1. Memoir by my friend Joseph Occhipinti of the National Police Defense Foundation: Framed! I Never Stood A Chance: is a memoir with elements of true crime, forming a moving and harrowing story. The essence of the story lies in the David vs. Goliath battle waged by author Occhipinti in fighting organized crime and corruption and attempting to clear his name when he was tried for violating the civil rights of
some of the worst criminals in history .His resiliency in the face of the entire ordeal is nothing short of stunning as each tribulation would have caused many to surrender. The reader will sympathize with the plight faced by Occhipinti and his family as they dig in and fight a war many think they’d never have to fight. This is a book for those who yearn to learn more about injustice and how the government can be used against the little guy.
3. In the latest change to its self-imposed timeline, Google has again delayed the deprecation of third-party cookies in Chrome. The phase out will now begin in the second half of 2024, instead of in 2023 as announced last year, in a move that represents the latest course correction by the tech giant. The new delay comes as the picture of what a cookieless future will look like has yet to come into focus. While there has been progress on
developing alternatives to cookies, such as Unified ID 2.0 and The Trade Desk’s Unified Identity solution, it’s still not clear which technologies will ultimately win out. In addition, advertisers and publishers are still grappling with how to best adjust their businesses to a cookieless world. As a result, Google’s decision to push back its cookie deadline makes sense from a pragmatic standpoint. Wayne Blodwell, CEO of consultancy firm TPA Digital, said the latest delay in progressing The
Privacy Sandbox experiments is not a surprise. Wayne went on to say that Google effectively has to play this "high stakes game" with one arm tied behind its back given the scrutiny it faces from regulators. He went on to say that Google has pledged to roll out any agreed measures with the CMA global. Wayne concluded his statement by saying that the ball is now in the court of the regulators.
4. Meta Platforms’ revenue declined for the first time in its history, down 1% year-on-year to $28.8 billion in the second quarter, according to an earnings statement. Advertiser demand cooled during the period, with the slowdown viewed as broad-based versus affecting just a handful of categories. While ad impressions increased 15% in Q2 across the Facebook owner’s properties, the average price-per-ad fell 10%. The company also saw a
deceleration in user growth for its core apps. Monthly active users (MAUs) on Meta Platforms’ suite of products grew 10% year-over-year to 2.41 billion in Q2, compared to 12% growth in the prior quarter. Despite the slowdown, Meta Platforms is still generating enormous amounts of cash flow and is sitting on a huge stockpile of cash and investments, which gives it plenty of dry powder to weather an extended downturn or make acquisitions. For now, though, Meta Platforms is focused on returning
money to shareholders through share buybacks and dividends.
5. Dick’s Sporting Goods has long been a go-to source for affordable, high-quality gear for athletes of all levels. Now, the brand is bringing its expertise to the virtual world with the launch of “School of Sport,” an interactive space on the popular gaming and metaverse platform Roblox. Through “School of Sport,” users will be able to explore a virtual high school and participate in a variety of activities to earn currency that can be
used to purchase back-to-school gear for their avatars. The launch of “School of Sport” coincides with Dick’s Sporting Goods’ new “Sport Your Style” campaign, which encourages everyone to express their personal style through sport. Whether you’re a seasoned athlete or just getting started, Dick’s Sporting Goods has everything you need to “sport your style” in the virtual world and beyond.
6. While mobile gamers’ acceptance of ads has improved somewhat, they are widely opposed to tracking by app publishers that monetize games with ads. Those are the big takeaways from the 2022 edition of the Gaming Spotlight report from Data.AI (formerly App Annie) and IDC, fielded in November 2021 and released in May. Fully half of 1,052 U.S.-based mobile gamers asked about tracking described tracking as “intrusive,” with only 8% of respondents
finding it “acceptable.” The findings jibe with previous research indicating that most consumers are not okay with being tracked online without their knowledge or consent. In the case of gaming, though, there may be a silver lining for ad-supported publishers: While 68% of respondents said they would pay to avoid ads, a full 82% said they would rather see more targeted advertising than pay for a game outright. That suggests that ad-supported games may have a future, provided publishers can find
ways to target ads without crossing the line into creepy territory.
7. Given that social media platforms are where most people consume their content these days, it's no surprise that advertisers are constantly looking for ways to better reach their target audiences on these platforms. A new study has found that Twitter is the best platform for delivering advertising messages, in terms of both active and passive attention. The report comes from a study of 4,000 respondents across the U.K., France, Canada and
Mexico who looked at 16 test ads on Twitter, TikTok, Facebook and Instagram, generating 20,300 views. It was carried out by audience measurement company Amplified Intelligence, and commissioned by Twitter and media agency OMD. What they measured was how well each ad platform performed in terms of active and passive attention (how a user processes an ad). And what they found was that Twitter outperformed all other platforms in terms of both active and passive attention. So if you're looking to
reach your target audience with your advertising message, Twitter is the platform to do it on.
8. Microsoft's business-to-business site, LinkedIn, on Tuesday launched a community for B2B marketers. Jim Habig, vice president of marketing at LinkedIn Marketing solutions, introduced the site on Tuesday, pointing to the results as the grain that fueled the addition. "B2B is having its day in the sun – we saw it firsthand at Cannes this year," he said. "And our research shows that B2B marketers are starting to think and act more like their
counterparts in consumer marketing." The site will provide B2B marketers with a place to connect with each other, share best practices and case studies, and get advice from LinkedIn experts. In addition, the site will feature a directory of marketing solutions providers, making it easier for B2B marketers to find the services they need.
9. Adverty, the world's leading in-game advertising platform, today announced an exclusive global partnership with Dodreams, a games developer. The partnership will enable Adverty to launch seamless In-Play™ ads inside Dodreams' hugely popular Drive Ahead! game - one of the most popular mobile games in the world. This is a major coup for Adverty, and cements its position as the go-to platform for in-game advertising. The partnership between
Adverty and Dodreams comes at a time when growing numbers of advertisers are seeking to reach gamers through immersive, unobtrusive advertising experiences. In-game advertising offers brands an unrivalled opportunity to reach a massive and engaged audience, and Adverty is leading the way in innovative ad formats that make the most of this opportunity. The launch of In-Play™ ads inside Drive Ahead! will be a key moment in Adverty's history, and we look forward to working with Dodreams to bring
this unique opportunity to brands around the world.
10. Google on Wednesday announced a program to help advertisers and publishers verify that no hidden fees were taken from each digital advertising transaction in Ads Manager. Finally, marketers can understand where their money is going! The technology tracks where the money goes and helps marketers understand where it is spent, building on years of work to increase transparency to programmatic advertising. The feature, Confirming Gross
Revenue, aims to bring more transparency to the world of online advertising. So the next time you're wondering where your advertising budget went, you can check to see if any hidden fees were taken out.