and a greater sense of understanding through VR-enabled content within the realistic boundaries of cost and resources.

With the help of VR, content creators allow users to experience venues and situations first-hand. This is particularly beneficial for increasing engagement with viewers and strengthening the relationship between content creators and their target audiences. VR-enabled content with the help of certain gadgets and devices can create a sense of “belongingness” and take the engagement experience to a different level altogether. The use of immersive, 3D technologies is proving immensely beneficial for all stakeholders in the content industry, and if the costs of VR headsets rationalise further, the enormous potential of VR-enabled content can be realised in no time. In sum, while the segment of content creation has always remained dynamic and evolving, the latest change in the form of VR integration is changing the face of the industry like never before.

The author of the article is Interality founder and CEO Farheen Ahmad.

August 22, 2022
Facebook parent Meta posts its first-ever revenue decline in Q2

Mumbai: Facebook parent company, Meta, on Thursday announced a decline in the company’s revenues in its second quarter earnings 2022 for the first time since it went public in 2012. The tech major reported a drop in revenues from $29.08 billion to $28.82 billion, down one per cent over last year.

Meta also announced that its chief finance officer (CFO) David Wehner would now take over the role of chief strategy officer (CSO) and oversee the company’s strategy and corporate development.

The company announced that Susan Li, currently vice president of finance, will replace him as CFO. The transitions will be effective from 1 November.

The social media network’s net income saw a decline of 36 per cent in April-June, falling from $10.39 billion ($3.61 per share) to $6.69 billion ($2.46 per share) year-on-year (YoY).

“We seem to have entered an economic downturn that will have a broad impact on the digital advertising business,” said Meta founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg in an earnings call on Wednesday. “It’s always hard to predict how deep or how long these cycles will be, but I’d say that the situation seems worse than it did a quarter ago.”

The social media giant also issued a bleak third-quarter forecast. “This outlook reflects a continuation of the weak advertising demand environment we experienced throughout the second quarter, which we believe is being driven by broader macroeconomic uncertainty,” chief finance officer David Wehner said in a statement.

“We have reduced our hiring and overall expense growth plans this year to account for the more challenging operating environment while continuing to direct resources toward our company priorities,” he added.

The company expects its 2022 total expenses to be in the range of $85-88 billion, lowered from its prior outlook of $87-92 billion, Wehner further stated.

Meta’s worrying results follow a pattern reflected in the results of other major tech companies and its rivals, Snap and Twitter – both of whom reported disappointing second-quarter numbers last week, during an unprecedented stressful period across the industry. The results also follow a broader decline in the digital advertising market.

Advertising revenue growth slowed throughout the second quarter as advertiser demand softened, Wehner stated. “The deceleration has been broad-based across verticals, and we believe businesses are lowering their advertising spend in response to the increased economic uncertainty.”

Earlier on Wednesday, another tech major and Google parent company- Alphabet posted a 13 per cent growth in consolidated revenue at $69.7 billion for the second quarter – its slowest quarterly growth in two years.

Meta also faces its own unique challenges of competing with TikTok, while focusing on its next phase of building the immersive metaverse.

In this environment, we’re focused on making the long-term investments that will position us to be stronger coming out of this downturn — including our work on our discovery engine and Reels, our new ads infrastructure, and the metaverse, stated Zuckerberg. The company is also focused on being rigorous about measuring returns and sizing these investments correctly, he added.

July 28, 2022
Sandeep Bhushan logs out of Meta after seven years

Mumbai: Meta’s director business group India Sandeep Bhushan has announced his decision to move on from the tech conglomerate. Bhushan took to LinkedIn to announce that he will be moving on from the company before the end of this year.

“I want to share that later this year I will be leaving Meta to start the next phase of my professional life,” he wrote.

Although he did not disclose his future plans, he mentions that having completed 25 years of his professional journey this month, he is keen to go deeper into the social sector and “build new learning muscle” that can guide his contribution over the next 25 years.

Bhushan further added, “I will be on a listening and reflection tour for a while as I plan the details ahead. Before that, I will be at Meta for the next few months to extend all possible transition support to Ajit Mohan and the team for their ambitious plans for Meta’s social and business impact in India.”

Prior to taking on the role of director at Meta business group India, Bhushan was serving as the director and head of global marketing solutions India for six years.

Furthermore, he is also an invitee to the Board at the Advertising Standards Council of India, in addition to being a board member at MMA APAC.

He has also worked with companies such as Samsung Electronics, HT Media, and Hindustan Unilever towards the beginning of his career.

July 23, 2022
Meta onboards Dilpreeta Vasudeva as head of marketing – business messaging

Mumbai: Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp parent-company Meta has appointed Dilpreeta Vasudeva as the marketing lead for business messaging (WhatsApp, Instagram & Messenger).

Prior to joining Meta, she worked as the founder of CMO Access. Previously, Vasudeva headed marketing at Jio Studios, before helming marketing transformation and financial services at Bharti Enterprises.

An ISB Alumna, Vasudeva has worked alongside senior leadership teams of MNCs & Indian conglomerates garnering experience across more than seven categories & functional disciplines of marketing. She held a stint as head of digital marketing at Tata Play previously. Vasudeva has also worked with conglomerates Microsoft, Times Internet, Tech Mahindra and Radisson.

Vasudeva took to LinkedIn to make the announcement, with the caption, “Meta Metamates Me.” She wrote: Stoked to join as the Marketing Lead for Business Messaging at Meta – WhatsApp, Instagram & Messenger.

July 11, 2022
Minimum followers on Instagram to get paid in India

Mumbai : Instagram has emerged as a platform where many people spend hours and hours scrolling down. It has over a billion monthly active users (MAU). Instagram is also a platform of opportunity for many, who earn millions just by sharing their part of life with the audience. Instagram has metamorphosed the career of social media influencers.

Instagram is now part of the meta companies, except for the name, there is no change in its data policy and terms of use. Earning procedures are thus also same.

There is no particular criteria of minimum followers given by Instagram. The rule that is generally observed is that the more engaged your followers are, the lesser followers you’ll need to start earning. However, with minimum of thousand followers, you can start earning with your Instagram account along with the several other factors which must be in your favour. If you can have followers and build trust, there are lots of potential business opportunities to make money on Instagram.

Here are the other factors that you should know:-

On Instagram, you can promote your business with sponsored Instagram post to reach to wider audience, where you use organic post of your page and pay to promote them to target audience. It increases your reach and helps your business grow.

Using relevant hashtags are a great way to connect to audience who is looking for your type content. Hus your reach will increase and thus your business/ content will be benefitted. You can also use smm panel india for the increasing your reach.

Go live and earn extra income with Instagram badges. When you go live with badges, your audience can buy badges to support you and to get you extra recognition, while you earn from the content that you create.

Partner with brands. Your followers look up to you to know what brands and products you like. As you grow, brands pay you to share their intel.

Open your shop on Instagram. TO open your shop, follow the following steps.
1.Convert to a business account.
2.Connect your Facebook page.
3.Upload your products.
4.Complete account review.
5.Turn on shopping.

On Instagram, you can reach to wider audience by tagging, and get to know how your product is performing by going to Insights.

Make reels and earn with Bonuses. Bonuses are opportunities for you to earn money according to your reels. But you get bonuses on the invite by Instagram and influencers having less than one million followers may get selected for the invite. You can monitor bonuses on your professional dashboard.

Earn with affiliate. Promote brand’s product and drive sale for a brand and get commission payments on each sale you generate. Find the best smm panel and start growing your social media.

Earn recurring money with subscriptions. With Instagram subscriptions, your followers can subscribe you to see exclusive content with purple ring, to stand out with having subscriber batch next to their name which makes them stand out in the comment section and DMs. They pay monthly fee to subscribe and you get recurring income.

June 7, 2022
Sheryl Sandberg logs out from Meta after 14 years

Mumbai : Sheryl Sandberg has decided to step down from her position as a chief operating officer at Meta, ending a stint of 14 years at the tech major- the parent organisation of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, among other subsidiaries. Sandberg will leave the company this fall, after transitioning her direct reports over the next few months. She will, however, continue to serve on Meta’s board of directors.

Announcing on her Facebook page, Sandberg wrote a detailed, candid post about her time at the networking conglomerate. She also shared anecdotes of her initial struggles and work-life there, even as she recounted the highs and lows of her personal life during the period.

Today, I am sharing the news that after 14 years, I will be leaving Meta, she wrote. Talking about her initial days at the company, formerly called Facebook, Sandberg penned, “When I first met Mark, I was not looking for a new job – and I could have never predicted how meeting him would change my life. We were at a holiday party at Daniel L Rosensweig’s house. I was introduced to Mark as I walked in the door, and we started talking about his vision for Facebook. I had tried Facebook, as it was first called, but still thought the internet was a largely anonymous place to search for funny pictures. Mark’s belief that people would put their real selves online to connect with other people was so mesmerising that we stood by that door and talked for the rest of the night.”

Sandberg also touched upon the ongoing debate around privacy concerns in social media in her post, saying, “The products we make have a huge impact, so we have the responsibility to build them in a way that protects the privacy and keeps people safe.”

Talking about her future plans, she continued further, “When I took this job in 2008, I hoped I would be in this role for five years. Fourteen years later, it is time for me to write the next chapter of my life. I am not entirely sure what the future will bring – I have learned no one ever is. But I know it will include focusing more on my foundation and philanthropic work, which is more important to me than ever given how critical this moment is for women.”

“Over the next few months, Mark and I will transition my direct reports and I will leave the company this fall. I still believe as strongly as ever in our mission, and I am honoured that I will continue to serve on Meta’s board of directors,” she added.

Calling it “The end of an era”, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg responded to Sandberg’s post, writing: In the 14 years we’ve worked together, you’ve architected our ads business, hired great people, forged our management culture, and taught me how to run a company. I’m going to miss working alongside you every day, but grateful to have you as a lifelong friend.

“Thank you for all you’ve done for me and my family, for our company, and millions of people around the world. You’re a superstar,” he further added.

Prior to joining Facebook in 2008 as its COO, Sandberg was vice president of global online sales and operations at Google.

June 2, 2022
Meta launches 3D avatars for facebook, instagram & messenger users

Mumbai: Meta has launched on Tuesday updated 3D Avatars in India for Facebook and Messenger. The new avatars will also be available on Instagram. The new avatars are expressive, customizable and diverse.

The new update adds Cochlear implants and over-the-ear hearing aids (for one or both ears) in a variety of colors, and on all platforms including VR. It also includes wheelchairs, which will appear in stickers on Facebook, in Messenger chats and in DMs on Instagram. Meta will continue to add more options over time based on feedback from the community.

With this development, people in India can show up as their virtual self across apps via stickers, feed posts, facebook profile pictures, and more.

To better reflect the billions of unique people on this planet, Meta is adding new facial shapes and assistive devices for people with disabilities. Meta is also improving the look of Avatars. Subtle adjustments have been made to certain facial shapes and skin shaders to make avatars more authentic.

While speaking on the launch of new avatars, Meta India director and head partnerships Manish Chopra said, “Representations in the metaverse should reflect the diversity of the real world. Avatars are just the first step toward enabling everyone to express themselves in their unique ways. When you create your avatar you can choose the right facial features, body types, clothing styles, and more to create your virtual self. We offered more than one quintillion different combinations when we launched our updated avatars last year, and we’re continuing to add more options to give people even more ways to express themselves.”

May 24, 2022
Big Bang Awards 2021 set for offline event on 8 April

Mumbai: After skipping the 2020 edition due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Ad Club Bangalore has announced that it will be holding the Big Bang Awards 2021 in an offline event on 8 April. The award ceremony will celebrate the Indian advertising and marketing fraternity and honor excellence in creative, media, digital and marketing.

The Big Bang Awards are sponsored by Meta and supported by Manorama Max, Manorama News, The Hindu, and some other media houses. The event will take place at Hotel Ritz Carlton in Bangalore.

Ad Club Bangalore is a three-decade-old advertising club, known as one of the oldest ad clubs in the country. The ad club started the Big Bang Awards two decades ago. Every year it includes a jury from the advertising, media, and marketing industry. However, this year the entire judging process was online due to the pandemic restrictions.

Sharing inside details, Ad Club Bangalore president Laeeq Ali told, “We received over 400 entries this year from agencies and clients across the country and decided to wait till April so we could kick-start our activities for the year with an offline event.”

The awards have separate categories for consumer, B2B, media, entertainment and sports, brand and corporate communication and social causes. There is a separate category for healthcare and wellness covering Rx and OTC products.

“I have been involved with the Big Bang Awards for the last 20 years,” said Big Bang Awards chairperson Malavika Harita. “This year, we saw a lot of emerging creative, media and digital agencies with innovative and exciting ideas. Adding a category for marketing excellence rounded off the entire gamut of marketing activities covered.”

In order to pay homage to its late executive director Arvind Kumar, this year they have two special prizes for the best young media professional below 30 years and the best media team in his name. The MAA Group will be presenting the Ayaz Peerbhoy Award for the ‘Creative Agency of the Year’ as they do every year, said the statement.

April 5, 2022