Reading up on the most compelling social media, tech, and brand stories is one of the joys of being the editor of Marketing Dive.
From "marketer of the year" to the soda losing its cool, these are the most important stories of the week.
Instagram hits 300M users, surpassing Twitter
Most saw this coming, but maybe not so quickly: Instagram, the once-quaint photo-sharing app, officially has more monthly users than Twitter. To coincide with the announcement of 300 million monthly users, Instagram also declared it will start verifying pages like Twitter and Facebook—to much applause from brands and celebrities—and mass deleting spam and fake accounts.
Its meteoric rise has made marketers be more thoughtful in photo curation and has also played a major role in the prominence of 'lifestyle brands.' Now that the Facebook-owned app has established itself one of the heaviest hitters in social, many questions arise. Will it finally start allowing for users to toggle between accounts? Will it be able to avoid the unfiltered feed problem, which Facebook and Twitter have been able to sidestep? Should Twitter be worried?
Facebook finally rolls out the option to search for posts
After much begging—and what seemed like false promises—Facebook is finally allowing for users to search for specific posts on both the desktop and iOS mobile app. While some marketers may be rejoicing at the idea of searching for posts about their particular brand or product, it isn't comprehensive. Marketers can't search for posts that aren't public or not on their friend list. Though Facebook's vice president of search told Marketing Land that the option won't be ruled out in the future.
What's next for Pepsi?
It isn't a secret that Americans have been losing their taste for carbonated soft drinks, and now the CEO of PepsiCo is acknowledging that fact. Indra Nooyi admitted Monday at Beverage Digest's "Future Smarts" conference that sodas have lost its "cool factor."
So what does this mean for the soda industry? Nooyi hinted at more "craft sodas" that would go hand in hand with the recent craft beer craze. Pepsi released Caleb's Kola earlier this year, testing the waters of craft sodas, but Nooyi wouldn't disclose any early sales figures. There's also Pepsi True, a mid-calorie soda sweetened with Stevia. Though as the health and wellness trend in America keeps accelerating, it does seem that Nooyi's efforts could be grasping at straws. The potential fading (or reemergence) of soda will be a trend to watch in the coming year.
Ad Age's marketers of the year announced
Ad Age's highly-lauded Marketer A-List awards were announced this week, as marketers around the world waited to see if their brand would be acknowledged. The big winner for Marketer of the Year went to Under Armour, which in just a few short years has become a major rival to Nike.
Other big winners were CVS, which rebranded as a health store and stopped the sale of tobacco; HBO, which has given both cable TV and Netflix a reason to restrategize this year; and Alibaba, for essential taking over the retail world.
Apple finally coming around to social media
Apple, notoriously social media shy, may finally be coming around. The company is reportedly looking to hire a 'social media expert.' Apple doesn't have an official Twitter or Facebook account, and the YouTube channel doesn't allow for comments.
But it's clear something in the post-Jobs era, some things need to change. Apple, while still a tech powerhouse, no longer has a near-monopoly on desirable smart phones. And while Jobs turned his nose up at social media, current chief executive Tim Cook actively tweets. There is no telling exactly what this social media expert will do, but starting off with an verified Twitter account for Apple could be a good start.