We’ve heard some bold statements in our time, but the latest social network looking to cause a stir seems to have particularly high expectations. Then again, perhaps it should.
Despite the constant musings over an imminent social decline- whether Facebook will fail, if Twitter’s ongoing alterations will put people off- the critics are consistently being proved wrong. So where Google+ seems to have stumbled in its attempt to win punters over, Pinterest has succeeded in its efforts to introduce us to another must-have online membership. The point being the popularity of this sector is showing little sign of waning, it’s just that the public are increasingly showing a resistance to formulaic models- any platform looking to start up these days needs to offer something bold and completely unique.
As such we’re intrigued to see what may happen with the new social media app Tunepics. As of today you’ll be able to sign up to the service, which allows users to match picture uploads with songs through an iTunes link-up, increasing the potential impact of their posts. Given the the fact emotional qualities have become a cornerstone of content marketing this seems like quite a clever idea in terms of attracting brands and speaking to consumers and their love of heartstrings, capacity for sentimentality and desire to engage in ever-more immersive experiences. A number of celebrities and companies seem to agree, too.
According to The Drum, Airbnb, All Saints, Asos, Dazed, Jamie Oliver, Kate Bosworth, Michael Polish, Paul Smith, Tracy Anderson and will.i.am are already endorsing the network, evidently encouraged by the fact this is the first creation of former Topshop CMO Justin Cooke, who left the high street giant last year to set up a new, then-top secret firm called Innovate7. Clearly a chap capable of attracting the kind of financial backing a new social network needs, and a proven marketing veteran, throw in the Apple tie-in there’s no telling how significant an operation this could become.
Nevertheless, we’re not sure any of the established guard will be particularly worried, just yet. One glance at the offering and several factors immediately spring to mind. Firstly, the idea that a picture post will benefit from having a short sound clip attached (only 30 seconds of each song gets played) is presumptuous. We’ve been using it today and although it works well now, there’s a chance hearing a succession of half-minute samples from different tracks as you scroll through the news feed could become irritating. Secondly, the biggest danger is those small but considered sound bites will not be a powerful enough unique selling point on their own, leaving very little by way of a revolutionary aspect in the overall Tunepics offering.
Of course it’s not all bad news already, in fact far from it. After trying out the app we can certainly see the appeal, the streams are fast and well edited, creating an addictive halfway house between an audio Vine and photo-based platforms. You can also find the app in a prominent position on the App Store, which should help to boost sign ups in these early days. Add to this the obvious potential in rolling out a video offering (thus allowing people to soundtrack their phone movies on the fly, as it were), and it’s easy to start getting rather excited. Whether or not it can ‘define a generation’, as Cooke apparently hopes, is probably another question altogether, mind, but hats off to him for thinking big.