1. Despite the economic downturn, many brands have continued to invest in paid advertising, and the latest ROI Genome Intelligence Report by marketing intelligence provider Analytic Partners suggests that this has paid off. The report found that brands that increased their media spend during the last recession saw a 17% rise in incremental
sales, while those that cut spending risked losing 15% of business to competitors that boosted their spending. In addition, the report found that more than half (60%) of brands that increased their media investment during the last recession saw improvements in ROI. These findings suggest that brands that maintain or increase their paid advertising during economic downturns are more likely to see positive results.
2. Warner Bros. Discovery
(WBD) has scrapped “Batgirl,” a made-for-HBO Max movie that reportedly cost $100 million, is already in post-production, and was expected to debut on the streamer this year. The company is also shelving an animated movie, “Scoob!: Holiday Haunt,” which had a budget of about $40 million. The news comes as WBD is undergoing a major restructuring, combining its film and TV divisions into one unit. The company is also streamlining its development process, which will result in fewer movies
and TV shows being greenlit. While WBD's decisions may be financially prudent, they are sure to disappoint fans who were looking forward to seeing these films.
3. Fully-on screen campaigns protect against some fraud, according to a recent analysis by DoubleVerify. The TV-off phenomenon occurs because CTV environments do not support the viewability measure that advertisers normally rely on for digital video. Video Player-Ad
Interface Definition (VPAID). This leaves buyers susceptible to fraudulent activity such as click injection and domain spoofing. DoubleVerify's analysis found that the Fraud/Sophisticated Invalid Traffic (SIVT) rate was 83% lower for the fully-on screen campaign, indicating that this environment is much less susceptible to fraudulent activity. While there are still some risks associated with CTV buys, it is clear that going full-screen can help protect buyers from some forms of invalid
traffic.
4. It looks like ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, may be looking to take on Spotify and Apple in the music streaming/podcast/digital radio space. The company has filed applications for a trademark for "TikTok Music" in both the US and Australia, indicating that it may be planning to launch a platform that combines video and audio content. Such a platform would be a direct competitor to existing players like
Spotify and Apple Music, as well as podcast platforms like iTunes. It's not yet clear what features TikTok Music would include, but it's possible that the company could leverage its existing user base and AI capabilities to create a unique offering. We'll have to wait and see what ByteDance has up its sleeve, but it looks like the company is serious about taking on the entrenched players in the digital music space.
5. A recent study by
Commerce.com showed that 43% of online shoppers will make a purchase if they receive a discount, while only 12% said they need free shipping. This indicates that discounts are a powerful incentive when it comes to online shopping. If you’re looking to increase conversions for your e-commerce or SaaS product, one tactic you can try is creating a special program with discounts for your target customers. For example, if your audience is marketers, you could create an “Exclusive Marketers’
Program” with a discount on your product. You can then direct those people to a specific landing page advertising the discount. For best results, use a firm number, like $100 store credit, in order to increase the perceived value of the offer. By providing a discount on your product, you can encourage more people to convert into paying customers.
6. If you're a retailer, there's a good chance you're already using Pinterest to
promote your products and drive traffic to your website. But did you know that Pinterest users are actually some of the biggest spenders online? According to a recent study, Pinterest users outspend non-users by 2x every month, and their basket sizes are 85% larger. That's a pretty significant difference! Of course, this isn't surprising when you consider the fact that Pinterest is one of the most popular visual search engines out there. People come to
the platform looking for inspiration and ideas, and they often end up finding products they want to buy. So if you're not already taking advantage of Pinterest's e-commerce powers, now is the time to start!
7. It's no surprise that TikTok is poised to overtake Facebook and YouTube in influencer marketing spend by 2024. The short-form video platform has exploded in popularity over the past few years, particularly among Gen Z
users. TikTok's engaging and creative content is perfectly suited for influencer marketing, and brands are already seeing significant results from their investment in the platform. Investments in small or "nano" influencers are also on the rise, as these cheaper influencers generally have higher engagement rates. Nano influencers are defined as influencers with a following of 1,000 to 5,000 people. While they may not have the reach of mega-influencers, they are more relatable and
authentic, which can be extremely valuable to brands.
8. Facebook's new Advertiser Success Center is a great resource for marketers who want to get the most out of the platform. The center comes with guides, examples, and case studies that cover a wide range of topics, from creating effective ad campaigns to building successful Facebook Pages. In addition, the Advertiser Success Center provides access to a team of Facebook
experts who can offer guidance and assistance. With everything that the Advertiser Success Center has to offer, there's no excuse for not making the most of Facebook's powerful advertising tools.
9. The New York Times Company saw an 18% decline in Q2 operating profit to $76 million, mostly due to losses at The Athletic, the sports site the Times purchased for $550 million in February, a story reports. In addition, the Times
reported a 2.4% decline in digital ad revenue YoY to $69.3 million. However, the Times added 180,000 digital-only subscribers in the quarter, a 70% hike from the gain of 105,000 digital-only subscribers in Q1 2020 and trouncing analyst expectations of 150,000 t0 160,000 new digital subscribers. The strong subscriber growth was enough to overlook concerns about lower advertising spending by companies during the pandemic as well as temporary barriers to selling ads linked to certain issues
such as racial injustice and voting. For now, it seems that theTimes' move to double down on its subscription business is paying off handsomely.
10. As anyone in the online video industry knows, over-the-top (OTT) platforms have been growing in popularity in recent years. A new report from Comscore sheds some light on who is driving this growth. According to the research, male audiences make up almost 60% of OTT users. This is
true for all of the top 10 platforms except for Zee5, where the split is almost even between genders. The report also found that OTT users are highly engaged, with an average of 2.5 hours spent on these platforms each day. This is driven primarily by younger users, with those aged 18-34 spending 3 hours per day on OTT platforms. These findings provide valuable insights into the demographics of OTT users and suggest that there is still significant growth potential for these
platforms.
11. Anthony Chavez, VP, Privacy Sandbox, in his blog post elaborated on the decision to delay cookie phase-out: ‘The most consistent feedback we have received is the need for more time to evaluate and test the new Privacy Sandbox before deprecating third-party cookies in Chrome.’ He added, "As developers adopt these APIs, we now intend to begin phasing out third-party cookies in Chrome in the second half of 2021," He
also mentioned that Google would give advance notice before any changes go into effect. This way web publishers and ad technology providers have "ample time to adapt." The decision to delay was made after hearing feedback from developers about the need for more time. The Privacy Sandbox is designed to replace third-party cookies with a set of APIs that will limit how much data advertisers can access. Google says this will protect people's privacy while still allowing ads to be targeted. It's not
clear how long the delay will last, but it gives developers more time to test the new system and make sure it works well.
12. The rise of social media influencers has been a double-edged sword for brands. On the one hand, influencers have the ability to reach a large audience and generate a lot of buzz. On the other hand, they are often perceived as being inauthentic and unrelatable. A recent survey found that 85 percent of respondents found
influencers to be inauthentic and/or unrelatable. Additionally, only 21 percent of respondents said that influencer content positively impacted their perception of a brand, while nearly one-in-three (29 percent) said it negatively impacted their perception. These findings suggest that brands need to be careful when selecting influencers to work with.
13. Andrew Freedman, a partner and equity research analyst for the investment
firm Hedgeye, said popular franchises like Friends, The Office and Doctor Who have a significant amount of cultural value that can help a budding streamer gain more prominence with television viewers both domestically and internationally. "Those franchises are great to market your service, to bring an audience into your service," he said. "And then you can showcase all of your other content around that." Freedman said that while some streamers might view such acquisitions as a "spend
now, figure out how to monetize it later" proposition, ultimately these kinds of deals make good business sense. "You're creating this cultural cache that people want to be associated with," he said. "It's evidence that you're a serious player in this space."
14. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has been focusing on dark patterns in recent months. Dark patterns are digital marketing techniques that the FTC believes are used to deceive
consumers. The agency has held a workshop on the topic and voted to authorize investigations into specific cases of dark pattern use. It has also put out enforcement guidelines regarding subscription services, which it hopes will help to curb the use of illegal dark patterns.
What Are Dark Patterns?
Dark patterns are design tricks that are used to manipulate people into doing something they wouldn't normally do. They are often used in online advertising to get
people to sign up for subscriptions or to make a purchase. Some common examples of dark patterns include:
1. Misleading buttons: Buttons that look like they will do one thing but actually do something else are a common type of dark pattern. For example, a button that says "Add to Cart" might actually add the item to your cart without asking for permission.
2. Hidden costs: Sometimes, the costs of an item or service aren't immediately clear. This can be done
intentionally to make it more difficult for people to compare prices or make a wise decision.
3. Forced consent: Sometimes, websites will require you to agree to terms and conditions before you can use the site or purchase anything. However, these terms and conditions may be very difficult to read or understand, and you may not be given enough time to make an informed decision.