More than 50% of Snapchat users will open a brand's story, and more than 85% of them will watch the entire story, according to a report entitled "Snapchat Quarterly Report Q4" by Snaplytics. The report also discovered that 64% of new brand followers will search for brands by the username, while approximately 25% will use Snapcodes and less than 10% will use deep links.

Unilever is on a mission to ramp up its direct-to-consumer platforms. Like many FMCG companies, this has become a priority for the business. The strategy was detailed in a job ad posted by Unilever this month, asking for candidates with "entrepreneurial" spirit.

Advertising is now experiencing a golden age of its own, according to Lee Sears, VP and head of commercial innovation for Viacom's Velocity ad business. Speaking to "Marketing Week," Sears says it "isn't a coincidence" that high-profile filmmakers are currently flocking over to direct ads or that Super Bowl ads are making bold social statements.

In the current political climate, there is an urgent need for businesses to carefully define and execute their brand values. The vocal reactions of various brands to the presidency of Donald Trump in the US, and campaigns such as Stop Funding Hate in the UK, suggest that values and ethics can help businesses to navigate their way through turbulent times.

It will be available on Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV and Samsung Smart TVs "soon," Facebook said. There are plans to roll it out on more platforms. In a blog post, Facebook said: "With the app, you can watch videos shared by friends or pages you follow, top live videos from around the world, and recommended videos based on your interests.

Creative agency Mother has set up shop in London's Shoreditch, housed within parent company Mother's building on Redchurch Street. The new team, created to build upon the decade-old team in New York, will focus on creating design work across branding, identity, product, packaging, digital and physical content.

A TV campaign that shows Santa forgetting Christmas after developing dementia has been cleared by the ad watchdog following complaints that it was offensive and could distress children. The festive campaign, called Santa Forgot, was run by the charity Alzheimer's Research UK to raise awareness of dementia and help boost donations.

According to a survey carried out by the streaming service, roughly half of subscribers (46%) admit to jumping ahead in a TV show without their partner. And what's worse is that 81% admit they have "Netflix cheated" multiple times.

Facebook's news feed is about to get a lot noisier with the introduction of videos that automatically play with sound, a feature that could lead to embarrassment for users who secretly scroll through Facebook in meetings or under the dinner table. The social network is today adding a new feature that will mean sounds play out loud on videos when users scroll past.

More than a quarter of consumers chose to spend less with a company or took their business elsewhere thanks to poor customer service during 2016, costing firms over GBP37bn. New research from Ombudsmen Services shows that 28% of people report losing loyalty for a brand after receiving bad service.