Photo by rupixen.com on Unsplash
In this week’s Digital Digest, we look at ITV and EE’s partnership and Primark’s digital push.
We then look at big tech as Facebook comes under fire for protecting celebrities, Nicki Minaj gets banned from Twitter, and Tiktok rolls out support to combat suicide searchers.
CLOSER TO HOME
EE and ITV unveil latest store opening on the cobbles of Coronation Street, in new partnership.
ITV and EE have announced a new product placement that will see EE opening a shop on ITV’s iconic Coronation Street. The partnership will see the EE shop front, as well as employees and shopping bags, integrated into episodes of the TV show. Although not the first product placement deal on British TV, this does represent the biggest deal of its kind since the ban on product placement was lifted in 2011.
Primark hails ‘critical role’ of digital marketing amid wider online push Primark is set to revamp the digital side of its business, with a new and improved website, as well as a wider digital push which aims to deliver “more personalised content” to its customers. Primark is not the first, nor will it be the last, brick and mortar retailer to acknowledge the critical role that digital technology is increasingly playing in the bid for customer support.
BIG TECH
Facebook in trouble after it let celebrities avoid moderation
Facebook has defended itself against claims it gave special treatment to millions of high-profile users. The claims surfaced after a Wall Street Journal investigation uncovered details of an internal Facebook tool dubbed XCheck that “whitelisted” certain users, meaning they were exempt from enforcement action or subject to higher-up reviews that often went nowhere. Facebook claims the program is meant to stop bad press caused by pulling down photos and posts. However, critics have said that in reality, the program allows users to break the rules.
Nicki Minaj claims Twitter has disabled her account after COVID tweets
Nicki Minaj has told fans that she is in “Twitter jail”, following tweets that promoted anti-vax conspiracy theories. She took to Instagram to criticize the platform, asking why her account had been banned. Her tweets gained widespread attraction in the UK after they were brought up at a Downing Street press conference. Twitter has disputed the claim, saying that they have not penalized her account in any way.
TikTok rolls out support to combat suicide searches
TikTok reveals a new safeguarding measure aimed at helping users who are struggling with mental health issues. The new feature includes a search intervention that directs app users to support if they look up terms such as ‘suicide’. They will also offer wellbeing and support advice for eating disorders and other mental health issues. The move comes as social media platforms come under increasing pressure to put in place safeguards following scrutiny of the impact that apps can have on users’ mental health.
ALSO IN THE NEWS
Google has partnered with footballer Marcus Rashford to highlight their role in helping society progress and the various ways in which Google search can help those with more emotionally-based questions which might cause guilt and/or shame. See here
Sir Clive Sinclair, the home computing pioneer and pocket calculator investor has died aged 81. See here.
Reddit has banned a discussion forum that spreads misinformation about Covid and Vaccines after it faced a user rebellion over it’s failure to tackle misleading information. See here.
Amazon has reached a deal with Deliveroo, whereby Prime customers in the UK & Ireland receive a free Deliveroo Plus membership for a year. See here.
The harmful effects of Instagram are shocking, but not a surprise following the Wall Street Journal published internal documents from Facebook study. See here.
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