Interesting Reads. Industry news that you may have missed.
In the most recent large-scale survey, researchers discovered conflicting perceptions between public attitude toward journalism and journalists' view of the public. The study focused on thoughts surrounding good practice and what readers truly receive from journalists. But, the biggest difference appeared around consumers' lack of familiarity with a range of key journalistic terms.
Ever since Instagram introduced Instagram Stories, Snapchat faced some challenges in retaining its users. To break away from the competition, the social app started an unusual collaboration with its engineers and an artist to produce an exhibition based on sounds. “Sound Stories” is created from users’ posts and will run for a limited time as part of this year’s Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.
The popularity of podcasts is rapidly increasing, and marketers are starting to notice. While podcasts continue to be a niche market, audio firms have been tapping ad budgets for brand advertising -- total spending on podcast ads increased 86 percent last year. Marketers have largely chosen to buy direct-response advertising on this medium to compel listeners to take a measurable action in response to the ad.
Since 1960, visitors to Amsterdam have been able to get a firsthand experience walking through the hallways at the Anne Frank House. Now, VR users can explore that building today. The new VR experience, Anne Frank House VR, created by Facebook-owned Oculus and the Dutch virtual reality development company ForceField, allows individuals to take a journey through the hidden annex.
Google is launching a new tool called See What’s In Store (SWIS) that lets shoppers search local stores’ inventory. This new tool could help brick-and-mortar stores compete against Amazon, and also be a draw for shoppers who want to cut down on the number of packages shipped to their home. SWIS can be accessed through Google’s main search bar and within Google Maps.