Spotify to play on your emotions?
We all sometimes choose music based on how we are feeling whether that’s upbeat songs to dance around the room to (note – must turn video off before doing this!) or sad songs to help us wallow. Now it seems that we won’t need to make the choice ourselves for too much longer as Spotify has patented technology that will allow it to analyse your voice and suggest songs based on your "emotional state, gender, age, or accent".
Find out more about how the technology will work here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-55839655
Have you joined the club?
Audio only app Clubhouse is the latest app trying to do in 2021 what TikTok did in 2020. The app, which is currently invite only, has seen significant growth in Europe in the past month, with the UK and Germany having the highest number of downloads outside of the US. Interest is so high that some users are already selling invites on eBay! It remains to be seen whether it can maintain the momentum but is definitely one to watch over the next few months:
Discover what makes Clubhouse so appealing: https://sifted.eu/articles/clubhouse-takes-europe-by-storm/
Is Bebo back?
And talking of platforms to watch, we may soon see the return of Bebo. Co-founder Michael Birch, who retained rights to the brand when it was sold to Amazon Twitch in 2019, has been outlining plans to take on Facebook and Twitter. The focus – which may sound familiar to those who originally joined Facebook to connect with people rather than brands or publishers – would be in ‘real time’ interactions between friends. At its peak Bebo had 40m users and was once worth £623m but Birch has called this latest venture an ‘experiment’.
Read more about Birch’s plans for Bebo here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-55908193
Shoppable YouTube Videos
YouTube has become the latest platform to offer shoppable ad offerings. The tool, which is currently being tested but is expected to roll out to select creators and affiliates from the spring, allows mobile and web viewers to link directly to and purchases products featured in the video.
Read more here: https://www.modernretail.co/platforms/with-youtubes-new-shoppable-tools-the-video-platform-wars-are-heating-up/
And finally...
We’ve taken a closer look at direct-to-consumer selling in our latest FRESH blog here: https://www.ceres-pr.co.uk/blogs/is-it-time-to-go-dtc
