POST DIGITAL

KFC's #UniteThisXmas

Kentucky Fried Chicken has been running the TV ad below in the build up to Christmas. They’ve now released a second version with the winner selected through a Twitter competition.



Dubbed #UniteThisXmas, fans were asked to tweet about a conflict they want to resolve – the winner, Alpa Patel, appeared in a special version of the spot during the X-Factor.

Building A Brand For The Next Generation of Start Ups

One of the more rewarding experiences I recently had was sharing my brand building methodology with a group of woman leading the next generation of start ups at the Woman's Defense League.  

Q: How do you begin building a brand that people will care about?  
A: First and foremost its about understanding what a brand is, who it is for and what is the defining action your brand will take for your customers.

Brand Building - Creating Provocative Brands People Care About. from Joanna Pena-Bickley

Instagram's Mystery Press Event: Instagram Direct

Instagram is holding a mystery press event. In advance of the the event, the company sent out physical Instagram images printed on canvas. Instagram co-founder and CEO Kevin Systrom will be in attendance, which means the announcement should be big.

Live Blogging:

Instagram launches Instagram Direct, lets you share photos and videos privately with friends.  Rise of the private network?

Key Features: new messaging feature that lets users send text, video, and photo messages to each other privately.

"Communication is not about photography, necessarily. If we were about photography we're built into cameras, but we're not, we're built into phones." Instagram up to this point focused on photos and videos — "moments" — as Instagram calls them.

"Messaging adds a third dimension to the app that lets people communicate using words and to do so privately, if you'd like. Sometimes you want to be able to share not with everyone, but just with a specific group," 

 

 

 

Age-gating improvement for alcohol brands on twitter

One of the biggest challenges for alcohol brands is how they connect with an age-appropriate audience. To address this on Twitter, They have rolled out an improvement to the age-gating experience on Twitter.com, iOS, and Android devices. 

Here’s how it works:

 

 

 

Brands like Bud Light, Jim Beam, Knob Creek,Heineken, and Bacardi, have integrated the tool into their overall Twitter ad strategy. For example, Bud Light is using age-screened Promoted Accounts to reach people who are 21 and older and interested in the NFL during their#whatsyoursuperstition campaign, while Knob Creek is using it to launch their small batch bourbon brand on Twitter.

To set up this new form of age-gating, clients with account support can contact their teams directly; or thier agencies can set up the self-serve accounts by clicking here.

 

[Via @tarunkj]

Target's Smart Use of Vine

Creativity, fun and design are at the heart of the Target brand. Target Creative, the company’s in-house team, features a diverse group of art directors, designers, writers and producers who serve as brand experts. After launching a Vine account in July, the Target Creative team was inspired to create shareable content and compelling storytelling via this new six-second looping video format.  Here are some examples of what the team has put out. 

To kick off the football season, for example, Target had some fun with game day munchies.

It's a football smorgasbord this week on Vine. #WatchThis https://t.co/wHjjk52Xi6 #FootballSunday

— Target (@Target) September 29, 2013

 

This playful Lite Brite video took 10 people to produce and two weeks to prepare.

It's time to #SummerUp, everybody! #LiteBrite #magic https://t.co/af89LcoIvq

— Target (@Target) June 4, 2013

Target Creative used Vine’s continuous loop function to create this endless roller coaster ride.

Are you ready to roll? #SummerUp #rollercoaster https://t.co/M1Z2Ct1fYG

— Target (@Target) August 1, 2013

And this one illustrates how Target can make a summer day more enjoyable, as it takes advantage of the platform’s “touch-to-pause” feature.

Need ideas on what to do today? Tap to pause our #SummerUp decision maker for all sorts of fun. https://t.co/eQQrRep229

— Target (@Target) July 2, 2013

 A more recent production helped followers get into the Halloween spirit with a fun play on pumpkins:

Carve out some time for a new #Halloween tradition https://t.co/47PVOzZF6b

— Target (@Target) October 17, 2013

Eight City Target locations have a digital welcome wall that greets guests as they enter the store.

In addition to communicating weekly promotions and local information, they also offer the perfect place to showcase the most recent Vine videos.

Barneys: The Making of a New York Holiday

There is nothing more magical than watching the holidays come to life up and down 5th and Madison Avenues. Barneys has turned their art form into a bit of magical content.

The Making of a New York Holiday from Barneys The Window on Vimeo.

Budweiser’s Twitter-powered knitting machine

Budweiser has released its Christmas campaign, with a Twitter-powered knitting machine named Knitbot.

The knitbot is fitted with a chip that responds to mentions of #jumpers4des. The more mentions - the more jumpers. Once Knitbot’s finished, fans can visit the Budweiser Facebook page for the chance to win a piece of its handiwork.  

[Via The Drum]