Facebook + iOS14 = Help is on the way. The highly anticipated iOS 14.5 update from Apple was released in late April and privacy changes came with this update. “The following steps, in order of priority, are a starting point based on the information we’ve received from Facebook about how we should prepare for the best transition into the new environment.” Get the guide here. — Source: TwoSix Digital
SiriusXM is starting a TikTok music channel to appeal to teens. Sirius, which owns Pandora and the podcast company Stitcher, launched a partnership with the social video app that will deliver TikTok-popularized music to the satellite radio provider. — Source: The Verge
Twitter has just brought back the blue tick verification—clout, caché, coveted—that it suspended in November 2017. Eligible users must fit the criteria in one of six categories: companies; brands and organizations; entertainment; government; news organizations and journalists; activists, organizers and other influential individuals; or sports and gaming. There are currently about 360,000 verified accounts. — Source: AdWeek
Clubhouse, a community-focused, audio-based app, has had a meteoric rise (now 10 million users) in the last several months and is not yet fully launched. “Facebook is being very ‘Facebook’ and has its own audio rival in the works, while Twitter already launched its own feature in Twitter Spaces to select users. There are rumors that LinkedIn and Spotify are working on their own versions as well. The future of audio content is here, and marketers should get their strategies ready.” — Source: Sparkloft Media
Related: Falling Out of Love With an App
Instagram is currently testing an auto-caption feature for Instagram Stories. The platform will attempt to transcribe videos you post on Stories in a sticker, widening the reach of content in situations where users have their sound off to increase engagement and views. This would also make Stories more accessible for the hearing-impaired. — Source: Sparkloft Media
TikTok has begun to build out its Ads Library, allowing brands to see what’s currently being promoted by other brands on the platform divided by region and industry. It even includes trending non-promoted videos to provide a glimpse of what’s currently popular on the platform. The library is not fully built out yet, but this will be the one-stop-shop for advertisers to get a feel of what’s going on paid-wise in their respective sectors. — Source: Sparkloft Media
Amazon has noticed TikTok, creating a new website page to spotlight “internet-famous” products that they can barely keep in stock. Some are mainstream household cleaning items (!) like Dawn and Fabuloso, “toilet bowls rinsed in Lysol, and sinks covered in Comet.” — Source: AdAge
Pinterest has added eight new ad categories to help hone in on the most relevant audiences depending on the niches your experiences serve. Newly added categories: Bucket Listers, Culture Chasers, Digital Nomads, Foodie Travelers, Memory Makers, Outdoor Junkies, Rural Tourists, and Weekend Travelers. “This makes having both an organic and paid Pinterest strategy even more compelling.” — Source: TwoSixDigital
###
Going, going, gone: ‘Charlie Bit My Finger’ sold for $760,999 as an NFT
YouTube: ‘Charlie Bit My Finger,’ the 56-second clip that was once the most-viewed video on YouTube, could be leaving the platform for good.
“Collector 3F Music snapped up an NFT (non-fungible token) of the 56-second video, which shows an infant biting his brother’s finger and giggling, for $760,999.
Origin Protocol, which ran the auction, said in a statement the plan was to remove the original video from YouTube and then for it to be ‘memorialized on the blockchain.’ At the time of writing, the original ‘Charlie Bit My Finger’ is still on YouTube, but it’s unlisted. It has more than 883 million views. If the clip does get taken down, you might be able to watch it elsewhere if you really feel the need to re-live that experience.” — Source: Engadget.com
Anyone care to learn the back story? P.S. Harry and Charlie’s dad didn’t realize £1 million, but still…
Greater Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau retains executive recruiting firm SearchWide Global to identify a new president and CEO replacing the retiring longtime leader Pat Moscaritolo. The CVB wants a leader with proven success in developing staff and building a strong, dynamic, and effective team with a positive organizational culture. The right candidate will have knowledge of the travel and tourism industry; its distribution channels and customer base; a thorough understanding of the regional destination; and its sales, marketing, and business challenges.
SearchWide Global also has searches currently open for:
Central Pennsylvania Convention & Visitors Bureau lands a new leader, recruiting Jeffrey Vasser as the executive director of the DMO. Vasser had served as Executive Director of the New Jersey Division of Travel & Tourism and the Atlantic City Convention & Visitors Authority. He succeeds Betsey Howell, who retired last year after leading the organization for 35 years.
Paul Hawes is appointed as chief marketing officer of destination marketing organization Tourism Victoria. Hawes has more than 22 years of progressive tourism marketing and sales experience including positions with Destination NSW, Australia and the Canadian Tourism Commission.
Karolyn Kirchgesler, CEO of Visit San Jose, announced a partnership with Travel Channel and U.S. Travel Association to participate in their 30 Days of Getaways national sweepstakes. The sweepstakes is in support of “Project Time Off” the U.S. Travel Association’s program to encourage Americans to take vacation. Travel Channel is giving away a different dream trip every day for 30 days as part of their national sweepstakes. San Jose was the featured destination on September 20 and again on October 6. Get full details of the sweepstakes giveaway 
News from the world of digital radio: SiriusXM plans to purchase Oakland, CA-based Pandora for $3.5 billion, the companies said Monday. The all-stock deal would elevate SiriusXM to the world’s largest audio programming company, combining Pandora’s more than 70 million monthly active users with SiriusXM’s over 36 million subscribers across North America. The companies expect over $7 billion in combined revenue in 2018. The transaction will likely close in the first quarter of 2019.