Facebook flooded with fake pages luring victims with generative AI

Source: CPR. Sample posts on fake Facebook pages inviting viewers to download malware.

A new scam uncovered by Check Point Research (CPR) uses Facebook to scam victims by taking advantage of the interest in generative AI.  Many of these fake pages have tens of thousands of followers, with a mix of real content and malware, Check Point said.

Criminals first create fake Facebook pages or groups for a popular brand, even including engaging content. The pages can offer tips, news and enhanced versions of AI services Google Bard or ChatGPT, for example. 

Unsuspecting Facebook users end up passionately discussing the role of AI in the comments and like or share posts, thereby ensuring it shows up on the feeds of their friends and attracting them to the page as well.

The scam occurs when visitors are invited to obtain new services or special content via a link on the page. Most of the Facebook pages lead to landing pages which encourage users to download password-protected archive files that are allegedly related to generative AI engines. When the link is clicked, victims unknowingly download malware, designed to steal their online passwords, crypto wallets and other information saved in their browser.

There are many versions, from Bard New, Bard Chat, GPT-5, G-Bard AI and others. Some posts and groups also try to take advantage of the popularity of other AI services such as Midjourney and Jasper AI. Seemingly small details matter, such as the fact that the real Jasper AI page has 2 million fans or the length of time the page has been in operation, in telling the genuine from the fake.

According to Sergey Shykevich, Threat Intelligence Group Manager, Check Point Research: "Unfortunately, thousands of people are falling victim to this scam. They are interacting with the fake pages, which furthers their spread – and are even installing malware which is disguised as free AI tools. We urge everyone to be vigilant in ensuring they are only downloading files from authentic and trusted sites."

CPR observed that criminals have gone to great lengths to ensure their pages appear authentic. When a user searches for ‘Midjourney AI’ on Facebook and encounters a page with 1.2 million followers, they are likely to believe it is an authentic page. The principle applies to other indicators of page legitimacy: when posts on the fake page have numerous likes and comments, it indicates that other users have already interacted positively with the content, reducing the likelihood of suspicion.

Additionally, the links to malicious websites are mixed with links to legitimate Midjourney reviews or social networks.

CPR attributed the surge to expanding underground markets, where initial access brokers specialise in acquiring and selling access or credentials to compromised systems. Additionally, the growing value of data used for targeted attacks such as business email compromise and spear-phishing, has fuelled the proliferation of infostealers.

As authentic AI services make it possible for cybercriminals to create and deploy sophisticated, credible scams, it is essential for individuals and organisations to stay vigilant, CPR said. Some rules of thumb to protect yourself include:

- Ignore display names: Phishing sites or emails can be configured to show anything in the display name. Instead of looking at the display name, check the sender’s email or web address to verify that it comes from a trusted and authentic source.

- Verify the domain: Phishers will commonly use domains with minor misspellings or that seem plausible. For example, company.com may be replaced with cormpany.com or an email may be from company-service.com. These misspellings are good indicators.

- Always download software from trusted sources: Instead of downloading software from a Facebook group, go directly to a trusted source, such as the official web page for that software. Do not click on downloads from groups, unofficial forums etc.

- Check the links: URL phishing attacks are designed to trick recipients into clicking on a malicious link. Hover over the links within an email and see if they actually go where they claim. Enter suspicious links into a phishing verification tool like phishtank.com, which will tell you if they are known phishing links. If possible, don’t click on a link at all; visit the company’s site directly and navigate to the indicated page.

Reduce waste and help others through the Freegood app

- Freegood app to facilitate giving away and getting goods for free to reduce waste and help others

- Seamless transaction to give and get things for freeSave the environment and foster community spirit

Free Good, a Singapore-based startup founded to inspire good in people through giving, has developed a social app to help give away and request for goods.

Source: Play Store. Screen captures from the Freegood app.

The free Freegood app was created to provide a hassle-free platform for individuals and organisations to give and receive goods for free. Users to request for and list their own items, as well as arrange meetups with other users of the platform. Location-based functionality matches users with similar listings within a community for convenience, and an in-app currency called Tokens allow users to show their appreciation.

Said Free Good co-founder Sidharth Bhasin, "It's a known fact that the world has a waste problem that has been fuelled by commercialism.  People constantly buy things, sell things and throw things. We have countless apps out there that have made it easy for people sell things with an emphasis on 'me' and making money, however there is nothing out there that makes it easy for people to help others by giving away unwanted items - and saving the environment. So, we created Freegood and our mission is to Inspire good in people through giving and that is exactly what our mobile app aims to do."

"Doing good for the environment and helping others at the same time should be made as easy as possible," added Free Good co-founder Yuvi Bhasin. "With Freegood we address both those challenges.  Unique features in the app ensure that users get tokens of appreciation when they successfully give things away. Ultimately it's all about doing good and feeling good."

Details:

Freegood is available for iOS and Android devices.  

SAUDIA reports social media follower statistics

Saudi Arabian Airlines (SAUDIA), the KSA national carrier, reports that it is the No. 1 most-followed brand on Facebook in KSA, and the 6th most-followed airline brand globally.

The airline hosted its highest-ever passenger count at more than 32 million guests in 2017. The brand introduced 60 new Boeing and Airbus aircraft to its fleet last year; launched a new mobile app; and introduced new destinations as well as new sports sponsorship agreements.

The result has been an exponential growth in its follower base. SAUDIA has 7 million followers on social media. The airline recently surpassed the 1 million mark on Twitter and has more than 5.6 million fans on Facebook, and another 0.5 million followers on Google+.

VP of Corporate Communications, SAUDIA, Abdulrahman Altayeb said: “With many new exciting initiatives taking place within the airline, we are continuously focusing on the guest experience and as a result, have been sharing every new development online so that our guests can view the changes that SAUDIA is implementing.

Screen capture of SAUDIA's Facebook page, captured on 4 February 2018.

“We value our guests’ views and interactions with SAUDIA’s online channels, and so in addition to sharing news about upcoming destinations, new aircraft and new features being introduced, we also utilise our channels to listen to feedback and monitor for issues and intervene with customer care and support.”

Details:

In addition to Facebook (@SAUDIARABIANAIRLINES) and Twitter (@SAUDI_AIRLINES), the airline is also active on Instagram (@SAUDI_AIRLINES), Snapchat (@SAUDIA_AIRLINES), Telegram (@SAUDIA_AIRLINES) and YouTube (@YOUTUBE.COM/SAUDIAIRLINES).

Bayara hits on brilliant digital engagement activity

Bayara, known for its dried fruits, nuts and spices in the Middle East, has organised an iftar (breaking of fast meal during Ramadhan) at The Oberoi, Dubai with a twist - the dishes on the buffet menu were created from recipes crowdsourced from their social media fans.

Source: Bayara. Jean-Marc Lourau, CEO of Bayara, congratulated the winners
whose dishes were featured at the buffet and also shared the progress that
Bayara has made over the last 25 years that they have been in the market.

The invite-only iftar on June 21, 2017 took place at Nine7One restaurant at The Oberoi, Dubai. Fans and their families graced the iftar along with the management of Bayara and media personalities.

Bayara's Head of Marketing, Sylvain Joyau commented, "As a brand we have always focused on connecting with our fans and giving them the best. Driven by this passion, we came up with the idea of Social Iftar, an online-offline activity that helped us have a more intimate relationship with our customers. The event was a huge success only because of our fans and we would like to thank them for their support and love."

With a legacy of 25 years in the region, Bayara has been able to successfully build on the expertise and heritage of Gyma Food Industries, in manufacturing and distributing fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) products across the Middle East and North Africa region. Bayara is looking forward to have many more social events for its fans in the near future to make it a brand that is Full of Life.

Alizz Islamic Bank announces 100K Facebook Likes

Alizz Islamic Bank has reached the milestone of 100,000 Facebook likes. The bank is one of only two banks in Oman to experience such popularity on Facebook.

With a strong belief in the power of social media to improve customer service, Alizz Islamic Bank has significantly enhanced its overall social media presence in the past year. In addition to its Facebook achievements, the bank has crossed the 30,000-follower milestone on Instagram. Alizz Islamic Bank is now the second-most followed bank in Oman, ahead of many of the more established conventional banks and one of only two local banks that have a Snapchat presence.

Alizz Islamic Bank's strong social media presence on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat and LinkedIn continues to stand out amongst local financial institutions by emphasising the significance of the 'human touch' to start a two-way conversation with the audience, engaging with them on topics of their interest, the bank said. By integrating social media into the banks existing campaigns or creating new ones that capitalize on the spirit of the Omani community, Alizz Islamic Bank has successfully raised the profile of its brand and said marketing using social media has brought solid results.

"We are dedicated to keeping our customers at the heart of everything we do and engaging with them on their platform of choice. Our social media channels give a sense of community with our social media followers; focusing on engagement and listening to what they want. Alizz Islamic Bank is proud to be at the forefront of digital tool adoption. As people rely more and more on social media to receive information and communicate, it is crucial that we as an organisation embrace digital strategies in marketing. Social media enables us to engage with customers more efficiently and with greater precision," said Moosa Al Jadidi, COO, Alizz Islamic Bank.

"Our social media channels are not just about advertising but rather about creating a connection with our customers and providing them with a plethora of channels to interact with us, as well as provide us with feedback and ask questions. We have the best online response time amongst local banks and this is what sets us apart from others and has been central to our success on every social media platform."

Starbucks and Weixin launch social gifting feature

Source Starbucks. Starbucks and Weixin launch a new social
gifting feature.

用星说 (say it with 'stars', ie Starbucks), a new social gifting feature on China mobile social communications service Weixin, has been launched. The move follows a strategic partnership announcement between Starbucks and Tencent in December 2016.

The service allows users to instantly gift a Starbucks beverage or digital gift card to others. “Our new social gifting feature aims to deepen the shared moments of connection by allowing our customers to express their love, concern and gratitude, with the gift of Starbucks, to the people most important to them,” said Belinda Wong, CEO, Starbucks China.

"By leveraging the power and reach of Weixin, we want to encourage everyday simple acts of kindness to put a smile on someone’s face at any time or place, while elevating the unique Starbucks Experience beyond our retail stores in China.”

During the initial launch period, Weixin offers a shortcut to 用星说 users within its Weixin Wallet-function, demonstrating the significance of the strategic partnership to both companies. The Starbucks China Weixin official account will provide permanent access to the social gifting feature.

Users will be able to select from a carefully curated selection of Starbucks-branded gifts and add a personalised message in the form of text, image or video. Gifts are saved in the recipient’s Weixin app and can be redeemed at any Starbucks store on mainland China.

“This is the beginning of an exciting social gifting journey for Starbucks. During the trial phase two weeks ago, our partners (employees) and many Starbucks customers became the first in China to experience this innovation and have conveyed tens of thousands of gestures of love, gratitude and care to their friends and loved ones,” said Molly Liu, VP, China Digital Ventures, Starbucks.

“We are looking forward to inspire even more of our customers to show their love and appreciation through ‘Say it with Starbucks.’ Meanwhile, we will continue to enhance the social gifting experience to celebrate important festivals and holidays in China and the special moments in our customers’ lives.”

A sister product of WeChat, Weixin targets Chinese domestic users, and together, the platform has 846 million global monthly active users as of Q316.

Interested?

Read the WorkSmart Asia blog post about Starbucks' partnership with Tencent for gifting

Singtel makes tickets available for Nathan Hartono showcase

Source: Singtel. Nathan Hartono recently performed live on Singtel's Facebook page.

More than 99,000 views and counting for the video of Nathan Hartono’s performance last week that was broadcast via Singtel’s Facebook page. The event continues Singtel’s Christmas tradition of giving back to the community and supporting the Singtel Touching Lives Fund.

Fans had the opportunity to interact with Hartono and ask him to perform song dedications to their loved ones at the event, organised by Singtel to celebrate the festive season and spread the joy of giving.

Three pairs of tickets to the Up-close with Nathan Hartono showcase at The Millian, St James Power Station on 21 January 2017 are now up for grabs. All fans have to do is to comment on the Nathan’s live performance video before 26 December (2359 hours) on Singtel’s Facebook page and say who they would like to bring to the showcase and why.

Singtel customers who purchase a Samsung Galaxy S7 or Galaxy S7 edge at any Singtel shop from 17 December 2016, and sign up for a premium Singtel Music subscription with Spotify, KKBOX, Saavn or TIDAL will receive a pair of tickets for the showcase. Limited tickets are available.

Interested?

Visit Singtel's Facebook page and watch the video

posted from Bloggeroid

Scammers set more lures after Kardashian news trends

News about a celebrity goes viral, and the scammers go to work. Earlier this week scammers capitalised on reports that US social media star Kim Kardashian West was robbed at gunpoint in her private Paris residence.

Norton reported that within 24 hours after the incident was made public, there was a 2,400% increase in Kim Kardashian-related spam and scams. In order to make money, steal personal information or do damage, Norton notes that attackers use current events as a hook to play on people’s emotions and attract attention. As a result, nearly 100 different subject-line variations were seen in spam messages alone associated with Kardashian’s name, including “Breaking News” and “Photos of” in the subject line. The majority of messages Norton has tracked so far are in English, French and German.

Media reports commenting on the rubbery point to social media as a way for intruders to enter personal lives. Norton's tips for Snapchat and Instagram users include:

Geotagging
o By default, Snapchat provides no information about someone’s location. However, users can use geofilters which apply a special overlay to their snaps. This information is usually the name of the city, state or associated with a landmark or business, but it does not pinpoint the users’ approximate location.

o Instagram on the other hand allows users to geotag their photos or videos with a specific landmark/location. The only other way to identify someone’s location would be by identifying any landmarks in the images themselves. So remember, don’t geotag photos from personal locations (like your home, office, a friend or family members’ home)!

Privacy settings
o Ensure that you regularly review your privacy settings
o Remove geotags on previously posted photos from these personal locations by viewing your photomap (Instagram)
o If you’re a Snapchat user, be sure you know who can view your Snapchat stories and who can contact you

Social engineering scams come in many forms, Norton adds. Some files of thumb include:

- Don’t open e-mails or click on attachments from those you don’t know

- Be sceptical: just because you’ve seen it on your newsfeed doesn’t mean it’s not a scam. Your friends may have fallen victim to a click-jacking scam and may not not even be aware of it. They may have clicked on a link which then hijacks their address book and sends phishing requests to their friends without their knowledge.

- Hover over the URL before clicking to see what kind of site you’ll be redirected to – it is best to visit only websites you know and trust. Tools like Norton Safe Search can verify a website’s legitimacy

- Be suspicious of any calls to action such as filling a form (phishes personal details), downloading a plug-in (could be malware) or the need to share with friends before actually watching or reading the promised content

- Report suspicious activities or content to the social media platform or your e-mail service provider

posted from Bloggeroid

Qantas lets travellers link Instagram snaps with out-of-office email responses

Source: Qantas Out of Office website.

Qantas has launched Qantas Out Of Office, a new service that transforms the generic out-of-office email reply into a real-time photographic travel journal.

Qantas Out of Office connects an email address with Instagram and updates the auto reply message with holiday Instagram photos that are tagged with the hashtag #qantasoutofoffice.

To set it up, people need to go to qantasoutofoffice.com, connect their Instagram account and email address, enter the dates that they are out of the office, where they are travelling to, and a simple message.

Qantas Group Executive Brand, Marketing & Corporate Affairs Olivia Wirth said the airline hoped the new out of office travelogue would inspire more colleagues, friends and family to travel the world.

“The traditional out of office message can be both generic and impersonal in nature and from our research, 60% of employees say they appreciate receiving something more creative,” she said.

“We know that tips from friends and colleagues are the highest driver for people when choosing their next holiday destination, so we saw an opportunity to encourage travel through the millions of out of office emails being sent every day.

“There’s no better real-time platform than Instagram to promote global travel, especially when combined with Qantas’ vast domestic and international network which offers endless opportunities for original and inspirational images.

“Whether it’s a snap of a traveller relaxing under a palm tree in the Whitsundays or sampling dumplings in Hong Kong, the images will create travel envy and travel aspirations.”

Instagram Brand Development Lead, Australia and New Zealand Sophie Blachford said Qantas Out of Office is a unique and clever platform for an airline because most people who are travelling will activate their out of office as their final gesture before jetting off.

“With this new service, moments from the holiday you’re on will provide colour and personalisation to what’s otherwise a rather mundane computer generated email,” she said.

How it works:

+ The application features only the photos tagged with #qantasoutofoffice, so people can choose which photos make up their auto reply message. The service also works with private Instagram accounts.

+ Qantas Out of Office is available globally to anyone with Hotmail and Gmail, including other domains that use the Gmail inbox.

+ The auto reply message for people using email through the Outlook desktop application will feature a link that takes recipients to a webpage collection of their Instagrammed holiday photos.


Interested?

Activate Qantas Out of Office

Watch the how-to video for Qantas Out of Office

Twitter announces first-ever Singaporean music collaboration with @Sezairi

● #SezairiQA and live songs on Twitter and Periscope @ 6:30pm on 31 August 2016
● #SezairiLive debut show at Twitter APAC HQ in Singapore @ 7:30pm on 2 September 2016
● Winners of @Sezairi photo caption contest get free tickets to #SezairiLive event


Following a pre-listening party (#SezairiPreLP) on Twitter in the previous week, Singapore idol Sezairi (@Sezairi) will be performing live (#SezairiLive) on Twitter, Periscope and at Twitter’s Asia Pacific headquarters this week.

#NowPlaying Fire To The Floor by Sezairi https://t.co/odNx4FHOIx

— SEZAIRI (@sezairi) August 25, 2016

“Music is one of the most widely discussed topics on Twitter in Singapore and around the world. We’re happy to work with our global music partners like Sony Music on supporting local acts and Sezairi is a great choice for our first Singaporean music partnership. He’s very good at using Twitter to show his personality and to connect with his fans in the moment, such as when he live-Tweeted a taxi driver listening to his new song,” said Pratiksha Rao, Head of Media Partnerships, Twitter Southeast Asia.

She added, “We’re excited to do more in the local music scene and our work with Sezairi is a great example of how Twitter and Periscope give artists a global stage to engage in real-time with passionate music lovers, as well as enable fans to interact with their favourite music stars through Tweets, photos and live video.”

Sezairi’s fans in Singapore and around the world can see behind-the-scenes action and live content from the show by following @Sezairi and @SonyMusicSG official Twitter and Periscope accounts or searching for the #SezairiLive hashtag on Twitter and Periscope.

Interested?

Sezairi Part 1 will be at 6:30pm, August 31 via a live Twitter Q&A and Periscope viewing session. Fans can Tweet their questions in advance using the #SezairiQA hashtag and follow the Twitter and Periscope accounts @Sezairi to see his answers. There will be acoustic performances of several songs from his new self-titled album on Periscope.

Sezairi Part 2 will be on September 2 at Twitter’s Asia Pacific headquarters for the first-ever live show of the tracks from his new extended play recording (EP). The #SezairiLive event starts with the VIP Meet & Greet from 6:45pm to 7:15pm, after which the doors open at 7:30pm for music fans. Standard (S$25) and VIP (S$30) tickets are available online. Free tickets are on offer by tweeting a caption for a photo of Sezairi's cat Khaleesi:

Just my cat Khaleesi chillin...CAPTION THIS & win a pair of tix to my showcase 2nd Sep! #LoveCatsSG #SezairiLive pic.twitter.com/IijM3H3K6O

— SEZAIRI (@sezairi) August 16, 2016

View the Sezairi Pre-Listening Party

Hashtags: #LoveCatsSG, #SezairiLive, #SezairiPreLP, #SezairiQA 

Instagram did better than Facebook for Rio 2016

Source: ComScore. Social network interactions between Facebook and Instagram for July 2016 around the Olympic games, which ran from 5 to 21 August.

ComScore has reported that social network Instagram was the star for engagement during Rio 2016, although Facebook - which owns Instagram - was the main social platform used to share official content before the event.

In June, the UK ranked third in the world in total unique visitors on RIO2016.COM, followed by Australia and Argentina. Latin American countries were in the top two. Other highlights included:

• With 3 million fans around the world, the Rio 2016 Facebook page increased post cadence before the Olympic games when compared to the previous quarter. Frequency grew from 47 posts per week between April and May to 55 during July 2016.
• During July, 40% of total actions on the RIO 2016 Facebook page were generated by posts containing videos. Once the games started, posts with photos took precedence, responsible for 81% of total actions during the first weekend of the games, including likes, shares and comments.
• 63% of official Rio 2016 social content was posted on Facebook during July. However, despite less content, Instagram was responsible for 72% of the total actions on Rio 2016 social networks during the same month.

Huawei P9 and India Photo Project launch Monochrome award in India

Source: Instagram. Top posts at the time of writing for the contest hashtag #ipp_ma2016.

Huawei P9 and the Instagram-driven India Photo Project have announced the Monochrome award in celebration of World Photography Day (August 19). The hunt for India's best black-and-white Instagrammer will celebrate visions in monochrome from 20 August till 31 August.

The contest will be judged by Sumit Dayal, who was named CNN's Indian Instagrammer of the Year, 2015; Tara Bedi, India's first Instagram employee, Devika Daulet Singh, Director, PHOTOINK, a photography gallery; and Neeraj Priyadarshini, the Photo Editor at Indian Express.

"Capturing something in colour is to capture their appearance but capturing something in black and white is akin to capturing their essence," said Dayal.

Peter Zhai, President, Huawei India Consumer Business Group said, "Huawei is known for many firsts. With this award, we aim to lend our support to the India Photo Project and bring to light the beauty and essence of the black and white images. The recent launch of our Huawei P9 redefines the smartphone photography experience by leveraging the unrivalled capabilities of Leica, the leader in the world of imaging for more than 100 years, and this award helps us to curate such experiences." 

The winner of the award will walk away with a newly-launched Huawei P9, the first smartphone co-engineered with Leica that has a dual-lens camera, setting new benchmarks in smartphone photography. The two 12-megapixel rear cameras of the Huawei P9 work in tandem to enable users to create images of superior detail, depth and colour by capturing more light and stitching together both colour and monochrome images.

Interested?

Read the rules for the Monochrome award. Entries can be uploaded on Instagram with the hash-tag #ipp_ma2016. 

Watch the associated celebrity video for the Huawei P9

Meltwater breaks down social media coverage for Singapore's National Day

Meltwater, which provides media intelligence services, has charted Singapore's 51st birthday on social media from the period of August 4 to August 10, 2016. The company named brands such as Singtel, StarHub, M1 and Jetstar as participating in the use of related hashtags, including #SG50, #SG51, #NDP2016, #starhubsg51, #majulahmom, #jetstarsinglish, and #jestarsg51.

The #SG50 hashtag was introduced for Singapore's 50th birthday, and #SG51 continues in that tradition. While there were 28,048,000 mentions of #SG50 in the days leading up to and including Singapore's National Day (August 9) in social media in 2015, against 3,660,000 mentions of #SG51 for the same period this year the majority of this conversations reflected positive sentiments for the celebration, Meltwater said.

Source: Meltwater. Graph showing share of voice by brand for the #SG51 hashtag for the period from August 4 to 10, 2016.

#NDP2016 refers to the annual National Day Parade, while StarHub's viral tribute to mothers in Singapore, Majulah Mom, had its own hashtag. Last but not least, airline JetStar followed on from an April Fool's Day skit about introducing Singlish on flights with the actual use of Singlish on flights on August 9.

Meltwater tracks share of voice as part of its services, and says that Jetstar won the overall battle of share of voice on social media and saw the most positive responses, while Singtel had the most exposure.

Global mobile social influencer network launched

VOLTU, the performance-led social influencer network for mobile acquisition, has officially launched. By mobile adtech pioneer Glispa Global Group, VOLTU connects advertisers with content creators worldwide in order to drive app installs, brand awareness and engagement, and is a take-off from Glispa's bespoke social influencer ad campaigns for clients like Square Enix and Chinese giant Youzu.

Influencer marketing has proven to be an effective way to motivate and engage consumers because it harnesses the power of authentic, meaningful content, created by consumers, for consumers. Consumers find this medium of advertising trusted and valuable, rather than interruptive and contrived.

VOLTU is set apart from other social influencer solutions by its proprietary adtech platform and its ability to reach beyond the US into other regions, including Southeast Asia. VOLTU has over 30 thousand social influencers in its network with over 3,500 apps to promote. Influencers with anywhere from 10 thousand to millions of followers are invited to apply and run campaigns on the VOLTU network. Influencers can get paid for creating more of the posts and content that authentically fit with their followers.

The network taps into all significant social channels worldwide, which will allow advertisers to reach global audiences in a highly efficient way. VOLTU’s local influencer partners create authentic, relevant content across local platforms such as AfreecaTV (Korea), Douyu (China), and NicoNico (Japan).

“With VOLTU we address inherent mobile ad industry challenges including advertisers’ needs for transparency and fraud protection, ever-diminishing user engagement with banner ads, and the rise of ad blockers,” said Samantha Turner, Commercial Director and VOLTU Creator/ambassador. “We offer our advertising clients a hyper-native solution, leveraging trusted authorities in their topic areas (e.g. gaming) to drive high-value user acquisition and brand awareness at scale.”

Gary Lin, CEO and founder, adds, “Glispa Global Group is employing its 8+ years of performance DNA, proprietary technology and unprecedented global reach to make this incredibly valuable delivery method viable for all marketers. VOLTU connects advertisers with thousands of influencers worldwide to promote apps, drive installs and develop stronger customer relationships or lifetime value.”

VOLTU’s technology platform leverages the Glispa platform, which includes advanced tracking and attribution, campaign management, reporting and analytics, quality optimisation, fraud analysis and billing system.

Yahoo launches new bots to help users stay connected

Yahoo has launched three new bots to help users get the latest news, stock market trends and weather forecasts respectively. A fourth bot is a virtual pet monkey that will exchange chats and emojis with the user.

The Yahoo Finance, Yahoo News, Yahoo Weather and MonkeyPet bots are now available on Facebook Messenger.

To get started, users can simply type @YahooNews, for instance, in the Facebook search bar and message the Yahoo News app to get the latest news. The bot will immediately answer, and might provide additional links to information or options.

Source: Yahoo. 

Yahoo Finance (@YahooFinance), exclusive to Messenger, is a bot that allows users to search the latest finance and stock news and information. Information can also be shared with your friends.

The Yahoo News bot (@YahooNews) helps users to discover trending stories and dive deeper into the news.

Yahoo Weather (@YahooWeather) gathers weather information and allows selected Flickr images to be shared.

MonkeyPet (@MonkeyPet) is a virtual pet that shares selfies from its “travels.”

Interested?

Open Facebook Messenger on either iOS or Android and send a message to @YahooFinance, @YahooNews, @YahooWeather or @MonkeyPet.

posted from Bloggeroid

LINE shows how LINE@ can raise customer engagement

LINE, the global lifestyle platform, is highlighting how LINE@, one of LINE’s Family apps, can help entrepreneurs reach out to a wider audience. The service lets users create official accounts to share both personal and professional content. A LINE@ account allows users to engage directly with customers and fans with functionality such as a Timeline to post content on, one-on-one chats with fans and customers for real-time business updates, as well as a polling function that allows users to gather feedback seamlessly:

Reach an audience of thousands
Send mass messages to customers and fans that have friended your account to promote your business and events, or gather feedback from followers.

Share updates easily
Post your updates via the Timeline and keep your followers updated on new products and services.

Stay connected anytime, anywhere
Add LINE@ account information to business cards so fans and customers have another way to reach you.

Survey customers for feedback
Set up polls with LINE@’s research page to gather feedback on products and services, or capture customer profile data such as age, gender. You can even use the statistics provided to monitor user behaviour.

Thank fans for their support
Give readers, fans and customers a treat with coupons with your LINE account. LINE’s new app feature, Coupon Book, allows LINE users to keep track of all the coupons they receive via LINE.

Interested?

Choose from two plan options – free or paid – to gain access to LINE@’s features. A free plan includes 1,000 sent messages a month. A paid plan starts from US$50 a month and includes 50,000 messages sent a month. Each message beyond that costs US$0.01 for paid plans; free plans are limited to 1,000 messages. Sign up

Twitter offers video content for marketing campaigns with First View

Source: Twitter. How First View works.

Twitter has introduced First View in Asia Pacific. The feature is a way to share brand stories with video content across Twitter's audience, the company said. As of April 2016, Statista says that Twitter has 320 million users.

Asia Pacific is the largest and fastest-growing region for Twitter worldwide, and First View can empower Asian businesses of any size to take their marketing campaigns to the next level using Twitter's platform for real-time, public conversations. Nike Philippines, Samsung Australia and Tata Motors India are among the first advertisers in the region to leverage the feature.

"Audiences today demand video content. With First View, marketers have the ability to connect with their audience through richer forms of communication and creative content, while ensuring that they are constantly top-of-mind on their feeds," said Maya Hari, Senior Director for Product Strategy & Sales, Asia Pacific, Latin America and Emerging Markets. "First View provides advertisers with the opportunity to own the most valuable ad space on our platform on any given day, expanding their reach within a 24-hour period."

Premium placement

When users first visit the Twitter app or log in to twitter.com, the top ad slot in the timelines will be a Promoted Video from that brand. "Word of mouth is more important than ever. Twitter's First View gives Samsung the opportunity to reach a wide audience to generate buzz and conversation about our new #GalaxyS7 and #GalaxyS7edge smartphones. We are able to hit a broad audience with great video content to help drive social momentum," said Philip Newton, Corporate Vice President & CMO Samsung Electronics Australia.

"Video is one of the hottest topics for all marketers at the moment. We are delighted to see exciting products being launched by Twitter, giving us more opportunities to build great experience for our audience. The ability of using video to generate global conversations and dominate moments of interest with First View opens up a great playing field, and ties in strongly with Mindshare's vision of Adaptive Marketing," said Quentin Perrot, Senior Account Director APAC, MindShare, the company managing Nike's media strategy in Southeast Asia.

Interested?

First View is now available in 29 countries including the Asia Pacific markets Australia, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines and Singapore.

Yahoo Mail adds to the types of content that can be added to emails

The updated Yahoo Mail app users can now send files from Google Drive or Dropbox, as well as GIFs from Tumblr when as part of their email messages. Now that users can manage multiple mailboxes from the Yahoo Mail app, the latest update helps them send emails that include content via more sources from any of their email addresses.

Source: Yahoo. Add GIFs
from Tumblr to emails.

When composing an email in the Yahoo Mail app, users can choose from top-trending GIFs around the world, courtesy of Tumblr. Tapping on the cloud icon in compose mode will lead to an invitation to connect Google Drive or Dropbox accounts, allowing instant access to all files in the cloud. Yahoo Mail will also surface items based on title or file contents for easier searching.

Additional features:

Preview large files instantly on iPhone and iPad, without downloading it first

Delete drafts permanently on Android

Android home screen widgets offer dynamically-updated information about the inbox: a preview, a badged icon, and a shortcut to the compose screen.

Interested?

These updates to the Yahoo Mail app are available for iOS (version 4.3) and Android (version 5.4).

posted from Bloggeroid

The Minute List is all about dining where chefs and baristas do

Hurrah! Productions, a TV and digital content agency in Asia, has launched The Minute List, Singapore’s first video-driven bar and restaurant guide.

The online platform shares one-minute videos of the city’s most popular restaurants, bars and cafes, and enables consumers to make reservations at the establishments. The places featured are nominated by people in the trade, including chefs, bartenders and baristas. Nominated venues receive a video interview with the head chef, bartender or barista, allowing a quick glimpse into the ambience and offerings of the outlet, as well as an insight into the inspiration and menus. Content on each venue will also include a catalogue of photos and social media support. 

Led by James Rotheram, CEO and founder of Hurrah! Productions - the agency that has produced commercials for clients including the BBC, Volvo and Singapore Airlines - the Minute list will first launch with a website, followed by a Minute List Application, which will include live geographic capabilities to find the the best venues nearby.

“Our objective with the Minute List is to complement existing dining guides by providing engaging video content, based on recommendations by the people in the industry. After all who better to sell a restaurant experience than its chef?” noted Rotheram.

Future expansion plans will include teaming up with partners to extend the offering beyond a booking system as well as opportunities for commercial sponsors and advertisers.

Interested?

At the time of writing there were 28 videos available.

View the video for 28 Hong Kong Street

View the video for Artichoke

Shop and donate at the same time with Happi

Source: Happi. Screenshots above from the Happi iOS app: (left) shopping categories, (centre) a sample merchant offering, (right) partner categories.

Happi, a social enterprise startup, has launched its web and mobile applications (iOS and Android) in Singapore. The company has built a community that matches sponsors, merchants and members in targeted consumer segments. Sponsors receive market intelligence, merchants enjoy direct access to members for marketing, whereas members receive tailored promotions as well as discounts on products and services.

Transactions at Happi earn 'smiles' which drive donations to a cause chosen by the member. Specifically, Happi encourages member activity with prizes and tailored promotions. Members can log in, select deals they want to win or buy, and then take a five-question survey. The completed survey enables smiles to be earned, driving a donation to the member's charity of choice, and also downloads the coupon for the deal to the member's phone, and enters them in a lucky draw to win that item. As an added incentive, members who select 10 offerings from Happi's e-shop per month get another chance to win an item on their wishlist in what Happi calls a Random Act of Happiness. Members may also purchase smiles.

Brands fund Happi as sponsors. Happi generates income from generating consumer data: completed survey responses, focus group recruitment, targeted promotions as well as data from members with specific profiles. The 90 merchants which Happi currently works with, on the other hand, pay Happi a marketing fee for sales generated. Happi in turn donates to the Happi member's chosen cause from this fee.

Happi currently features 45 teams, clubs, charities, student groups and community groups which a member can choose to fund, which the company terms 'partners'. Each member designates a partner to contribute to. Happi pays the designated partner every time there is activity from that member: S$1 for the initial signup, then S$0.10 per smile, S$10,000 for each 50,000 smiles, and S$5 for every purchase made. The company estimates that if every 1,000 active members complete just one five-question survey per day, it can drive S$144,000 annually to each partner organisation. 

Greg Lipper, Happi's Founder and Chief Happiness Officer, said, “Happi is a platform for people helping people where each participant’s small acts lead to big impacts for any cause they’re passionate about. We are especially excited to launch in Singapore, where people are so busy that they find it challenging to support the causes and groups they care about. Happi now gives people a fast, easy, free, and rewarding way to give support to the group they care about. This is a great example of how social enterprises can create huge social benefit while also being sustainable without individual financial support, and at a very grassroots level.”

Rob Pierce, co-founder of Edible Garden City (EGC), which champions the practice of growing food in underutilised urban spaces like rooftops and sidewalks, is a Happi supporter. He said, "Our partnership has made it quick and easy for both new and existing EGC followers to drive funds towards our organisation, get special offers on great products, and potentially win those products in Happi's lucky draws and Random Acts of Happiness. We will use the money Happi gives us to improve our infrastructure at the Autism Resource Centre. In addition to financial support, Happi also provides EGC free publicity, facilitates corporate sponsorships, and supports our events. All of this helps us deliver on our vision to make Singapore an Edible Garden City." 

Yong Teck Meng, National Director of Habitat for Humanity Singapore, said,”Our partnership has enabled us to reach both new and existing Habitat supporters to raise awareness and funds in our endeavour to improve the quality of life for those from disadvantaged and marginalised backgrounds. Happi gives us a vehicle to teach people about the importance of action and to support our vision to have a world where everyone has a decent place to live.” 

CaptionCube, a social enterprise that provides captioning services to convert speech into text, is also an early adopter Happi partner. Lim Jingjie, co-founder of CaptionCube said, ”Happi is a great idea because it allows people to shop and browse through interesting new products and do good at the same time! We will use the money Happi gives us to subsidise the costs of captioning services for deaf/hard of hearing students in Institutes of Higher Learning. This helps us deliver on our vision to build a more inclusive and accessible learning environment." 

Interested?

Download the app

Browse the list of over 45 Happi partners. Send email about becoming a partner to partners at happi.sg

View the list of over 90 Happi merchants. Send email about becoming a merchant to suppliers at happi.sg

That's why at Happi, we offer not only products, but services, events and more! Sign up with the promo code "IG-1" and find out about us on www.happi.sg

A photo posted by @happi.sg on Jan 3, 2016 at 10:05pm PST