😱 Facebook changes its name to Meta

🤝 Mailchimp and Spotify are back at it!‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌ Essence of Email Weekly Read in Browser Essence of Email Weekly October 29, 2021 Boo! 👻 Halloween candy sales are through the roof this year. They’re up 48% compared to 2020 and 59.8% compared to 2019. What’s even cooler is that 82% of Americans plan to celebrate the holiday this year, and an amazing 93% of millennial parents will be celebrating too. What can we say? Have a lovely time on Sunday and we hope it’s no tricks and all treats for you this Halloween! DIGITAL MARKETING Facebook changes its name to Meta Last week, we wrote about the rumors that Facebook is changing its name. Turns out, the rumors are true . Facebook is indeed changing its company name, shifting its focus to the "metaverse" while confronting wide-ranging scrutiny of the harms from its various platforms after Frances Haugen leaked hundreds of internal documents. It is also replacing its corporate sign, which featured a picture of a "thumbs up," with a new logo: a blue infinity sign. Last night, Mark Zuckerberg said Facebook will be changing its corporate name to Meta. Meta thus becomes the overarching brand containing subsidiaries such as Facebook (the social media platform), Instagram, and WhatsApp, among others. The name change aligns with the company’s focus on the metaverse, which refers to efforts to combine virtual and augmented reality technologies in a new online realm. But it could also be an effort to save Facebook’s reputation and start with a clean slate after a series of PR disasters such as misinformation on Facebook’s platforms, content moderation failures, the negative effect Facebook’s products have on some users' mental health, etc. "I've been thinking a lot about our identity as we begin this next chapter. Facebook is one of the most used products in the history of the world. It is an iconic social media brand, but increasingly it just doesn't encompass everything that we do. Today we're seen as a social media company, but in our DNA, we are a company that builds technology to connect people. And the metaverse is the next frontier just like social networking was when we got started,’’ said Zuckerberg yesterday. A number of major companies have changed established brands over the years, so Facebook’s move is not revolutionary. But the effects of it are to be seen in the years to come. ECOMMERCE Shopify and Microsoft team up Last Friday, Microsoft announced a new Shopify partnership that will give merchants access to more customers via the updated Microsoft Channel app in Shopify. What’s that about? The updated Channel app enables advertisers to utilize both the Microsoft Search Network and Microsoft Audience Network. The products will then be automatically eligible for display in the Microsoft Bing Shopping tab and the Microsoft Start Shopping tab free as Product Listings. Soon, although it hasn’t been specified when, Product Ads and Product Listings will have a “Buy Now” button to give shoppers a quick checkout option directly from the ad. “To significantly expand the reach of their brands and products across Microsoft Search Network and Microsoft Audience Network, merchants can create new ad campaigns and view their marketing performance through real-time reports in their Shopify store,” said Varsha Bolar, Program Manager at Microsoft Advertising . This is the latest in a series of Microsoft Advertising updates designed to engage consumers and expand advertiser reach, and it conveniently comes just before the holiday season. Holidays deets: It’s expected that $1.3 trillion will be spent in the US this holiday season, up from $1.19 trillion in 2020. However, there will also be inventory deficits, scarce labor at ports, driver shortages, rising warehouse expenses, and higher prices. Because of this, stores are encouraging early shopping and “inducing fear” by highlighting what retailers describe as “supply chain challenges,” “longer delivery times” and “lower inventories,” reports Reuters . Shoppers have reported they are concerned about stock availability because they noticed empty shelves as far back as August. And even though half of U.S. consumers surveyed in August by Sensormatic Solutions said they will start their holiday shopping before November, there is still no evidence of Christmas-related panic buying. We’re nearing the end of October and things will probably start heating up. Although it’s a fact there are shortages and longer delivery times, the urgent messaging that retailers are using will probably result in more panic-induced buying and soaring sales. EMAIL MARKETING Mailchimp and Shopify integration Mailchimp and Shopify are back on! Rewind: After a dramatic break-up in 2019, Shopify said it had “growing concerns about Mailchimp’s app because of the poor merchant experience and their refusal to respect our Partner Program Agreement.” Meanwhile, Mailchimp said “Shopify released updated terms that would negatively impact our business and put our users at risk. ” But it seems the two companies have left their disagreements behind and have partnered up again. They announced a direct integration that would allow users to connect the two platforms without the help of third-party tools and manual data transfer processes. The context: By adding Shopify to Mailchimp’s existing platform options, the company is expecting to make the buyer’s journey smoother. Users will be able to combine purchase data with marketing data through the use of Shopify and Mailchimp combined. This will result in “highly contextual and relevant analytics.” In addition, retailers will be able to reach more customers and maximize revenue. “As our merchants prepare for the holiday season and continue to adjust to the new realities of commerce, we’re excited to welcome Mailchimp to the Shopify Partner Ecosystem. The combined power of Mailchimp’s suite of marketing tools and Shopify’s robust commerce infrastructure will level the playing field and unlock even more opportunity for independent businesses to grow and succeed into the future,” said Fatima Yusuf, Director of Commercial, App Ecosystem at Shopify. EMAIL DESIGN INSPO Give ‘em pumpkin to talk about Halloween is the time to experiment! Some brands choose to keep it traditional and add tiny Halloween details or pops of color, while some go all dark and spook the heck out of their customers. This email by Jack Threads is a cool example of what you get when you mix awesome photography with interesting Halloween-themed typography. And check out that logo! Interesting CTA copy and its tilted position add some spice and break up the symmetry of the email. We love everything about this email: 3D photography, the copy, the colors, the layout! Great job, Jack Threads — that’s how it’s done! Source: Mailbakery You are welcome to forward this email. If you were forwarded this email, click here to subscribe. EMAIL MARKETING SERVICES CONTACT US Copyright © 2021 Essence of Email Click here to leave mailing list