Need to Know – The latest US media & marketing news: Caitlyn Jenner breaks Obama's Twitter record, Uber partners with Foursquare and Netflix experiments with ads
Morning all, here’s a glimpse at all the media and marketing news you should know today.
Need to Know – The latest US media & marketing news
1. Caitlyn Jenner has broken Obama's Twitter record after amassing more than a million followers in just four hours, reports Varierty. The president even sent Jenner a message following her debut on the cover of Vanity Fair yesterday, saying "It takes courage to share your story," which he followed up with a tweet asking people to share their own experiences in the fight for LGBT rights.
2. Uber users can now hail a ride straight from their Foursquare app, claims The Next Web. The two startups have partnered through Button, an app-linking service, to integrate the taxi service into the location app. The move comes weeks after Uber reportedly put in a $3bn bid for Nokia’s Here map service.
3. Netflix is experimenting with trailers that play before users can stream on the platform, says Business Insider. A Netflix spokesperson said that the ads are only "trailers for Netflix originals" including Marvel's Daredevil and political thriller House of Cards. The commercials have already appeared for subscribers who watch on devices like Xbox and Tivo DVRs.
4. A protest took place outside Facebook's Menlo Park headquarters yesterday over the social network's controversial 'real name' policy, notes Mashable. The group, which included members of the LGBT community, Native Americans and domestic violence survivors, said they want the site to allow them use their alternative names, with some claiming they have had difficulty verifying their unusual monikers.
5. Ihop has launched new logo to reflect its Twitter-savvy persona, writes Adweek. It's the first time in 20 years that the 57-year-old brand has had a design refresh. The new logo, created by 360/Studio Tilt, casts the O and P into a smiley emoji face and drops the blue and red framing long found around the lettering.
6. Apple's long-anticipated streaming service is to launch next week, according to the Wall Street Journal. The as-yet unnamed service will cost $10 a month for unlimited music, and sources claim that Apple is set to avoid free streaming altogether and opt for ad-supported radio run by DJs instead.
7. Pinterest may soon be launching a 'buy' button, claims Forbes. The move will enable the social scrapbook's 70 million active users to instantly purchase products whilst browsing the site.
8. And Cannes Lions has shelved its Media Network of the Year award for 2015, asserts MediaPost. The prize was introduced last year to replace the previously issued Media Agency of the Year Award. Sources say the gong was ditched because holding company media agencies couldn’t agree on what constitutes a media network and the Cannes Lions organization wouldn’t rule without a decision that was “satisfactory to all parties".
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