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 Vic.
1. Twit takes two, baby
Twitter has been working on a feature that allows people to become co-authors on a single Tweet.
As reported by TenchGenyz, this may indicate that Twitter is working towards giving brands the opportunity to partner with influencers on Tweets, and perhaps giving creators a new way to monetise their Twitter accounts.
2. Would you trust Google to write meta?
Search Engine Land ran an experiment this week that looked at whether Google Docs could be used to write meta descriptions. Google often rewrites titles and descriptions you’ve spent time and effort crafting, so why not see if you can make it do all the hard work for you, eh?
Something I wasn’t aware of was that earlier this year, Google Docs began automatically generating content summaries for its business customers.
So, does it work?
Well, it’s a mixed bag. Some of the meta descriptions it generates are too long, too boring, or repetitive. But overall, with a few tweaks, it could save a lot of time.
Check out the results here.
3. This product both sucks and blows
Dyson has released an air-purifying mask and headphones combo that make the wearer look like Bane out of the Batman films, and apparently, this wasn’t an early April Fool’s joke.
Get in the zone with Dyson’s latest technology.
30 years of air filtration expertise pioneered into a wearable, high-end audio device. With a contact-free visor to supply a continuous stream of purified air to your nose and mouth. So, you can breathe cleaner air, anywhere.
— Dyson (@Dyson) March 30, 2022
Not only does it look daft, but people are also highlighting why strapping a ‘leaf blower’ to your face might be a bad idea, calling it the ‘Snot Cannon’ as it appears that it’s only a one-way filtration system, meaning if the wearer has the lurgy they’re pumping out their grotty breath all over anyone near them.
Additionally, when asked for a technical explanation of how it works by a Twitter user, Dyson stated: ‘There are some details we can’t provide just yet, but over the coming months we’ll be sharing further information about the Dyson Zone™ air-purifying headphones.’
4. TikTok tests search ads
TikTok has launched beta testing of search ads with selected partners, allowing them to reach TikTok users via the search terms they use.
This could provide marketers with a new way to capture valuable keyword data, which in turn can be used to inform content strategy across other channels.
Find out more here.
5. A real (clever) dick move
I have male friends in their 30s and 40s, who, given a few beers, a piece of chalk, and a surface to draw on, will absolutely sketch a crude penis. I’ve had friends get in trouble at work for playing a ‘game’ where they drew hidden willies in the dust on machinery in the factory for other employees to find. Heck, even the Romans couldn’t resist scratching a schlong into walls.
So, with that in mind, working with ad agency McCann Santiago, the National Cancer Institute in Chile took advantage of the abundance of dong-themed graffiti, turning it into an awareness campaign to get men to check their testicles by slapping stickers over the spray-painted balls.
Check out the images and find out how the agency came up with the campaign here.
