Five things worth sharing from the last week or so, brought to you by a different member of the Browser Media team every Friday.
This week’s My Five is by Ali.
1. It’s search… but not as we know it
Google still retains a 93 per cent market share of traditional search engine searches. If the word ‘traditional’ just jarred a little, that’s because search is no longer just word-based and there are some new kids on the block powering a different kind of search.
In an interview with the BBC, Gartner explained that there are new search engines behind some of the most well-known consumer sites that enable these businesses to provide fast and accurate data to consumers.
For example, Tinder, Uber, and eBay each require search technology but the mechanics of the searches are quite unique, and obviously very different to a word-based search associated with Google.
Therefore while Google still dominates the traditional search market, the article (which can be read in full here) points out that there are a huge variety of different types of searches out there which aren’t enabled by Google technology. The 93 per cent still stands for word based-searches but even the mighty Google may be dwarfed if all searches were taken in to account.
2. Paddy Power puts Football Association (and fans) in a paddy
Having previously written about Paddy Power’s brilliant solent fort / Brexit Bunker marketing campaign, this week the company has made it into My Five for the wrong reasons…
The gambling giant is sponsor for Huddersfield Town and the football club just revealed its new home kit at a friendly match against Rochdale. The shirt features a large diagonal band displaying an unconventionally large Paddy Power logo, which would appear to breach the Football Association’s kit guidelines.
The FA is said to be looking into the issue – particularly in light of the fact that gambling firms voluntarily agreed a whistle-to-whistle ban on television advertising in late 2018.
Fans are less than impressed too.
No-one seems to be sure whether Paddy Power is rubbing its hands together with glee, perfectly aware of the potential furore around a calculated marketing gamble, or whether the kit design coup is about to backfire.
3. You’re nobody unless you’ve got 30,000 followers
Drugs manufacturer Sanofi used mummy blogger, Willox Knot (from site ThisMamaLife), to promote its sleeping tablets.
Knot had 32,000 followers and as such, Sanofi deemed her not to be beholden to the rules which disallow celebrities to endorse drugs or medical products. Sanofi’s defence was that Knot’s follower count was much lower than mainstream celebs.
However, the Advertising Standards Authority said that she had the attention of ‘a significant number of people’, meaning she could be considered a ‘celebrity’ for the purposes of advertising law and Sonofi was banned from using social media influencers in this way in future.
This is not the first and certainly won’t be the last time a brand and influencer fall foul of the ASA rules but it has set the bar fairly low in terms of what is now considered ‘celebrity status’.
4. Instagram removes likes
Instagram has taken the very sensible decision to hide the number of likes a post receives, in order to remove the pressure on the platform’s users.
Many studies have highlighted that young people in particular feel that social media sites have become a quasi popularity contest which can impact on their mental health. The aim is that by removing the like-count, users will feel less judged and more able to share their photos and stories without it becoming a competition.
Individual users will still be able to see the number of likes their own posts receive.
The site says that the test, which is being rolled out in Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Italy, Japan, and Brazil, following a trial in Canada, will not affect the metrics used by businesses. It’s likely that influencers may find it harder to prove their worth to brands though.
5. Mr Bigglesworth the hairless… rabbit
A hairless rabbit from Australia has found internet fame and now has a 71k following on Instagram.
Mr Bigglesworth (a reference to the hairless cat owned by Dr. Evil in Austin Powers) has a rare genetic disorder which means that he wouldn’t normally survive beyond four weeks, but with the love and attention of his new owners (and plenty of warm blankets), he’s doing just fine. He’s coming up to his second birthday and even has his own line of merch to support his charity work. Awww.
Should this be your thing, hop on over to mrbigglesworththebunny.com or instagram.com/mrbigglesworthrabbit
