Meta boosts Reels ad options with new 'Overlay' format
Reddit partners with top sports leagues to boost ad revenue
Meta tests AI comment summaries on Facebook
Trump backs TikTok amid looming U.S. ban threat
Search
june 25
Google Developing AI Chatbots Based on Celebrities
Google wants to make chatbots cooler. Like Meta and CharacterAI, Google is working on a feature to turn celebrities into chatbots.
The Information reported that the search giant is already trying to strike partnerships with influencers as well as celebrities. Google will also enable people to make their own, customizable chatbot.
Search
june 25
Google drops continuous scroll in search results
Google has discontinued continuous scroll in search results, returning to the classic pagination bar on desktop, with mobile changes following soon. Google said the change is to prioritize speed.
Continuous scroll, launched on mobile in October 2021 and on desktop in December 2022, will be replaced by "Next" and "More results" buttons
june 25
Google is displaying Instagram posts and Reels in search
Google has integrated Instagram posts into its Perspectives feature in search results, expanding the range of content formats users can see on Google.
The Perspectives tab has been comprised mainly of YouTube, Reddit and X posts up until now. Although Google has not announced the introduction of Instagram.
E-commerce
june 25
Unlike Amazon, Walmart, eBay and others, Target handpicks the sellers, which will now include Shopify merchants such as True Classic.
Connected TV
june 25
Netflix is considering making subscriptions free in certain markets
Netflix is reportedly considering rolling out a completely free tier with targeted advertising, people familiar with the matter told Bloomberg.
The streaming company wouldn't do so in the United States, but could use advertising-only plans to drive growth in certain international regions.
Social
june 24
Longtime rivals Apple & Meta consider AI partnership
Apple and Meta have held talks about integrating Meta’s generative AI model into Apple Intelligence, the new AI system for iPhones. This partnership would leverage Apple’s extensive distribution network and enhance Meta’s AI presence.
Apple aims to collaborate with various AI companies, including Google, Anthropic, and Perplexity, to offer users diverse AI options.
Search
june 24
PerplexityAI denies unethetically scraping publisher webites
An analysis by Wired suggested that Perplexity is ignoring a widely accepted web standard known as the Robots Exclusion Protocol to scrape website content that operators do not want to be accessed by bots.
Perplexity CEO, Avarund Srinivas, said the web crawler that Wired identified was not owned by Perplexity, but by a third-party web crawler.
Social
june 20
TikTok ads now offers AI avatars
TikTok is introducing generative AI avatars for branded content, allowing creators and brands to use Custom Avatars and Stock Avatars for their campaigns. Custom Avatars represent specific creators or brand spokespeople, while Stock Avatars feature pre-built characters from diverse backgrounds.
TikTok also launched an AI Dubbing tool to translate content into 10 languages, expanding the global reach of ads. These features are part of TikTok Symphony, the platform's AI-powered ad solutions suite.
Social
june 20
New York bans ‘addictive feeds’ for teens
The new SAFE for Kids Act requires parental consent for using recommendation algorithms on users under 18, and restricts notifications to minors' phones overnight. Another law limits data collection on minors without consent.
Once the age verification methods arre decided the law would take effect 180 days later, and the state could then fine companies $5,000 per violation.
Social
june 20
Elon Musk flies to Cannes to win back advertisers
Musk attended the Cannes Lions festival to convince advertisers to return to X. Musk addressed his past controversial comments, asserting that while advertisers have the right to choose their content, they shouldn't dictate platform policies.
He also highlighted X's AI capabilities to enhance ad effectiveness and its role as a hub for live event discussions.
Social
june 20
TikTok quietly launches, Whee, another Instagram-style app
TikTok is positioning Whee as an app for sharing photos with only your closest friends. The app description reads: “Capture and share real-life photos that only your friends can see, allowing you to be your most authentic self.”
TikTok is still testing the new app rather than fully releasing it. Whee is available on Android in “more than a dozen countries,” but not the U.S.
Social
june 20
YouTube embeds ads in videos to bypass ad blockers
YouTube is testing server-side ad injection, embedding ads directly into video streams. This method makes ads indistinguishable from content, effectively neutralizing ad-blockers.
Social
june 18
Documents reveal Elon Musk’s plan to turn X into the next Venmo
State license applications provide a glimpse into Elon Musk’s vision for X, highlighting plans to add a Venmo-like payments feature. Users will soon be able to store money, pay others, and purchase goods in physical stores via X.
Despite financial struggles, including a 40% drop in revenue in the first half of 2023, X aims to boost engagement with payment services. The company has secured money transmitter licenses in 28 states and plans to expand nationwide by late 2024.
Social
Meta launches its much-awaited Threads API
The API, enables developers to create integrations and third-party apps for the platform. The API allows publishing posts, fetching content, and managing replies. Developers can access post insights like views and likes.
Retail Media
june 17
Uber Journey Ads to programmatic buyers and in Google Ads
Journey Ads are shown in the Uber Rides app to people requesting, waiting for, and taking an Uber ride.
According to Marketing Dive, Uber has a new partnership with Google Ads to open up access to more advertisers. Along with programmatic platforms Display & Video 360, The Trade Desk and Yahoo DSP.
insights
Global Ad Revenue Will Hit $1T Faster Than Expected, GroupM Forecast Says
Social
june 17
TikTok introduces image search for TikTok Shop
Users can now take or upload a photo of an item, and the app will show similar products for consumers to purchase on TikTok Shop. Those with access to the new feature will see it in the form of a camera icon in the search bar in TikTok Shop.
Social
june 17
Spotify launches marketing agency
Spotify's 'Creative Lab' will help brands create custom marketing campaigns, as part of the company's plan to attract advertisers to it's 615 million-strong platform.
The company will also begin testing Ai generated voiceovers for brands, the company said.
Social
june 17
Pinterest launched 'Ad Labs' and 'Performance+'
Pinterest will generate personalized lifestyle backgrounds to make Product Pins more engaging as part of the Ad Labs program. While Performance+ uses their newest Ai product to maximize conversion campaigns.
Connected TV
june 17
Introducing the new Google TV ad network
The Google TV network is made up of 125+ free channels built into Google TV, including live sports, TV shows, and movies. Advertisers can now run non-skippable video ads to 20+ million devices.
Advertisers can use the Google TV network through Google Ads and Google Display & Video 360 platforms.
Creators
june 12
YouTube is preparing thumbnail testing for all creators
YouTube will monitor which thumbnail generates the most watch time share and select the 'winning' image once there is a clear result. Creators can add up to 3 thumbnails to test.
AI
june 11
ChatGPT is coming to iPhones (but with limits)
Apple stopped short of fully integrating ChatGPT into its software. Siri will not automatically use ChatGPT for all queries, but rather will ask users to confirm permission before accessing the AI chatbot.
Apple clarified that OpenAI partnership is not exclusive - they will work with Google Gemini in the future.
Search
june 11
Apple brings Ai content summaries to Safari 18
'Highlights' is a new feature using machine learning to summarize web pages instantly. Safari 18 also has a module that provides a "distraction-free" way of browsing in a sidebar that shows a summary and table of contents.
Social
june 11
BeReal has been sold for €500 million
Despite its pandemic-era popularity, BeReal struggled to expand its user base and was seeking a buyer. Voodoo, a mobile apps and games publisher, plans to scale BeReal into a major social network.
BeReal currently has 40 million active users, mostly in France, U.S. and Japan.
insights
Disney+ clocked a 210% YoY jump in gross media ad spend in the US in Q1, followed by Netflix with 135%
Social
june 10
United Airlines brings personalized ads to back-of-seat screens
United will begin showing pre-roll ads on in-flight entertainment using its customer data—including travel history, where the passenger lives, whether they are sitting in economy or first class.
United is promoting the offering as the airline industry’s first media network.
Social
june 10
LinkedIn has a new video ad program in beta
Publishers including Bloomberg, Business Insider and The Wall Street Journal are adding their video content to the platform. LinkedIn and its publisher partners have a revenue-share agreement for a new video ads that are served alongside the content.
insights
Study: 96% of sites in Google’s top 10 positions have 1,000+ links from unique domains
Social
june 9
Instagram confirms test of un-skippable ads
Instagram is trialing "ad break," a feature forcing users to watch ads without skipping. This test, aimed at driving value for advertisers, has drawn user criticism.
The ads are compared to the free version of YouTube, which requires users to view ads before and in the middle of watching videos. Meta says the experiment aligns with evolving consumer trends but hasn't confirmed permanent changes.
Creators
june 7
YouTube live tests AI background generator
'Dream Screen' enables creators to create custom background videos or images for their Shorts using text prompts. The feature is limited to a small group for now but will expand later this year.
Users can access it via the "Green Screen" mode in the YouTube app if available.
Social
june 7
X formally allows adult content with new rules
The company explained: “We believe that users should be able to create, distribute, and consume material related to sexual themes as long as it is consensually produced and distributed."
Users can now post adult content as long as it is prominently labeled.
Creators
june 7
YouTube now has text posts
'Community posts' are now available to all creators regardless of follower count. Text posts can be found on the 'Community' tab of a channel. YouTube has also been testing showing the text-based posts in the main feed.
Social
june 7
TikTok is testing streaks
TikTok is testing a feature similar to Snapchat streaks to boost user engagement. Users get a streak badge by messaging someone for more than three consecutive days. Streaks end if no messages are sent within 24 hours.
Creators
june 7
Meta quietly rolls out Communities on Messenger
Meta’s new “Communities” feature on Messenger helps private groups communicate without needing a Facebook Group. Up to 5,000 people can join a community through shareable invites, Meta says.
Search
june 3
A group of advertising professionals have called on Apple to stop a new feature
Over 800 organizations in France have written to Tim Cook, asking him to halt the rollout of a potential new "web eraser" feature in Safari. The feature would allow users to remove unwanted content from web pages, including banner ads.
Apple has not yet commented on the rumors of the web eraser. The company is expected to announce new features for its upcoming iOS 18 update at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference on June 10.
Search
june 3
Perplexity can create Wikipedia-style content (which ranks on Google )
Perplexity says Pages is "your new tool for easily transforming research into visually stunning, comprehensive content". Meaning, instead of only chat-based replies, Perplexity can create entire Wikipedia-style web pages, with images, citations, and sections.
User's themselves are unable to directly edit the text, and need to rewrite the prompt to modify.
The pages could impact organic search results because some pages are already ranking in the organic search results in some instances.
Social
june 3
Instagram said to stop using engagements hacks - then removed the video
The official Instagram Creator's account discouraged content creators from asking the audience to take actions specifically designed to boost reach with the algorithm.
Instagram: "If we believe your content explicitly asks for engagement through shares, comments, tags, or other actions, then we won’t recommend it. An example of this is asking people to comment with a specific word, number, or emoji.”
Instead the recommendation was to "inspire" people engage naturally in discussions. This advice caused a stir among users as the call-to-action is commonplace which led to the video post being removed from the channel.
Search
june 1
Google admits to shortcomings in AI Overviews
Despite facing criticism for inaccuracies and some bizarre results, Google is determined to refine the AI system with user feedback.
One key product update Google made is limiting user-generated content in responses that could offer misleading advice. Google pays for access to Reddit's data to train its models, but we have seen that presenting user's opinions as a fact can lead to misguided answers.
Google remains bullish on AI Overviews claiming one in 7 million queries violated their content policies.
insights
Facebook has 40 million daily 'young adult' users in the U.S. and Canada - the highest in 3 years
Social
may 31
TikTok is not* preparing US copy of app's core algorithm
A Reuters report claimed TikTok engineers are cloning its recommendation algorithm to operate independently from ByteDance. However, TikTok tweeted the report was "misleading and factually inaccurate."
Spokesperson Michael Hughes denied any code splitting, stating it's "100 per cent false" and reaffirmed the company's commitment to U.S. data security through initiatives like "Project Texas."
A U.S. appeals court will hear challenges over the potential TikTok ban in September.
Social
may 31
Instagram shows creators how to upload longer videos
The creator team at Instagram created a guide on how to post Reels over 90 seconds long. But those videos won't be eligible to appear in the Explore or Reels tab, which will limit potential distribution.
Search
may 31
Google competitor, Brave, moves search ads out of beta
Brave Search is the default search engine in the Brave browser, which has over 65 million monthly active users. Brave positions itself as the privacy-preserving way to search online.
Search
may 30
Google responds to search leak, confirms authenticity
32 hours after the leak, Google indicated that the documents are real but added that there is missing context as to what the document is used for and warned against trying to make assumptions.
Despite this, the documents at least show what Google considers important enough to monitor and have the potential to impact rankings - giving SEO professionals more insight on areas to test.
Google said they will not offer more clarification to avoid spammers using the information to manipulate search rankings.
insights
Amazon’s $42 billion ad revenue represents 13.9% of the digital ad market, with the potential to overtake Meta before the end of the decade.
Retail Media
may 29
PayPal Ads is coming soon
PayPal is opening up its first-party data to advertising partners. PayPal has 400 million active accounts and $6 trillion in digital commerce is processed by PayPal each year. The goal of PayPal Ads is to enable merchants to sell more products and services through targeted ads.
The executive who helped scale Uber's developing ad business, Mark Grether, has joined the payments company to push the initiative forward.
This is part of an emerging trend. Earlier this year, London-based payments company, Revolut, said they were exploring selling media space and data to advertisers.
Search
may 29
An SEO professional has published 2,500 pages of API documentation from Google's Search division. Some of the main discoveries contradict public statements given by Google employees.
Our takeaways:
Google stores domain registration details which could be used for sandboxing new websites or domains that change ownership.
The search engine uses several date signals to monitor content freshness.
Websites with over 50% video content are tagged as "video-focused" and subject to different ranking criteria. Personal websites are also treated differently.
Google has ranking “boosts” related to quality, images, and navigation usage.Google has a feature called “siteAuthority”, even though it has denied using website authority in the past.
Social
may 28
Instagram prioritizes send rate over watch time, likes, and comments
Adam Mosseri said in a recent Q&A that send rate - how often the video is shared in a message to another user - is more important than watch time, comments, and likes.
Instagram rewards high with additional reach because the app wants to promote content that help build conversations and connections between users.
Listen in: How will Ai agents revolutionize marketing?
Kipp & Kieran, marketing execs at Hubspot, discuss what organizations should be doing today to prepare for the disruption that Ai is already creating in search, content creation and customer experience.
AI
may 28
OpenAI continues content licensing spree
OpenAI has signed a $250M+ deal with News Corp, owner of the Wall Street Journal, to license its articles for AI training and answering user questions. This partnership, among the largest in AI news licensing, adds to OpenAI's list of publisher partners which includes The Financial Times.
Search
may 28
Google's new AI search feature is criticized for providing inaccurate and strange responses
One response about using glue in a pizza recipe has been widely shared. It seems that Google’s AI system was referencing a joke in a Reddit thread in their answer. Google insists that the product was working well overall.
Social
may 28
Meta adds new Instagram ad placement
More ads are being squeezed into Instagram. When a user selects a profile and watches their Reels ads will start showing between different videos.
To opt in or out, head to the 'Stories and Reels' section of the manual placements section in Ads Manager.
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