APAC Digital Digest is a fortnightly round-up of what has been happening in APAC in just 3 minutes.
Here is what has been happening in APAC in less than 3 minutes.
Google Search data reveals how brands can help during the coronavirus pandemic
The coronavirus has made lives anything but normal these days. With retailers adapting to delivery or online models, schools closing, and much of the workforce staying home, people are looking for clear, specific information about where, how, and when to get the things they need.
Search interest related to retail has spiked globally over the past few months as people try to find relevant things to negotiate the new normal. Here are some search stats as people limit their trips to grocery stores while still trying to remain healthy:
“food that lasts long” (“makanan yang tahan lama”) saw a rise of 160% in Indonesia
“fresh delivery” grew by 1,050% in Malaysia
“homemade pasta sauce” saw a 300% increase in Australia
“vitamin c fruits” rose by 1,050% in Pakistan.
Source: ThinkWithGoogle
Google Reverses Cookie Changes
Google has announced that it will roll back the changes to how cookies are handled on its Chrome browser. The new SameSite rules, which are designed to make it more difficult for sites to track users’ online activity by making it harder to access cookies from third-parties, are being put on hold to ensure that essential websites remain accessible during coronavirus lockdown.
The tech giant has made it clear that the move is a temporary one, stating that it plans to resume making changes during summer 2020.
Source: Exchange Wire
Google and Facebook must pay media for content reuse, says Australia
The Australia government has said it will adopt a mandatory code to require tech giants such as Google and Facebook to pay local media for reusing their content.
The ACCC has been tasked with devising the code, which will include provisions related to value exchange and revenue sharing; transparency of ranking algorithms; access to user data; presentation of news content; and penalties and sanctions for non-compliance.
Source: TechCrunch
Facebook Introduces New Video Publishing & Discovery Features
Facebook is rolling out several updates to video publishing, including the ability to upload multiple videos at the same time. The four key updates that marketers need to know about include:
Updates to Bulk Uploader
Updates to Playlists
New ‘Bulk Actions’ features
New “Series” feature: A way to organize content into episodes
Source: Search Engine Journal
Facebook releases Quiet Mode so you can take a break from social media
The company released a feature called Quiet Mode, which mutes notifications and lets you schedule a social media break.
The tool showcases how Facebook is trying to tackle the potential drawbacks of social media as more people turn to the site while social distancing. It has acknowledged that social media can be bad if people are passively consuming content rather than using sites to interact with others.
Source: CNET
WhatsApp’s new update now allows 8 users in audio, video calls
WhatsApp has reportedly increased the limit on the number of participants who can join a video call from 4 to 8. The feature is available to those who have the latest iOS and Android Beta update installed.
Apple's FaceTime video-calling tool supports 32 people while Facebook Messenger can support up to 50 people in a call. Source: Economic Times
WhatsApp to impose new limit on forwarding to fight fake news
WhatsApp is to impose a strict new limit on message forwarding as the Facebook-owned chat app seeks to slow the dissemination of fake news.
If a user receives a frequently forwarded message – one which has been forwarded more than five times – they will only be able to send it on to a single chat at a time. That is one fifth the previous limit of five chats, imposed in 2019.
Source: The Guardian
Netflix and Instagram Join Forces to Promote Mental Health with New Weekly Live Series
Netflix and Instagram are looking to tackle mental health issues in a new partnership aimed to help their viewers address some of the concerns they may have amid the current health crisis.
The weekly live series titled Wanna Talk About It? features interviews with Netflix talent and mental health experts and aims to raise awareness and create a safe space for people seeking to address the challenges and questions streaming from these confusing and extraordinary times.
Source: Social Media Week
Twitter Provides a Month of Daily Tweet Prompts for Brands
Twitter has published a listing of 20 tweet prompts to get you thinking about what you might want to share, in order to keep the tweets flowing, and keep your brand front of mind by appearing in your followers' feeds. Twitter says that these prompts can be used as a starting point to refine your strategy.
Source: Social Media Today
Meitu lets retailers test online makeup service during COVID-19
Chinese imaging app Meitu has offered its AR online makeup trial system to global beauty enterprises and retailers for free to help them overcome difficulties caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The software, called the Cosmetic Promotion Assistant, is based on Meitu’s facial-recognition and image-processing technologies. The system can also recommend suitable colours and styles based on the user’s facial features.
Enterprises and their beauty assistants are able to configure makeup effects on their own branded websites, which can then be shared to social platforms such as Facebook and Twitter.
Source: Inside Retail Asia