Where digital meets travel + lifestyle … A collection of can’t-miss news from this week. Sign up to get the TURNER Weekly Download in your inbox every Friday.
Everyone’s using emojis these days – you’ve probably even gotten a smiley face from your grandma. But are there enough emojis to really get your message across? Survey says: no! CNBC took a look at some of the leading contenders that may be added to keyboards in 2018. Redheads will be pleased, and so will bald people. And bagel lovers will definitely be happy to be able to send a little bagel emoji to friends. We'll go along with anything as long as they don't make The Emoji Movie II. What’s the emoji you most want to see? Tweet us @turnerpr.
Back in 2011, an ape name Naruto managed to take a selfie using photographer David Slater’s camera … and a viral sensation was born. A legal battle was also born, as websites began using the pic without paying Slater. But who really owns the copyright to the image – Slater or Naruto? PETA took Slater to court, suggesting that Naruto deserved compensation, or at least that the photographer shouldn’t benefit from the monkey’s photo. PETA lost the case, but don’t cry for Naruto just yet. Slater has agreed to pass on a quarter of the proceeds to various charities. We’re just wondering which brand will sign this world famous monkey up as an Instagram influencer.
Naruta take note – social media influencers are making big bucks. “Social influencer marketing is more than a billion dollar industry, according to estimates from research firm eMarketer,” reports Recode. “Advertisers spent $570 million on Instagram influencers alone in 2016, eMarketer estimates, and half of them said they planned to increase their influencer budgets in 2017.” But the surprise is which influencers the most effective in terms of ROI; the biggest celebs with huge followings aren’t necessarily worth the money. Instead, working with so-called “micro-influencers” – accounts with less than 30,000 followers, but an extremely loyal audience – is a brand’s best bet.
We’re deep into the social media world, but brands haven’t quite cracked the code yet. Don’t despair, we’ve got our best people on it. Forbes has put together a look at some of the social media missteps brands have taken over the past decade – and the lessons to learn from them. “The biggest challenge right now is that all this money is shifting into digital marketing, but there are still a lot of questions about return on investment,” says Jill J. Avery, senior lecturer at Harvard Business School. “Social media marketers are feeling pressure to show ROI.”
There are fireworks. And then there are Japanese fireworks.