MoonPie and ad agency partner Tombras teamed up on MoonPie MoonMate, a virtual roommate via Alexa skill.

Among the roommate duties and other tasks performed after users say, “Alexa, launch MoonPie MoonMate,” it can:

• Pay rent (in the form of MoonPies)
• Avoid doing chores and other at-home activities
• Offer way too much information about its life
• Try its best to keep you inside
• Offer “prompted and unprompted” MoonPie facts, history, recipes and more
• Make you laugh and keep you entertained with conversation
• Compliment your wardrobe
• Discuss MoonPie social media lore such as Linda, MoonPie child and the brand’s social media manager
• Ponder space and other celestial marvels
• Answer popular Alexa questions

MoonPie vice president of sales and marketing Tory Johnston said, “We know how hard being stuck inside and distant from loved ones has been for everyone. Our goal for MoonMate was to create conversations with a sense of empathy and understanding, all while staying true to the brand.”

Tombras chief creative officer Jeff Benjamin added, “When everyone went into quarantine and started social distancing, we could immediately feel the loneliness and isolation. MoonPie has always been a bit of a jester and voice of levity, so the brand’s purpose was a natural starting point helping people through distancing, isolation and quarantine. Covid-19 has been a time machine for culture, letting it catch up to where technology got to first. MoonMate hints at the future of conversational content and commerce where a brand’s artificial intelligence and voice are its soul.”

And Tombras president Dooley Tombras said, “Three years ago, we took a 100-year-old CPG (consumer packaged goods) snack cake and personified it on Twitter, and now, we’re taking that distinct brand voice from that two-dimensional world and bringing it to a multi-dimensional audio experience and another level of brand engagement. In typical MoonPie fashion, it’s totally bizarre and home grown, but it’s a great example of nascent technology getting integrated with everyday life to solve a problem.”

CEO Mark Zuckerberg initially mentioned the creation of the board in November 2018, and its bylaws were detailed in January, along with Thomas Hughes being named as the first director of oversight board administration.

Hughes is the former executive director of Article 19, an international non-governmental organization with a focus on freedom of expression and digital rights.

Facebook established a $130 million trust to fund all operations of the oversight board, and this trust cannot be revoked.

The board is made up of independent members from around the world—20 were named Wednesday, and the goal is to double that number through the latter part of 2020 and possibly running into 2021—and those members are tasked with making binding decisions on content that Facebook and Instagram should allow or remove, based on respect for freedom of expression and human rights.

Content enforcement decisions made by Facebook will be reviewed by the board, which will determine whether those rulings are consistent with the policies and values of Facebook and Instagram, as well as the commitment mentioned above on freedom of expression and human rights.

Co-chair Jamal Greene said during a press call Wednesday, “It’s one thing to complain about content moderation and the challenges involved. It’s another thing to actually do something about it. These problems of content moderation have been with us since the dawn of social media. This really is a novel institution and a novel approach to try to address those problems.”

When the board begins reviewing cases later this year, it will begin with appeals of decisions by Facebook and Instagram to remove content, with the hopes of expanding its scope in the coming months to also handle appeals from users who want content removed by the platforms.

Cases referred to the board by Facebook can also be reviewed.

Co-chair Michael McConnell said during the press call, “The sheer volume of decisions makes it impossible for the board to look at every controversy, decide every appeal, look at every case. We are going to select a few flowers, maybe they’re weeds, from a field of possibilities. This is going to be a real challenge. We’re not going to just be deciding individual cases.”

He added, “We are not the internet police. Don’t think of us as a fast-action group that’s going to swoop in and deal with problems. The hope is that although we can’t look at every case, the cases we do look at will have a broad impact on others. If your case isn’t taken, that doesn’t mean that your issue is going unaddressed.”

In terms of timing, Facebook said it is still assessing how the global response to the coronavirus pandemic may impact important steps required for the board to reach full operational capability, including recruiting staff, training members and implementing tools that are essential to ensuring data privacy and security.

Facebook director of governance and global affairs Brent Harris said during the press call that board members will not have access to artificial intelligence tools, and that they will access the content being analyzed via a content management system supplied by Facebook.

Facebook must abide by the board’s decisions unless doing so would put the company in violation of laws of countries impacted by those rulings.

Helle Thorning-Smith, one of the four co-chairs, said during the press call, “I don’t think any of us would have accepted this task if it hadn’t been very clear from the charter and the bylaws that Facebook will follow our decisions. It would be very embarrassing for Facebook if it doesn’t live up to its end of this bargain. Mark Zuckerberg has reassured us that this will be the case.”

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Bar is creating a series of social superhero illustrations and Instagram stickers to reinforce the idea that while staying home may be boring, doing so makes people superheroes alongside first responders, healthcare workers and other essential employees who are risking their lives during the coronavirus pandemic.

Bar will continue to create and share new illustrations and stickers via Instagram throughout the month, and Mucinex said top influencers will help spread his work via Instagram Stories.

Mucinex vice president of marketing Claudine Patel said, “The science shows that staying in isn’t exciting, but it does save lives. So much more than simple words, these vivid and original visuals invite consumers to show off their superhero creds by donning capes and masks and have more fun while performing mundane tasks, such as vacuuming, making a sandwich or simply taking a nap.”

She added, “With the weather warming up across the nation, there is great temptation to give up our boring routine, but in reality, we should be fighting back by embracing these mundane life-saving techniques with an added dose of fun. Bar’s clever illustrations help translate the contradiction of being a #boringhero in a powerful, spirited and fun way, and we are proud to partner with him to provide inspiration for staying home and staying safe.”

The fast-food chain will share hints via its Twitter account every day, with the clues pointing to the company’s digital brand assets, including Wendys.com.

Whoever gets there first gets the code.

The social network is adding to the Community Help for Covid-19 hub it introduced last month with several new features for #GivingTuesdayNow.

Starting Tuesday, people can go to facebook.com/covidsupport to buy gift cards to support local businesses that are struggling to stay afloat during Covid-19, donate to fundraisers from local nonprofits, sign up to donate blood at local blood banks and find local employment opportunities.

Facebook said that since debuting Community Help for Covid-19, the most requested categories are supplies (baby supplies, hand sanitizer, cleaning supplies, toilet paper), food and information (about Covid-19, unemployment, stimulus checks), while the categories people are offering the most help in are volunteering (running errands, shopping for groceries, caring for elderly), supplies (making homemade face masks and donating hand sanitizer, diapers and toilet paper) and offering food.

The social network added that people have donated over $65 million for causes related to the coronavirus pandemic on Facebook and Instagram since January, and more than one-half of those donations are less than $25.

Creators can show off their socially distanced cribs by adding the hashtag, as well as official MTV Cribs music and a sticker pack featuring official logos.

Visitors to the KFC Facebook page can interact with the Colonel via Messenger bot to accomplish tasks including coordinating a meal time, personalizing the invitation with the mom’s name and a family photos, and setting up reminders to video chat via Messenger on Mother’s Day.

Up to eight people can be visible at one time, and stickers and effects can be incorporated.

KFC is also offering free delivery on orders over $20 (before taxes, tips and fees) for a limited time.

KFC U.S. chief marketing officer Andrea Zahumensky said, “Lately, the days are all running together, so it is challenging to figure out how to make Mother’s Day a bit more special. For almost 70 years, KFC has been a Mother’s Day staple for families across the U.S., so we wanted to find a way to help connect loved ones over a shared meal and celebrate mom even in these unique circumstances. Through this virtual experience and free delivery, the Colonel has everything covered this Mother’s Day, except maybe the dishes.”

Throughout the month of May, Post It Forward, Tumblr’s platform to raise awareness of mental and emotional health via community building, will feature resources and discussions centered on four major issues: combating boredom, dealing with grief, managing relationships and maintaining/improving mental health.

Ditch the Label and Tumblr will provide impactful Answer Time sessions, original artwork from Creatrs by Tumblr and articles such as, “Ways to Reduce Stress During Lockdown” and “How to Deal With Your Emotions During the Coronavirus Crisis.”

Tumblr said in a blog post, “Your mental health is important. Because of the coronavirus, people all around the world are experiencing high levels of mental and emotional stress. That’s why this year’s Mental Health Month initiative will focus on common aspects of isolation and loneliness: how to protect, maintain, and improve your mental health; how to manage your relationships inside and outside of your household; how to combat boredom; and how to deal with the grief you might be feeling.”

The company continued, “Some of you may be concerned with your mental health for the first time in your life. For others, existing mental health issues may be exacerbated by current events—especially for those of you who may be quarantined with people whose values are at odds with your own. We see you, and we want to help.”

Note: These screenshots were captured in the Facebook application on iOS.

Step 1: Once you’ve taken or imported a photo or video into Stories, tap the “Stickers” icon in the top-right corner of the screen.

Step 2: Tap the “Stay Home” sticker.

This will add the Stay Home sticker to your post. You can tap the sticker to change its appearance. You can also rotate, resize and drag the sticker around the screen to best fit your post before sharing it.

The social network kicked off testing of the tool in Ireland last December, enabling people to transfer their photos and videos from the social network directly to other online services, beginning with Google Photos.

Director of privacy and public policy Steve Satterfield wrote in a Newsroom post at the time, “At Facebook, we believe that if you share data with one service, you should be able to move it to another. That’s the principle of data portability, which gives people control and choice while also encouraging innovation. Today, we’re releasing a tool that will enable Facebook users to transfer their Facebook photos and videos directly to other services, starting with Google Photos.”

Facebook has since quietly updated last December’s Newsroom post three times, revealing Feb. 20 that the photo transfer tool was expanded to countries in Latin America and the Asia-Pacific region; adding more countries in Africa, the European Union (including the U.K.), Latin America and Southeast Asia March 10; and adding Canada and the U.S. Thursday (April 30).

Satterfield told Nandita Bose of Reuters this week that Facebook has been urged by regulators to make it easy for its users to choose new providers and move their data to those providers, saying, “It really is an important part of the response to the kinds of concerns that drive antitrust regulation or competition regulation,” and adding that the social network intends to expand the process to data such as contacts and friends lists.