1. According to mobile tracking firm Sensor Tower, as of this year's second quarter more than half of U.S. App Store spending comes from non-game subscription mobile apps. This quarter was also notable in that it marked the first time the firm's tracking has shown a decline in overall U.S. consumer spend on apps. Spending on non-games in the U.S. App Store exceeded that for games for the first time in Q2
2019, with a total of $543 million compared to $534 million. This marks a reversal of the trends seen in previous quarters, when games have consistently accounted for a majority of spending. The data suggests that U.S. consumers are becoming more willing to pay for subscription-based content, even outside of the gaming category. With the current trend showing no signs of slowing down, it will be interesting to see how this affects the app market in the future.
2. National CineMedia has reached an agreement with iSpot.tv that will give NCM access to a wealth of analytics and measurement data for its advertising clients. This data will prove invaluable for NCM's clients, who will be able to use it to track the reach, frequency, attribution, and tune-in of their advertising campaigns. The focus of the agreement is on movie studio marketers and other brand advertisers, but all of NCM's clients will benefit from the
increased transparency and insights that this data provides. With this agreement in place, NCM is poised to become the leading provider of advertising data and analytics in the industry.
3. GroupM's business intelligence team was discussing the mixed results for second quarter and July data reported by various countries and big retail companies. They noted that the data has an impact on media and advertising, because there is a
very direct relationship between retail sales and advertising spend. The team went on to say that while the United States has been seeing strong growth in retail sales, Europe has been lagging behind. This is likely due to the fact that Europeans are more cautious about spending money, due to the uncertain economic climate. The team concluded by saying that advertising spend will continue to be strong in the US, but will be more muted in Europe.
4. Google is always looking for new ways to improve the user experience, and their latest experiment is sure to be a hit with social media users. The search engine is testing out a new way to display tweets on a given subject, with a ‘Popular on Twitter’ panel highlighting related, trending tweets for certain queries. This will be a valuable tool for users who want to stay up-to-date on the latest news and developments in their field or simply see what others are saying about a
particular topic. It also has the potential to create some hilariously awkward moments, as people realize that their search history is now public knowledge. In any case, it’s yet another example of how Google is constantly innovating and finding new ways to keep users engaged.
5. For some, the idea of getting married at a fast food restaurant is a total nightmare. But for others, it's the perfect way to tie the knot. And now, thanks to
Taco Bell, you can even get hitched in the metaverse. Taco Bell has been offering real-world wedding services for the past five years, but now they're taking things one step further by offering couples the chance to get married virtually. That's right - you can now have your very own Taco Bell wedding in the digital world. To enter, simply submit a registration form and video detailing your love story, Taco Bell fandom and why you want to get married virtually. The winners will be
treated to a personalized ceremony complete with a virtual ring, officiant and, of course, a Taco Bell dinner kit. So if you're looking for something a little out-of-the-box for your big day, this could be it. Who knows - you may even start a new trend.
6. Facebook is not what it used to be. It's sitting at around 5.2% in 2022. But according to Ampfluence.com there is a better emerging alternative to Facebook for free attention, and that is
TikTok with an organic reach of 118%. One of the main reasons is that TikTok uses a content graph algorithm that prioritizes great content. Your content reaches beyond your immediate followers, unlike Facebook's system which relies heavily on paid promotion to get your content seen by anyone other than your small group of followers. So if you're looking for a more effective way to get your content seen by a wider audience, TikTok is the way to go.
7. The social network model can be thought of as a way of trying to get more people to join in and become part of the platform. In the case of Twitter, one of the main motivations is to get new accounts created. There is a perception that the more followers a person has, the more interesting their tweets are, and indeed, the accounts with the most followers tend to be more influential. When bots are used to create fake accounts or amplify certain voices,
this can have a distorting effect on what people see and who they perceive as being important. This model can then become worrisome when it aims to amplify influence. Imagine if all the bots were singing from the same sheet of music! It would be hard for anyone else to make their voice heard over all that noise. The social network model favors the proliferation of bots because it benefits from having more people join in and follow along. But this can also be seen as a downside, as it can lead to
a distortion of what people see and who they think is important.
8. As any marketer knows, engagement is key when it comes to metrics. And when it comes to engagement rate, GA4 is the gold standard. GA4 stands for Google Analytics 4, and it’s the most advanced analytics platform available today. The reason engagement rate is so important is because it’s a measure of how engaged a website visitor is. An “engaged session” is a
website visit in which two or more pages were visited …OR the visitor spent more than 10 seconds on the website …OR they completed one of the goals. If any one of those three things happens, the visit is officially an engaged session. And the higher the engagement rate, the better. So if you want to keep your marketing on track, make sure you’re using GA4 to track your engagement rate. It’s the best way to ensure you’re making the most of your website traffic.
9.Hollywood is buzzing with word that a select group of insiders is getting to see the unfinished film "Batgirl" during secret screenings this week on the Warner Bros. lot. The film, which was cancelled last month amid reports of tension between director Joss Whedon and studio executives, is said to include people who worked on it as well as other interested parties. While it's unclear what the exact purpose of these screenings is, many believe that it could be
a final chance for Warner Bros. to get feedback on the film before officially cancelling it. Others believe that it's possible that Warner Bros. may be attempting to salvage the project by giving Whedon more time to finish it.
Despite the speculation, Warner Bros. has not commented on what these screenings are for or what their plans are for "Batgirl."
10. It looks like Microsoft has been busy researching consumer trends in several
industries that could come in handy for your PPC campaigns. In the travel industry, searches for “cheap” and “discount” have risen by 56% since the start of the year, indicating that people are still traveling but are looking for deals. In the automotive industry, with gas prices soaring, electric vehicles are getting traction. Microsoft’s Audience Hybrid Model shows that there is a growing interest in these types of vehicles. Finally, in the retail industry, “click and collect” is
becoming more popular as consumers seek out convenience and speed. So, if you’re looking to stay ahead of the curve in your PPC campaigns, keep an eye on these trends!
11. Bath & Body Works announced Monday that it's launching a new rewards program in the U.S., giving loyal customers exclusive offers and a chance to earn free products. In a press release, the personal care and home fragrance company said the loyalty program,
dubbed My Bath & Body Works Rewards, is rolling out at the same time as its new app, which lets customers shop, get access to exclusive content. The program is free to join, and members will earn one point for every dollar spent both in-store and online. Once a member reaches 200 points, they'll receive a $10 reward that can be redeemed on future purchases. There are also opportunities to earn bonus points, and members will receive exclusive offers and access to sales throughout the year.
The program is launching just in time for Bath & Body Works' annual holiday sale, which starts Dec. 1. So if you're a fan of the brand, be sure to download the app and sign up for the rewards program to start earning points.
12. According to White Bullet's latest Ad Funded Piracy Report, there has been a decrease in branded ads appearing on piracy websites. This is thanks to the work that
White Bullet has been doing alongside the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) to help prevent ad-funded piracy. The report shows that in the January 2022 Report, 57% of ads were from brands, but this decreased to 51% in the July 2022 Report. This is a significant decrease and shows that the work that White Bullet is doing is having an impact. White Bullet is a cybersecurity and IP protection company that has been working with WIPO for over a year. The company's mission is to help
protect intellectual property and to ensure that piracy does not go unchecked. white bullet works with a number of brands and organizations to help them protect their intellectual property and to prevent their ads from appearing on piracy websites. Thanks to the work of White Bullet, we are seeing a decrease in branded ads appearing on piracy websites. This is a positive step in the right direction and shows that White Bullet is having a positive impact on the fight against
piracy.
13. Social Donut, the global digital marketing and performance agency, has acquired the performance-driven network Traffic Venue for an undisclosed amount. Traffic Venue will become part of Social Donut and will be known as Traffic Venue, a Social Donut Company. With marketers demanding increased accountability for their marketing spend and building brands that last, Social Donut's expertise in driving results through digital
marketing will be a valuable addition to Traffic Venue's portfolio of services. The acquisition will also allow Social Donut to expand its reach and further its mission of helping businesses reach their full potential online. We're excited to welcome Traffic Venue to the Social Donut family and look forward to working together to create even more value for our clients.
14. You may have already heard of people like Andrew Tate. Part of a new wave of male influencers spouting their "advice" on career growth, dieting and dating. Tate was a professional kickboxer who first came to prominence when he was kicked out of the Big Brother house in 2016 after a video of him whipping a woman surfaced. But in
recent months he became an internet celebrity when his social media posts about "success" went viral. His message is simple: if you want to be successful, you have to be like him. Work hard, party harder and never take no for an answer. So why do so many people continue to listen to Andrew Tate? It's simple: because he's entertaining.
15. (PAID ADVERTISEMENT) Former Israel Fighter Pilot Yevgeny Peres has a lot of experience in online
advertising and market strategy, so when he was approached by AppsFlyer to help the company with its growth, he didn't hesitate. He says that for marketers to make the right decisions, they need access to technology that will give them the data they need. And that's what AppsFlyer does. Peres
is now responsible for helping the company grow its $300 million in annual recurring revenue (ARR). He is confident in the company's ability to do so and is excited to be a part of it.
16. Despite the rise of zero-click results, regular web listings continue to receive the majority of the clicks in ecommerce. This is according to Jim Yu, CEO of BrightEdge, who says that while the feature — People Also Ask — has grown slightly, we're seeing
less videos and carousels this year. And finally, blue links really matter, especially in ecommerce. So why are zero-click results on the rise? Yu believes it’s because of the way people search on mobile devices. “People are typing shorter queries into their mobile devices and they’re more likely to get a zero-click result because the intent is clear,” he says. “In addition, voice search is also playing a role in the growth of zero-click results.” Despite this trend, Yu believes that
regular web listings will continue to receive the majority of clicks in ecommerce simply because there are more of them. “There are millions and millions of product pages out there and only a few thousand voice queries per day,” he says. “The law of large numbers is going to win out in the end.”
17. Most of us are familiar with the term "dark patterns" in one way or another. We've all experienced them at some point, whether we realize it or not. And some of us may even be guilty of using dark patterns ourselves to grow our customer base. So what are dark patterns? Dark patterns are features of interface design crafted to trick users into
doing things they might not want to do, but which benefit the business in question. For example, if you've ever been tricked into opting-in to a company's email list when all you wanted to do was learn more about their product, you've experienced a dark pattern. Dark patterns can be found everywhere, from online shopping websites to social media platforms. And they're only getting more sophisticated as technology evolves. While some dark patterns are harmless, others can be quite harmful,
causing users to unwittingly disclose personal information or make unwanted purchases.
18. Qples by Fobi is a new Affiliate & Social Influencer Marketing platform that is being launched by the company. This is a very timely launch given the current rampant inflation and the need for CPG manufacturers and retailers to focus on cost containment while still growing their top line. Qples offers a unique solution that utilizes
real-time data analytics through artificial intelligence to drive customer activation and engagement. The platform will provide insights into which customers are most likely to respond to certain offers and will also help to identify social influencers who can help to promote the products. This will allow manufacturers and retailers to focus their marketing efforts in a more targeted and effective way, which should result in significant cost savings. In addition, the platform will also offer
affiliate marketing opportunities, which will provide another revenue stream for the company.
19.On Wednesday, the Leichtman Research Group announced the findings of its latest Emerging Video Services survey. The study found that 59% of U.S. adults said they get in at least some video viewing on a non-TV device every day. But among 18-34 demographics, that figure jumped to an impressive 83%. Just five years ago, 43% of respondents to
Leichtman’s survey reported daily video viewing on non-TV gadgets, and in 2012 the figure was a mere 1%. It’s clear that young people are leading the charge when it comes to consuming video content on devices other than televisions. And with more and more streaming services becoming available, it’s likely that this trend will continue to grow.