Tech Archives - The Lucre Group

This is the archive.php file

TIKTOK TAKES OVER GOOGLE: THE POWER OF GEN Z

Everyone uses the internet, whether coding or looking for dog videos, we spend 192 minutes a day browsing the internet. But which is the website you start on? Our money says it’s Google. The search engine turned global powerhouse has become a force to be reckoned with within the industry in the last two decades. Starting off as a simple web-page search function, the US based company has since expanded into mobile phone space, home accessibility gadgets and music streaming services. So, it may come as no surprise that for the last 15 years Google has been sitting in the number one position, after taking it off Yahoo in 2006, and has remained the most visited website across the planet. That is until now.

2021 was the year that saw a social and digital revolution thanks to the power of Gen Z and the global pandemic caused by the C-word. During lockdown, the way we all consume and digest content changed dramatically. VOD services and ways we can use the internet exploded, with sites like YouTube and Amazon Prime changing the way we find information. Gen Z helped to drive this change. Gen Z’ers are people born between 1995 and 2010 and are the most influential segment counting for 40% of global consumers. Social media has always been popular amongst teenagers, but it is this ever-increasing segment of people and recent changes in consumption habits that social platforms thrive within. Especially Tiktok.

In case you didn’t know, Tiktok is a Chinese birthed, video-focused, era-defining, social media site and believe it or not – it was 2021’s most popular website of the year. You may remember Donald Trump trying to block the website from touching US networks earlier in the year. The Trump administration labelled Tiktok “a national security threat”, apparently primed to be used by “Chinese Communists”. But since then, the app has seen a phenomenal success in the States during the first year under Joe Biden, and he has recently stated that a national security review of the app is underway.

Tiktok grew monumental amounts in 2021. At the close of 2020, 700 million followers (more than double the numbers of 2019) were using the app, but by the end of 2021 the number had further increased to more than 1 billion users

To put these stats into perspective – that’s more than 1 in 8 people on the planet actively using Tiktok. Since pre-Covid times, there has been a 42% increase in time spent on the app overall, on the app overall, with the most significant growth in time spent on the app being 287% by 16 to 18-year-olds.

Gen Z consumes totally differently to previous generations, they get their news more quickly from a range of platforms, and can easily spot fake news when they see it. Compared to Baby Boomers and the 90’s kids, who saw the come-and-go of floppy disks, dial-up internet and the true birth of streaming services, Gen Z were born into a highly accessible world where this wealth of content and information is commonplace. They are born into an information overloaded environment where they can reach news in a few scrolls

It poses the newer generations, specifically Gen Z, no longer have the desire to search for truth on Google. Have they lost the need to research everything they hear, and fact check what’s being told to them? Rather than it being a case of believing everything they see – Gen Z can spot fake news, they already follow the accounts and outlets they need to get the information and news they can trust. When you compare market share and the overall volume of Gen Z, it’s not hard to appreciate the sheer size of the generation. As Baby Boomers and 90’s babies evolve into new stages, the Gen Z remains the largest segment. When you look at the target demographic of Tiktok, it correlates with such a high number of captured users. Tiktok is Gen Z fuel, with its instant content and all the information they could possibly want.

As impressive as Gen Z is, possibly being the most technological savvy generation of children the world has ever seen, are they becoming more interested in pop culture rather than world affairs? Or do they not trust the information around them and so become tuned in but zoned out. Our research suggests that newer generations have a lower desire to research news, and this is reflected in the Tiktok takeover last year.

Gen Z have been thrown into an already overloaded world and, with information available at their fingertips, the need to Google has dropped off compared to the need for entertainment. With Gen Z taking up the largest segment of consumers, magnified by the impact of the global pandemic, it’s no surprise Tiktok has become so popular.

You can check out the top ten websites of 2021 below.

TikTok.com
Google.com
Facebook.com
Microsoft.com
Apple.com
Amazon.com
Netflix.com
YouTube.com
Twitter.com
WhatsApp.com

We have bags of of experience developing and delivering impactful TikTok content for brands, and we can do the same for you, get in touch to find out more.

The drones we love and hate, by James Harris

Following flights being grounded at Heathrow after yet another drone sighting, alarm bells quickly start ringing.

After 1,000 flights were interrupted during Gatwick’s 36-hour shutdown back in December you immediately ask yourself how long Heathrow will be shut for, whether or not you know anyone flying in or out of the airport over the next few days, or how you’d feel if this interrupted any of the holidays you’ve got planned.

With all the inevitable anger surrounding drones as a result of these major airport shutdowns, it’s easy to forget how drones have revolutionised how we live.

Would the nation have fallen in love with nature documentaries such as Planet Earth had we not been using this advanced technology? Drones are now essential pieces of kit for film crews and have opened up access to stunning videography of natural wonders never seen before. Aside from their military use, they have changed how we see the world and are likely to alter how we live in the future too.

Don’t forget how we use drones for reconnaissance missions which can help find survivors after natural disasters; catching poachers in national parks; aiding weather forecasting by gaining insights from storms that piloted aircraft wouldn’t be able to fly into; and applying fertiliser to specific areas of farm crops that are failing. These are just some of a myriad of benefits that the technology already brings.

Looking to the future, Amazon Prime Air has been in testing since the retail giant successfully delivered its first package via drone back in 2016. The new service is set to meet increasing consumer demand for ever-faster delivery services, with Amazon claiming the new technology will offer delivery within just 30 minutes.

Who knows, we might even be getting drones to work instead of the Tube sooner than we think too. However, the Civil Aviation Authority’s recent woes will surely delay such ambitious plans.

There is unquestionably a need to tackle the illegal use of these flying machines and the Home Office is set to evaluate a range of counter-drone technology in the UK following the airport attacks. However, let’s not forget what this incredible technology can provide.

How will Facebook’s new algorithm impact you? By Jack Moore

It’s September. Let that sink in. Schools are back, bars across the country are now advertising their Christmas party offerings and knowing the UK, the weather will get inexplicably better for a week, then nose dive into autumnal rain and wind. So with this in mind, let’s take a look back at August and pretend that we’re not nearly three quarters of the way through the year.

Why August I hear you say? Well, back in August Facebook announced exciting new changes to its newsfeed algorithm that could have a huge impact on the online activity of businesses and the media. Alongside Facebook’s regular promise to eliminate ‘fake news’, they have also committed to favour stories and links that lead to mobile optimised sites with a quick loading time.

In a post to Facebook’s Newsroom, engineers Jiayi Wen and Shengbo Guo highlighted that “as many as 40 percent of website visitors abandon a site after three seconds of delay.” So wave goodbye to those fake news click bait articles leading you to a website seemingly created by Tim Berners-Lee at the birth of the internet, back when Mark Zuckerburg was just a twinkle in his father’s eye.

But how does this change effect business and media? Most businesses will have a mobile optimised website, but for those that don’t, it’s time to play catch up. Social media plays a key role in the reputation of a brand or business, and having your content pushed further down the newsfeed or simply not being served to users because of a poor website won’t help build that reputation any time soon.

Media may also need to re-evaluate their social strategy. Enter Facebook’s Instant Articles. The cynic in me might think that Facebook’s change in algorithm based on the speed a website and the push on their own platform that hosts articles may have been carefully planned, but I’m sure it’s just a coincidence.

One of the major benefits of hosting content on Instant Articles is a faster load time, which should garner higher organic reach with the new algorithm. If load time impacts the reach of a post, it makes sense that publishers host their content on Facebook. The platform, which has been around for about two years, hasn’t attracted many publishers due to the fact they don’t make the same money they would by simply driving people to their website. So are we about to see more Daily Mail articles hosted directly on Facebook?

What all of this shows it the power of Facebook. One simple change to their algorithm means that business and media need to amend their digital approach, whether that be a simple tweak to optimise their site or rethink their strategy for online revenue. The new algorithm will begin to kick in this month, so watch this space. And by space, I mean Instant Articles. You could be getting a lot of your news from there in the coming months.

Finger-lickin’ Mad by Bianca Matley

Are you one to pull your phone out to pay contactless or flick your wrist at every opportunity to make a payment that little bit faster (and cooler)?

Mashable’s latest report might not be a surprise to you if so – a KFC in Hangzhou, China is testing a new facial recognition payment system. So if you needed an excuse to get your post-Saturday night chicken fix without having to scramble around for your card, you could be in luck.

‘Smile to Pay’ is the brainchild of Alipay (by Alibaba Group), a popular online and mobile payment platform which scans the payees face once they’re ready to complete their order. The security conscious among you (that’s also me) can rest easy with this technology though – a “live-ness detection algorithm” is inbuilt to combat fraud and the 3D camera seems pretty darn accurate with recognition, too. It couldn’t even be fooled by heavy makeup and pink hair and could still pick the correct face out of a crowd.

If you’ve ever watched Black Mirror, it’s seeming that all this kind of technological genius is coming true – your looks really do pay.

Snap Maps: A tap too far? by Bianca Matley

Updating your mates on your stories, adding that all-too-familiar dog filter with the floppy tongue and or beautifying yourself with big eyes and a flower crown, sound familiar? It’s what Snapchat’s about right? And it’s all fun and games until, that is, Snapchat makes updates, unbeknownst to you and its other X million users.

The controversial new Snap Map allows you to see exactly where mutual friends are and what they’re doing; whether that’s the location of where they’re driving or sleeping, it’s an undoubtedly ‘stalky’ way to keep tabs on people in already ‘stalky’ social media culture. The new map was met with major scepticism especially from parental groups and advocates of child safety which led the US based company to issue the following statement addressing such concerns: “With Snap Map, location-sharing is off by default for all users and is completely optional. Snapchatters can choose exactly who they want to share their location with, if at all, and can change that setting at any time.

“It’s also not possible to share your location with someone who isn’t already your friend on Snapchat, and the majority of interactions on Snapchat take place between close friends.”

It has certainly caught the attention of the UK media even Nadia Sawalha of Loose Women stressed her worries of the safety of children on the show, after posting a video on her personal channels warning parents about the new update.

It’s possible to argue that these kinds of updates can heighten the paranoia that social media is adding to younger generations and allowing unknown users (people who might not be true friends) on the channel to follow you around if Location Services or ‘Ghost Mode’ aren’t switched on, and then there is a potential threat. However, some people have welcomed the update, coining it as ‘cool’ due to the use of heat maps and the ability to publicise your story wherever you are, as well as being able to avoid people you might not want to see and we all know that feeling!

Scouting the floor of Lucre HQ, it seems we rarely leave our location services on but if you do – who’s watching?

Tech and Takeaways, by Holly Green

Takeaways have generally been viewed as an unhealthy selection of food options which are usually ordered as a ‘treat’ on occasion. But how can you avoid being unhealthy when the likes of Chinese, pizzas and curries dominate the takeaway market?

Enter Deliveroo. The company’s state of the art technology platform has enhanced food ordering and delivery at every level.

Established in 2013 in London, Deliveroo has developed into what has been branded as ‘one of the UK’s largest tech hubs’ making fine dining in under 32 minutes possible. The company is known for their cheeky style of PR taking their amazing delivery services to the maximum and teaming up with tech-company GoPro for their ‘extreme delivery’ April Fools stunt!

Consumers already know that the brand offers fast delivery services, so they may have fallen for this introduction of extreme delivery. It certainly promotes Deliveroo’s quickness and efficiency! The company also compare quotes and buy a policy of insurance to insure their delivery agents, thus providing safety to their riders.

Through the creation of highly advanced smartphone software for delivery drivers, the company has seen a demand for skills in sectors such as algorithm development and software engineering. So, you can be sure that from the moment your order is placed to the time it is delivered, it will be tracked with exceptional efficiency. Taking note of this service, Uber also launched UberEATS in London last year, making your selection of takeaway far vaster than the likes of Just Eat.

This has revolutionised how consumers perceive the act of simply ‘ordering a takeaway’.

In recent times, Deliveroo has come under criticism in the media for their employment rights and guaranteed pay levels. But on a technological level, they are leading the way and their PR can be used to challenge such perceptions. We can see examples of this on their social media as shown through their ‘Extreme Delivery’ April fools! Did you fall for it?

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZ23CrzPowM

Snapchat spectacles land in the UK, by Annika McDonald

Unless you’ve been very disconnected from social media the past six years, you will no doubt be aware of the popular photo-sharing app Snapchat and its infamous filters. First came the funny filters, then Snapchat story and now Snap Inc have launched their very own recording sunglasses – Snapchat spectacles.

They may look like your normal shades, but the specially adapted buttons on the glasses allow you to record and take pictures from a camera embedded in the lenses. The pictures and videos then go straight to your Snapchat account, meaning your followers get a virtual view of your world wherever you go.

The product was first brought out in the US last year and caught the eyes of the UK public when the BBC followed a UK surgeon as he used the spectacles to live stream one of his operations.

Now the high-tech glasses have been launched in the UK and you can get your hands on them for around £129.99.

At Lucre we know the importance of keeping up to date with social media networks like Snapchat and how they can provide our clients with access to an audience they have never reached before. We also believe that creating customised content is key in keeping up with the latest trends.

Recently in Leeds the local branch of Health Education England used the Snapchat filters to help persuade young people to take a look at NHS apprenticeships as an option for them.

And where Snapchat leads other social networks are hot on their tails as we have already seen with Facebook adding filters to their camera and the ‘your story’ feature, likewise Instagram with their Instagram stories. So with that in mind, it will be interesting to see what follows from the social networks and their loyal band of followers obsessed with documenting every moving moment of their lives!

Sources:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-38314539
http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/news/how-snapchat-filters-could-attract-new-nhs-apprentices-in-leeds-1-8422438

You can purchase your spectacles here: https://www.spectacles.com/uk/

What Does the Facebook Rocket Icon Mean? By Becky Mann

Over the last few weeks, people may have noticed Facebook users sharing rare sightings of the lesser-spotted Facebook rocket on their social feeds, calling for the community to confirm its purpose on their timeline.

For those not yet in the know, Facebook has introduced the rocket icon to just a handful of users as part of its test for a second, complementary News Feed concept. Hoping to introduce people to fresh new content they wouldn’t have otherwise accessed, this customised feed is filled with videos, stories and articles that Facebook algorithms believe the user will be interested in.

Whilst Facebook is already suggesting content based on what users have previously engaged with, it’s thought the new feed only provides content from pages that are unknown to the user as well as items that their friends and family have reacted to. As a result, it allows users to connect with content they won’t have seen to date – broadening their social horizons!

But what does this mean for PR and content creation? Whilst it’s not yet known at this stage whether the rocket icon will be rolled out to all Facebook users, or the final details of how the second feed would work, the one thing we believe here at Rich is that customising content will only increase in importance as these explore-style functions continue to pop up across social channels.

When developing content briefs, it’s often tempting to set out trying to please as many audiences as possible in order to maximse your reach, your budget and ‘spread the net’ as far as you can. Knowing your specific audience and daring to tailor make content and promotional plans for their needs, rather than creating for the masses, can be more daunting than you’d think but it’s certainly necessary to ensure success. There’s a big difference between people seeing content and openly engaging with it. And, as more and more emphasis is placed on engagement through algorithms and dedicated exploration feeds, we’ll need to be more pinpointed with our content than ever to ensure we’re saying something relevant to the right people in order to inspire that all important reaction that will get your content noticed and shared.

Getting Romantic with Technology, by Rose Dooley

The Valentine’s hype hit us hard this week with countless brands all competing to win the hearts of their audiences using clever stunts and creative campaigns.

As expected, the M&S Dine in for Two deal remained a popular talking point ensuring that shelves in the retailer’s food aisles were stripped bare by supper time. Competing for the quirky content title, Dominos launched novelty pizza engagement rings and Poundland created a £7 meal for two (including meatballs avec Pot Noodle on the cards). In fact, throughout the food and leisure industries there were countless examples of Valentine’s campaign coverage in mainstream and social media alike.

But what about those outside of the gift or food markets? How do companies based in the tech sector still woo the public (and media) without a clear link to wining and dining or traditional romantic treats? The answer is simple, they provide content/services that people can use to enhance the day itself. Rather than dedicated discounts or dramatic dresses made of rose petals, they use innovation to grab our attention and enhance our experience. After all, that’s what technology is all about.

Some of our favourite examples included a Valentine’s themed filter from the photo sharing app Snapchat, providing its users with an opportunity to create themed-content for their feeds. Tech giant Apple also surprised us with a great Valentine’s upgrade from our favourite voice controlled PA Siri. From reminders to pick up flowers and romantic restaurant suggestions to cheeky chat up lines, it had lots to offer those hopeless romantics among us.

For us, this just goes to show that you don’t always have to be at the ‘heart’ of an occasion to make the most of it. Technology isn’t always seen as the most romantic of sectors. However, as long as you create your campaign from a consumer-led insight, habit or need, the opportunities are endless whatever sector you are in!

VR is becoming mainstream. Are you ready? By Bogdan Marinescu

I’ve long been a fan of Virtual Reality and have eagerly been waiting to see and experience its applications in everyday life. You can therefore imagine my sheer delight when the BBC announced the launch of a VR service for viewers to experience the 2016 Rio Olympics in immersive 360 degrees style. The Beeb will broadcast around 100 hours of live events and highlights packages throughout the 16-day event, offering viewers at home a completely new viewing experience.

Viewers will have to download a new BBC Sport 360 app, which is available on iOS and Android Play and purchase a VR headset, with prices for a cheap cardboard one starting from just a few pounds. A bargain!

With the BBC’s decision to roll out this experimental service, we’re finally seeing VR technology starting to creep into the mainstream. This is a new and exciting time for many creative industries, as the technology will offer opportunities for campaigns and agencies to stand out, especially in PR sector.

A few companies have started capitalising on the technology, especially those in sectors that are inherently suited for the “immersive experience”. For example, Thomas Cook launched the “Try Before You Fly” campaign, allowing prospective customers to experience their destinations virtually before purchasing their holidays. Nvidia invited members of the media to experience their new graphics card by virtually climbing Mount Everest from a London warehouse compete with freezing temperatures, wind and fake snow!

Sure, live VR technology is still expensive (think tens of thousands of pounds for a few minutes of video) but 360° photos are already here and you can create them with a smartphone and the right app. Facebook already allows users to post 360° pictures, with important opportunities for certain sectors. Property developers could show you around a house with the help of a VR headset and a 360° picture without the need to leave your home. You could have a virtual look around a venue to assert its suitability for an event before deciding whether it’s worth viewing it in person or not.

The possibilities we see here are endless and I’m sure these will be very exciting times for PR agencies and the wider creative industry alike.