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.

News

In Australia, PR is now subject to advertising code of ethics—The distinction between PR and advertising got a little blurrier in Australia, where complaints about PR campaigns will be reviewed by the Australian Standards Bureau, the industry’s self-regulating body. The move is part of the revised definition of advertising in Australia to include “relevant, direct-to-consumer PR materials” like social media promotion, blogging, and tweeting, which now fall under the Australian Association of National Advertisers’ Codes of Ethics. The code dictates how advertisers use their assets. The Public Relations Institute of Australia and the Public Relations Council have welcomed them over; an PRIA spokesman said, “This evolution of AANA Codes reflects reality in that PR practitioners are now communicating directly with consumers more than ever before. The takeaway: The fact that PR campaigns are going direct to consumers doesn’t necessarily make them advertising, and I worry about reviewing them under the rules that govern advertising. I hope the Advertising Standards Bureau gets up to speed on PR before it tackles a complaint. At the same time, the Australian move may be a harbinger of things to come in the West. Read more

Amazon, New York Times engage in war of words via Medium—In case there is any doubt that the media landscape has irrevocably shifted, it’s the fact that Amazon spokesman Jay Carney (President Obama’s former press secretary) outlined his issues with a New York Times story on working conditions at the company and Times Executive Editor Dean Baquet responded—all on the third-party publishing site, Medium. Platforms aside, Carney opted to “discredit a small group of Amazon individuals quoted in the story” rather than outline the story’s inaccuracies. The takeaway: Using third-party platforms to communicate, notably during a crisis, is legit. I’m not so sure about getting into a tit-for-tat squabble with the media over the platform, though. Read more

Instagram releases 1-second looping video app—When Vine introduced its six-second looping video format, one of the earliest reactions was, “That’s too short to do anything meaningful.” Of course, Vine has become a popular marketing platform, so why not try for even shorter? Instagram has released Boomerang, a standalone application that lets users share one-second video clips. Instagram’s blog revealed that Boomerang “takes a burst of photos and stitches them together into a high-quality mini video that plays forward and backward,” and saves those results to the user’s camera gallery (from where they can be shared to the main Instagram app). The takeaway: It may sound silly, but I predict it’ll get some huge uptake and brands will follow quickly. In fact, I’m surprised I haven’t already seen an article touting the first brand to release a Boomerang video. Read more

Facebook expands search to 2 trillion posts—Facebook’s dominance and expanding feature set has posed a threat to a lot of online services, but Google’s search function hasn’t been one of them. That could change now that the company is letting a search return anything you are permitted to see from among the 2 trillion posts users have contributed (including public posts from people and Pages, not just those with which you have a connection). The results will be categorized to make it easy to identify posts from trusted news sources; you’ll also see posts from people who are followed by people in your network, lists of the most engaged links or quotes, and posts from strangers. The takeaway: As awareness of the enhanced search functionality spreads, users might seek more angles on news and cultural events. Given that these posts are being exposed to a broader audience—not just friends—more people could take to Facebook to share content in search of exposure. Read more

Twitter Web embeds are getting cooler—You have been able to embed tweets anywhere on the web for some time now, but embedded Grid—a new feature Twitter introduced at a developer’s conference—lets you embed a Twitter collection or series of tweets, which will be automatically updated as new elements of the collection are published. Users can create these collections with tools like TweetDeck or Curator. The result is a grid-like display of multiple tweets, images, videos, and Vines around a common theme. (Follow the link to see an example.) Users will be able to generate code from a grid to display it on their own blogs or web pages; on mobile devices, the individual tweets contained in a collection will appear one after the other, though that could change. The takeaway: Twitter is taking steps to make its content more appealing for sharing across multiple platforms. Journalists routinely embed tweets in stories (it’s faster than finding an eyewitness to interview), and the Embedded Grids could inspire even more sharing by media organizations, while brands will also undoubtedly start creating Grids in hopes that consumers will share them. Read more

YouTube launches premium service—Ignore the stories proclaiming YouTube’s new ad-free subscription service, Red, a Netflix competitor. YouTube execs are quick to point out that the programming is exactly the opposite of Netflix: user-generated rather than Hollywood-produced. Videos from YouTube stars like PewDiePie and the Fine Brothers will be available to those who pony up the $9.99 monthly fee. Those new original shows won’t be available until early next year; the ad-free version of YouTube launches next Wednesday. Some YouTubers are up in arms over the launch, decrying YouTube’s insistence that video creators sign a Red agreement or face having their videos marked “private” so nobody could see them, resulting in more content for those who continue to use the free, ad-supported version. YouTube will give video creators a cut of the subscription fee to make up for the ad revenue they’re losing, which can be substantial for some YouTube stars, though the formula is unclear. Some videos shared on YouTube have advertising within them, like Leo Laporte’s TWiT videos. Laporte says he’ll probably have to stop sharing his videos on YouTube, since Red requires content be ad-free. If you subscribe to Google Play Music, Red will be free; similarly, subscribing to Red will give you free access to Google Play Music. The takeaway: Disruption continues apace. Whether Red will succeed is an open question—there’s already a petition to stop it that has attracted more than 7500 signatures. But the fact that YouTube has undertaken the effort shines a light on the behavioral shifts in entertainment, away from traditional TV. Ask a teenager to name celebrities; many are more familiar with Michelle Phan and PewDiePie than anybody starring in a network television show. Read more

Now anybody can launch a Twitter poll—Twitter’s latest feature won’t threaten SurveyMonkey any time soon, but you can deploy a two-item poll through Twitter. The feature was available to a limited number of users, but is now being rolled out to everyone. Polls stay active for 24 hours. The takeaway: Engagement on brand tweets can soar given this option for interactivity, though overdoing will certainly get tiresome for most followers. Read more

Trends

Vietnam embraces Facebook to reach young audiences—The communist government in VIetnam used to block Facebook. Now they’ve established a Facebook Page called “Government Information” to reach younger users. The Page was established to make sure Vietnamese Facebook users learn about government policies. The Page includes press releases and grip-and-grin photos of Vietnam’s Prime Minister with foreign dignitaries. Vietnam lifted its ban on Facebook in 2013, and now plans to expand channels to increase its reach to citizens. The takeaway: The use of third-party sites by institutions seeking to ensure as widespread distribution of its messages as possible is an unstoppable trend, with Vietnam representing just one end of the spectrum (and the Amazon-New York Times spat another). Netflix CEO Reid Hastings uses his personal Facebook page to make material announcements, which the SEC has condoned. More organizations of all kinds are likely to follow suit.  Read more

The growth of greenwashing—Sustainability is increasingly important to consumers, and rather than adopt sustainability practices, a rapidly growing number of companies are opting to make exaggerated claims or entirely fictional tales of environmental responsibility. One consulting firm that studied greenwashing found that “95% of the products marketed as eco-friendly committed at least one of the ‘seven sins’ of greenwashing, which include inventing fake certifications and using weak data. Regulators have had little success stopping greenwashing. Among the brands caught fudging their claims are Lululemon, LG, Samsung, and Kimberly-Clark. And how can we talk about this topic without mentioning Volkswagen? The takeaway: Consumers are getting more and more savvy about spotting greenwashing; they’re seeking authentic effort by companies to make the world a better place. With intensified focus on sustainability, the spin that used to work must be replaced with tangible actions. Read more

Marketing agency seeks clients via Snapchat—Pitching consumers with content distributed on Snapchat is pretty common these days, but Giant Spoon—a marketing agency—using the ephemeral messaging tool to attract new clients. The agency has released a series of briefs on topics from GIFs to emojis titled “Spoon Snap Intelligence,” with each brief accompanied by snaps based on the kinds of reports the agency would normally present in a pitch. The takeaway: Not using Snapchat for communication purposes yet? Really? Read more

Short news videos get another boost from CNN—Millennials, we are told, like their news in short, fast-moving videos. You see them from the likes of Vice, Buzzfeed, and NowThis, not to mention all the media outlets producing video content for Snapchat’s Discover feature. Now CNN is getting into the game, launching GBS (Great Big Story), an independent LLC that will create video more appealing to “urban-located, globally curious 25- to 35-year-olds” that can be shared on social networks. And don’t think the content will all be hard-core news. The goal will be to have sponsors pay GBC to produce newsy videos that also reinforce their messages. The takeaway: More and more channels are emerging brands can tap into to tell their stories. It’s too early to tell whether CNN’s venture will succeed, but the trend is clear. From the paid media perspective, these opportunities are increasingly better looking than many of the more traditional placements. Read more

Everywhere you look, you’ll see native advertising—The latest indication that native advertising is on a growth trajectory (despite objections by many to its deceptive nature) comes from Twitter, which has told app developers they’ll be able to include native advertising in the applications they develop using twitter’s MoPub management platform. “Twitter stressed that it’s important for developers to begin integrating marketing features into their apps early on in the development process,” according to a VentureBeat report. The takeaway: First, it’s great to see Twitter opening up to developers, a group they alienated a few years back by withdrawing support. Second, it’s telling that Twitter is making it easy for app developers using Twitter tools will be able to bake native advertising into the apps they’re creating. I know I sound like a broken record, but if PR and corporate communications people don’t start playing a role in the development of native ads, we’re not only losing an opportunity, we’re ceding the space to advertisers—and look what they’ve done to mobile so far! Read more

Periscope finds its way into conferences—So your conference has a hashtag. Is that enough in the days of live social video streaming? Digital media consultant Brian Fanzo has produced a Medium post, a video, and an ebook talking about the power of live social streaming from conferences, something he was planning on doing from an IBM conference. The takeaway: Some trends take a while to get traction; others, like Periscope, get popular seemingly overnight. I recently advised a client to use Periscope at a trade show, where the competition was caught completely unawares and had to scramble to catch up. Brian’s ebook is free and worth the download. (To be fair, Brian doesn’t limit his conversation to Periscope, but also Meerkat and Blab, among others.) Read more

Research

Give the media what it wants—Business Wire’s annual Media Survey finds that journalists are becoming more proficient with video production and web services, which are considered an inherent part of the reporting job. Nearly half of global media outlets see live streaming apps like Periscope and Meerkat becoming a popular news reporting tool. Reporters also routinely visit company online newsrooms—in fact, it’s company websites and newsrooms are the second and third most used tools after basic search. Reporters said they have a continuing and compelling need for multimedia-rich corporate news content, social media shares (rather than pitches), and updated and responsive online newsrooms. And if you’re thinking you no longer need to distribute press releases via a wire service, be aware that 75.3% of North American reporters use commercial newswires on a daily basis to find company-issued breaking news. Nearly as many also use newswires to find interesting story angles, suupporting facts, trending industry topics, quotable sources, and company background information. The takeaway: Two takeaways, actually. First, I’m frequently amazed at the poor quality of online newsrooms, given how frequently reporters rely on them. And second, there’s clearly life in news release distribution as long as media awareness of your news continues to matter. Read more

Microsoft tops list of brands creating digital experience for customers—The Lithium Social Power Ranking, which lists the top 50 global brands using digital strategies to create the ultimate customer experience, has Microsoft knocking Amazon from the top spot to number 2, with MTV, Facebook, and Google rounding out the top 5. Lithium Technologies, which markets a white-label online community product, uses Klout scores to measure customer engagement with brands. Lithium owns Klout, “one of the only resources in the world to process more than 15 billion pieces of data every day across the web,” according to Lithium, president and CEO Rob Tarkoff. New brands breaking into in this year’s top 20 include Sony (#8), Adidas (#19) and MasterCard (#20). Brands making the top 50 for the first time include Paypal, Lenovo, Lego, HM, and Pampers. The takeaway: Klout used to be the subject of considerable derision. These days, people don’t talk much about it at all, but Lithium seems to have adapted it well so it serves better purposes than it did as a standalone product. While it still may not be the most accurate assessment of a company’s digital footprint, the list is still instructive, and I’d still want my company to be on it. Read more

Marketers prefer Instagram—eMarketer reports that 32.3% of U.S. companies with at least 100 employees will use Instagram for marketing, and that number will rocket to 48.8% next year and by 2017, 70.7% of companies will have an Instagram presence, propelling Instagram over twitter when it comes to marketers’ preferences. The takeaway: Instagram has replaced Twitter as a social network for a lot of people, and its visual-first nature makes it a natural for marketers. Read more

Virtual and Augmented Reality

New York Times distributing 1 million Google Cardboard sets—With an eye toward a dramatic increase in its use of Virtual Reality (VR) as a format for news reporting, the New York Times will include Google Cardboard VR kits in 1 million copies of the newspaper to be distributed on November 7. “NYT VR” is the name for the Times’ project that will kick off with a work titled “The Displaced” focusing on children in the global refugee crisis. Other immersive videos to be distributed come from paying sponsors like GE and Mini. The takeaway: If you produced sponsored content, start thinking now about how to get into the immersive video game (also known as 360-degree video). If you work in media relations, being able to offer VR B-roll will undoubtedly give you a leg up sooner than you may think. Read more

Magic Leap shows off its tech—The social web was ablaze with commentary when Google invested half a billion dollars in Augmented Reality (AR) startup Magic Leap, but with nothing new to see, people have stopped buzzing. Now, the company has released a video that demonstrates how the technology works, and it’s pretty freaking amazing. The demo was shot looking through the goggles required for viewing the augmentations to the real world, and the company swears that the video isn’t enhanced at all. The takeaway: The applications for this technology—and for Microsoft’s competing HoloLens project—are unlimited. While neither product is available yet, communicators will be well-served by starting to at least keep a list of potential uses they can start applying as soon as it is released. Read more

Virtual Reality a new frontier in native advertising—Native advertising itself is still nascent enough that it qualifies as a new frontier, but the VentureBeat headline calling Virtual Reality native advertising’s “last frontier” ws hard to miss. The New York Times story above notes that GE and Mini are distributing immersive experiences through the NYT VR venture. Coca Cola, HBO, and Nissan are brands that are going through other channels to put consumers inside an experience. The takeaway: See the takeaway from the Times story above. Read more

This week’s wrap image of artwork made from a straw wrapper is courtesy of David Murray’s Flickr account.