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 Ashleigh.
1. The most Googled searches of 2019 are revealed
This year the UK’s top 10 trending queries were as follows:
The top 10 ‘how to’ and ‘what is’ etc questions can be found here as well as the top celebrities, sporting events, musicians and much more.
It makes for an interesting read with the likes of “How to pronounce psalm”, “How to floss dance” and “What is Area 51”, making the top 10s in 2019.
2. Should general election ads be allowed on social media?
As the general election happened this week, whether it is or isn’t fair for political parties to advertise on social media has been talked about a lot, especially as the Conservatives spent a big wedge of budget on the YouTube Masthead ad over the weekend. (And there was obviously that video released by Boris Johnson on Twitter: https://twitter.com/BorisJohnson/status/1204152954934177792)
This leads us to question how targeted the parties are with their audiences, as the masthead slot is shown far and wide across the country and is the same as paying for an ad spot during the ITV’s News at Ten 25 years ago.
We all know things have changed a lot in the last 25 years, with social media becoming a more and more important advertising tool for brands, businesses and political parties alike, but should it be allowed, do these ads work, and should they be better regulated?
These are all questions that will be asked in many more elections to come, I’ll bet. For more information see: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-50734805
3. Coca-Cola go all out this year
This year Coca-Cola is increasing its digital and experiential marketing activity, to do its biggest ever product push this Christmas, launching a global ad that it hopes will “unite us”:
The narrator in the ads talks us through some of the negative viewpoints of Santa Claus, referring to him as a “stranger” who is “learning information about us with the intention to sneak into our home while we sleep”. But the ad ends by saying that we should actually “welcome him” “because if we focus on what divides us we forget what we love about each other”.
But don’t panic if you are a fan of the old classic, “holidays are coming” ad, as that is still being shown too, and with its biggest UK media budget to date.
4. New Google maps features launched
Google maps has launched some new features so iPhone users will be able to use the app in Incognito Mode and Android users will have access to a “Bulk delete in Timeline“ feature, two changes Google has made to try and help its users feel less intruded upon.
Google says, “While in Incognito mode, the places you search for or navigate to won’t be saved to your Google Account and you won’t see personalised features within Maps, like restaurant recommendations based on dining spots you’ve been to previously.”
When talking about the bulk delete in Timeline feature for Android owners, Google said the “Timeline is a tool that uses your Location History to help you easily remember places and routes you’ve visited–and on Android, share them with friends. With bulk delete, you can quickly find and delete multiple places from your Timeline and Location History all at once. You’ll still have the ability to delete all or part of your Timeline by date range from your Location History settings.”
5. It was not just dogs at polling stations this year
It wasn’t just people and their dogs heading to the polling stations yesterday, there were a wide array of animals there too, so how could I not share some of my favourites…
The General Election has been hell.
But #dogsatpollingstations bring joy.
However #reindeersatpollingstations has taken it up to a WHOLE NEW LEVEL. Hehe.
?@SWNS via @MirrorJohnny #GeneralElection2019 pic.twitter.com/taYltNKZVD
— UnBEElievable Health (@Unbeelievable) December 12, 2019
Step aside #dogsatpollingstations today we want to see #catsatpollingstations! If you’re voting and you spot a cat at your local polling station, share your photos with us. #GeneralElection2019 #catsofbirmingham pic.twitter.com/3PVJziXCuZ
— Cats Of Birmingham (@BirminghamCats) December 12, 2019
https://twitter.com/__GARETHLEWIS/status/1205106540321136646
Have a good weekend!
