It started out as a humble and childlike campaign for McDonald’s character Grimace, but his Grimace shake has become a dark TikTok trend.

A limited edition purple-coloured milkshake was released to celebrate Grimace’s birthday. What soon followed was a social media storm, a meme, as TikTok users post video of (fake) catastrophic side effects of the drink.

What is the Grimace shake?

An unsuspecting purple milkshake, the Grimace shake first got the internet’s attention when it was described as having the flavour of ‘Grimace’. The limited edition drink debuted on 12 June 2023, and was honouring the large purple monster’s birthday. It was part of what was dubbed the ‘Grimace meal’. 

But when the rather oddly coloured drink hit the market in the US, it received mixed reviews, followed by becoming the internet’s rallying cry for likes and shares. After ingesting the mysterious drink, people would start convulsing, losing control, maybe even (bravely) spitting purple goo all over themselves.

Some videos range from a few seconds to epic feature length (TikTok’s version of feature length, so about two minutes) – but the punchline is always the same, this Grimace shake will have deadly consequences.

Is this good for McDonald’s?

Although the McDonald’s and the interesting flavour choice is the butt of the joke, the fast food chain is laughing all the way to the bank. The US-only meal has gone viral, with Australians asking whereabouts the ghastly drink is available. People who normally don’t indulge in fast food weren’t going to give up the opportunity to go viral. 

All in all, it’s free marketing. Nothing goes past the internet.

The history of Grimace

The cute campaign plays directly into the mystery of Grimace. No one quite knows what the furry creature is. In 2014 a Tweet from the company stated that “Grimace lore says he is the embodiment of a milkshake or a taste bud.” So, in this fashion of Grimace being shrouded by mystery, the dedicated purple drink has not been granted a specific flavour.

Available with an order that includes a Big Mac, 10-piece McNugget and a medium fries, Aussies will be disappointed to learn that the mystery beverage won’t be coming over to our shores. 

An established anonymity platform is giving networking a go, diversifying functionality and revitalising visuals as it expands. Glassdoor has been known as the home of workplace reviews, where anonymity afforded employees the freedom of honesty in ways other platforms cannot offer. 

Now, with a major rebrand from partner agency Koto, the platform has new communicative features to pair with a refreshed style.

“Our work focused on shifting the experience from being a destination purely for insights, into a community for real work talk,” Koto posted on its LinkedIn page.

“Together, we built Glassdoor a holistic identity exuding confidence, transparency, and open-mindedness—positioning the brand as the centre of workplace conversations.”

Expanding beyond the rumblings of disgruntled former employees

Enhanced communication is a functional leap that can help the company branch out to new and more engaged users.

‘Bowls’ are spaces for direct chatting with optional levels of anonymity within companies,  industries or communities, so that professionals can seek assistance with their concerns. Employers can keep tabs on staff expressions, but in small companies this could see the feature gain little traction as identities are easier to uncover.

This follows Glassdoor’s 2021 acquisition of networking app Fishbowl, a natural partnership due to a common ethos of frank feedback. Now named ‘Fishbowl by Glassdoor’, the app has similar offerings to what Glassdoor is integrating into its main service.

“Today, Glassdoor becomes a home for workplace conversations,” says senior creative director Tim Murray. 

“We’re incorporating real talk in real time into our experience.”

Refreshed visuals bring a Glassdoor playful energy

Koto utilised four defining principles to redefine Glassdoor’s representation: “fresh”, “attentive”, “true” and “gutsy”. The theme is precisely refined yet expansive, including vibrant colours, a casual font and prominent motion through animations. 

The centrepiece is a new logo with Glassdoor initials “g” and “d” as quotation marks bookending the company name, permitting a transformation to a minimal form for Glassdoor’s app.

Graphic designer Josep Puy has pioneered a cast of illustrative characters for Glassdoor, creating a series of sketches that “capture a wide range of emotions at the intersection of work and life”, according to Murray. Glassdoor will continue to evolve the project internally.

It’s rebrand season

Another recent platform rebrand came from Rome2Rio, with the company pivoting to a new logo that could better engage its global consumer base.

“The move away from the previous cursive script was a deliberate move to maximise the logo’s readability for our diverse global user base,” Rome2Rio CEO Yesh Munnangi recently wrote for Marketing.

“As more than 50 percent of Rome2Rio’s users are not native English speakers, the new logo’s simplicity and readability are paramount.”

Elon Musk should be worrying less about tackling Mark Zuckerberg in a fist fight and focus more on the corporate warfare the latter’s company just declared with its fresh Threads platform.

The two social media magnates have been posturing online as proficient fighters recently, leading Musk to issue an invitation to a “cage match”, but Zuckerberg has just struck a major blow of a different kind.

A new Meta app should be Musk’s primary concern.

So what is Threads?

Threads is a sudden challenger for the established micro-blogging platform Twitter, as Meta finally takes on its oldest rival. It launched 6 July to the general public in 100 countries after allowing influencers and brands a head start of two days to provide an initial wave of content.

The new “text-based conversation app” as Instagram have labelled it shares a design ethos with Twitter. Many of Twitter’s features can be found on the new app, including tweets as “threads” and retweets as “reposts”. The feed is a recognisable combination of follower content and recommendations. 

Posts can contain up to 500 characters and can include links, photos and carousels of up to ten images, and even videos up to five minutes.

The rollout does not yet include EU countries though the company is working on launching in that region at a later date. There is also no current advertising compatibility, with Instagram having no plans to integrate sponsors this year.

An Instagram twist on tweeting

Threads comes strongly from the Instagram side of Meta’s portfolio, not as a standalone product. Users are invited to port across their profile and followers, with Meta seemingly trying to kickstart user networks. One welcome screen says the app is “Powered by Instagram” and promises future compatibility with other services.

The official account for Threads, @threadapp, so far has one post.

“You found us! If you’ve used Instagram, parts of this app probably feel familiar,” it reads, making no mention of a more similar service. “We’re here to foster a positive and creative space for you to express your ideas. This time, it’s all about conversation.”

Much like the early days of Instagram, at this point there is no browser version of the social media platform. ‘Threads.net’ simply hosts an interactive deconstruction of its logo, with a QR code to download the app.

Twitter troubles

Elon Musk took over Twitter in 2022 and ever since the company has been battling controversies. In November it introduced a fee for verification and let go of the majority of its workforce, reportedly dropping from 7500 employees to less than 2900.

Recently, new limits on the amount of Tweets a user can see each day were introduced that give premium users 10,000 and regular users only 1000, and Tweets became inaccessible for those without an account.

It could be the final straw for advertisers, and users are fed up with the inconsistency. ‘Delete Twitter’ searches skyrocketed.

An empire with sights set on monopoly

Threads is not the first platform to try and capitalise on the instability at Twitter. Mastodon launched in 2016 and was well positioned to attract former tweeters as they fled last year, but after a promising start it failed to sustain momentum and in 2023 its user base has even contracted.

So why is Threads any different? Well if there’s any company capable of supplanting the competition it’s Meta.

In its early days Facebook took on MySpace and won, before spending big to fend off its own challengers through major acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp. In recent years it has taken to integrating features of other social media sites into its own platforms.

He took over Twitter in one of the most public buy-outs of all time, but Tesla founder and CEO Elon Musk’s takeover has seen ‘Delete Twitter’ searches skyrocket by nearly 1000 percent.

Over the first weekend of July 2023, Twitter saw some major changes happening. Firstly, Tweets became inaccessible for those not logged on – meaning that Twitter was no longer an accessible platform for those without an account. This move wasn’t announced by the social media platform until it was already being rolled out. Musk claims that it’s a “temporary” move, but five days later – Twitter has much bigger problems.

Less than a day after previewing Tweets or accessing Twitter became impossible for those not using it, Musk announced that users would now have a limitation to Tweets. And that limit was small. Originally announced at 600 Tweets for regular users and 10,000 for premium users, backlash made Musk and his team boost the 600 up to 1000. But, 1000 Tweets is reported to take only 20 minutes to read, heavily limiting users’ time on the platform.

What about advertisers?

The move is a major blow for those businesses still paying for ads on Twitter. For competing platforms TikTok and Instagram, the scroll is endless. But, with curfews, restrictions and drastic changes to Twitter, the advertisers are losing valuable dollars and engagement by the day.

“The joke on Twitter is that people are going to go outside instead, but the reality is that they’re going to go to another app,” says Jasmine Enberg, an analyst with Insider Intelligence. “By sending users elsewhere, Musk is killing the main proposition Twitter has had for advertisers — a highly engaged user base, especially around news and events.”

The limits are “remarkably bad” for users and advertisers already shaken by the “chaos” Musk has brought to the platform, Mike Proulx, research director at Forrester, said on Sunday.

‘Delete Twitter’ search skyrockets

Among the chaos of advertisers being advised to jump the already sinking ship that is Twitter, the social media platform took another blow when it was revealed that ‘Delete Twitter’ searches hit nearly a 1000 percent increase in the UK. 

For users who missed the announcement that Tweet reading was getting capped, they were apparently confused by the glitching app as ‘Is Twitter down?’ saw a spike of 4173 percent.

What next for Twitter?

First coming into our world in 2006, the original ‘microblogging’ platform might be counting down its final days. Although some are staying true to the platform, Meta’s competitor ‘Threads’ could not be hitting the market at a more apt time, as it plans to go live just shy of a week after Twitter’s biggest hit thus far happens.

Ad evaders now have limited chances to comply with YouTube’s advertising policy.

The video streaming platform has finally had enough of freeloaders cheating it of advertising revenue. Ad blockers allow users to hide sponsored posts and have been popular across the internet, but YouTube is finally tackling this behaviour by threatening bans from the service after continued use of such software.

“Video player will be blocked after three videos,” a YouTube notification tells users that it detects have installed an ad blocker, as first reported by Reddit user Reddit_n_Me. The pop-up message says, “It looks like you might be using an ad blocker. Video playback will be blocked unless YouTube is allowlisted or the ad blocker is disabled.”

It also directs targeted users to sign up for its ‘YouTube Premium’ service, which is the legitimate option for disabling ads as “creators can still get paid”.

Ads are serious business for YouTube, and ad blockers violate YouTube’s terms and conditions.

The company has since confirmed its implementation of a three-strikes approach in a widely reported statement, stating that it has begun a “small experiment globally”.

Ad-blocking software has proven difficult to police

It’s too early to tell how effective this strategy will be for YouTube. Ad-blocking software has troubled platforms like it that offer services to users for free, for which advertising replaces upfront fees as a primary source of revenue.

Despite costing the company a significant amount of money, YouTube has until now largely accepted ad blockers. Perhaps because they have been tricky to stomp out.

Meta has struggled to restrict ad-blocking software from its platforms, failing in 2016 to stop popular browser plugin Adblock from hiding content on Facebook. At the time, approximately 198 million people used ad blockers worldwide.

More control over advertising content was given to users in hope that it would dissuade ad-blocking action, but the issue persisted. Adblock’s developers circumvented Facebook’s sponsor protections within days.

Even as fast food advertising is facing bans with the federal bill proposed to shift a focus onto childhood obesity, there are still influencers promoting junk food. A report from HypeAuditor highlights which companies are engaging with influencers.

HypeAuditor, the AI analytics platform for brands seeking fair, transparent and effective influencer marketing, has unveiled the top 10 fast food companies that use influencers to sell products. 

Looking at both junk foods and sugary beverages such as energy drinks, the report details an analysis of all social media posts that include the hashtags #ad and #sponsored since January 2023. 

Top brands using influencers to promote junk food

1. McDonald’s Australia
2. KFC Australia
3. Guzman Y Gomez
4. Domino’s Australia
5. Pizza Hut AU 
6. Subway Australia
7. Red Rooster
8. Zambrero
9. Hungry Jacks Australia
10. Oporto Australia

It’s a big reach from the 10 brands, with a combination of over four million on Instagram alone accumulated from the influencer marketing campaigns. 

Alex Frolov, CEO and co-founder of HypeAuditor spoke about the current boom of influencers marketing unhealthy foods. 

“Our analysis indicates that fast food brands have jumped on the bandwagon of leveraging influencer marketing to promote a menu,” says Frolov.

“While the proposed bill in parliament could be part of the solution to limit the exposure of young children to junk food on social media, the ban should be directed to the source rather than be imposed on influencers,” Frolov continues. 

“There should be a general influencer marketing ban on fast food chains instead of putting too many limitations on content creators. The responsibility should be on the fast food giants to tighten advertising on social media,” he finishes.

Fast food brands and influencers

There’s been a steady uptick in influencer marketing and fast food chains as trends in social media involving junk food began to spread. From “ordering what the car in front of me ordered” through to the explosion of mukbangs on TikTok, there’s many different ways that influencers involve food in their content. Mukbangs, originating in South Korea in 2010, have become video content for influencers as it gives them the chance to “eat a meal” with their followers.

However, this phenomenon grew into people eating an inordinate amount of food in one sitting. It became a spectacle rather than a connection with the audience. This sort of content can be encouraging of people to indulge in huge amounts of junk food – hence the need for parliamentary reform.

It’s no secret there are overwhelming benefits to retaining customers over acquiring new ones. However, research suggests two in five retail companies cite customer retention as their biggest challenge. Jamie Hoey of Wunderkind explores brand loyalty as a by-product.

With a looming recession, increasing cost of living pressures and interest rate hikes, Aussies are looking for cost saving measures and better deals. So – during these uncertain times, how can organisations remain competitive?

It actually may be useful to think about loyalty as similar to love. Love is a by-product of sustaining a relationship with healthy trust, intimacy, happiness and all of the other aspects of a healthy relationship. In the same way, loyalty is a by-product of offering great products and customer service, sustaining trusted connections, rewarding experiences, and personalised communication with your customers.

Knowledge is power 

Loyalty is a by-product of trusted connections. The more you know about your customers – from where and when they want to be communicated with, to how often and with what type of information – is key to turning one-offs into regulars. 

This might have been straightforward in the past, but data breaches, security nightmares, and concerns over the use of personal data have spooked consumers. 

Building a relationship with customers is now contingent on winning their trust and their data. Most customers are willing to give you their information if there is a clear value exchange, so don’t shy away from highlighting what’s in it for them, for example, a discount, free shipping, or access to exclusive content or events. The brands that build these relationships with their customers directly will reap the rewards. 

However, collecting and growing your first-party data is not enough — you need a customer identity solution that can activate it across channels and drive more revenue efficiently. For example, Identity-as-a-service (IDaaS) platforms enable marketers to drive revenue from your first-party data at an unprecedented scale. This works by allowing you to identify a greater proportion of your anonymous website traffic back to a customer profile in your CRM, so that you can then re-target them via owned channels with personalised, one-to-one messages.

Why loyalty programs are a by-product 

Loyalty programs are a great way to drive retention as customers are increasingly looking to these types of offers to help them through the cost of living crisis. Used right, loyalty programs not only drive revenue and sales, but assist marketers in gaining a wealth of approved first-party customer data to improve future communications. 

When an individual opts into a loyalty program, marketers can obtain detailed information such as a customer’s demographic, interests and location. Marketers can then leverage this approved data to offer hyper-personalised experiences, in-store and online. 

Towards the end of last year, The Australian Loyalty Association released its first-ever report looking into brand loyalty, the uptake of loyalty programs, drivers of loyal affinity and the perceived benefits. The report found members consider their loyalty program brands in the purchase journey (65 percent), shop more frequently (68 percent) and spend more with their loyalty program brands (60 percent). 

Points based programs are currently the most preferred loyalty program mechanism followed by spend based discounts. Additionally, the top benefits sought from loyalty programs are regular discounts, cashback based on spend, and full payment using points.

By understanding these key motivations, marketers can use approved customer data to nurture relationships and bolster loyalty. 

The role of personalised experiences

Gone are the days when marketers could use a one-size-fits-all approach to advertising and communication such as traditional ‘batch and blast’ or generic messaging. Not only is it inefficient from a conversion perspective, but irrelevant, overly frequent messaging can frustrate customers. 

Today, consumers have come to expect personalised communication, particularly via email, that reflects their product interests and preferences. Underscoring the value they get in return when sharing their data will ensure they sign up and stick around. Whether it’s an update to let a customer know their favourite shorts are on sale, or offering a two-for-one promotion on their favourite chocolate. 

Then, marketers must leverage the right technologies to connect the dots between the message and the customer. Your technology stack can deliver this hyper-targeted communication. Identity-as-a-service (IDaaS) platforms enable marketers to unlock unprecedented scale across marketing channels. Without being able to identify those customers with purchase intent, you can’t strategically tailor your messaging to the individual or close the sale – particularly if the customer doesn’t convert on the first visit. 

Exceptional brands stand out by maintaining deft messaging and a thoughtful understanding of their customer’s preferences and values. This experience creates a two-way value exchange, by which customers are getting what they want and organisations are increasing brand loyalty and ultimately driving sales.

With a looming recession, interest rates on the rise, and cost of living challenges, loyalty remains top of mind, and most customers will be shopping for fewer items, with fewer brands. 

Brands must keep in mind the necessity of truly listening to customers’ needs and wants. When faced with economic uncertainty, it’s more crucial than ever to ensure your marketing dollars aren’t wasted, so you can retarget and follow up with interested customers. 

Because ultimately, loyalty is a by-product of a successful performance marketing strategy.

Evocative lighting and sensual poses seem typical for any brand selling sex, and overall the marketing of condoms seems to really involve building a mood.

So why has a recent series of Durex ads featured bright graphics and rubber ducks? Well if you know you know, the company says on each Instagram post. The new campaign is a reactive partnership between Durex and marketing agency MRM that comes hot on the heels of a minor update to Apple’s autocorrect software. 

After more than a decade of either annoying or amusing its user base, Apple has finally announced the removal of a particular autocorrection that surely has been its most prevalent. The f-word will no longer be changed to duck.

It’s a busy time for Apple, with this update merely an afterthought in a schedule of announcements. The showstopper is its Vision Pro augmented reality headset, and for those willing to pay a premium it holds innovative potential. 

The end of an autocorrect cultural phenomenon

“In those moments where you just want to type a ducking word, well, the keyboard will learn it, too,” Apple software boss Craig Federighi announced at its recent developer’s conference. 

And so this notorious correction is no more.

Durex is making the most of its last opportunity with this pun, pushing the joke to its limit by posting a series of rubber-duck themed content across its social pages.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Durex USA (@durex_usa)

From “down to duck” to “duck buddies”, this sexualisation of a bath toy may be a new and surprising context for many consumers, but the rubber connection and impeccable haste in following the announcement gives the campaign a hefty punch.

There is a discount on offer of 15 percent for the social media users whose eyes were caught by the campaign, with the code “DOWNTODUCK”.

A new report into social media marketing reveals contrasting realities for various platforms. Instagram dominates investment optimism, while alarm bells should be sounding at the offices of one particular platform. How can this platform continue to boost ROI for marketers?

HubSpot surveyed 1283 social media marketers and hundreds of US users for its  ‘Global Social Media Trends Report’, and the result is a comprehensive analysis of the trends of 2023. 

Despite harsh economic conditions, times do not seem tough for the industry as a whole with over 90 percent of marketers confident that their social media investments will result in a positive return.

All focus is on video platforms

One specific type of content seems to be driving marketing interest like nothing else: short-form video. The HubSpot report shows that marketers are three times more likely to invest in short-form videos than any other platform.

It is now the most popular format with users, alongside generating the highest ROI, so Instagram’s Reels feature is attracting marketer interest above all else. More than half of all marketers using Instagram plan to invest further in the platform this year.

“You don’t need expensive full-studio production to be hip right now,” says Justin Pohl, HubSpot associate marketing manager, content and social strategy. “Your smartphone, a sense of humour, and a call-to-action might be all it takes to create the perfect video for your brand.”

It is then no surprise that TikTok and YouTube, other platforms known for similar formats, are also having valuable years. Marketers have strong interest in further investment in both channels.

Twitter continues to tumble – ROI falls with it

After all the turmoil at Twitter since Elon Musk took control and overhauled just about everything, marketers are down on the platform.

Twitter now trails instagram, Facebook, YouTube, TikTok and LinkedIn in both perceived potential for marketing ROI and potential audience growth for brands, with only 6 percent of marketers considering it best for each category.

Only 5 percent of influencer marketers have Twitter included in their plans for the rest of the year.

Find the full ‘Global Social Media Trends Report’ here on HubSpot’s website.

The e-commerce industry in Australia has experienced significant growth in recent years, providing lucrative opportunities for businesses to expand market reach and capitalise on the digital marketplace. Chairman of EZZ Life Science Glenn Cross explores.

As consumer preferences continue to shift towards online shopping after the COVID pandemic, Australian businesses are increasingly moving to e-commerce as a vital channel for growth. The convenience, accessibility, and wide consumer base offered by e-commerce platforms have contributed to significant success across various industries, positioning them for sustained growth.

Amidst this transformative e-commerce landscape, companies like EZZ Life Science (EZZ) stand out as frontrunners in the digital revolution. Leveraging profound expertise in the healthcare industry and comprehensive understanding of the e-commerce ecosystem, these companies have established a strong reputation as industry experts.

COVID-19 spike in digital marketplace 

The COVID-19 pandemic has further propelled the growth of e-commerce in Australia. Lockdowns and social distancing measures compelled businesses to swiftly strengthen online presence, making e-commerce a lifeline for many retailers. This transition enabled them to serve customers and generate revenue during challenging times. Even now, the convenience and safety of e-commerce has become deeply ingrained in consumer habits.

Shift in consumer behaviour

The shift in consumer behaviour towards online shopping, combined with increasing internet penetration and smartphone usage, has created a favourable environment for Australian businesses to flourish in the digital marketplace.

Australian consumers have wholeheartedly embraced online shopping as their preferred method of purchasing goods and services. The ease of browsing products, comparing prices, and accessing customer reviews from the comfort of their homes has made e-commerce an appealing option. This shift in consumer behaviour has resulted in increased online sales, providing Australian businesses with a growing customer base and higher revenue potential.

Companies like EZZ Life Science have solidified a position as leaders in the rapidly evolving e-commerce landscape. This is brought about through an ongoing commitment to innovation, with market position as leaders of the future.

China’s borders reopening

The reopening of Chinese borders has instilled hope in the struggling Australian retail sector, which has faced declining consumer confidence and economic growth in recent years. With the easing of restrictions and improved regional relations, Australian retail businesses now have an opportunity to reconnect with a vast customer base that had become distant.

The surge in popularity of online shopping has made e-commerce a vital component of the retail industry. This has opened up new avenues for Australian companies to sell their products to Chinese consumers through online platforms. The resumption of travel and trade between the two countries is expected to provide a much-needed boost to the retail industry, particularly in luxury goods and the health and wellness sector.

The e-commerce space in Australia is experiencing robust growth, offering significant opportunities for businesses to expand operations and tap into a larger customer base. With the convenience, accessibility, and increasing consumer adoption of online shopping, Australian businesses are well-positioned to leverage the e-commerce boom. By embracing e-commerce platforms, optimising online presence, and catering to evolving consumer preferences, Australian businesses can reap the benefits of a thriving digital marketplace, driving growth, and maintaining competitiveness in an ever-changing business landscape.