KIMP’s Picks 31st July: Weekly Highlights In Design, Marketing, AI, & More

Welcome to our weekly social media post roundup, where we curate the hottest trends and captivating content from the world of social media. If you’re craving a fresh dose of inspiration and seeking to stay ahead in the realms of marketing, design, and tech, you’re in the right place. Join us as we unveil the most engaging posts, share insightful marketing strategies, and explore the latest advancements in the ever-evolving world of social media. So, are you ready for the KIMP’s Picks 31st July Edition? Then let’s go! 

In the Marketing Realm 

What people are saying about the X (Twitter) brand 

In our previous KIMP’s Picks edition, we spoke about Twitter being rebranded to X. Now that a week has passed since this big change, it’s time to talk about the response to this rebranding. 

In the below Tweet Bloomberg magazine highlights how the rebranding efforts are likely to have cost a drop of about $4 billion to $20 billion in value for the “Twitter” brand. 

The post goes on to elaborate on the idea of how Twitter has grown over the years. And also talks about the strength of the “Twitter” brand name that has resulted in “Tweet” becoming a verb/noun that most social media users recognize. Naturally, a change in the brand name seems like a risky turn. A Tweet from BBC Business also expresses similar views.

Reputed marketer ann Handley shared an article on her Threads page.  The article creatively imagines what it would look like if well-known brands shared the same thoughts on brand equity on Elon Musk based on the recent rebranding. 

Post by @annhandley

View on Threads

All of these posts highlight the mixed responses that Twitter rebranding has received. 

Better briefs lead to better designs 

Marketing Week, a leading source of inspiration for marketers shared the below post to highlight how a majority of creatives have trouble executing ideas because of the lack of clarity on the objectives. Too many objectives or the absence of clear goals can both bring down the effectiveness of your creative brief. 

Wondering how to write creative briefs that get you results? Check out the KIMP blog here. 

Updates in Google Merchant Center Policy that business owners should know 

Barry Schwartz, CEO of RustyBrick, shared the below post emphasizing some important changes that were introduced with the new Google Merchant Center Policy. This update renders AI-generated reviews as spam as a measure to promote more genuine reviews. 

The feature is in line with the more responsible steps that several brands are taking in order to keep tabs on AI-generated content on the internet. The best way to tackle this as a small business owner will be to encourage genuine reviews from customers. 

Have you thought about deliberate shoppers? 

Have you started planning your holiday campaigns? If you think there’s still time for the holiday season, think again. In the below post, Google highlights the need for focusing on “deliberate shoppers”, people who start shopping well in advance. Without a doubt, this is an interesting section to target for the most effective holiday campaigns. 

X’s monthly users reach a new high in 2023

Threads being launched as a Twitter rival, Twitter becoming X – there’s so much happening around this social media platform now. Amidst all this, the notable factor is that according to Elon Musk, the monthly users on X hit a new high in 2023. He announced this in the below Tweet. 

This comes as a clear sign that marketers should still not give up on Twitter because there’s still quite a good number of active users to reach out to through the platform. 

Understanding that each social media channel is different 

Focusing on social media is one thing that most brands get right. But sometimes they miss out on a critical point when it comes to planning their strategy for these platforms – the diversity in these platforms. Some brands end up exploring a similar strategy to tackle them all and thus might not see the intended results. In the below post on Threads, Eric Siu, founder of the digital marketing agency Single Grain, spoke about a few such areas to prioritize on each platform. 

Post by @ericosiu

View on Threads

In the Content Marketing Realm 

Time to focus more on Reels 

Reels might have started out as a TikTok rival but now it has an avid following of its own. In the below Threads post, Amanda Natividad, VP of Marketing at SparkToro, highlights how the revenue of Reels has shot up indicating the steady and encouraging growth of the short-form video format. 

Post by @amandanat

View on Threads

This progress gives you another reason to include Reels in your content marketing strategy. 

Creating content for Stories 

Creating content for Stories is critical to keep your audience engaged. But what kind of content to post on Stories is one question that most brands and creators have. The below Tweet effectively tackles this question. 

Chelsea Peitz, who helps real estate professionals use social media in branding, talks about categorizing content on Stories into 3 simple sections – content to “to learn about you, from you and with you”. 

The need to focus on email content 

As you are fine-tuning your content approach, if you are looking for ways to improve your reach, prioritizing email marketing is one. In the below Tweet, Buffer talks about the need for a newsletter and some tips on planning the content for your newsletter. 

In the Design Realm 

Adobe Generative Expand 

If you have used and enjoyed Adobe Generative Fill, then you will be amazed at the capabilities of Adobe Generative Expand which has been introduced in Photoshop. This feature lets Photoshop users creatively expand their existing designs and reimagine old designs to alter the aspect ratio or even the perspective! 

Creative outdoor advertising 

The one major difference between digital advertising and outdoor advertising is that the latter offers endless possibilities when it comes to the surface where your ads appear. And the below Louis Vuitton ad that Adweek highlighted is a good example. The campaign takes retail window display to new dimensions. The campaign shows that when you know and understand the context and placement of your outdoor ad, your designs start making better sense. 

Jell-O rebrands with a new logo after a decade 

Rebranding can be an intimidating step. But when you have a clear intent and a user-focused visual identity, the rebranding efforts will surely pay off. One brand that proved this recently is Jell-O. Working with Brand Opus, they have unveiled a new visual identity that pays homage to their playful and colorful heritage while embracing a modern aesthetic.

After a decade, the brand proudly showcases its new logo and updated packaging, ready to captivate a whole new generation of parents. This rebranding is set to roll out across their entire portfolio soon. With this step, Jell-O proves it’s in sync with the evolving tastes and priorities of today’s consumers. 

Creative Bloq a digital publisher who brings exciting updates in the world of creativity and marketing spoke about this rebranding in the below Threads post. 

Post by @creativebloqofficial

View on Threads

In the AI Realm

A step toward more responsible advancements in AI – Frontier Model Forum 

Microsoft, Google, Anthropic, and OpenAI have joined forces to establish the Frontier Model Forum, an industry body committed to ensuring the safe and responsible advancement of AI models. The Forum aims to promote AI safety research, set best practices for development and deployment, collaborate with various stakeholders, and support applications addressing pressing societal challenges. OpenAI announced this collaboration in the below Tweet. 

ChatGPT increases workplace productivity 

In the below post, Search Engine Journal, a website that brings all the latest SEO and search marketing news highlighted the gist of a study conducted by Harvard and Stanford economists. The study revealed that ChatGPT increases productivity by 40% for professionals. It also explains how the ChatGPT helps augment the existing workforce and eliminate skill gaps rather than replacing the human workforce. So, are you effectively using ChatGPT in your workflow? 

Bing Chat will soon be available on Safari and Chrome 

In the world of generative AI, Bing Chat is a trendsetter. But the limitation is that it is currently only on Microsoft Edge. The Rundown AI, a leading authority in the world of AI updates shared the below Tweet highlighting that Microsoft is testing out Bing Chat for Safari and Chrome. 

With ChatGPT traffic dropping recently and with other news like Apple working on a ChatGPT rival, there is a good window of opportunity in the world of generative AI. Therefore, expanding the availability of Bing Chat to other browsers is a welcome move from Microsoft. 

SDXL 1.0: Midjourney’s rival is here 

Stability AI has launched the highly advanced Stable Diffusion XL (SDXL) 1.0, a flagship text-to-image model. The release of SDXL 1.0 marks a significant milestone in the company’s commitment to providing “cutting-edge open-access” models for the AI community. 

Notably, SDXL 1.0 will be accessible through Amazon Bedrock, a fully managed service by AWS that offers foundation models from leading AI startups, solidifying Amazon’s dedication to empowering customers with powerful text-to-image capabilities. Stability AI has also made the model available through the Stability AI API, Stability AI’s Github page, and its Clipdrop and DreamStudio. The company announced the same in the below Tweet. 

Social Media Feature Updates and Algorithm Changes

Updates to the Threads app 

The Threads app started with a bang, reached 100 million users within 5 days of its launch, and saw a drastic drop in its usage – all within just a few weeks. With so much happening with the app and with a lot of people talking about it, the team has been busy working on updates to accommodate what users have been asking for. 

On the official Threads page of the Threads app, the recent updates were announced a few days ago. These updates include a new follow button, the option to switch between “For You” and “Following” on the feed, additional ways to filter notifications, and more. 

Post by @threadsapp

View on Threads

LinkedIn updates 

Social Media Examiner, a U.S.-based media company that regularly talks about news and updates in the world of social media marketing shared the below post on its LinkedIn page summarizing all the major updates that have been happening on LinkedIn. As LinkedIn keeps adding a lot of such updates silently, this post comes as a good reminder to stay updated about all things new with the platform. 

Let’s wrap up! 

And that concludes our weekly social media roundup! We trust you found these highlights insightful, offering a glimpse into the exciting developments in marketing, AI, and design. Thanks for joining us on this social media journey. See you next Monday for fresh updates!