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KIMP’s Picks 6th September: Weekly Highlights In Design, Marketing, AI, & More

Welcome to KIMP’s Picks 6th September Edition. This is your one-stop shop for the buzzing social media updates, trends, and insights from the past week. 

Every week, we scour the social media landscape to curate a list of trending discussions, hidden gems, and share-worthy posts. From marketing inspiration to design ideas, AI news, and social media algorithm changes, there is something for everyone. 

Whether you’re an entrepreneur, marketer, creative, or simply a tech enthusiast, this weekly roundup is designed to keep you informed and inspired. Ready for this week’s recap? Let’s begin! 

In the Marketing Realm 

Google is making your YouTube campaigns better 

Google Ads has introduced a new feature called “Advanced Performance Planner”. Reportedly, this feature allows advertisers to optimize their YouTube campaigns with tailored strategies for both Action and Awareness goals. 

The post we’re discussing now is from Search Engine Land, a leading authority in search-related news and updates. The post delves into this update from Google and explains how the update provides advertisers with greater flexibility and control over their campaigns. As a result, advertisers will soon be able to align their full marketing strategy with their desired outcomes.

Video Action Campaigns will soon become Demand Gen

Demand Gen is picking up. And recently Google announced that Google Ads will upgrade all Video Action Campaigns (also known as video conversion campaigns) to the more advanced Demand Gen campaigns. The changes will reportedly roll out starting Q2 2025. 

This update will provide advertisers with more powerful features to drive online sales and leads and drive better performance by adopting a multi-format strategy that includes both video and image assets. 

According to Google, advertisers using Demand Gen have seen a 20% boost in their conversions without any change in the cost per action compared to those using video assets alone.

Therefore, now is a good time for advertisers to explore the merits of Demand Gen and begin with the transition. 

Microsoft Advertising updates – new features and enhancements 

Search Engine Roundtable discusses crucial search news and insights. In a recent post, they discussed the updates and enhancements that were recently announced in Microsoft Advertising. 

According to Microsoft, these updates aim to help advertisers achieve better results and reach their target audiences more effectively. And for this, they have added the option that lets users add logos and call-to-actions to their native ads. 

There are also a bunch of other updates including the fact that  PMAX campaigns imported from Google Import will now be converted to PMAX campaigns on Microsoft Advertising. Additionally, search term insights reports will now be available for all campaign types and there will be a significant improvement in relevance and efficiency in Audience Ads. 

Social media will soon surpass linear TV 

EMarketer, a platform for marketing-related news shared this post discussing where the viewership for linear TV and social media platforms stands. 

The chart in the post shows a steady increase in the number of YouTube viewers and social media network users since the year 2011. It also shows how this steady increase has been accompanied by a significant drop in linear TV users. According to the data shared, by 2025, the number of YouTube viewers is predicted to reach about 245.9 million in the US with the number of linear TV viewers dropping to 228.6 million. 

These numbers underscore the urgent need for brands to shift their marketing strategies away from traditional advertising channels and toward social media.

Marketing inspiration 

Ads of The World features campaigns from around the world in diverse industries so as to inspire creatives. In this post here they spotlighted a campaign from Patatas RISI which was launched in June 2023 in Spain. The creative campaign was titled “Less Air, More Potatoes”.

The campaign was created as a way to tackle the common issue of excess air in chip packaging while significantly reducing plastic usage. By improving the packaging design, consumers enjoy more product with less waste. In short, the idea was crafted as a way to benefit both customer experience and the environment. This initiative highlights Patatas RISI’s commitment to sustainability while setting a new standard in the snack industry.

This campaign comes as a reminder that brands can benefit by identifying and addressing pain points that matter to their audience.

In the Content Marketing Realm 

Time to tap into creator marketing 

Brands know well that YouTube is crucial to marketing. However, what they struggle with is the part about coming up with the right type of content for YouTube. This is where the post here from YouTube can be of help. 

It discusses the current state of creator marketing therefore reminding brands of the need to start investing in it. According to YouTube, about 72% of viewers in the US feel strongly connected to creators which is much higher than the numbers on other social media platforms. 

Therefore, there are two things for brands to understand – tapping into this strong connection means leveraging creator marketing and YouTube is one of the best options for this. 

Time for SEO to evolve 

SEO still remains a big part of content marketing. Search Engine Journal shared a post that discusses some recent changes on Chrome and what this could mean for SEO. 

The article discusses the implications of Google Chrome’s new AI History feature on SEO. This feature, which uses AI to search through a user’s browsing history, could potentially diversify traffic sources and introduce new challenges for SEO strategies.

Traditional SEO practices that focus on keywords and URLs may no longer be enough. As AI begins to surface pages based on broader content relevance, things could be different. Moreover, as this feature gains traction, SEO strategies must adapt to AI’s growing role in how users discover and revisit websites.

In the Design Realm 

Adobe’s answer to customized GIF backgrounds 

The post below was shared on the Adobe Express page. It highlights a useful feature on the platform – the ability to remove the background in a GIF. This feature is available to users in the Adobe Express Premium plan. 

With this option, creating transparent backgrounds for GIFs becomes so much simpler and faster and you do not have to do it frame by frame! Therefore, if you are working on the next meme or marketing post that you wish to customize to suit your brand identity then this is a handy feature to explore. 

Once the background is removed, you can further process the GIF and add your finishing touches within the platform. 

Brand identity design inspiration 

Creating a brand identity is challenging but redefining an existing brand identity for a brand where customers are emotionally invested can be even more challenging. 

It’s Nice That is a popular source of creativity inspiration. They recently shared a post discussing one such project. This post delves into How&How’s rebranding of The Wombles, a beloved children’s character. 

The agency, known for its work with sustainable brands, embraced the opportunity to update the classic characters while preserving their iconic charm. In projects like this one, a big challenge can be in preserving the original essence while giving them a modern refresh. Reportedly, the agency started by thoroughly analyzing Wombles’ entire back catalog, acquiring valuable insights into their history and visual style.

This rebranding project is a good example of the kind of magic you can create when you understand the brand and the purpose of the rebranding. 

Packaging design inspiration 

The post below was shared by Packaging Of The World known for their insightful packaging design-related discussions and project highlights. The post delves into SUJEH Branding Group’s work on packaging for a popular nuts brand, AMIN. 

Reportedly, the agency chose to build upon the brand’s existing visual identity. And inspired by the brand’s Iranian origins, the agency created characters based on Qajar-era officials. Based on these ideas, the new packaging designs feature fun illustrations customized for each nut. 

This project demonstrates that integrating historical and cultural elements into contemporary design can create a powerful and relatable brand identity. 

Branding a luxury hotel 

Print Magazine features design projects from various niches and industries. One of their recent posts was about the branding for a luxury hotel, The Henson. 

From the brand logo to hotel stationery and merchandise the design project covered extensive redesigns that have given the brand an all-new makeover.  Overall, the identity is the perfect blend of old plus new. This has helped preserve the heritage of the hotel while also infusing a chic and personalized touch. 

For more useful tips, check out our blog on hotel branding. 

In the AI Realm 

Anthropic expands Claude to Enterprise users 

In the post below, Anthropic introduces Claude for Enterprise, a new plan designed to help organizations effortlessly collaborate with Claude using internal knowledge.

One of the biggest features of this version is the 500K context window. This comes in handy for organizations looking to handle extensive codebases and large documents. Additionally, the plan also comes with SSO (single sign-on) and domain capture. Audit logs as well as System for Cross-domain Identity Management (SCIM) are coming soon to the plan as well. This can be a huge step for brands looking to integrate Claude into their infrastructure. 

Stability AI’s text-to-image models now available on Amazon Bedrock 

Stable Image Ultra, Stable Diffusion 3 Large, and Stable Image Core are the three top text-to-image models and also the most advanced among them from Stability AI. The recent news is that these models are now coming to Amazon Bedrock as well. 

These models are suitable for media, marketing, retail, and game development, offering versatile solutions for different needs. Each model offers unique advantages, such as photorealism, high-quality output, and speed.  

In short, this integration is likely to bring several changes to the visual content workflow of organizations that actively use AI in design. 

Luma AI upgrades Dream Machine 1.6 

A few days ago, Luma AI announced Dream Machine 1.5 with more realistic video generation capabilities. This week, they announced Dream Machine 1.6 with one significant update namely the ability to add advanced camera motion controls. 

With these big updates, the company is stepping ahead in the AI race. With the camera motion control option, users can now specific particular moves in their prompt. The model now supports a range of camera movements, like zoom, pan, and orbit, to let users enhance their video’s storytelling potential.

To achieve this, users can simply type “camera” followed by the respective motion they wish to use. 

Amazon’s Alexa is getting an AI reboot 

Since AI technology started booming, there have been speculations about the commonly available AI assistants like Alexa will be evolving. And now there is concrete news in this regard. Reportedly, Amazon is working on an Alexa update powered by Claude, a generative AI model from Anthropic, rather than Amazon’s own LLM. 

While Amazon has not confirmed the use of Claude, the report aligns with previous rumors about the company’s struggles with its in-house AI and the need for external assistance.

The move could potentially improve Alexa’s capabilities and address the criticisms surrounding its previous performance. At this point, it’s important to note that Amazon is facing competition from Google’s Gemini integration with Google Home and Apple’s upcoming Apple Intelligence. Therefore, the success of Alexa’s new version is crucial for Amazon. 

OpenAI is seeing tremendous growth 

According to the post below from the popular technology news website Ars Technica, OpenAI’s ChatGPT has experienced unprecedented growth in recent times, reaching over 200 million weekly active users. 

Despite corporate prohibitions on AI use, many individuals are turning to ChatGPT for assistance. This surge highlights the increasing adoption of generative AI tools in both personal and professional settings. 

While there was significant skepticism, in the beginning, OpenAI did really shake things up in the world of AI, and with ChatGPT steadily gaining popularity it’s clear that AI is a technology that businesses and consumers can no longer shy away from. 

Social Media Feature Updates and Algorithm Changes

The X TV app is here

Speculations about a TV app for X have been floating for a while now. Given that video is steadily booming on X, the anticipation for the TV app has been high. And now it’s finally here. Based on their post here, the beta version of the TV app is out now in a limited number of platforms expanding to more soon. 

Clearly, this is a step that X seems to be taking in order to evolve into a video-first platform. According to the team, it seems there will also be a dedicated video tab and plenty of exciting video advertising opportunities waiting for advertisers. 

New advertising streams in Snapchat 

Social media advertising is a strategy that brands can no longer ignore. Popular social media platforms have their own advertising streams. Recent news is that Snapchat is set to introduce sponsored Snap ads within chat threads. The underlying aim here seems to be to boost their revenue and address concerns about their financial performance. 

Additionally, these ads are designed to appear seamlessly within conversations. This means that they will help minimize disruptions to user experience. This strategic move comes as Snapchat seeks to explore new avenues for revenue generation and improve its overall profitability.

New features for Shorts thumbnails on YouTube 

Based on Gadget360’s post here, YouTube is switching things up for Shorts creators. Given that short-form videos have become some of the most sought-after formats on social media, brands and creators are actively investing in them. 

Embracing the demand, YouTube is introducing more new features to Shorts, and this time it is the option to customize thumbnails for Shorts. With this feature, creators can now add text, filters, and emojis to make their thumbnails stand out. What’s more? You can also edit your thumbnails after the Shorts has been uploaded. 

Instagram now supports comments on Story posts 

Comments are a way for users to engage with posts on Instagram. They continue to be among the most crucial engagement metrics for brands and creators. In a recent post, Meta announced that Instagram will now be supporting comments on Story posts as well. 

Previously the only way for users to interact with Stories was to send a message or reaction that only the original poster could see. However, now users can leave comments on Stories and other users will be able to see these comments similar to the comments section on regular Feed posts. It looks like a great move to boost engagement on Story posts. 

New supervised learning experience for teens on YouTube 

YouTube announces a new supervised experience for teens. This allows parents to link their accounts with their teens’ YouTube accounts in the Family Center. This feature provides parents with insights into their teen’s channel activity, including video uploads, live streams, comments, and subscriptions. Parents can also receive email notifications for key events.

According to YouTube, this feature aims to support parents in guiding their teens as they navigate the digital landscape. YouTube emphasizes its commitment to listening to feedback from both parents and experts to further enhance this experience.

Time to Wrap Up…

With that, we wind up the KIMP’s Picks 6th September Edition. We hope these posts gave you a snapshot of the week that was. For more such updates and timely recaps of what’s buzzing on social media, stay tuned. We’ll be back next week with our next social media roundup curated just for you. 

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Posted On

06 Sep, 2024

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