Twitter Jumps On Influencer Marketing; Apple Undertracking News Users

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Little Birdy Told Me

Twitter’s been mostly boxed out of the influencer marketing mix – overshadowed by Instagram, YouTube and even Snapchat – but a new ad strategy aims to tap its brand advocate crowd (who don’t even know they’re influencers) by allowing companies to pay to promote tweets from everyday users. Twitter is calling the product a “brand enthusiast gallery,” unnamed sources tell Digiday’s Garett Sloane, and the strategy comes about because “a recommendation from an unpaid regular person … could hold more weight than, say, a paid Web personality.” Read on. Should it proceed with the format, Twitter may need to navigate laws governing endorsements in advertising, which haunted Facebook’s early social advertising experiments.

Apple News Underwhelms

Apple has been undertracking the number of users on its Apple News service, reports a WSJ team. “We don’t know what the right number is,” said Apple SVP of internet software Eddy Cue. The product has big-name adoption, but “the traffic has been modest relative to the enormous install base of iOS devices,” according to Business Insider President Julie Hansen. Bob Cohn, COO of The Atlantic, said it’s “still an open question” whether Apple News can generate significant traffic. Facebook has received aggressive publisher pushback on its Instant Articles service, but Apple has more loose ends when it comes to monetization. More.

Hey, Baby

Facebook IQ released a report commissioned from Ipsos Media CT and Sound Research. The study focused on young parents on the platform and aims to “explore how tradition and technology have shaped the realities of parenting across generations and geographies.” The post is more cutesy fluff than actionable intelligence, but understanding young parents is a marketer’s dream. (Remember Target’s efforts to track pregnant shoppers?)

Nothing But Netflix

The CW’s distribution contract with Netflix has expired, and the TV network is mulling whether to re-up or pull back from the streaming leader. “The CW has always been: great, watch us on linear, watch us on live plus same day, but just watch us,” said CW President Mark Pedowitz. But the “Netflix effect” – when future seasons are propped up by Netflix viewers – is coming up against competitive limits. When do broadcasters let go of valuable partners who are also long-term threats? Is it better to work with a company like Hulu, which is owned by fellow rivals NBC, Fox and Disney? More at Adweek.

But Wait, There’s More!