Which social media trends will take hold of 2022?
In recent news, Instagram’s newest feature becomes that catalyst for an unexpectedly unfortunate viral moment, Twitter has announced Australian members of its subscription service Twitter Blue will have access to ad-free experiences, UN Women Australia launches its own Unstereotype Alliance chapter to tackle harmful advertising and media content, and a new report reveals which social media trends are set to take off in 2022.
New Instagram feature powers viral ‘we’ll plant one tree for every pet picture’ moment
Last week, Instagram announced the launch of the “Add Yours” sticker feature, which allows users to add their own picture to a story.
An account with the handle @plantatreeco decided to try the new feature for themselves, writing a simple caption, “We’ll plant 1 tree for every pet picture.” Quickly taking off and now with 4.1 million pet pictures added to the sticker, the account’s original post and accompanying commitment became impossible to see through.
The account claims that they took the post down within ten minutes after seeing the speed at which it had taken off, blaming a bug in Instagram’s feature for the social media trend.
Meta, formerly Facebook and owner of Instagram made a statement saying, “The ‘we’ll plant one tree for every pet picture’ trend shows the power of the Instagram community to raise awareness on important topics.”
Twitter Blue expands its offering with new ad-free experiences
Twitter is giving Australian members of its subscription offering, Twitter Blue, access to more features including ad-free experiences.
Twitter Blue first launched in Australia and Canada in June as the first test markets. For $4.49 a month, it provides members with features such as the ability to undo tweets and customise their profile.
As part of the current expansion, members can now have ad-free reading experiences when they visit US-based news sites from Twitter, including The Washington Post, USA TODAY, The Atlantic, The Daily Beast, Rolling Stone, BuzzFeed, L.A. Times, Reuters, Insider, and The Hollywood Reporter.
UN Women launches Australian chapter of Unstereotype Alliance
UN Women has launched the Australian chapter of the Unstereotype Alliance, a global coalition that aims to tackle harmful stereotypes in advertising and media content.
The Australian chapter launches with members and allies including Accenture, IPG, Omnicom, Publicis Groupe, WPP and the Australian Association of National Advertisers (AANA). Also included is Bayer Australia, Coles, Diageo Australia, Facebook Australia, Google Australia, Ikea, Ipsos Australia Mars Australia, Mastercard Australia, Optus, Salesforce, Snap Inc, Suncorp, Unilever ANZ and Westpac.
The chapter aims to use advertising as a force for good by depicting progressive portrayals of all people, and ensuring diversity is a priority throughout the entire creative process. The initiative will adopt an intersectional approach to address the representation of gender, race, ethnicity and ability in media and advertising content.
Hootsuite report reveals 2022’s major social media trends
Hootsuite has released its sixth annual social trends report which surveyed more than 18,000 marketers and is backed by global data and insights from industry experts, customers, and partners.
Some of the findings include that smart brands are finally getting community right by partnering with creators to connect with new audiences, earn their trust, and gain cultural capital; consumers are holding brands to a higher standard when it comes to creativity in social advertising, but rewarding those that get it right; and having seen the value of social in marketing, business leaders are finding innovative ways to extend its impact elsewhere in their organisations.
Moreover, the report identifies that social commerce is becoming a mainstream retail channel, with brands of all sizes opening social storefronts and pushing the limits of the online shopping experience; and as demand for customer service over social surges, social organisations are outshining their competitors with better social customer care.
Aussies want honesty and transparency from brands
New research by Trustpilot found that almost half of Australians now consider a brand’s stance on social, political and environmental issues before buying products or services. Additionally, 94% believe a brands honesty and transparency is important when it comes to purchasing decisions.
The biggest turn offs for Australians? 55% of respondents said they would unlikely purchase from a brand that appears to be dishonest of boastful in their marketing by over-exaggerating their environmental impact, 54% would unlikely purchase from a brand that has unfair or harmful practices against employees and suppliers, and 51% would unlikely purchase from brands that ignore customer experiences and feedback.