How To Maximize The Chances That A Video Ad Will Go Viral

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What Makes A Branded Video Ad Go Viral? (Unruly Media)
Branded video ads are shared the most on Friday, but the least during weekends, according to a study released by Unruly Media. The study also reveals that a brand video ad reaches its viral peak on day two of the campaign, meaning the optimal day to launch a video is Wednesday. Unruly analyzed the sharing activity of the 1,000 most-shared brand videos during the 52-week period leading up to June 7, 2013. Read >

Facebook Has Banned Ad Price 'Arbitrage' (Business Insider)
Faccebook has changed its policies to prevent media buyers over-charging for Facebook ads through what some in the industry call "arbitrage." Major brands such as Procter & Gamble, Ford, and AT&T pulled ad dollars from online ad agency trading desks because agencies couldn't explain how their money was being spent. Facebook's new policy says that middle-men must not charge flat fees for ad prices on Facebook, because ad inventory is sold on an auction basis. Read >

Publicis Groupe Acquires Chinese Social Media Firm Net@lk (TechCrunch)
As part of its plan to acquire $4 billion worth of small to mid-sized digital firms over the next five years, French advertising conglomerate Publicis Groupe has purchased Net@lk, a Chinese social media strategy firm. Read >

E-mail Still Has An Edge Over Social Media In Online Referral Campaigns (BI Intelligence)
Referral programs — Web campaigns that ask online audiences to share an offer with their friends in order to receive a reward— are still driven by email, according to a recent SocialTwist study. However, social media is also an important referral tool, and can't be ignored. The study spanned 18 months, 119 social referral marketing campaigns, and the actions of 3.2 million consumers who visited the referral program's landing page.

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Companies Are More Successful With SEO If They Integrate Social Media (Ascend2)
38% of companies that rated their own SEO efforts as "very successful" are integrating social media into SEO tactics, compared to just 2% of the companies that felt their SEO efforts were largely "not successful." Read >

Social Media Intensifies Feeling Of 'Missing Out' (MediaPost)
62% of adults who are currently a member of more than one social networking site, say they keep an eye on their social networks because they don't want to miss something (otherwise known as "fear of missing out, or FOMO"). This feeling is exacerbated for those whose dating status is single, according to a recent study. Read >

Now You Can Embed Instagram Videos On Any Site (Business Insider)
Facebook now provides the embed code for Instagram videos so that they may be posted on any website. Instagram competitor, Vine, has been supporting this feature for months now. Read >