As the Mobile Messaging War Heats Up, Kik Tries to Win Over Marketers With GIFs

Twentieth Century Fox wants to talk to teens the way that they do with their friends, so it's using GIFs to chat with them on mobile messaging app Kik. The film studio and agency Trailer Park are launching a campaign today for the sci-fi flick Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials, the sequel to 2014's Maze Runner based on T.S. Nowlin's book trilogy. In the movie, a group of boys are stuck in a maze, and the only way out is to go through a series of challenges given out by a secret organization called WCKD. To play off of the movie's twisting plot, Fox is using Kik's Promoted Chats to let fans talk to a bot version of the WCKD character. The bot offers text-based information and a total of 12 GIFs that walk users through a series of challenges to help them get out of the maze. Like the movie's story, the app's messaging can go several ways. "It kind of feels like one of those choose-your-own adventure books that you may have played as a kid, but played out in a much more modern way," said Paul Gray, Kik's director of platform services. Fox's campaign is the first time that a brand has used GIFs on Kik, Gray said. It's also the first work to be born from the technology Kik gained when it acquired GIF messaging app Relay last year. "One of the things we're always trying to work on is developing storytelling and combining that with emerging technology," said Glenn Sanders, group creative director at Trailer Park. "The story that we wanted to tell actually matched up... Continue reading at 'AdWeek'

[ AdWeek | 2015-08-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Paul Murray’s The Bee Sting wins inaugural Nero book of the year prize

Irish author’s ‘suspenseful and linguistically astonishing’ fourth novel praised for its ‘great wit and humanity’ by judge Bernardine EvaristoThe Irish author Paul Murray has won the inaugural £30,000 Nero Gold prize for The Bee Sting, a comic family saga set in rural Ireland.Murray was... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2024-03-14 19:30:28 UTC ]
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Higher Prices Boost Book Sales in International Markets

Revenue in 12 of 16 overseas book markets rose last year, even as unit sales fell, according to a new joint report from Nielsen/GFK Entertainment. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-03-08 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Nielsen-GfK’s Pre-LBF ‘Global Book Market’ Report

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[ Publishing Perspectives | 2024-03-07 18:44:01 UTC ]
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Bono's 'Surrender' Wins Audiobook of the Year at 2024 Audie Awards

At the 29th annual Audies, presented by the Audio Publishers Association and held in Los Angeles on March 4, winners across 27 categories were announced. The night's biggest honor, Audiobook of the Year, went to 'Surrender,' written and narrated by Bono. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-03-04 05:00:00 UTC ]
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U.K. Publishing Spotlight: Oneworld’s Winning Ways

The London indie press started with a focus on nonfiction, but in the past decade has published three Booker-winning novels. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

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What Kendrick Lamar’s Pulitzer Win Meant For American Music

When Nas described himself as the “most critically acclaimed Pulitzer Prize winner / Best storyteller / Thug narrator / My styles greater” on his song “Hate Me Now” (1999), he was foretelling something monumental on the horizon. The Pulitzer Prize for Music is considered one of the nation’s most... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

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Paris Booksellers Score a Pre-Olympics Win

A win for Paris booksellers, an adaptation of The Devil Wears Prada, and a reading list for fans of True Detective: Night Country. Continue reading at Book Riot

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Pulitzer-Winning Critic to Publish Book About Reality TV

An award-winning critic chronicles the rise of reality TV, a Virginia bill would ban book bans by school boards, and more news today in books. Continue reading at Book Riot

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Pulitzer-Winning Author N. Scott Momaday has Died

N. Scott Momaday was the first Native American author to win a Pulitzer Prize. He passed away on January 24th at age 89. Continue reading at Book Riot

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Taipei International Book Exhibition 2024: A Market Profile

A market boosted by the elimination of sales tax on books, Taiwan is ready for a strong year at its upcoming international book exhibition. The post Taipei International Book Exhibition 2024: A Market Profile appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

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Graphic novelist Posy Simmonds wins prestigious French comics award

Award marks first time a British artist and author has won Grand Prix at International Comics festival in AngoulêmeThe graphic novelist Posy Simmonds has won the Grand Prix at France’s Angoulême International Comics festival – the first time a British artist and author has been awarded the... Continue reading at The Guardian

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How The Midst Taps Into the Midlife and Perimenopause Ad Market With She Media

Independent publisher The Midst launched on its new website Tuesday, after more than four years of chronicling perimenopause and the modern midlife experience as a personal blog called Jumble and Flow. The publisher is one of a growing number of media companies to plant... Continue reading at AdWeek

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Vashti Harrison's Caldecott Win: Kind of a 'Big' Deal

Author–illustrator Vashti Harrison happened to be in Miami to celebrate her father's 89th birthday when—at 9:30 p.m., while sorting laundry—she received the news of her Caldecott win for 'Big.' Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

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In Major Win, Appeals Court Upholds Block on Texas Book Rating Law

In an unequivocal 36-page decision, a three-judge panel of the Fifth Circuit—said to be the most conservative court in the nation—agreed with a lower court that the mandatory book ratings called for by the Texas law HB 900 were unconstitutional. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

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