It's not Friday, it's hump day. But that doesn't mean we can't roundup some digital news from the last several days to take note of. Don't let the fact that there are TWO MORE DAYS until the weekend stop you from pretending it's the end of something.
Anyway, here's the latest and greatest in digital & marketing happenings:
Google Photos
Google launched Google Photos, which could do for photos storage what Google did for email. The premise is simple, and made me salivate at the thought: automatically backup all your photos to the cloud and search them later, without having to sort through the somewhat obtuse process of iPhoto. With free, unlimited storage and as camera phones get better and better, this could be a serious game-changer for the casual picture-taker and bloggers alike. There are also a few cool features to check out: animation strings together fast-burst photos and a "stories" feature lets you quickly make an album.
A 2-Person Agency With No Website Makes Nike Ad?
Yep, you heard that right. Thousands Creative, which only has 2 employees and no web presence, put together a stirring new Nike ad that was launched as part of the #NoMaybes campaign last week. The Portland, OR agency, whose founders are former Nike employees, might be one to watch if this is the kind of creative that comes out in their first year. We'll be keeping an eye out to see what they do next.
Spotify Valued at $8 Billion
In the wake of recent announcements to add podcasts as well as a feature that syncs music to the rhythm of your workout, the latest round of funding for Spotify topped $8 billion. This is particularly good news for the subscription streaming service now serving 75 million customers, especially as Apple gears up competition with its updated offering. This funding is more than twice what Spotify was valued at just under two years ago. We couldn't help but wonder, what do Jay-Z and Taylor Swift think of this?
Meerkat's Not Dead!
Periscope may be all the rage on Twitter, but Meerkat is making history with a first for any live-streaming app. Tonight they'll live-stream from the front row Florida Georgia Line's performance during the CMT Music Awards, in partnership with Mountain Dew. The brand sponsorship is paving the way for monetizing live streams, with in-app branding and pushes towards Mountain Dew's Meerkat page. To top it off, the stream will be available to watch for one week after the show (though you still can't save streams on Meerkat the way you can on Periscope, content creators can download clips for repurposing.) Which brands will be next to jump on live stream sponsorship? Will country fans be enough to launch Meerkat into Periscope territory? We hope so: the market's only fun with a little bit of competition.
All About That Food Porn & Other Stories
Need more roundup? This roundup is pretty cool.
See you next time!