marketing campaign - 24 fingers

Facebook’s Campaign Ideas Generator offers out-of-this-world marketing inspo

Scheenagh Harrington — Fri, 30 Jul 2021 08:04:13 +0000

Facebook, ever on the lookout for ways to help entrepreneurs of all sizes get a leg up, has come up with a nifty solution for anyone whose marketing tank of inspiration has run dry: the Campaign Ideas Generator.

It might sound a bit Star Trek, but trust us, you will definitely want to boldly go down this black hole.

The boffins at the social media platform said the Generator “provides campaign ideas, pre-made assets and resources that are specific to your small business needs”.

In the Queen’s English, that means access to a host of templates, depending on the business you’re in. All you have to do is click on the corresponding sector – though not everyone is represented – and click on the ‘get campaign ideas’ button.

That brings up three tabs: Campaign Ideas, serving up a slew of ad format ideas, including images and layouts, Data and Insights, which showcases the filters you can use to target your campaign, while Resources offers extra goodies such as case studies.

There’s also what Facebook calls an Organic Post Pack, that includes a variety of post templates for your Facebook page, just in case you’re still in need of a bit more inspo.

Some business owners might look at this feature as a bit Borg – everyone’s assimilated and using the same stuff – but we think it’s actually very nifty, especially when it comes to making sure your brand is coordinated and consistent.

It also gives busy entrepreneurs a bit of breathing space, allowing them to put together an ad campaign that looks good and will reap rewards, without taking up too much of their valuable time and resources. We’re with Jean-Luc Picard and say: make it so.

If you’re feeling a bit “she can’t take any more cap’n!” when it comes to your social media marketing, give us a call and we’ll get you moving at warp speed.

We’re 24 fingers, a digital marketing agency and a proud member of the 42 Club, Brentwood Chamber of Commerce, Excel Business Networking Group, the Trusted Business Community, the Organisation for Responsible Businesses and the Rotary Club of Brentwood à Becket. We help companies who are all fingers and thumbs with their social media grow their business and brand. Book your free strategy call here.

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Looking to build a lasting relationship? Our six best places for an email sign-up to woo customers

Scheenagh Harrington — Sat, 13 Jun 2020 12:58:22 +0000

Building a meaningful relationship – from that initial sizzle of attraction to forging a deep and lasting connection – takes time and effort, we all know that. Any business owner understands it’s worth all the blood, sweat and (sometimes buckets of) tears to have loyal clients return again and again.

Luckily, in this digital age, you don’t need to say it with flowers to build up your customer database. Instead, let email marketing and its juicy ROI of £35:£1 do the talking. So, where IS the best place to drop in an email sign up on your site? Read on…

Welcome gates

They say: Full-screen calls to action that open before any other content on your site. Aren’t these 21st-century pop-ups?

We say: Absolutely not – though as with all things relationshippy, timing IS everything. Welcome gates are one of the highest converting list-building techniques and, if well-placed, can significantly boost your sign-ups.

Floating Bars

They say: A campaign pinned to the top or bottom of the web page that remains visible as your visitors scroll.

We say: Another bit of tech that’s moved on from the customer experience-crushing bad old days, floating bars can boost email sign ups by adding a sense of urgency, or offer a way to promote a seasonal offer or upgrade. They’re also great for enticing less loyal customers over to your social media, offering another opportunity for you to build a relationship.

At checkout

They say: An email sign-up invitation at the point of purchase attracts customers when they are at their most engaged with your business.

We say: Supermarkets display sweets at the till knowing parents will be “persuaded” by their bored children to buy some while queuing. Popping in an email sign-up at checkout works in a similar way but without the tantrums. Don’t miss out on the ideal chance to offer customers in the process of buying your products a way to stay in touch.

Blog page

They say: Use your website’s blog section as a lead generation tool.

We say: Blog posts are a fantastic way to engage customers and quality content will always find an appreciative audience. What better way to maximise that appetite than popping an email sign-up form on the blog page?

Overlays

They say: A content box that appears on a web page, obscuring the background. What, MORE pop-ups?

We say: Okay, okay, a pop-up of sorts but as we said before, they’ve moved on from the bad old days. Overlays can be a powerful tool in your marketing kit bag, especially if used as a response to customer behaviour – welcoming a first-time visitor, for example. There are lots of software options out there for you to try, too.

Resources

They say: Optimise the traffic on a website’s resource page by placing an email sign-up call to action.

We say: A resources section contains the most helpful and in-depth content about your company, products or services, as well as FAQs, customer case studies – the list is endless. Naturally, they attract a LOT of customer attention, so placing an email sign-up here could give your business a nifty boost.

Still unsure about wooing customers with a well-placed email sign-up? Book a discovery call with us at 24 fingers and we’ll happily play Cupid.

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Top Tips for Planning your Christmas Social Media Campaigns

Nicola Hatch LIghterness — Thu, 17 Oct 2019 21:57:09 +0000

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Almost. Kind of. Well, it is if you’re planning your Christmas social media campaigns, and let us be the first to say it: if you’re not planning your Christmas social media campaigns yet, you so should be.

Think of it this way, with the exception of those daredevil types who leave their Christmas shopping until 4pm on Christmas Eve (yes, we did mean you Miss Goode), many of us will start thinking about Christmas once the Halloween cobwebs have been dusted away. And with Facebook saying that nearly half of shoppers start their Christmas shopping in November or earlier, if you start to deck your platforms with your Christmas social media campaigns in the next few weeks, you’ll be the early bird that catches the pig in a blanket. Use the following tips and tricks, and we promise you won’t be disappointed come Christmas morning.

On the First Day of Christmas, Facebook gave to me: Customisable Stories Templates!

Stories have risen quicker than a Christmas pudding this year, and it’s therefore easy to see why Facebook have given us an early Christmas present of new templates which allow businesses to provide simple but visually impactful Stories. These can be used across Facebook Stories, Messenger Stories and, the home of the original Story, Instagram Stories.

If you’ve never used Stories before, first of all, you need to come along to our training workshop. Secondly, these templates could be a really great place to start, especially if you’re looking to up your social media game this Christmas. If you want to access these templates, you’ll need to create an image ad in Facebook Ads Manager, then choose ‘Select a placement to customize’, before choosing which platform you’re posting to. From here a pop up will open, which will allow you to choose your template and preview your ad before posting.

You’ll find a whole host of new toys to play with in your Stories stocking from this point, including being able to choose the background colour, music and call to action effects. You will need to use them within paid promotions, but if you’ve never delved into the world of sponsored Facebook posts, is there a better time to try than in the run up to Christmas? Remember that you can also download these stories to re-use them as organic story posts at a later date. Shout us if you need a hand on this.

Christmas Consistency

Following on from the use of the new Facebook templates, whether you opt to use the pre-made templates or not, keeping your brand’s social media message consistent is key. Of course, you can add a little festive twist to your message, but make sure it’s in keeping with your overall brand look and feel. This could be keeping your colours or font choices the same as your usual posts but changing things up with Christmas imagery or using seasonal gifs and music.

Remember that your profile pictures and cover photos are prime social media real estate, so consider updating these with something merry and bright. Why not include some useful information in your cover photos too, such as your operating hours over the Christmas holidays?

Ho, Ho, Hashtags

Hashtags are important at any time of year, but Christmas – and specifically the run up to Christmas – generates more opportunities than ever to use them. First of all, why not come up with your own hashtag to go along with your Christmas campaign? This could be an excellent way of generating User Generated Content (UGC) which you can then use to repost your followers’ posts to your own pages.

Secondly, don’t just focus on the main festive season; think about the run up and use relevant hashtags such as #BlackFriday and #CyberMonday to drive traffic to your platforms.

Give the Gift of your Products

Of course, the main aim of any marketing campaign – Christmas related or otherwise – is to sell. And if you have gift-worthy products at your disposal, now is the time when you should be pushing them as Christmas presents.

Think about what products in your inventory work as Christmas gifts; some things will not lend themselves well as gifts, but maybe you do have products or services which people would want to give and receive. If so, those are the products that you should be highlighting right now.

Spread Good Cheer

Last but definitely not least, when it comes to your Christmas social media campaigns, remember that it’s ‘social’ media for a reason: spread good cheer, add a little festive fun to your posts and remember to engage with your followers.

Use the likes of polls in your stories to gather festive feedback from your followers or ask Christmas related questions and – most importantly – get excited about their responses. The more you engage with your audience in the run up to Christmas, the more they’ll see the human side of your brand, and isn’t the festive season all about goodwill to all men and women kind?

Still worried you’re going to make a right turkey of your Christmas social media campaign? Get in touch with 24 fingers. When it comes to social media, we’ll sort your Twitter from your tinsel, your Facebook from your frankincense, and we’re not just for Christmas either.

The post Top Tips for Planning your Christmas Social Media Campaigns first appeared on 24 fingers.

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The Day the Internet broke

Yasmine Marden — Mon, 07 Oct 2019 11:46:27 +0000

A mere week into October and the month’s already off to a stupendous start. We’re talking vegan cheese, wacky Snapchat filters and Theresa May-inspired poems.

Without further ado….

NSFW

This edition of #WINS and #FAILS wouldn’t be complete without the throwback of all throwbacks to possibly the greatest thread in Mumsnet history.

This time six years ago, an inquisitive Sara Crewe took to the popular parenting website to ask fellow mums a monumental question —

With many left lost for words, others turned to law of physics:

The post became so viral that the website crashed. Will there ever be a Mumsnet thread that will top this one? No. Probably not.

Grate Marketing

After taking to social to promote their brand new coconut-based ‘cheese’, Sainsbury’s received backlash in the form of one very passionate, very frustrated cheese enthusiast:

The Facebook soliloquy, with a calm and collected total of 13 cheese emojis, sparked perhaps the greatest riposte of all time.

Remembering that ‘the customer is always right’, Sainsbury’s decided the only way to resolve a completely legitimate request to call their vegan cheese “Gary or something” was by, well, calling it Gary. Literally.

Thanks to customer feedback, we’re excited to introduce our new range of #Gary 🧀 pic.twitter.com/Mr3dgokDIO

— Sainsbury's (@sainsburys) September 30, 2016

We bet Gary pairs great with Branston Pickle.

Kellogg’s Nouvelle Cuisine

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Someone tell Kellogg’s this.

A brunch recipe that even the hipsters of Hipsterdom would question, Kellogg’s avocado-feta-cornflake concoction took culinary experimentation to a whole new (nightmarish) level:

Try a super-quick super-easy brunch idea with avocado, feta… And Corn Flakes! #becausewhynot #becauseyum

Shop now: https://t.co/qWgdgS3bMv pic.twitter.com/ES6eOEEdGF

— Kellogg’s UK & IRE (@KelloggsUK) September 23, 2016

#becausenothanks #becausegross

We’ll stick to good old fashioned cereal….in a bowl.

Reunited and it feels so good

Social media can be weird (see above). Social media can also be wonderful.

A stroke of serendipity helped a Florida boy reunite his father with his mother who went missing in November and had been presumed dead, thanks to a YouTube video. You read that correctly.

Ten-year-old Evan Olsen said he was scrolling YouTube with a friend when he randomly clicked on a video of YouTube sensation Brooke Roberts feeding the homeless in Downtown Los Angeles and recognised one of the women as his own mother.

If this doesn’t make your heart warm and fuzzy, we don’t know what will.

Pawsitively Pawesome

Ever dreamt of what your life would be like if you were a dog? Dream no more.

The most recent Snapchat filter is a first of its kind, using facial recognition to add your features onto a moving video of a pug.

https://24fingers.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/video-1475838731.mp4

(24 fingers’ Yvette didn’t choose the pug life. The pug life chose her).

It’s bizarre, it’s endearing, it’s borderline creepy…. and we can’t get enough.

What Rhymes with Theresa May?

The Twittersphere was abuzz on #NationalPoetryDay this Thursday, especially when things took a more political turn.

When #WriteAPoemAboutTheresaMay began to trend, many demonstrated an impressive way with words.

Like this man:

"Brexit means Brexit.
I don't know the nex' bit." #WriteAPoemAboutTheresaMay

— David Webb (@db_webb) September 29, 2016

and this lady:

#WriteAPoemAboutTheresaMay

Theresa May
Theresa Might
Theresa Will
(If the price is right)

— Parsley (@msparsley) September 29, 2016

and, saving the best for last, this joker:

This David Cameron geezer
Made way for Theresa
And we realised at last
Her anagram's The Arse#WriteAPoemAboutTheresaMay

— Phobiaphobic Lychanthrope (@carnybull) September 29, 2016

For Theresa May, there’s lots to say.

Get the Goss

When news broke that Eighties heartthrobs Luke and Matt Goss are set to reunite after 24 years at a one-off gig next summer, the internet went wild.

So wild, in fact, that the #AskMattGoss hashtag became inundated with questions, the most pertinent being ‘when will I be famous?’:

How many times did you drop the boy before Social Services got involved? #AskMattGoss

— Teddy Misog (@TeddyMisog) October 5, 2016

Will you simply respond to all questions hashtagged #AskMattGoss with "I can't answer. I can't answer that" 🎶

— 🆚 (@WeBlah) October 5, 2016

Matt Goss — till summer 2017, we’ll be patiently collecting our Grolsch bottle tops.

The post The Day the Internet broke first appeared on 24 fingers.

The post The Day the Internet broke appeared first on 24 fingers.

ThanksGIFing

Yasmine Marden — Fri, 25 Nov 2016 15:26:56 +0000

There was a lot to be thankful for this week in the world of social media.

Dogs near and far got in on the Mannequin Challenge, McDonald’s debuted its festive menu and you can now get your favourite tweets turned into temporary tattoos…

Hold Still

You might have heard of the Mannequin Challenge by now — the viral video craze that involves people imitating mannequins and freezing for the camera.

Everyone from James Corden to your next door neighbour has gotten involved. And while there have been some incredible Mannequin Challenge efforts, us humans are getting SERIOUSLY upstaged by our four-legged friends.

Like this Boxer:

https://twitter.com/Ryan_Thomas02/status/798726209144242176?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

And this Cattle Dog:

Everyone go home. These two canines have the best renditions of the Mannequin Challenge, ever.

#Awkward

In a horrifying glitch of all horrifying glitches, Twitter managed to suspend its own CEO’s account on Tuesday.

The social network’s founder and chief executive, Jack Dorsey, was suspended from the site due to an ‘internal mistake’, but, like a twisted joke, the horror didn’t end there. Jack Dorsey lost 700,000 followers in the process.

Twitter reacted:

the twitter founder @jack got suspended none of us are safe bruh

— BJ ®🕊 (@BASEDJESUS) November 23, 2016

https://twitter.com/JaredWyand/status/801263012237705216

Jack reacted:

just setting up my twttr…again (account suspension was an internal mistake)

— jack 🌍🌏🌎 (@jack) November 23, 2016

We can practically hear the crickets chirping.

TOUCAN Play That Game

Wins and Fails would not be complete without, what do you know, a weird trending hashtag.

This week’s? #SingAboutAnimals.

🎤…if you wallaby my lover… #singaboutanimals

— One Of The Many 🌹 (@QueenJenbo) November 23, 2016

Possibly catchier than the original?

Turtle Eclipse Of The Heart #singaboutanimals

— Adrian Lui (@adrianlui) November 23, 2016

You’ll never hear Bonnie Tyler the same way again.

Orange you glad

Stop what you’re doing.

THIS IS NOT A DRILL, McDonald's are bringing out a Terry's Chocolate Orange McFlurry for Christmas 😻😻😻 pic.twitter.com/Sg3qqiT5yg

— REBEKKA 👸🏻 (@rebekkarnold) November 19, 2016

You heard right.

McDonald’s have released a Christmas menu, and it’s a thing of dreams.

Among Chocolate Banoffee Pies and Cheese Melt Dippers (!), there’s the most important, the most delicious — the Terry’s Chocolate Orange McFlurry.

When news broke on social media, people couldn’t deal:

If maccies bringing out a Terry's chocolate orange Mcflurry isn't the best thing that's happened this year then I dunno what is

— abbie micklewright (@Abbie_m) November 20, 2016

There's a Terry's chocolate orange McFlurry. 😐😮 excuse me for a second 🏃🏽🚗🍟

— Sean Arkins (@NeddyArkins) November 20, 2016

Excuse us, too.

But, of course, there’s always that one troll who has to rain on everyone’s parade:

Terry's chocolate orange mcflurry is almost as much the disappointment that I am to my family

— coyle (@Josh_Coyle_12) November 25, 2016

Oh @Josh_Coyle_12, what do we do with you?

The Gift that Keeps on Giving

Ever stumble across a tweet and think, “Good god, that’s the wittiest thing I’ve ever read”?

With Twitter Tats’ genius service, your favourite tweets can now be (temporarily) immortalised on your skin.

Your favorite tweets just became wearable with TwitterTats! 🐥 https://t.co/mfSqevjZA8 by @Popcorn_Ryan pic.twitter.com/WPOuk9U4i8

— Product Hunt (@ProductHunt) November 16, 2016

Forget a Shakespeare quote. Twitter Tats offers tweets-of-wisdom-turned-temporary-tattoos from celebrities, tech giants and superstar athletes.

Being a walking social media network has never looked so stylish.

The post ThanksGIFing first appeared on 24 fingers.

The post ThanksGIFing appeared first on 24 fingers.

Move Over, Selfie Stick

Yasmine Marden — Fri, 18 Nov 2016 13:37:52 +0000

Social media. Just when you think it can’t possibly outdo itself, it does.

From Obama and Joe Biden memes to Coca-Cola’s “selfie bottle”, it’s a wonderful time to be alive.

Bromance of the Century

Barack Obama and Joe Biden’s relationship is built on unbreakable friendship (bracelets).

Happy 55th, Barack! A brother to me, a best friend forever. pic.twitter.com/uNsxouTKOO

— VP Biden (Archived) (@VP44) August 4, 2016

So, upon news of Vice President-elect Mike Pence and President-elect Donald Trump taking over the White House as of January 2017 (marking the end of beautiful era) many channelled their woes through the therapeutic exercise of meme making:

https://twitter.com/Chocobochica/status/797958795678748672

#bidenmemes are getting me through lately! 😂 pic.twitter.com/3ElfuVch8a

— ✨candi✨ (@cmari3g) November 13, 2016

As people fantasized a #PettyBiden playing pranks and making life uncomfortable for Trump and Pence, there seemed to be a silver lining :

I think we can all agree that #BidenMemes are truly what's making America great again.

— Hill Schmeckenbecher (@hillschmeck) November 13, 2016

Knickers in a Twist

Amongst Twitter’s sea of sombre socio-political commentary, you can always count on a weird trending hashtag for comic relief. Cue #CelebsInUnderwear:

#CelebsInUnderwear
Kanye Vest

— Lie Low Lil (@Lily_McSnarly) November 16, 2016

Good ring to it.

https://twitter.com/psully68/status/798872232009363456

Leotard DiCaprio, a man of many talents.

Never Judge a Book by its Cover

Nope, it doesn’t stop there. To add to the never ending list of weird trending hashtags, #MakeABookLessAttractive:

https://twitter.com/WillPowell_99/status/798806370241740800

Dubbed a ‘psychological thriller’ by The Guardian….

The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe I had to take back to Ikea because of the faulty door handle #MakeABookLessAttractive

— Jodi (@Jodi_Rushworth) November 16, 2016

At least their meatballs are good?

Paw-fect

Meet the internet’s favourite hedgehog, Sashimi.

She wears bespoke bobble hats:

She enjoys fine dining:

She also owns her own smartphone, complete with Touch ID:

What have you achieved today?

Down with the Kids

Glugging down soda has never t̶a̶s̶t̶e̶d̶ looked so good.

With their eye on the social media prize, Cola-Cola has unveiled a custom-built ‘selfie bottle’ (yes, ‘selfie bottle’), which will snap a pic of you mid-drink.

How? Fitted with an in-built camera at its base, the bottle comes with a sensor to detect a 70-degree drinking tilt.

Great for a sunny beach, probably less great on the tube.

The Best Tweets on Planet Earth

In case you’ve been living under a rock in the Andes Mountains, the BBC’s Planet Earth II made its spectacular debut just two weeks ago.

As well as its spellbinding cinematography, the show has now expanded its repertoire to include an impeccable social media presence.

Using pop culture references alongside GIFs made from the show’s wildlife shots, a series of hilarious tweets have ensued:

How’s life going?
Me: …#PlanetEarth2 pic.twitter.com/9kp9ecR4Ik

— BBC Earth (@BBCEarth) November 13, 2016

When there’s free cake on the other side of the office… #PlanetEarth2 pic.twitter.com/KKBm4nSbst

— BBC Earth (@BBCEarth) November 13, 2016

Sliding into your DMs like… #PlanetEarth2 pic.twitter.com/4C2JYiX1kI

— BBC Earth (@BBCEarth) November 13, 2016

Pure. Genius.

Roslyn’s Blunder

Had a bad day this week? Don’t worry, it wasn’t as bad as Roslyn’s.

Lending a whole new meaning to ‘Monday Blues’, NHS IT worker Roslyn accidentally hit the send-to-all button on a test email to 1.2 million employees, plunging the health service’s email system into complete and utter turmoil.

And, just as things couldn’t possibly get worse, they did. Staff caught in the chain mail started conversations using the ‘reply to all’, crashing the NHS servers.

As with any mildly offensive incident comes passive-aggressive tweets:

At least we've now worked out how to get the NHS trending on twitter! #nhsmail

— NHS Million (@NHSMillion) November 14, 2016

https://twitter.com/kristian444/status/798202560259784706

All anyone can do now is:

https://twitter.com/rickrhymer/status/798177506603900932

A Gift for John Lewis from John Lewis

On last week’s #WINS and #FAILS we spoke of the world’s most polite, most tolerant man, John Lewis of Blacksburg, Virginia.

Every year he is mistaken for the department store responsible for tear-jerking Christmas ads, and every year he is okay with it.

To thank him for many years of patience, John Lewis (the store) decided Christmas should come a little bit early for John Lewis (the man):

Received a huge package from @johnlewisretail including this amazing embroidered cushion. So cool! Thank you very much! pic.twitter.com/cIMAvPol5D

— John Lewis (@johnlewis) November 15, 2016

Though, to be honest, he probably deserves more than an embroidered cushion.

The post Move Over, Selfie Stick first appeared on 24 fingers.

The post Move Over, Selfie Stick appeared first on 24 fingers.

Trick or Tweet

Yasmine Marden — Fri, 04 Nov 2016 15:17:14 +0000

In spirit of Halloween this past Monday, social media saw some frightfully amazing twists and frightfully awful turns. From the man who dressed up as his dog’s favourite toy to Greggs’ VIP WhatsApp group, we present this week’s edition of #WINS and #FAILS.

Witch story to start with?….

Get in the Spirit

Facebook had some tricks up their sleeves this Halloween, in the form of themed reaction buttons.

Spookifying its set of five reactions before the big day dawned, people soon got into the Halloween spirit with a cackling witch, a gobsmacked ghoul, a forlorn frankenstein and a scowling jack o’lantern.

This Halloween being the first time the social networking service has rolled out thematic tools for holidays, we can only expect more hair-raisingly good updates to come.

Perhaps a ho-ho-hoing Santa to replace the ‘laughing’ button?…. You heard it here first.

Campaign Cauldron

Whilst you were spending Halloween thinking of a last-minute costume or eating your body weight in candy (the life), big brands were desperately thinking of how to bewitch consumers with a viral marketing campaign.

The Golden Arches sunk their fangs into it:

We vant to vish everyone a safe and happy #Halloween! 👻 pic.twitter.com/HNsNfYxfa4

— McDonald's Canada (@McDonaldsCanada) October 31, 2016

Airbnb asked a hair-raising question:

Would you dare to spend Halloween in Dracula's castle?

Enter to win a #NightAt: https://t.co/rO47OAAB1e

P.S. Remember to pack garlic. pic.twitter.com/7EFPMAAuaT

— Airbnb (@Airbnb) October 17, 2016

Giffgaff spoke to our souls:

What kind of Halloweener are you? That is the question. Pause to find out. #halloween pic.twitter.com/R42sPnZkYF

— giffgaff | The mobile network run by you (@giffgaff) October 27, 2016

And M&S gave Colin a chilling makeover:

#TrickorTreat? An old friend as you've never seen him before! #Halloween 👻🐛 https://t.co/FduBm2buqR pic.twitter.com/wc66PJEc6t

— M&S (@marksandspencer) October 31, 2016

All in all, it’s safe to say these brands *killed* it.

Dressed to Impress

One last Halloween-related post, promise.

Of the frightfully creative costumes that enjoyed a flurry of internet fame, there were two in particular that gave everyone a run for their money.

First up, the man who dressed up as his golden retriever’s favourite toy:

(The utter bewilderment at 0:09 seconds…)

Secondly, the guy who dressed up as a stock photo. A stock. Photo.

My little brother dressed up as a stock photo for Halloween, so he's basically my hero pic.twitter.com/U5Q8DvxkG4

— Trung Le Nguyen (@Trungles) October 31, 2016

According to @Trungles’ legend of a brother, getting the Shutterstock logo off that image “was more expensive than

[his] whole costume”.

Dedication to the cause has a whole new meaning.

I Loaf you Dough Much

For those who enjoy a meal deal lunch five times out of seven, #NationalSandwichDay probably went over your head.

Nevertheless, it gained some interesting traction on social media….

https://twitter.com/FucoidanForce/status/794193962877722628

Delicious, albeit peculiar, looking.

Don't judge me but it's got to be peanut butter on toast with cheese and onion Crisps inside 😆 #NationalSandwichDay

— Oli White (@OliWhiteTV) November 3, 2016

We’re judging you, Oli.

They say if you don't go after what you want in life, you'll never have it sooo… #NationalSandwichDay pic.twitter.com/wWqhtMtAOu

— CatHead (@freakincats) November 3, 2016

Truer words have never been spoken.

Very Important Pasty

On the topic of dough, Greggs is *rising* to world domination.

After successfully test launching a delivery service, the popular chain have now created an exclusive VIP WhatsApp group with free (!) food on offer.

WhatsApp, guys? We’ve got a VIP group for 250 Festive Bake lovers! WhatsApp your name to 07759325409 to get involved and maybe win a prize! pic.twitter.com/jt1UozIodm

— Greggs (@GreggsOfficial) November 2, 2016

With a Christmas-themed WhatsApp group named ‘Festive Bake Lovers’, Greggs have promised everyone exclusive content, competitions and, of course, giveaways.

There’s nothing a free Steak Bake can’t fix.

Irony of Ironies

Only in Britain, the land of pork-lovers, do we have a whole entire WEEK dedicated to sausages.

And, only in Britain would two ends of the spectrum come together (vegetarians, look away):

*Crickets chirp* Now that’s awkward.

Music to our Ears

When #5WordSeduction began trending a twitter, we started to feel a bit hot under the collar.

#5WordSeduction Free unlimited internet for eternity pic.twitter.com/Efg7PREIzs

— Travelling Weasels (@TravelWeasels) November 4, 2016

Can you imagine….

#5WordSeduction: I've brought you Krispy Kreme 💕 pic.twitter.com/QjsUgPIfQV

— Krispy Kreme (@krispykreme) November 4, 2016

You did not!

I'm employed and can cook. #5WordSeduction @midnight

— Danibal B. Lecter (@CornOnMacabre) November 4, 2016

Let’s get married.

The post Trick or Tweet first appeared on 24 fingers.

The post Trick or Tweet appeared first on 24 fingers.

Good Hair Day

Yasmine Marden — Fri, 28 Oct 2016 15:42:38 +0000

It’s been an emotional couple of days. Great British Bake Off aired its final episode, Tea the Afghan Hound has been named the prettiest pooch on the planet and #WorldPastaDay reminded us how much we, well, love pasta.

Tissues, please.

Live from the Delivery Room

Of the roundup of people who have absolutely zero sense of boundaries, record producer and Snapchat extraordinaire DJ Khaled definitely takes the cake.

Bringing his phone along with him into the maternity ward where his fiancée, Nicole Tuck, was in labour, Khaled broadcasted every moment of his son’s birth. On Snapchat. Whilst playing his own album.

Streaming regular updates to his fans from the delivery room, Khaled could barely contain his excitement —

Oh my god. DJ Khaled really snapchatted the birth of his son 😱😂 pic.twitter.com/BGyrYeqk0f

— Jacob Barnes (@JacobDBarnes) October 23, 2016

Ending his Snapchat saga with a seriously cute imprint of his newborn son’s footprint, we almost forgot the absurdity of the situation….

Welcome to the world, baby Khaled!

Bob Marley & Me

If you read last week’s Wins and Fails blog, you’ll know people love a weird hashtag.

Continuing the tradition, this week’s weird (and wonderful) hashtag came with a Caribbean twist.

https://twitter.com/james_clarke85/status/790568306306670592

Dutty Dancing #ReggaeAFilm

— Steve Tav (@BiGTaVoZ) October 24, 2016

Jerk chicken little
#ReggaeAFilm

— Wake 'N' Bacon (@Daleyinsanity) October 24, 2016

All movies we’d watch, to be fair.

Penne for Your Thoughts

It was #WorldPastaDay on Tuesday, an ode to everyone’s favourite Italian carb.

But perhaps no one has expressed a love for pasta so pure as Tottenham Hotspur’s player Victor Wanyama did back in 2012, when he tweeted:

I had spaghetti and it was very nice i enjoyed it

— Victor Wanyama (@VictorWanyama) May 7, 2012

So, on #WorldPastaDay, it was only appropriate the football club remind everyone of Wanyama’s poignant words that stand the test of time:

Happy #WorldPastaDay! 😜 🍝 pic.twitter.com/ZLjuX6gTda

— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) October 25, 2016

Story of My Life

Nothing has ever been more relevant than when #MyLifeInOneWord began trending on Thursday.

Hungry #MyLifeInOneWord pic.twitter.com/02ggt0l7fo

— ᎪᎽᏞᎥᏁTRON (@AylinMinajestic) October 27, 2016

Literally always.

#MyLifeInOneWord Overthinking pic.twitter.com/SCpUrkf1Le

— ❣BH90210 Wed 9pm FOX❣ (@Patricia__Braun) October 27, 2016

But seriously, the sticky toffee pudding or the apple crumble? Or both?

Och Wheesht and Get Oan Wae It

After embittered Daily Mail readers demanded Scotland be booted out the Union, Scots of the Twittersphere rallied up and hijacked their #ThrowScotlandOut hashtag in the most witty way possible.

YOUR COMMENTS: Mail readers want Scotland ejected from the UK because Nicola Sturgeon asked for a Brexit strategy… pic.twitter.com/6bd5latZ78

— The DM Reporter (@DMReporter) October 24, 2016

Like this:

Who do they think they are with their stunning landscapes, wonderful welcoming people, free tuition and free prescriptions #ThrowScotlandOut pic.twitter.com/UkxCp7dcVm

— Dudley Sewell #FBPE 🇪🇺 (@DudleySewell) October 26, 2016

(Awful view)

And this:

Och, we're not that bothered, we've been thrown out of better pubs than this #THROWSCOTLANDOUT

— Frank W (@frawil66) October 26, 2016

Together with this very valid point:

We can't #ThrowScotlandOut fs, we'll never win Wimbledon again. PRIORITIES, people.

— chiller ★ (@chiller) October 26, 2016

Truly though, we can’t have Đoković winning….

Tiers Shed

It’s the end of an era, folks. Wednesday evening’s finale of Great British Bake Off wracked up a colossal 14.8 million viewers, as baking enthusiasts across the nation tuned in one last time to watch Candice Brown be crowned the winner.

Twitter reacted —

"Hello, this is the UK. We're a bit busy at the moment, please leave a message." #gbbofinal #gbbo

— Scott Reid 🔍 (@scottreid1980) October 26, 2016

Here we go, it’s time for the last #GBBO as we know it.#GBBOFinal pic.twitter.com/UlmfYTA0cI

— Alex T (@AlexT) October 26, 2016

This is the British equivalent of the last ever episode of 'Friends' #GBBOFinal

— Richard Osman (@richardosman) October 26, 2016

For those of you still struggling to cope with the fact that BBC One will never air another episode of GBBO, here’s a beautifully nostalgic photo to print and frame:

This beats the oscars selfie… #GBBOFinal pic.twitter.com/XVwiYXmemS

— Beth♡ (@bethxjames) October 26, 2016

You’re welcome.

#HairEnvy

If you thought you were having a good hair day, think again.

Meet Tea, the Afghan Hound:

Just one picture. That's all it took for an Afghan hound named Tea to be crowned the internet's next "It" dog. https://t.co/1IH4NBneyn pic.twitter.com/IsmamdVw4l

— The Dodo (@dodo) October 26, 2016

When Tea’s owner, Luke Kavanagh, posted pictures of her on social media, she soon became an overnight social media sensation. News of the supermodel dog spread, and people began calling her the world’s ‘prettiest dog’.

Look at those luscious locks. They are flawless. They are a thing of beauty.

Your wedding day hair will never look as good as Tea’s does on a regular basis.

All that needs to happen now is for Tea to be the new face of Vidal Sassoon. We’d buy every product.

Double, Double Toil and Trouble

In anticipation of Halloween, #ScaryStoriesIn5Words saw some natural born storytellers emerge from the dark depths of the Twittersphere:

#ScaryStoriesIn5Words Announcement: FINAL season, LAST episode pic.twitter.com/wek7rIjnt6

— Kaung Ko (@kaungko) October 28, 2016

Don’t we know it.

#ScaryStoriesIn5Words We Lost Internet Access. Forever. pic.twitter.com/gPFJmfdWQd

— irfan 👁 (@simplyirfan) October 28, 2016

We once lost internet access for 5 minutes and it was horrifying.

The spiders learn to wrestle #ScaryStoriesIn5Words @midnight pic.twitter.com/asjPdySpiw

— Adam B.omb (@BVilivusonline) October 28, 2016

All aboard the nopetrain to Nopeville.

The post Good Hair Day first appeared on 24 fingers.

The post Good Hair Day appeared first on 24 fingers.

Buoy Oh Buoy

Yasmine Marden — Fri, 21 Oct 2016 14:20:47 +0000

Social media hit some choppy waters this week. Greggs’ newly-launched delivery service caused meltdown, there’s now a ‘Rich Kids’ social media app and the Boaty McBoatface campaign sunk.

Time to grab a life jacket.

Abort Ship

When the Natural Environment Research Council called upon Britain to name its new polar research ship earlier this year, the country answered — Boaty McBoatface was deemed the most worthy of names.

Fast-forward a couple of months and construction on the £200 million ship has begun, but with one major drawback: its name being RRS Sir David Attenborough.

Despite garnering over 124,000 votes, the public’s decision on ‘Boaty McBoatface’ was ultimately rebuffed on grounds that officials were reluctant to give such an important vessel an ‘unusual designation’.

People expressed their discontent (including Boaty McBoatface himself):

Public: We vote #BoatyMcBoatface!
Officials: Stop taking the piss
Public: We vote #Brexit!
Gov: Seems legit

— Cara Sutra (@TheCaraSutra) October 17, 2016

Thanks for support in this difficult time. I love you all ❤ #BoatyBeFree #BoatyMcBoatfaceForever #BoatyMcBoatface pic.twitter.com/4wYC9Kp06c

— Boaty McBoatface (@BoatyMcBoatface) May 7, 2016

Alas, there’s still hope. Accompanying RRS Sir David Attenborough is a high-tech yellow submarine (whose name, this time, is actually Boaty McBoatface) which will prepare to go where no remotely operated undersea drone has ever gone before.

Live long and prosper, Boaty McBoatface!

Blockbusters

When #AddaMovieRuinAMovie started to trend on Wednesday, it appeared, at first, to be just another one of those absurd hashtags.

Until these happened:

Dressed To Kill Bill #AddAMovieRuinAMovie @midnight

— Joan Stevenson (@Lady_J_8) October 19, 2016

Sounds like a chick flick thriller that would break box office records.

Dr. Strangelove, Actually #AddAMovieRuinAMovie @midnight

— ʞɔiwbɿɒH ꙅiɿʜƆ (@hardwick) October 19, 2016

And an action-comedy franchise we’d collect all the DVDs for.

The Party Be-gins Now

Also on Wednesday was #InternationalGinandTonicDay. We’ll take any excuse to drink more gin, but this was truly a good one.

And, as if speaking on behalf of an entire nation, one Twitter user expressed an abiding love:

Apparently it's #InternationalGinAndTonicDay.
Or Wednesday, as I usually just call it. pic.twitter.com/rpaQoLL18t

— Amanda (@Pandamoanimum) October 19, 2016

Amanda, we’re on your wavelength.

Greggs Is All You *Knead*

https://twitter.com/notscurr/status/745979207528947714

Imagine no more.

A trial of ‘Greggs Delivered’ has rolled out in the bakery chain’s home city of Newcastle, much to many a Geordie’s delight.

Greggs does deliveries. Sausage & bean melt & a stottie cake delivered to my house? Every Geordie's dream come true. https://t.co/qUUZE9P9Ws

— Gemma Goldfingle (@gemmagoldfingle) October 17, 2016

Shaking with excitement at the fact Greggs will start doing delivery. #illTakeAllTheSausageBeanAndCheeseMelts #GreggsDelivered

— Julian Mak (@Julesmak123) October 17, 2016

Pasty enthusiast Ian Robinson even went as far as to say:

and all the deaths and horror of 2016 is forgotten as it is hailed the greatest year in human history https://t.co/NjFDV9y0t3

— eyeswideshut (@eyeswideshut75) October 17, 2016

After this trial period, Greggs hope to make ‘Greggs Delivered’ a nationwide service.

*Crosses fingers and toes*

Dough to Blow

Even at your best attempt, dodging a rich kid on Instagram (or any social media platform, for that matter) is a near-impossible feat.

Whether it’s a chromed-out Lamborghini Gallardo or Ciroc bottle service, they’ve lived it, and you’ve….well, you definitely haven’t.

As if there wasn’t enough avenues to show off on already, new app ‘Rich Kids’ boasts itself as social networking site where youngsters can flaunt their fortune to their hearts content.

Like this:

And this:

We don’t know what’s more painful, the captions or the gold frames.

How to Save a Life

No, not the terrible Fray song.

British Heart Foundation’s #RestartAHeart campaign, aimed at raising awareness of CPR and how it can be used to save a life, made an extremely clever use of Twitter’s autoreply function.

You're on Twitter 📱
Your ❤️ stops
You go into cardiac arrest

❤️ this Tweet to see what happens next. #RestartAHeart

— BHF (@TheBHF) October 18, 2016

After liking the tweet, users automatically received a video explaining the thousands of deaths each year due to a lack of education and training in CPR.

Hoping to create a ‘Nation of Lifesavers’, the heartwarming initiative saw BHS steal the social media spotlight.

Keep Calm and Drink Coffee

As Hong Kong anticipates the arrival of Super Typhoon Haima, one man has inspired us all with his courage in the face of adversity. Or oblivion, rather.

Snapped in a very empty, very flooded shopping mall, the man, dubbed “Starbucks Uncle”, is seen enjoying his cup of coffee, seemingly unaware of the natural disaster literally cascading before him.

Starbucks Uncle’s moment of badassery stirred on a torrent memes, the best being:

Starbucks Uncle — he doesn’t give a flying fish.

The post Buoy Oh Buoy first appeared on 24 fingers.

The post Buoy Oh Buoy appeared first on 24 fingers.

The good, the bad and the ugly

Yasmine Marden — Fri, 14 Oct 2016 15:02:27 +0000

A Skype call from the First Lady to the ‘hands-free’ selfie, it’s been a fascinating week in the wonderful world of social media, to say the least.

*Fangirling*

Monday’s #InternationalDayoftheGirl, an initiative started by the UN to promote the rights of girls worldwide, saw a Tower Hamlets school receive a very special call.

Mulberry School for Girls was among the schools across the globe chosen to be included in a Skype conversation led by none other than the US First Lady, Michelle Obama.

Giving an empowering speech to pupils on the benefits of education, young girls were left inspired and ready to take on the world.

We don’t know about you, but something tells us Melania Trump won’t be making too many impacting transatlantic calls if Donald is inaugurated…

Easy Breezy Beautiful

Meet CoverGirl’s new Cover Boy — 17 year old James Charles. The American cosmetics brand introduced their first male CoverGirl in the brand’s 60-year history across their social media platforms, stunning makeup enthusiasts near and far.

The bold, boundary-defying campaign was met with an ecstatic response —

I'm all for #COVERGIRLJames ! 😍😍😍 makeup knows no gender. I love this change in the industry, gender stereotypes are finally being shut down

— steph (@duhsteph) October 12, 2016

So proud to live in a time where girls can be soldiers and men can be Covergirls🤗✨ #CoverBOYJames pic.twitter.com/EX25R7WJxP

— muh-RŌW-nnnnnn👽 (@couturecum) October 11, 2016

As more and more cosmetic brands like CoverGirl approach self-made beauty bloggers to front their campaigns, we can only expect more exciting things to come. James, you slay!

Filter Empowerment

At a recent charity event held in Mysuru, India aimed to breakdown the silence that surrounds sexual abuse, organisers called for participants to share their stories — via Snapchat.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5whpbXKLX1I

Women were able to disguise their faces behind a number of filters, achieving a sense of anonymity and security that helped them share their narrative freely.

With the stigma around sexual violence being a huge issue in India, this new avenue was a creative, brilliant way to raise awareness and create momentum for change.

Marmageddon

Whether you’ve had enough time to process or you’re still reeling from the shock, news of Tesco’s recent PR coup *spread* across the country at an alarming rate.

As consumer goods giants Unilever wracked up prices of household favourites amid the Brexit price war, Tesco’s wasn’t having any of it.

Britain’s biggest supermarket resisted the move, which meant products including Marmite, PG Tips and Hellmann’s mayonnaise would no longer be restocked on shelves.

Upon the announcement that stocks were running low on beloved (also loathed, but mostly beloved) Marmite, panic ensued —

British people panic buying #Marmite perfectly sums up the hysterical insanity of 2016. #Marmitegate #Brexit pic.twitter.com/Yt0DS4TkLY

— Tom King (@tallgeekychap) October 13, 2016

"What did Marmite taste like father?" pic.twitter.com/Uai8JwS5z0

— Zorro P Revoke 🇬🇧🇪🇺❄️ (@banalyst) October 12, 2016

In search of lost treasure…#brexit #Marmite pic.twitter.com/oDEddf6Wp4

— Long Starbird (@Sourdust) October 12, 2016

How does one live an authentic life without the sticky, dark brown spread? Excuse us while we have a moment.

Edit: Unilever has since resolved its dispute with Tesco’s. *Cries tears of happiness*

(Furry) Friend Request

As a nation of animal lovers, it seems we’re behind the times. Popular Russian social media site Odnoklassniki is launching a platform where dogs and cats alike can let everyone know what they’ve been up to online — like Facebook, for pets.

The site allows users (AKA pet owners) to add friends, “like” and comment on photos, and generally keep their social circle in the loop.

Ridiculously cute or ridiculously absurd? We can’t quite tell.

Look ma, no hands!

Up there with the weirdest viral trends to ever come about, the ‘hands-free’ selfie is cracking phone screens across the globe.

The feat? Successfully taking a selfie while high-fiving yourself. The perpetuator? College student Seth Schneider.

Today is the proudest day of my life. I successfully took a picture of me high fiving myself pic.twitter.com/tCZ53T5JSx

— Seth Schneider (@TOSUBUCK) October 8, 2016

His tweet, initially posted the 8th of October, has garnered over 170,000 retweets, and has since spurred on a number of imitators:

MY GRADES ARE ABOUT TO pic.twitter.com/x2uxhkewDv

— jaylen (@thejboogie) October 11, 2016

https://twitter.com/isfrankielove/status/784949363244019712

Ladies and gentlemen, the world we live in.

The post The good, the bad and the ugly first appeared on 24 fingers.

The post The good, the bad and the ugly appeared first on 24 fingers.