What We Read This Week — April 21, 2017

OK. I’m officially worried. Hayley Peterson at Business Insider writes, “Since October, about 89,000 workers in general merchandise stores have lost their jobs, which is more than the number of people employed in the entire US coal industry.”
CJ Powell, Writer

Want to appear so much savvier than your peers? Drop a “So, I was lurking on the social media subreddit and TIL that 84% of sharing happens via dark social…”
But more importantly, you will be savvier. Check out this social media subreddit if you:
a) Want to cut through the fluffy BS you find in a lot of blogs and get straight to the point
b) Find answers/discussion around specific challenges
c) Learn about new social media products/services on the fly (e.g., Live Reacting tools for FB)
d) All of the above
But, beware. Once you go down the subreddit rabbit hole you may not come back for hours!!
Lisa Wieting, VP: Planning & Integration

From opening its AR features to developers to expanding opportunities for brands, Facebook aims to take over the mobile augmented reality game. You’ve got my attention, Facebook.
Elizabeth Knight, Account Supervisor

Google Launching a Job Search Service Called “Google Hire”

It’s not official yet, but the live home page says it all. Google appears to be launching a recruiting tool that, according to several sources, will allow for employers to post jobs and manage applications. This new tool doesn’t come without its concerns—because the applications are linked to a Google account, does that mean employers will able to see applicants full search history? We’ll just have to wait and see.
Bart Gottula, Senior Digital Strategist

Love ’em or hate ’em, emojis are everywhere these days (not just our phones, either). You can find them on kids clothes, as pillows, and yes, even as cookies. But do they belong in the workplace?
Teri Springer, Senior Art Director

Harris Poll: The retail brands of the year are…

“This year’s poll revealed that in a country facing a “values chasm,” Americans are rallying around brands aligned with their personal values.”
Karen Johnson, Senior Account Director

While most marketers are using email much more frequently than direct mail, is direct mail making another comeback? This infographic shows that direct mail might be more cost effective and also be better for brand awareness campaigns while emails are getting lost — and have a 2-second life span.
Anne Wright, Director of Client Relations

Google Digital Academy

This week, I read a cool post on designing Google’s brand identity for its digital education division. From its concept to completion, visually seeing and reading on why they did what they did is awe-inspiring.
Jeffrey Steffonich, Art Director