MG OMD FWD 15TH APRIL 2020

Hello and welcome to another ‘Stay at Home’ edition of MG OMD FWD.

The big news of the week is Apple and Google team up to help beat the pandemic, Twitter’s Jack Dorsey donates a $1bn, Disney+ reaches 50m subscribers and Quibi make an impressive bolt out of the starting gate.

Apple and Google announced a system for tracking the spread of the new coronavirus, allowing users to share data through Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) transmissions and approved apps from health organizations
Disney+’s global rollout is going very well, with the 50m landmark reached, 5 months after its initial launch and 3 weeks after being available in Europe. That’s almost 1/3 of Netflix’s global subscriber base… which has taken 23 years to build.
Quibi reaches 1.7m downloads in the first week
Facebook releases Quiet Mode so you can take a break from social media
Twitter Updates Data Sharing Policy, which will see more user data provided for advertising purposes
Instagram updates discover page with creators as the focus and live stream is now available on web

Ad Research Guru, Peter Field, has revisited previous studies on how advertisers should spend during a recession and updated his advice for the current situation
No commuting, no problem; Podcasting revenue continues to grow
Gif usage has changed since COVID-19
How the 5G conspiracy theory tore through the internet

Twitter and Square’s Jack Dorsey is donating $1bn of his own money, focusing on girls’ education and the testing the foundations of Universal Basic Income. In the spirit of transparency he has shared a spreadsheet so that you can track the value of the donation (based on Square stock) and where the money is being donated
Uber has created a ‘work hub’ to help drivers find other work
Snapchat lets you donate by scanning bank notes. They have launched a lens that lets you scan a bank note and then go through to a page to donate to WHO causes (23 currencies currently included)
Airbnb debuts online experiences with unique activities to allow hosts to continue to make money. You schedule your experience on the app and use a Zoom call to connect you. You can experience meditation with Buddhist monks in Japan, cooking with a Moroccan family, to salsa-making classes in Mexico

Listen: The case of Zoom and scaling cloud security
How brands can adapt their social feeds for the new normal One of the recommendations is VR. But there is still skepticism so is 5G the key to unlock VR’s potential?
a16z have compiled their most relevant articles to help founders, CEO’s and business leaders navigate through these uncertain times.
The Drum is running a 2 month digital transformation festival online, definitely worth a virtual visit if you haven’t already

MG OMD FWD 15TH APRIL 2020

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