Facebook has set its sights on ‘Fake Likes’ in an attempt to re-assure brands of the authenticity of it’s relationships with users.

Many digital marketers and small businesses alike use Facebook as a means of increasing brand awareness, consumer engagement and as a key tool in building and sustaining meaningful relationships with their clients. In most cases, companies listed on Facebook use the number of ‘likes’ their page has as a key performance indicator. In much the same way, it is generally accepted that Facebook users judge the trustworthiness of a brand on Facebook by the number of likes they have.

As such, some brands have taken to paying for likes to boost their clients’ perceptions of their profile. This is strictly against Facebook’s terms of use and, quite frankly, adds very little value in terms of social marketing.

The social network giant is under constant pressure from businesses to prove the real value of likes and, as such, the recently publicly traded company is beginning to take action. Despite the removal of likes, Facebook assures its brands and users that this move can only improve the overall Facebook experience, purging the site of fake likes which can distort metrics for businesses and mislead potential clients.

To discover more about improving your brand through Facebook, get in touch!

Facebook has announced that it will begin trialing adverts in users’ news feeds in the near future. It is a somewhat unsurprising move for the social networking site, who has implemented a system of ‘trial and introduction’ to all form of advertising in the past, which allows some users to get to grips with new types of advertisements, before they’re introduced to everyone.

The effects these adverts will have on brands could be huge, as those with cash to splash are likely to change tactics from attracting consumers to their ‘like’ page, to spending big on specific targeted news feed ads.

It’s therefore conceivable that a brand with little or no fans on Facebook can reach its target market by placing ads directly into users news feeds, simply by having deep pockets.

Several companies’ time on Facebook has been about gaining ‘likes’ and interacting with consumers, so to what extent will this practice die as a result of the new adverts?

This is particularly worrying as the site has been built on social interaction, having allowed people to communicate in a fun and new way. Eventually brands caught on and set up their own sites to communicate with fans, some letting them know about new and upcoming products, others running competitions, all in the name of generating sales and increasing brand value.

On the face of things, it seems far more cost effective to simply pay to place a targeted advert into news feeds, and sit back as the rewards are reaped. But it will be disappointing if the brands that we love to interact with on Facebook decide to give it up in exchange for an easier ride.

Ultimately it will come down to how clever and engaging these adverts are. We’ve already seen that the promotional tweets on Twitter, where adverts are placed at the top of trending lists and into users timelines, have been a success, but that’s largely due to the use of video and pictures which can be placed within them.

Full details of the new adverts, including how they will work, have not yet been disclosed. Will they run in the form of normal online advertisements, as some already do on the site, or can only brands with a Facebook page advertise on users news feeds, thus promoting the brands’ specific page? At Underscore, we await the answers to these questions with anticipation…

If you’re after a new pair of headphones, and want to do your bit to protect the environment, the latest creation from Beats by Dr. Dre may well be what you’re looking for.

Ekocycle, a partnership between The Coca-Cola Co. and rapper Will.I.Am, have selected the popular and pricey line of electronic earmuffs to manufacture its debut product. It’s hoped that the project will give products made from recycled materials a hipper image, so they resonate with younger consumers.

However, the new product line will sit at the higher end of the electronic market, in terms of pricing. Products made out of recycled materials tend to be more expensive due to the extra costs incurred during production to incorporate materials, but as of yet, there has been no such product marketed with such significant celebrity and brand endorsement.

Costing $349 (that’s just over £220), the headphones are much less friendlier to consumer’s wallets than they are to the environment. Is it possible for celebrity power and impressive brand names to overcome the price barriers to make recycled products cool?

Coca-Cola has already confirmed that it will give its portion of the licensing profits to recycling groups, and it’s expected that Will.I.Am will do the same – fair play to them!

While many retail areas reported dissatisfaction with the low numbers of tourists during London’s sporting season, Duke of York Square in Chelsea was pleased to announce a significant increase in footfall to the area.

This is largely thanks to the screening and promotion of significant events including the Diamond Jubilee, Wimbledon and the Olympics, which were held both in the square and on the private fields located beyond, encouraging not only spectators, but shoppers into the square. The retail core of the area saw a footfall increase of 10% against last year which is remarkable when most of London saw a fall in the same period.

Our most recent design theme of ‘Game on for Summer’ was supported by a range of retro sporting images, and set just the right tone for this vintage British setting.

To enhance the visitor experience, there was great food on offer from their restaurants and cafès, offers from the retailers and activities for everyone to take part in – all promoted online, through social media and of course on site.

Elsewhere in London 2012, underscore were creating the branded collateral for Holland Heineken House at Alexandra Palace where the Dutch team have been residing and being entertained for the duration of the Games.

We can’t imagine life without our smartphones – up next, smart vending kiosks?

From our research here at underscore we understand that the next generation of intelligent vending kiosks could use digital signage to attract more buyers to purchase products, bring in added revenue through third-party advertising, help extend a retailer’s footprint and even improve the customer experience and their engagement.

Also, as mobile interactivity and mobile payments technologies continue to be integrated into retail, these kinds of hybrid kiosks will offer another venue for interaction and with technologies like near field communications on the rise, the kiosks can become interactive with consumers’ smartphones as well.

For instance, a vending kiosk could also offer coupons for items not in stock or to other retailers or vendors, or consumers eventually could just use NFC and their smartphones to simply pay for the items they want from the vending machines and dispense with using cash, coins or credit cards.

For us at underscore the big question is what kind of sales lift do these kiosks offer, and the answer, so far, is that it’s too soon to tell but these are interesting developments for sure.

Due to sponsor regulations at the 2012 Games, the quintessentially English liquor ‘Pimms’ must not be listed on any drinks menu at Olympic venues throughout the running of the event.

Instead, the gin-based beverage has to be referred to as “No. 1 Cup”, as it is not an official sponsor.

The exclusion of the popular drink extends to The All England Tennis Club at Wimbledon where, year after year, it has been sipped in the rain and served alongside a punnet of fresh strawberries and cream (don’t worry, these still have the same names!).

The news prompted Judy Murray, mother of British tennis star Andy Murray, to joke that that there is “no longer any point in going to Wimbledon” …although we’re pretty sure she has since changed her mind on that one!

The BBC today revealed that Facebook’s estimates of the number of ‘fake’ users currently active on the site may be significantly higher than it first expected.

Earlier this year, the social network divulged that around 5-6%, that’s 54 million, of its users were ‘fake’, but Facebook themselves have revealed that the correct figure currently stands at a whopping 83 million (8.7%). It has also been revealed that 1 in 20 Facebook accounts are duplicates of real profiles, scary stuff!

It is common knowledge that Facebook’s business model revolves around the use of targeted advertising, which will now fall under serious scrutiny, particularly as digital distribution firm Limited Press has revealed that, according to their analytics, 80% of clicks on Facebook advertisements had come from fake accounts. The full article from the BBC can be found here.

Given that Facebook’s current rates on advertising are based on each individual advert’s CPC (click-through rate), it will be interesting to follow whether stories of the social network deliberately attempting to drive up advertising revenue emerge.

The impact this news has on Facebook, as well as the social network’s plans to combat their fake users, remains to be seen, but surely today’s news has led companies currently advertising on the site to ask themselves if it is really worth the rates they are paying?