2. INTRODUCTION
2Copyright @ 2018, Epsilon. All rights reserved.
Facebook's 2018 F8, it's annual developer conference, came
at a crucial time in the companies history. After recently
undergoing a massive data scandal that put founder and
CEO Mark Zuckerberg under the light of congress, it was
important to remind developers that there are still
awesome reasons to build for the platform. It was expected
that Zuckerberg would address those concerns to kick off
his keynote and then move on to the exciting updates - and
that's exactly what he did.
After Mark moved past the data and security issues,
Facebook talked a lot about bringing people together
(community is an often dropped term at these events).
There was plenty of updates in the VR space, corresponding
with the launch of Oculus GO. There were also
advancements in how users can access and share AR effects
as well as some updates to Messenger. Additionally, there
was an added focus on empowering third parties to use the
platform in ways that were not possible before.
Implications
At Epsilon Agency, we look forward to these conferences
because they ultimately set the stage for new forms of
interaction between consumers and brands as well as
between consumers themselves – ultimately allowing us to
align our clients with strategies to empower users, enhance
experiences and transform our environment.
3. Address the Elephant in the
Room
Just before the start of the conference, Mark Zuckerberg released a blog post detailing
a new privacy control feature that would allow users to clear their history from the
social network.This feature, entitledClear History, works similar to the clear history
function that many of us are accustomed to on our default web browsers. It will
essentially scrub what that user has browsed on their site.
This is important because it shows that Facebook is directly listening to its users and
taking steps to mitigate privacy concerns.Along with this update, the company has
also made it easier to find what data the platform has collected on you, restricted the
ability for third parties to obtain user data, offered incentives for those that find
loopholes, and underwent a massive audit of third party apps. All of this to keep users
happy.
Now that the issue of privacy, data and security was addressed, it was time for Mark to
jump into the updates to Facebooks line of products.
Privacy, Data and Security were big underlying issues to
F8 this year, and Facebook did a lot to ease the general
publics fears regarding how their information is
captured and used.
4. Focus On Groups
There was big focus on Groups at this years F8 as they lead to this larger idea of community
building and meaningful online interaction. Facebook will add a dedicatedGroupsTab that will act
as a hub for all your Group related activity.Group admins will get the ability to attach a "Join
Facebook Group" button to any email or websites outside of Facebook, furthering the reach and
targeting ability of these groups.
In the spirit of live video, Facebook also mentioned their previously testedWatch Party feature,
which will allow groups of friends to watch a video together (in theWatch section).Almost every
big announcement today had an undertone of bringing users together, either physically or digitally,
which isn't a big surprise for Facebook, as that's been their motto for quite some time now.
Implications
Marketers have long understood the need to create communities around their product or service
and now Facebook is making it even easier for them. Brands should attempt to align themselves
with relevant groups, and aid in the community involvement that goes on there. Don't simply
sponsor an event or relevant product, but really try to add value to that online community.
Consumers can see right through a façade.
Additionally, theWatch Party feature will increase the popularity of videos in theWatch section.
Make your video series an event. Incentivize people to watch your new episodes at certain times
and share pictures of theirWatch Party.This not only gets your views up, but also gets the
comment section active as well. Putting out great content is table stakes now a days, it's how you
promote that content that ultimately ends up putting you ahead.
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Facebook has historically aligned itself with
communities and this year was no different, as they
revamped the Groups section and made it easier for
Group owners to recruit new members.
5. Facebook Takes on Dating
It finally happened, Facebook became a dating site. It was already one in a sense that people
were able discover and meet based off their perceived interests and looks, but now it's
official.The feature will combine a lot of aspects to traditional mobile dating sites already.
Create a profile, fill in some information, add a few pictures and start looking for someone
that catches your eye.There won't be any swipe rights or lefts, instead, users will start a
conversation by liking a specific picture of that person.The aim is to make it more personable.
Where this gets interesting is the events section. Users will be able to unlock certain events
around town, thus making their profile viewable to other users going to that event.This
should make it easier to connect with people, as the first date is basically already planned out
for you. It will be interesting to see how this feature is perceived by the general public, as
there is a plethora of dating sites available, and users may still not trust a company who had
just come under data scrutiny to handle their love life decision making.
Implications
There are limited ways in which brands have been able to successfully align themselves with
dating sites, but the event section opens up new possibilities for brands that want to get into
the space. Facebook dating focused events will be held to bring people together in urban
areas and brands will be able to sponsor or even hold the events. It won't be surprising if
Facebook offers a promoted event product, to bring yours to the top of the list, and create
additional revenue for the social media giant.
Facebook used to be where you went right after you solidified a date, to check out that
persons profile. Now it's a one stop shop.
By taking on the Dating feature, Facebook is further
trying to connect the physical and digital worlds. Live
events will play a big role in this new venture for the
social media platform.
6. AR Takes a Leading Role
A fun new way to share AR experiences is going to be through Messenger.The social network has
pushed Messenger as a great way for users to interact with businesses, and they do so over 8 billion
times a month. Now, businesses will be able to share Augmented Reality experiences directly with
users, further leading them down the purchase funnel of their customer journey.
Over on the Facebook platform, a major announcement surrounded the 3D sharingAPI.This allows
users and brands to easily create and share 3D content on the platform. From there, anyone
browsing the news feed would be able to grab that object (in their example, it was a blender) and
view it through an AR Lens to see how it looks in their kitchen or surrounding environment. Users
are also able to take that object into theirVR space, further blending the lines between the physical
and digital worlds.
Implications
With regards to Messenger, the example shown atTuesday's keynote was from Nike and featured a
new shoe release, formerly referred to as a drop.Users were able to view the product in 3D where
they could determine how it looks from all angles.They're then able to leave that experience and
jump right back into the messaging conversation where they can complete the purchase.Any
brand that currently interacts with users through Messenger would be hard pressed not to
experiment withAR interactions with their users.These will be highly impactful for new product
launches, sizing, experimentation and even customer service.
The 3D sharing API will bring the previously mentioned functionality and move it over to the News
Feed.This is all a play to make Facebook more immersive, and brands that offer physical products
should certainly align themselves with this trend. 3D objects and AR experiences allow consumers
to essentially 'try before they buy' which will ultimately lead to more purchasing decisions.
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AR in Messenger will be commonplace in the coming
years as brands experiment with how to best reach
consumers through the platform. The ability to try
before you buy and a reduction in purchase friction are
key selling points for the technology.
7. VR Goes Further Mainstream
Virtual Reality has long been talked about as a disappointment due to its bulky hardware and lack of
great experiences. Facebook took a few massive steps in the right direction onTuesday to address
those two areas.While announced last October, the Oculus GOVR headset launched along with
updates to three key experiences. Oculus Rooms, OculusTV and OculusVenues.
Oculus Rooms gets an update that allows users to hangout in a virtual environment, with more things
to do.A partnership with Hasbro will allow them to play virtual board games together, while feeling
like they’re actually there.OculusTV places users virtual avatars on a couch set up in front of a
massive, movie theatre sizedTV.Out of the box, you'll be able to watch programming from content
providers including ESPN, Netflix, Hulu and more. Finally,OculusVenues is where you'll be able to
watch live sporting events, concerts, and more in a stadium like setting. Of course, you'll also be able
to sit next to your friends while it's going on.
Implications
These experiences, while great in themselves, have one thing in common.They're all designed to
bring people together in the virtual world.This is incredibly important asVR has also been criticized
for its socially isolating experience.The more that people are able to do and interact with each other
in virtual spaces, the more comfortable they'll be in exploring them..
For brands, this means it's time to start takingVR seriously. If people are going to actually hang out in
virtual spaces, how can you assist in that experience? Hasbro is a great example of a brand taking
their physical product and allowing virtual avatars to interact with it.Think of ways that users interact
with your product or service in the physical world and ask yourself what aspects of it can be simulated
in a virtual one.There's no right or wrong answer here as the community is still nascent and
developing.
Oculus Venues will allow virtual avatars to watch live
sporting events in 180, surrounded by their friends and
peers. There was a big focus on bringing users together
in VR at this years F8.
8. 8
LET’S TAKE A LOOK AT INSTAGRAM
Copyright @ 2017, Epsilon. All rights reserved.
9. AR Opens Up on Instagram
A major update to Instagram was the expansion of theAR camera effects platform, which had
previously opened on Facebook proper last year. Now, developers will be able to use the platform
to create effects to be used on Instagram.This is similar to Snapchats Lens Studio, which has been
heavily used by brands and creative developers alike since its release.
Users will be able to viewAR effects based on accounts that they follow.They’ll also be able to try
out filters directly from their friends stories, increasing those network effects. Due to this fact,
we're likely to see a push for more creativeAR demonstrations, as developers clamor for Instagram
fame and the coveted blue check mark.
It was only a matter of time before Instagram opened up their AR capabilities, as the company has
historically been following Snap’s every move. Due to how these filters are shared, it’s expected
that it will be easier to promote more appropriate filters based on contextually relevant events and
users.While not mentioned, we’re likely to see real time data be utilized in these experiences in the
near future.
Implications
By opening up theAR Camera Effects Platform, Instagram has drastically reduced the barrier to
entry for brands looking to further their presence on the platform. Marketers will be able to take
advantage of theAR camera effects platform to create compelling experiences that can easily be
shared at scale.These effects can be branded and created with relative ease.
Look for creative brands to take advantage of this platform in a number of ways and should aim to
create experiences that empower users to create and share themselves.The better the experience,
the more followers your brand will receive.
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JiffPom demonstrated to a live audience how easy it’s
going to be for developers to create AR effects for
Instagram. These effects will give users a new way to
discover and share content.
10. Video Chat Comes to Instagram
VideoChat was another major announcement to the Instagram platform onTuesday. Users
will be able to chat live with a friend or group of friends, while continuing to view content on
the app.The aim seems to be to turn Instagram into a full fledged messaging service, rather
than simply a photo sharing platform.The ability to continue browsing while chatting with
your friends will easily allow for the sharing of content and discussion of new pages, topics
and brands - which fits perfectly into Instagram’s new Explore section.
The revamped Explore section will make it easier for users to see more content related to
their interests by giving them the ability to swipe through topics and subjects that they relate
to.This change was brought forward from the popularity noticed in following hashtags. Now,
it's going to be even easier to discover relevant and exciting content on the platform.
Implications
It will be important to determine a brand persona on Instagram, if yours hasn't already.This
persona will help to fill in the relevant topics that your brand can align itself with, to then be
more easily discovered through the Explore section. It will be interesting to study the
strategies that marketers use to further their presence on this social platform.
VideoChat will be an important trend to keep an eye on as well, as we’re sure to see
Instagram open up the capabilities for brands to empower users to interact with them.This
could be in the form of booking plans, ordering food, consuming content, and any other
group activities already seen in popular messaging apps.
Video Chat on Instagram is slowly turning the social
media platform into a full fledged messaging service,
keeping users on the app for longer periods of time, and
reducing passive consumption of content.
11. Third Party Story Integrations
are a Big Deal
Third party story integrations are a big step in the right direction in the war against Snapchat. Users
will be able to easily integrate their Spotify music selection or Go-Pro video, for example, into their
Instagram stories with the push of a button.They'll even allow for deep linking, so if someone
shares a Spotify song that you might enjoy, the app could take you directly to your own Spotify app
to check it out.
Users will be able to tap into Instagram's features to enhance their stories after they share them
from the app.While this is limited to a few partners right now, it’s expected that more will jump on
the bandwagon soon - after going through an extensive review process.These third party
integrations will ensure that the stories functionality doesn’t phase out, as new features and
shareable options will always be coming on the market.
Implications
Third party integrations are going to be incredibly important for brands that empower users to
create and share content. By allowing users to easily share on their Instagram stories directly from
their own product, they’ve dramatically reduced the friction involved in that process.
For now, it's just Spotify and Go-Pro that get the functionality, but look for more and more apps to
be added as users become accustomed to the activity.There may also be a day not too far in the
future that physical locations will be able to integrate this functionality. Imagine a share button
located directly next to your beautiful plate of Eggs Benedict at that trendy brunch spot.
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Third Party Story Integrations will bring new and
exciting ways for users to share content on the
platform. Spotify and Go-Pro get the nod to begin, but
look for more and more services to jump on shortly.
12. QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS CAN BE SENT TO:
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Steve Harries
VP, Innovation & User Experience
@Steve_Harries22
Jeremy Olken
Innovation Strategist
@JeremyOlken
Ian Beacraft
VP, Digital Strategy
@IanBcraft
Tom Edwards
Chief Digital Officer, Agency
@blackfin360
