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Meerkat Mania, SXSW Digital Trends & Beyond: TPR Weekly Download 3.20.15

Written by Emily Walsh | March 20, 2015

Content Marketing Takeaways From SXSW

SXSW brought some of the world’s brightest (and trendiest) digital minds to Austin this week to foster creative and professional industry growth. Contently calls out the top ten content marketing takeaways and how these insights can be applied in branded content.

Facebook Adds Payment Features

Android and iOS users can now send peer-to-peer payments through the Messenger mobile app. Analysts suggest Facebook may eventually extend the service to let consumers purchase items directly from advertisers. “Facebook is moving in the same direction as Apple and Google. It wants to be the place where you spend not only your time, but your money,” explains Wired Business editor, Cade Metz.

Hotels For The Next Generation

Major hotel chains are launching specialty “lifestyle” brands to appeal to the next generation of millennial travelers seeking modern designs, constant connectivity and convenience. From high-tech lounges, locally inspired amenities and in-room technology innovations, top hotel brands are taking major strides to attract this boutique market.

Meerkat Mania

Live social video streaming app Meerkat was a massive hit at South by Southwest this week. Because the service is so tightly integrated with Twitter, it required little effort to sign on and every live video stream a user “meercasts” get tweeted automatically to that person’s followers. The sender can see tiny profile pictures of those watching the video stream along with responsive tweets, making the whole experience immediate and engaging. The question now is whether the new platform can survive without Twitter and offer real value to its users, The Economist argues.

LinkedIn Gets A New Look

In an effort to become more visual, LinkedIn has slowly started rolling out its redesigned homepage to convince users to share and consume more photos on the platform. Images and photos continue to be one of the most important tactics in optimizing social media and mobile web traffic.