The Friday Wrap is, my weekly collection of news stories, posts, studies, and reports designed to help organizational communicators stay current on the trends and technology that affect their jobs. These may be items that flew under the radar while other stories grabbed big headlines. As always, I collect material from which I select Wrap stories (as well as stories to report on the For Immediate Release podcast, along with stuff I just want to remember to read) on my link blog, which you’re welcome to follow. If you want to make sure you never miss an edition of the Wrap, along with extra material only for subscribers, sign up for my weekly email briefing.

News

Facebook blocks ad blockers—Facebook has found a way to override ad blockers for its desktop website (not mobile devices), so even if you have one installed, you’re still going to see ads. However, the social network is also making it easier for you to use its ad preferences tool to filter out the kinds of ads you don’t want to see. The takeaway: If all the ads you see are relevant, you’ll be less inclined to want to block them. That’s the theory, anyway. In any case, the ad blocker wars are far from over. Read more

And just like that, an ad-blocker overrides Facebook’s block—Adblock Plus has apparently found a way to keep blocking Facebook’s ads, though Facebook says the workaround blocks more than just ads, catching publishers’ organic posts that people may actually want to see. Facebook also says that “attempts to override its anti-ad-blocker would force pages to load slowly, deterring people from wanting to use them.” The takeaway: See above. We’re a long way from resolving the ad issue/ Read more

FTC demands transparency in paid celebrity posts—Celebrities paid by brands to promote them in their posts often fail to include disclosure that the post was, in fact, bought and paid for. As a result, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is going to crack down on the requirement for transparency. The advertiser will be the focus of the crackdown; companies will need to make sure celebrities and influencers make it clear to their followers when their posts are paid endorsements. The takeaway: While some believe influencers want to follow the rules, research suggests otherwise brands often make that hard. (See item in “Research” below.) Hence, it’s incumbent upon marketers to build disclosure and transparency into the payment agreement. Read more

Google will display AMP links throughout mobile search results—Google’s Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) initiative will get a boost when AMP-optimized pages are labeled (with the AMP lightning bolt) in mobile search results. Having an AMP-optimized page won’t improve your page’s search rankings, but as users get familiar with the lightning-bolt icon—and understand that these pages will load much faster than others—it is likely that they’ll favor AMP’d pages. The takeaway: If you use WordPress, there’s a plugin that supports AMP; you should seriously consider incorporating it into your WordPress site. Not using WordPress? You should talk to your site manager about getting started on a solution that will make AMP versions of your content available, or risk losing traffic to competitors who do have AMP’d content. Read more

Twitter expands Moments to let everyone create stories—In an effort to keep pace with Snapchat and Instagram Stories, Twitter is working toward opening its Moments feature to everyone. Moments currently are curated by human Twitter editors, but in the weeks ahead they will be opened up to more companies and influencers and eventually to all users. One difference between Moments and Stories: The images don’t vanish after a few seconds, so you can “linger on a tweet or video, and scroll back through just as you would with your timeline.” The takeaway: So far, evidence suggests Moments hasn’t taken off, but if users can create narratives, they may grow more popular. Read more

Brands can now bribe users to retweet their messages—Twitter has unveiled a new kind of ad. Replying to or retweeting the ad unlocks exclusive content “such as movie trailers, recipes or interviews.” The concept was successful during a test and is now being introduced to Twitter’s full roster of advertisers. According to Twitter, “the retweets and responses of people interacting with the conversational posts have netted an average of 334 views for every 100 of the actual ad—what it calls an earned media rate of 34%.” The takeaway: The concept of delivering an intrinsic reward for interacting with a sponsored tweet is a good one—and one that can be emulated in a number of ways outside of Twitter. We see this kind of approach when you have to watch a video to get access to airport WiFi, for example, but applying it to content you want people to engage with opens a world of possibilities. Read more

Share your views with President Obama via Facebook Messenger—Rather than write a stodgy old letter to President Obama venting on a hot-button issue or making a suggestion for better government, why not just text-message it? Now you can. The White House has introduced a chatbot for Facebook Messenger that lets you send your message, then asks for additional information. Obama reads 10 letters from Americans every day and will add those sent via Messenger to the mix. The takeaway: Presumably, future presidents will retain the channel, which should spark some thoughts about how you might employ a Messenger chatbot for customers to use to reach your company, its leaders, or customer service. Read more

Personalized advertising isn’t always the best solution—While Facebook and others work to make it easier for advertisers to target their ads, Procter & Gamble is ending its targeting efforts and returning to mass advertising. With commodity products, targeting too narrowly doesn’t pay off. P&G isn’t reducing its Facebook spend and will use targeted advertising when it makes sense (such as targeting expectant mothers with diaper ads). For things like laundry detergent, though, mass reach produces a better payoff. The takeaway: This is why it’s important to develop a strategy based on the specific characteristics of your offerings and the audiences you want to reach, and then to measure the effectiveness of your approach. Read more

Four UK newspapers team up to take on online advertising behemoths—The Sun, The guardian, The Daily Mail, and the Times are studying the viability of joining forces tackle the growing threat posed by Facebook and Google, which are siphoning off the advertising that is so critical to the survival of journalism. The takeaway: Media companies teaming up to offer a more appealing advertising alternative could also open the door to other changes in the news media model, such as shared content and even programmatic article placement. Stay tuned. Read more

Google pounds the final nail into Flash’s coffin—Google’s popular Chrome browser will use HTML5 as the default standard for rich Internet media applications. Beginning in December, the only Flash you’ll encounter is on sites that don’t offer the HTML5 alternative. The takeaway: If your site still uses Flash, start planning now to replace it with HTML5. Chrome will also block Flash that runs behind the scenes to support page analytics. Read more

NBCUniversal will create programming exclusively for Snapchat—“The Voice on Snapchat”—a five-episode series set to debut on August 22—is the first of a series of programs NBCUniversal will produce just for Snapchat. The original content will come from existing shows like “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” and “Saturday Night Live.” That is, while the brands will be familiar, the content will be available only on Snapchat. The takeaway: Media’s embrace of Snapchat is not only further evidence of the messaging app’s growing relevance; it helps propel its popularity. You still haven’t started using it yet? What are you waiting for? Read more

Trends

The effect of knowing how much your CEO makes—Employees who know their CEOs’ compensation generally work at higher levels and approve of what the boss makes. Only 21% disapprove, but 57% of them said the CEO’s pay adversely affects their view of the company and 26% plan to leave for another job. The takeaway: Effective January 1, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) will require companies to disclose the CEO-employee pay ratio, which means front-line employees will be as aware of CEO pay as higher-ranking staff. When companies do a good job of explaining CEO pay, there should be few problems, but a failure to be transparent—or an inability to justify CEO compensation—could “risk jeopardizing employee satisfaction.” If you don’t have a plan for explaining CEO pay, you have less than four months to get one together before the SEC rule kicks in. Read more

Social channels are starting to look the same—Instagram adopted Snapchat’s Stories. Facebook is experimenting with opening directly to a camera window atop the News Feed, similar to Snapchat. Snapchat’s Memories feature emulates Facebook Moments. The author of this analysis worries that the social space is churning out “a lot of retread and few new paths.” The takeaway: It has long been said that you can’t count on features to sell a product since any competitor can copy your new feature in a heartbeat. If that weren’t true, Tide would still be the only laundry detergent brand marketing laundry pods. Why anyone would think this doesn’t apply to the online world is beyond me. Read more

Brands are quick to adopt Instagram Stories—Sure, it’s essentially a clone of Snapchat Stories, but there’s a lot for marketers to love about Instagram Stories, and they’re adopting it quickly. Only three days after it launched, Digiday found ad agencies had “jumped on the platform to show their creative prowess.” One “took its viewers on a behind-the-scenes tour of The Franklin Institute, a science museum in Philadelphia, where it was doing a night shoot for a client.” Another used Stories for employer branding, showcasing “the characteristic laid back Summer Friday vibe at agencies from its Chicago office.” Mekanism crafted an explainer on Instagram Stories. The takeaway: Odds are you’re already using Instagram as a communication channel. It’s a small step to create stories. The challenge is to be creative with what you do with Instagram’s new feature. Read more

Can Periscope save Twitter?—The market wasn’t happy with Twitter’s downbeat revenue forecast, which reinforced pessimistic views of Twitter’s future. This past week, though, JPMorgan Chase and Wingstop live-streamed over Twitter’s Periscope utility, as did Anheuser-Busch, Verizon, Sony, and Nestlé. The fact that brands are embracing Periscope suggests Twitter’s commitment to live-streaming is paying off. Even though Facebook Live has been getting most of the attention, Facebook is a very crowded platform; it’s easier to get visibility on Twitter. The takeaway: With live-streaming just starting to gain momentum, Twitter still has a chance to stand out with its offering. Could Twitter streams wind up loaded with broadcasts? Read more

Brands are creating passionate fan bases on Reddit—Social media marketers tend to shy away from Reddit, which is well known for its mercurial user base, but some brands have been working to crack the Reddit code, enabling them to engage without incurring the community’s wrath. From paid ads to community engagement, the trick is to find the right subreddit, then give it time to build the relationship. The value is in the community, something that is fading on Facebook and other dominant social networks. (It’s called “context collapse,” with fewer users sharing personal content.) The takeaway: If social media is about building relationships, Reddit may well represent the opportunity to put substance behind the concept. Read more

Online brand museums create immersive experiences—A growing number of brands are opening real and online museums that “move past product-focused marketing and give consumers new, immersive experiences with their brands.” The “Chester’s Masterpieces” part of the Cheetos Museum was built based on user submissions (more than 100,000 of them); Cheetos solicited pictures of “rare” Cheetos. Glade created a pop-up Museum of Feelings that drew more than 56,000 visitors. Others creating museums Land O’ Lakes, Hulu (which recreated Jerry Seinfeld’s apartment), and the Museum of Ice Cream (sponsored by several brands). The takeaway: Offering an experience also creates a deeper bond between consumer and brand. What could your company put on display, either online or IRL? Read more

Your reputation sticks with you—PR giant Burson-Marsteller serves as an excellent reminder that a company’s past behavior affects the way they’re perceived today. A Houston Chronicle story about the state of Texas contracting with Burson to implement a court-ordered education program about its voter ID law notes in the lede that the agency “recently helped Russia spin a doping crisis and Chipotle rebound from an E. coli outbreak.” Burson’s client roster once prompted MSNBC commentator Rachel Maddow to note, “When evil needs public relations, evil has Burson-Marsteller on speed-dial.” The takeaway: Ethically-challenged decisions that produce short-term gain may not be worth it if they create long-term reputation problems. It should be the role of a company’s PR staff to challenge decisions that could have long-term negative repercussions. Read more

Research

One in four influencers have been asked by brands not to disclose relationship—As noted in the “News” section above, the FTC is set to crack down on advertisers when the influencers and celebrities they pay to promote the brand in the Instagram and other posts. The onus will be on the advertisers, which makes sense based on a survey from influencer marketing and media platform SheSpeaks, which found that advertisers have asked one out of four influencers not to disclose the fact that they’re being paid. Ninety-five percent of influencers said they are sure to disclose that they’ve been paid and 91%indicated that a brand has asked them to disclose the relationship. The study also revealed a failure of brands to leverage effective influencer posts. The takeaway: Influencer marketing has risen so quickly that ethical standards and optimization strategies haven’t taken shape (despite the fact that Amazon offers 796 books on the subject). Don’t let that stop you from establishing standards for influencer marketing, including influencer briefings and applying metrics to influencer posts to determine which ones warrant paid boosting. Read more

People trust traditional media most—With the political silly season in full swing and rhetoric being tossed about like hand grenades, you could be excused for thinking that nobody trusts the media. Not so, according to a study from Ogilvy PR, which found 72% of respondents believe traditional media outlets are the most trusted news sources. The study also found that the emergence of new news delivery platforms is the biggest trend affecting newsrooms. The takeaway: Earned media continues to be a vital part of any PR effort. Even though consumers may find a story in their Facebook or Twitter feed, the source of the story is still important. Read more

A lot of the pressure on companies to choose sides is coming from employees—A lot of the pressure companies are facing to take a side on social issues is coming from employees. A Public Affairs Council poll of 92 businesses found that 60% “have experienced rising stakeholder pressure to speak out on social issues such as discrimination, the environment, education, and human rights. None of the respondents reported that pressure has decreased.” Regular employees, along with senior management, wield the most influence over decisions to take a stand. Less than 40% said the pressure was coming from activists, shareholders, and other groups. The takeaway: Employees are increasingly motivated to work for a company—and stick with that employer—when the company stands up for social and environmental causes. It’s no surprise, then, that employees are also inclined to want to nudge their companies along. The next step will be to more actively engage employees in the process. Read more

Facebook Pages’ organic reach drops 52%—While having a Facebook Page has become something of a requirement, the payoff isn’t what it used to be. “The number of people seeing the average post published on a publisher’s Facebook page has been cut in half,” according to SocialFlow. From January through mid-July, Pages have suffered a 52% decline in organic reach. That’s a 10% greater decline than Social Flow reported for January through May 2016. Facebook’s algorithm change in June will only accelerate the decline. Video improves your odds, though, and a multi-channel approach (beyond Facebook) can ease some of the pain. The takeaway: It’s also worth considering an approach to Facebook that uses your Page as a destination rather than as a repository of content people will share. Read more

Be wary of too many positive reviews—Glowing reviews for your product or service are the holy grail of online marketing, but they don’t come without a drawback. A study published in the Journal of Retailing found that positive reviews may lead to a purchase, but they raise expectations so high that the actual experience with the product or service can’t match what the customer anticipated. According to the authors, who reviewed 9 million page views, 631,063 purchase transactions, and 2,164 office and furniture products, “The purchase probability increases but the high expectations due to overly positive reviews may not be met, which results in negative expectation disconfirmation and consequently increases return probability as well.” The takeaway: Balance among reviews is a good thing, even if it seems counterintuitive to include less positive and negative reviews. The researchers suggest that brands should ask shoppers to “fairly represent their opinions” when writing reviews. It’s also important to set clear expectations in other marketing efforts. Read more

Mobile and Wearables

New York Times introduces “text-message journalism”—New York Times Deputy Sports Editor Sam Manchester is reporting from the Olympic games in Rio via text message. Readers who subscribe get a few messages daily that offer “an informal, behind-the-scenes look at the Game, almost as if they had a friend texting them directly.” The Times’ director of Personalization, Andrew Phelps, notes that messaging apps have become the new smartphone homescreen for a lot of people. “We’ve spent a lot of time thinking about how we might tell stories through that lens and bring readers closer to the journalism and to the journalists,” Phelps said. The takeaway: Just as journalism embraced Twitter, text-message journalism is bound to become a new normal. As a result, marketers and corporate communicators should consider launching text-message brand journalism efforts. Read more

Voice messaging comes to WhatsApp—You can now send a voice message to a contact using WhatsApp for iOS and Android. The takeaway: The utility of audio continues to find its way into more and more tools. Read more

Today’s wrap image—an artistic view of a used sandwich wrapper—comes from Marc Tasman’s Flickr account.