10 Things That Happened in January that You Should Know About

We know your Facebook and Twitter feeds are constantly being flooded with stuff that you probably don’t really care about seeing. So, we put together a list of some of some pretty cool/ridiculous/unfortunate/nonsensical things that happened in the creative and pop-culture worlds last month that you might have missed that we think you should know about.

1. Netflix Is Now a ‘Global TV Network’ After Launching in 130 New Countries

Going on a European vacation? Good news…you can Netflix and Chill while you’re abroad. That’s right people, Netflix has gone global! Why the sudden expansion you ask? Well, according to Netflix’s CEO, Reed Hastings, he “dreamed of the day when the Internet would enable us to deliver TV shows and movies to the billions of people with whom we share the planet with.” We’re sure there was a monetary factor involved, but we’ll go with Hastings on this. The only downside…still no Netflix and chilling in China due to Internet restrictions. Maybe next year.

2. New feature lets students share an iPad

Apple recently released the beta of iOS 9.3 (stay tuned though…because we’re sure 9.4 is right around the corner) which is pretty awesome for the education sector because it allows for multiple user accounts on one iPad. We can all remember going to computer class in grade school and logging in to our own account. Well, now those computers are slowly but surely being replaced by iPads. Will this be a significant benefit for students? We’re not sure, but we’re excited to find out.

3. Playboy Mansion listing includes octogenarian roommate

That’s right people…the Playboy Mansion is for sale, but there is a caveat. Whoever forks up the $200 million to live out their teenage boy fantasy will have to deal with having a famous roommate. You heard that correctly, the buyer must agree to let Hef live there for the remainder of his life. Let’s be real…the man is 90 and the house has 29 bedrooms, the buyer could easily live there without ever running into Hef in the bathroom. But the real question is…if Hef stays, do the legendary parties stay as well?

4. Pokémon Will Celebrate Its 20th Anniversary With an Ad on Super Bowl 50

We all probably remember the Nintendo Gameboy Pokémon games, the cards, the TV show, the toys…from our childhood, and now they are premiering their first ever Super Bowl commercial. Unfortunately, the only detail we have for the 30-second spot is that it will encourage fans to “Train On.” Guess we’ll have to wait for February 7th for this one.

5. Google Hopes Super Bowl Advertisers Choose It Over Twitter for Real-Time Marketing

Google is hoping to steal the real-time marketing torch from Twitter this year during the Super Bowl, and if we’re being real…it shouldn’t be that hard with all the nonsense Twitter has going on over there. But what does this mean? Well…Google recently launched a a new ad format called real-time ads that lets brands trigger promos around big events like the Super Bowl and Oscars instantly, similar to how marketers use Twitter. Which is pretty rad when you think about it. Will it be successful though? We’ll have to wait and see. Let’s just hope this isn’t another Google+ flop.

6. Executive Turmoil And Turnover At Twitter

Oh Mr. Dorsey…what are we going to do with you? Your shares have already dropped 22% since the beginning of the year and we are only a month in! What do you expect to happen as a result of your heads of product, media, and engineering peacing out? We know you have a new CMO coming in, but will that be enough to stabilize Twitter? Guess we’ll find out.

7. Facebook Is Now Letting Everyone in the U.S. With an iPhone Livestream Video

Periscope, Meerkat and now Facebook…live video streaming is everywhere, and it’s been pretty successful. Video is taking over social media marketing and completely redefining the way people are consuming content. One of the really cool features of live streaming on Facebook…the ability to choose your audience before you even begin broadcasting. If utilized correctly, this could one incredible thing for brands to reach people that they couldn’t before. We’ll do some more research on this and let you know what we think.

8. This bunny beat out 7,500 other silly rabbits to become Trix’s new mascot

Out of all the silly rabbits in the world, Cinnabun is the silliest. General Mills has announced its new mascot. And he’s not just cute — he’s a real-life rabbit. GM is taking a new stab at their cereals…nixing all artificial flavors and flavors and replacing with natural ingredients! Holy moly what a concept?! Producing something made of actual food instead of red dye 27? How could they have not thought of this sooner. The big question though…what will our Lucky Charms taste like after this change?

9. Snapchat Is Slowly but Surely Letting More Brands Run Long Video Ads

Oh Snapchat…why must you do this to us? Ok, we get it…advertising equals dollars, but you were the last ad free social media platform that we actually enjoy using. We’re sorry, but we’re not going to stop our regular story viewing to watch a 90-second ad that doesn’t interest us. Stick with branded geo-filters…we love those.

10. Mattel’s Barbie Is Now Curvier, Taller and Petite

It’s about damn time Barbie got a makeover! Good job Mattel for finally giving little girls realistic body expectations. The new barbies, who will have a range of 7 skin tones, 22 eye colors and 24 hairstyles hit shelves March 1, and we cannot wait to see social media explode with reviews and complaints…because we’re sure there’s going to be at least one pissed off parent.

Emily Wincel | Social Media Strategist

Things That Happened Last Month That You Should Know About
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