This week, Facebook stole headlines with its surprise purchase of leading mobile messaging app WhatsApp for a reported $19 billion. The news follows an alleged spurned acquisition of image-based messaging app Snapchat (that one was for a purported $3 billion) in 2013. In addition to the big news, Fashion Week wrapped up and the first “Instagram flashmob” took place. Read on for more of the week’s top stories from the marketing world.
Facebook Buys WhatsApp for $19 Billion
WhatsApp, an alternate SMS messaging app that allows people to send one another messages free of cost, was acquired by Facebook earlier this week. For now, WhatsApp will remain an independent brand and team from Facebook. Facebook’s immediate plan is to continue to grow its 450 million strong user base, which is now gaining a million new users daily.
Steven Alan Embraces Technology During Runway Show
As the most digital New York Fashion Week to date came to an end, more and more examples of designers using social and technology to promote and scale their business came to light. Designer Steven Alan, for example, integrated the retail experience into his actual fashion show. By partnering with wholesale online marketplace, Joor, and making iPads available during his event, Alan gave viewers an opportunity to directly purchase items from the collection during the show. Alan recognizes the positive impact that technology can have on fashion and encourages designers to embrace social media platforms, like Instagram, as a display of fashion.
Mexican food chain Chipotle debuted the first 30-minute episode of its “Farmed and Dangerous” comedy series on Hulu this week. The four-part series is designed to get viewers thinking about where their food is coming from and depicts the challenges a fictional agriculture company faces in the world of industrial agriculture. Though there is no direct product placement in the series, it’s meant to highlight the choices Chipotle makes as a company. Chipotle prides itself in providing local and organic options for customers, and an ongoing goal to further improve the ingredients it uses in its food options.
Photo via Hulu
Madewell Instigates Instagram Flashmob
Clothing retailer Madewell managed a photo takeover of Instagram launching its Madewell jeans into the center of consumer attention. For its “Flashtagram” campaign, the brand recruited 500 of its employees and bloggers — as well as editors from known publishers like Allure, Elle and Marie-Claire — to post their best denim shots with the hashtags #denimmadewell and #flashtagram all at the same time. Posting the images simultaneously created the sense of a “feed takeover,” and the effort was organic, as the brand merely had to tap into its network of influencers to get the campaign to take off.
Photo via Digiday
Browse more headlines from the 360i blog:
- Emojis, Gifs, Images — Oh My: How Visual Content is Changing the Web
- 360i #FuelGood Project Turns Data into Donations
- US Hispanics Poised to Create Major Opportunity for Digital Advertisers
- Q&A with Giphy’s Adam Leibsohn
Cover photo via The Next Web
