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KIMP’s Picks 17th January: Weekly Highlights In Design, Marketing, AI, & More

Fridays just got better! Whether you’re a marketer, creator, or social media enthusiast, KIMP’s Picks is your go-to series for staying ahead of the digital curve. Every week, we dive into the latest updates from the world of social media, AI innovations, marketing trends, and algorithm shifts that could make or break your online strategy.

Keeping up with the social media buzz can be challenging. That’s where we come in, to help you cut through the noise and focus on what matters most. So, no more scrolling through social media feeds endlessly. In a few quick minutes you’ll be all caught up on this week’s social media highlights. Sounds good? Let’s get started! 

In the Marketing Realm 

Making the most of the YouTube Promotions tab 

The Promotions Tab in YouTube Studio is one feature that creators cannot ignore. But if you are wondering how to make the most of this feature, then the post here from YouTube is for you. 

The post discusses some of the common questions about the Promotions Tab. YouTube recommends creators to run their ads for at least a week and rely on robust content marketing strategies for long-term benefits. 

Marketing plan vs. marketing strategy 

American Marketing Associated shared an insightful post discussing the nuanced differences between Marketing Plan and Marketing Strategy. While they both appear to be similar on a superficial level, there are some difference worth understanding and this post delves into them. 

The post highlights how marketing strategy focuses on the long-term vision and focuses on the ‘what’ and ‘why’ whereas marketing plan focuses on the ‘how’ and dives into the step-by-step process to achieve the goals. 

Marketing trends for 2025

Leading marketing software platform HubSpot shared a post discussing some of the most crucial marketing trends to look out for in 2025. These trends were highlighted as a part of their 2025 State of Marketing Report. 

The post highlights how the focus on Gen Z as the audience in marketing has been steadily increasing whereas the focus on Gen X has been declining. The post also highlights the need to create content that focuses on visual storytelling through shortform video and other essential factors. 

Marketing inspiration from Coors Light 

Coors Light is giving itself a temporary makeover to ease the sting of post-Super Bowl blues. The Denver-based beer company announced that it will rebrand as “Mondays Light” for a limited time, tapping into the dread many feel returning to work after the NFL’s biggest game.

The limited edition products as a part of this campaign will feature an updated design flaunting the rebrand. 

Marketers can take a page from Coors Light’s playbook by creatively tapping into shared cultural moments and addressing universal pain points. 

In the Content Marketing Realm 

Leveraging nostalgia in marketing 

Pretty Little Marketer regularly shares marketing insights and updates. In a recent post, they discussed the strategy of using nostalgia in marketing. 

It talks about the reasons why nostalgia appears to be an alluring emotion in marketing and why a lot of consumers connect with this emotion effectively. It further highlights how this has been used in marketing in a lot of instances and proven to be productive. Based on these the post also gives a few quick tips and ideas for integrating nostalgia in your content. 

From building nostalgic memes to drawing inspiration from retro aesthetics the post delves into diverse ideas. 

Image optimization tips for WordPress sites 

Unoptimized images can be one of the major factors slowing down WordPress sites. Therefore, Search Engine Land discusses some optimization strategies for anyone looking to improve the performance of their WordPress sites. 

The post highlights how optimized images directly impact SEO by improving site speed, user experience, and Core Web Vitals scores. They also recommend using diverse tools like lazy loading, responsive image handling, and metadata optimization to enhance performance while supporting Google’s mobile-first indexing standards. 

Accordingly, the post recommends using properly scaled and compressed images to ensure fast loading. Faster loading speeds also mean engaged users and lower bounce rates. 

In the Design Realm 

Background removal on Freepik 

Instant background removal is one area where artificial intelligenc has proven to be fruitful in the creative workflow. Freepik announced the introduction of new background removal features. 

This new feature allows users to remove and replace image backgrounds effortlessly. From AI-generated backgrounds using Relight technology to simple color swaps, the possibilities for creativity are endless.

The post also gives a preview of how to use this feature on the platform. Whether you’re enhancing professional visuals, creating social media content, or experimenting with designs, this tool opens up exciting new opportunities for users of all skill levels.

MiniMax Live Illustrations are now available on Freepik 

Freepik has unveiled MiniMax Live Illustrations. This is a groundbreaking feature in their AI Video Generator and it brings 2D art to life. With this new mode, users can animate their creations with natural movements and expressive gestures. This means that you can easily add depth and energy to static visuals.

Whether you’re working on personal projects or enhancing AI-generated designs, MiniMax Live Illustrations provides an intuitive way to transform 2D artwork into dynamic animations. This definitely brings a fresh twist to 2D animations which are quite useful in marketing. 

Adobe’s tips for seamless creativity in print vs digital designs 

Adobe shared an insightful guide on designing for print and digital platforms. The article delves into some of the details to keep in mind to effortlessly transition between these two media while preserving the impact of your designs. 

It highlights the need for choosing the right size and resolution to begin with. It then talks about the other factors like bleed and trim which ensure proper framing and clear delivery of the message. Finally, there are tips about color modes and file preparation as well. So, if you are a creative working on both print and digital designs then this is a very useful article. 

In the AI Realm 

Google revamps Workspace plans with better AI features 

Google Workspace has unveiled a significant update, integrating its advanced AI tools directly into its Business and Enterprise plans. This move eliminates the need for additional add-ons, allowing businesses to access cutting-edge generative AI tools as part of their regular subscription. 

Google aims to make the transformative power of AI accessible and affordable for businesses of all sizes, from startups to global enterprises, with no additional costs for these advanced capabilities.

Accordingly Gemini Advanced and NotebookLM Plus will now be part of the package. These AI tools are seamlessly integrated into popular Google Workspace apps like Gmail, Docs, Sheets, Meet, and Chat. This allows for the streamlining of workflows and therefore increase productivity by automating mundane tasks. 

Amazon’s CES 2025 highlights 

Amazon shared a post summarizing all their announcements from CES 2025. There were a range of new devices and innovations, spanning smart home, entertainment, automotive, and AI. 

Among the standout announcements was a collaboration between Ring and Kidde to introduce smart smoke and carbon monoxide alarms with Ring technology. On the entertainment front, Panasonic unveiled three new smart TV models featuring Fire TV integration.

In the automotive sector, Amazon will continue with its collaboration with BMW, introducing large language model (LLM)-powered capabilities in select BMW vehicles. 

Amazon’s CES announcements also highlighted new partnerships, such as one with Qualcomm, aimed at advancing automotive AI experiences.

Catch a clearer overview of these announcements on Amazon’s post here. 

OpenAI announces scheduled tasks feature 

As another major indicator that the agentic AI era is already here, OpenAI recently announced the beta version of their Tasks feature. This lets you schedule tasks and get timely reminders from ChatGPT. 

Currently available to users on the Plus, Pro, and Team plans, the scheduled tasks feature offers a way for ChatGPT to perform automated actions at specific times, regardless of whether the user is online. This function is available on multiple platforms, including ChatGPT Web, iOS, Android, and MacOS. OpenAI plans to extend it to the Windows app in Q1 2025.

With scheduled tasks, users can set up recurring or one-off actions, which could be daily briefings on AI news or other periodic events and reminders. 

Once a task is set, users will receive push notifications or emails when the task is completed. To set up a task, users can either select from suggested options or directly request ChatGPT to create a custom task, like a reminder for an upcoming event. Once submitted, the task appears in the user’s profile under the “Tasks” menu.

Currently, users can have up to 10 active tasks at any time, and if this limit is reached, no additional tasks can be created unless existing ones are paused or deleted.

NVIDIA gives a glimpse of what’s in store for retail assistants 

NVIDIA has unveiled the AI Blueprint for retail shopping assistants. They have given a glimpse of a generative AI workflow designed to enhance shopping experiences both online and in-store. 

Built on the NVIDIA AI Enterprise and Omniverse platforms, the blueprint enables developers to create AI-powered assistants. These AI assistants are designed to support human workers by providing expertise in areas like sales and design. They can understand text and image prompts, assist with complex tasks such as creating travel wardrobes, and offer personalized product suggestions.

With the global retail market set to explode, NVIDIA’s AI shopping assistant tools offer promising opportunities for transformation in the retail industry.

Kinetix introduces character motion control 

Popular AI startup Kinetix has announced some updates coming to their AI video generation tool. These updates bring character motion control to let users fully customize how the character in the generated video moves and acts. 

All it takes is for the user to draft a prompt that describes the scene and then upload a video enacting the exact moves and the tool will instantly generate the desired character copying the user’s moves. 

Luma AI’s Ray2 promises realistic motion 

Luma AI has launched Ray2, an advanced generative video model designed to create ultra-realistic visuals with smooth, coherent motion. 

Trained on a new multi-modal architecture with 10 times the compute power of its predecessor, Ray1, this model can understand text prompts better and therefore generate realistic event sequences. Ray2 is also designed to generate fast, natural motion and detailed visuals that are closer to production-quality standards.

Currently, Ray2 offers text-to-video generation, and Luma AI plans to bring these updates to image-to-video, video-to-video, and editing features as well. 

Google announces Daily Listen feature 

Google is rolling out a new “Daily Listen” feature in its app (currently available to U.S. users who opt into the Search Labs experiment). This AI-powered tool generates a personalized podcast episode based on your Discover feed. Hence you get a quick five-minute overview of topics you’re interested in.

The podcast also includes clickable links to related stories for deeper exploration. Rooted in Google’s Discover and Search, Daily Listen tailors the audio experience based on your preferences, similar to NotebookLM’s Audio Overviews. Users can access the feature directly from the home screen in the Google app and enjoy the podcast with a written transcript and related content.

Microsoft unveils AutoGenv0.4

AutoGen v0.4 from Microsoft represents a major update to the agentic AI framework. The updates enhance scalability, flexibility, and robustness for more complex agent workflows. 

This release addresses previous issues like architectural constraints, inefficient APIs, and limited debugging capabilities. Therefore, with the update, AutoGen v0.4 will be able to provide users with a more streamlined, asynchronous, and event-driven system. 

The update also introduces a modular design, allowing easy customization with pluggable components such as agents, tools, and models, as well as improved observability with integrated monitoring tools like OpenTelemetry.

AutoGen v0.4 also introduces Magentic-One, a general-purpose multi-agent application for tackling web and file-based tasks. 

Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat – bridging the gap between AI and business 

Microsoft has introduced Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat, a new offering designed to democratize AI access across organizations. 

Copilot Chat is a free, secure AI chat powered by GPT-4o. It provides employees at all levels with an easy way to integrate AI into their workflows. Alongside the free chat, Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat also enables the use of agents. These agents allow users to automate repetitive tasks and streamline business processes.

In short, Copilot Chat brings web-grounded chat, agents, and Copilot Control System. 

Social Media Feature Updates and Algorithm Changes

Meta brings a host of new features to WhatsApp 

WhatsApp has introduced an array of new features and design updates aimed at making conversations more interactive and enjoyable. These updates include camera effects, selfie stickers, and quicker reactions. These are all updates designed to add creativity and convenience to your chats.

The new camera effects allow users to choose from 30 dynamic backgrounds, filters, and effects to customize their photos and videos before sharing them in chats. Another exciting feature is selfie stickers, enabling users to turn selfies into personalized stickers. Currently available on Android, this feature will soon be rolled out to iOS.

In addition, WhatsApp now lets users share sticker packs directly in chats, making it easier to recommend fun stickers to friends. 

Telegram discusses chat folders 

Keeping up with the ever-evolving social media landscape, there have been several new social media platforms gaining popularity. Telegram , though not new to the race, has recently been seeing a steady increase in usage. And the platform has also been adding new features to enhance the experience for users. 

They recently shared a post discussing the Chat Folder feature. This allows users to effortlessly organize their chats in custom folders for easy access. Moreover, users can also easily customize the titles of these folders with emojis to add more character to the labels. Have you tried this feature yet? 

Changes to Meta’s content rules – what you need to know 

Meta recently sparked controversy with significant changes to its content moderation policies. The company announced that it is eliminating its third-party fact-checking program and loosening restrictions on politically sensitive speech across its platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, and Threads. 

These updates represent a dramatic departure from Meta’s previous stance on misinformation and hate speech, raising questions about the potential impact on users and the broader digital landscape.

Among the most notable changes, Meta will now allow more speech on topics often subject to political debate, including immigration and gender identity. 

Additionally, Meta is reintroducing more politically charged content to users’ feeds after years of downplaying such material. 

This change coincides with the removal of fact-checking partners, with Meta instead adopting a community-driven system similar to X’s Community Notes, which relies on bipartisan agreement to flag misinformation.

Social Media Today, a leading authority in social media-related updates shared a post highlighting all these changes and their possible consequences. 

To Conclude…

That brings us to the end of KIMP’s Picks 17th January edition. We hope that this quick recap gave you a preview of the social media buzz from this week. Would you like more such updates every week? Stay tuned then and we’ll be back with another curated list of social media posts and highlights to keep you in the loop. 

To get these updates delivered to your inbox, subscribe to The KIMP Scoop newsletter! 

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Posted On

17 Jan, 2025

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