Okay, maybe we’ve tried to shoehorn in the “spooky” theme a bit, but there’s more than enough in this month’s newsletter to disturb the sleep of your average adult.
The run-in to the U.S. presidential election is haunted by the roles Cambridge Analytica and Facebook played in voter suppression in 2016, while the sheer quantity of verifiable misinformation and the impact of political advertising clings to social media like a malevolent spirit. The Social Giants are clearly trying to clean up their act: digital exorcism, you might say.
It’s enough to put the frighteners on you. But fear not – like a nervous film-watcher gratefully switching on the light after a horror movie, we’ll also be talking about branding, which normally only causes nightmares for people (like us) on the inside.
See you on the other side…we hope. Mwa-ha-ha!
Social Media · 4 mins
US election: social networks scramble to exorcise the ghost of past mistakes
With memories of the Cambridge Analytica scandal refusing to die, Facebook has taken steps to curb political misinformation. Former UK politician and now Facebook’s VP of Global Affairs, Nick Clegg, says Facebook has taken down 120,000 Facebook and Instagram posts for attempting to “obstruct voting”, whilst also attaching warning labels to 150 million posts for spreading misinformation relating to the U.S. election.
Marketing Law · 5 mins
Email marketing laws with bite
GDPR may be the Dracula of privacy laws that impact on how businesses treat data and communicate with customers, but what about PECR, individual v corporate (aka the B2B carveout), UK v International, CAN-SPAM, the UK Companies Act or the mooted ePrivacy Regulation?
If all these scary-sounding initialisms are putting the frighteners on you, and if you don’t know your PECR from your GDPR, you might want to take a look at this. (Best read in guttering candlelight).
Careers, Social Media · 4 mins
LinkedIn’s Career Explorer is NOT scary!
LinkedIn has beta-launched a tool to help people find new jobs. With 245 million full time jobs impacted by the pandemic globally, LinkedIn’s Career Explorer matches users’ skills to roles they might not have otherwise considered – and then suggests what extra skills they will need to gain to become more eligible. Alongside this, the platform will launch a new skills portal to help users hone their digital skills and provide an interview prep tool alongside other other tweaks aimed at helping people find work. Outstanding.
Employer Branding · 7 mins
Why you shouldn’t fear employer branding
With 77% of jobseekers reviewing a company’s culture before applying for a job and nearly 70% prepared to reject job offers from companies with poor employer brands, it’s time to take employer branding very, very seriously. But what is employer branding, how can employers leverage their staff to make the most of their brand and what is an EVP anyway? (P.S. you’re welcome to talk to us about this, since it’s one of our favourite services to deliver).
ALSO IN THE NEWS…
Elsewhere, senior marketers from mega-brands including Tesco, Adidas and Uber have contributed to a new book, called Excerpts from Experts, that aims to raise money for the NHS; Twitter has announced new rules over the publishing of hacked content; and Facebook is expanding the availability of Facebook Dating, with several European nations getting access to the option.
What’s cooking?
Lego everywhere: what’s in a brand?
Lego is the zenith of brand power. Brand evaluation consultancy Brand Finance rates it as among the most powerful brands in the world, based on a Brand Strength Index that takes account of factors such as marketing investment, familiarity, loyalty, promotion, investment, staff satisfaction, price premium and corporate reputation. Lego’s own investment into brand research has made it great at preserving its DNA while seeking brand extension opportunities. Smart.
There’s more to branding than just making logos, so if you want to talk about branding, talk to us.
