The Weekly Download – October 25, 2019

Welcome back, Friday! We’ve been looking forward to seeing you all week. And we’ve also been looking forward to another edition of The Weekly Download 🙌🏼

On the docket today: stay at Barbie’s Malibu Dreamhouse, Always makes a big packaging move to promote inclusivity, Instagram removes cosmetic surgery filters, Miller Lite’s interesting new social media marketing campaign, and Facebook is changing how it measures organic Page impressions. Plus, does social media really have an impact on our mental health? The results of a new study might surprise you.

Read on for all the news you need to know this week!

You Can Stay at Barbie’s Malibu Dreamhouse Thanks to Airbnb

Growing up, did you ever wish you could shrink yourself down and hang out with Barbie for a weekend at her amazing pink Malibu Dreamhouse? Good news: it just got a whole lot easier (no shrinking required!).

Thanks to a new one-time-only reservation available through Airbnb, fans can win a two-night stay at a gorgeous Malibu mansion that’s been decorated to look like the Barbie Dreamhouse.

Barbie herself won’t be there, but some seriously inspiring women will; fencing champion Ibtihaj Muhammad, celebrity hairstylist and entrepreneur Jen Atkin, and renowned local check Gina Clarke-Helm.

In honour of the Barbie brand’s 60th anniversary, the stay is available for just $60 USD a night. We’ll be living vicariously through the lucky winners who snag a stay!

Does Social Media Impact Mental Health? A New Eight-Year Study Says No

We’ve heard a lot recently about the effects of social media and screen time on our health, particularly when it comes to mental issues like depression and anxiety. A new study published earlier this month examines the association between time spent using social media and depression and anxiety at the intra-individual level. 

According to the study, other existing research that has found a link between social media and mental health issues is “plagued by cross-sectional research and lack analytic techniques examining individual change over time.” 

Participants included 500 adolescents who completed once-yearly questionnaires between the ages of 13 and 20. The results showed that time spent using social media was not related to individual changes in depression or anxiety over the eight years examined, nor were the results stronger for either girls or boys.

The researchers say they hope that these results can “move the field of research beyond its past focus on screen time.” What are your thoughts on the findings?

Always Removes the Venus Symbol to Promote Inclusivity

Way to go, Always! The brand will remove the Venus symbol (historically used to represent the female sex) from it’s line of sanitary products to be inclusive of transgender and nonbinary customers.

Transgender activities and allies had previously appealed to Procter and Gamble to redesign its packaging since not all people who menstruate are women, and not all women menstruate

In a statement issued Tuesday by Procter and Gamble, the company said it is “committed to diversity and inclusion and are on a continual journey to understand the needs of all [its] consumers.”

Always joins brands like Lyft, Mastercard and Tinder in making moves to affirm the identities of transgender people, but has not yet confirmed when the expected design changes will happen.

Instagram Removes Filters Promoting Cosmetic Surgery

Is your Instagram feed full of Stories that “enhance” your face? You’re not the only one. But that’s about to change. Over the coming months, Instagram is planning to remove all AR filters that depict or are associated with cosmetic surgery. 

Filters like “Plastica” (an effect that makes you look like you’ve undergone extreme plastic surgery) and “Fix Me” have become popular, and have even gone viral. But amid growing concerns over the impact they have on body image, Instagram is stepping in. The company will remove the offending filters and will postpone the approval of any new similar effects.

Spark AR Creators – the tool behind the filters – has stated that it wants its filters “to be a positive experience and [is] re-evaluating its existing policies as they relate to well-being.” Spark AR didn’t design the filter, but it did approve it for use on Instagram Stories.

Miller Lite Will Buy You a Beer for Unfollowing Them on Social Media

No, you didn’t read that headline wrong… Beer company Miller Lite is actually giving a free drink to anyone who unfollows them on social media.

The brand’s new promotion rewards people for unplugging from the world of social media, and even better – it’s super easy to do.

According to the company, the campaign is an effort to encourage customers to spend more time with friends and less time staring at a phone. Additionally, Miller Lite’s accounts will be “going dark” and “taking a break from posting.”

As long as you purchase your Miller Lite beer between October 22 and November 22 and submit your receipt by December 6, your next beer is on the company. 

Cheers!

Facebook is Changing the Way It Measures Organic Page Impressions

Facebook is updating how it filters repeat organic impressions for Pages, shortening the time frame by which it calculates the metric.

The company says the change will align with the methodology currently used for ads: “This is not a change in distribution, but a change in the way we filter out repeat organic impressions that occur within a short amount of time. The update will be rolling out of the next couple of weeks.

According to Marketing Land, the update is newsworthy as it clarifies that a drop in impressions isn’t necessarily a drop in the Page’s performance, but a result of Facebook changing how it calculates organic impressions.

Facebook says the update is designed to “make it easier for businesses to make comparisons across paid and organic channels.”

Friday Fun

Everything the Paris 2024 Olympics Logo Looks Like

The 2024 Olympics will be held in Paris, France, and this week we got our first look at the major event’s logo. 

Let’s just say… People had some thoughts.

The logo, which is supposed to combine the three symbols of the medal, the Olympic flame, and Marianne (a personification of the French Republic), instead has people debating whether it looks more like the Tinder icon, Rachel Green’s iconic haircut, or a middle-aged woman who would like to speak to your manager.

What’s your take on the logo?