1.YouTube has been in the business of video recommendations for a while now. And while TikTok might have the edge when it comes to catchy content, YouTube Shorts might just have the better chance to compete with the app, thanks to YouTube's recommendation algorithm. YouTube, in other words, has been recommending videos based on your watching behavior for years, and applying that technology to Shorts is an
advantage. YouTube’s long-form videos are also appealing to users who might want more content from accounts whose Shorts they like. And it’s nice for creators too. I’ve seen Shorts draw a bunch of people into my (still admittedly small) YouTube channel, including some looking for the full episode in the comments. Who knows, with a little bit of time, YouTube Shorts might just give TikTok a run for its money.
2. As any Floridian knows,
social media censorship is a hot-button issue. That's why the state's conservative leadership is siding with Trump attorney John Eastman, who this week urged the Supreme Court to review a lower court ruling that blocked a Florida law that prohibits large social media platforms from suppressing users' posts. The Florida law, which was passed earlier this year, bans social media companies from "censoring," "deplatforming" or "shadow banning" journalistic enterprises, based on content. It
also subjects them to fines of $250,000 per day for "deplatforming" candidates for statewide office, and $25,000 per day for other offices. The only thing that's more Floridian than censorship is Sunshine State politics, so it's no surprise that this issue hasBut despite the state's best efforts, it looks like social media censorship is here to stay.
3. It’s that time of year again when brands begin to roll out their Halloween-themed
campaigns. This year, Dietz & Watson is getting in on the fun with a TikTok campaign featuring three “SandWitch Sisters” who reference the 1993 Halloween classic “Hocus Pocus.” The brand worked with Philadelphia-based agency RTO+P on the campaign, which is its largest paid TikTok effort to date.
The SandWitch Sisters are played by three drag queens: Abby Leigh, Nikki Champagne and Brittany Lynn. In the videos, which were shot in one day, the sisters sing about
their love for Dietz & Watson sandwiches and make puns about the brand’s products. For example, in one video they sing, “If you want a real sandwich / You gotta put your eggs in our basket.” In another, they joke about how “Dietz & Watson is so deli-cious it should be illegal.”
The videos are part of a larger Dietz & Watson campaign called “Bewitch Your Appetite,” which includes other digital and social elements such as GIFs and recipes. The brand is also giving
away merchandise such as T-shirts and witch hats. So if you’re looking for a little bit of lighthearted fun this Halloween season, be sure to check out Dietz & Watson’s latest campaign.
4. NBCUniversal is said to be mulling early retirement offers for veteran staffers age 57 and older, according to sources. The conglomerate is reportedly looking to save costs by offering buyout packages to select employees across the entire company who
have been with the company for 10 or more years and who are age 57 and older. The move comes as NBCU also considers cutting primetime programming in the 10 p.m. hour.
While no formal offers have gone out yet, it seems that the company is looking to trim its workforce in order to save some money. Obviously, this isn't the best news for those affected by the potential offer, but it's certainly an interesting development nonetheless. We'll keep you updated as more information becomes
available.
5.Out-of-home advertising has come a long way in the past few years. In just 12 months’ time, OOH went from making up less than 5% of advertisers’ media plans to 20% to 30%. That's impressive growth by any standards. And in a post-pandemic world, advertisers are looking for ways to vary their ad spending, agencies say the demand for ad buying diversification is increasing. So what does that mean for OOH? Only good things,
according to Ian Dallimore, VP of digital growth and GM of programmatic at Lamar Advertising. Dallimore said that the pandemic taught OOH advertisers more about how to collect real-time data as well as the importance of being quick on your feet in putting these ads to use. So it seems that the future is bright for OOH advertising. Let's just hope that there are no more pandemics to get in the way! (MarketingDive)
6.The Federal Trade Commission
announced today that it is exploring a potential rule to combat deceptive or unfair review and endorsement practices. The FTC's Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPR) seeks public comment on potential harms stemming from deceptive or unfair review and endorsement practices, and whether a rule would help consumers and level the playing field for honest marketers. The FTC is concerned that fake reviews, suppressed negative reviews, and paid-for positive reviews are cheating
consumers looking for real feedback on a product or service, and undermining honest businesses.
7. For years, Snap, the maker of the ephemeral messaging app Snapchat, steadily grew its advertising business. That changed last year after Apple enacted privacy changes that made it harder for apps to target advertising to their users. Even so, Snap continued to add new users. Its daily active users increased 19 percent to 363
million, above the 358 million predicted by Wall Street analysts. However, since then Snap’s business has continued to slow and on Thursday the company reported that its revenue for the third quarter rose 6 percent to $1.13 billion from a year earlier. This isSnap’s slowest-ever rate of quarterly growth and its net loss was $359 million, far wider than the $72 million loss from a year earlier, as spending increased more than 25 percent. All in all, not the best of reports but let’s be honest-
we’re all still using Snapchat. (NYTIMES)
8. David Gaylord is the co-founder and CEO of Bushbalm, a daily skincare and ingrown hair prevention brand. He is also a serial entrepreneur, with a proven track record in product development, branding, and marketing. Gaylord is no stranger to the perils
of marketing costs and knows all too well the importance of organic reach. That's why he's focused heavily on a strategic product launch that will help Bushbalm gain organic reach for its truly unique product. With the holiday season fast approaching, this couldn't be timelier. Thanks to Gaylord's expertise, Bushbalm is in a strong position to capitalize on the holiday season and continue its impressive growth trajectory. We can't wait to see what he does next!
9.Ashutosh Nagare has been appointed as Vice-President and Head, Performance Marketing at Interactive Avenues. In his new role, Nagare will focus on growing the company’s performance portfolio leveraging data insights and
technology. He brings on board 12+ years of experience in digital marketing, and has worked with leading brands like Reliance Communications, Dr. Batra’s, ALTBalaji, Tikona Digital Networks, and TrueFan. Nagare will be based out of the company’s Mumbai office and will report to Harish Iyer, Executive Vice President, Media. READ MORE ABOUT THIS ON ADOTAT.com
10.
American exercise and media company Peloton has seen a drastic decrease in ad spend from last year to this year, according to data from ad sales intelligence platform MediaRadar. Last year, Peloton’s average monthly marketing budget was $26.8 million. This year, however, that number has shrunk to only $15.2 million – a 57% decrease. (What's the Deal with Peloton?)
11.The Tennessee Titans could be on the receiving end of the most public money ever allocated for an NFL project with their proposed domed stadium. Earlier this month, Nashville mayor John Cooper agreed to a deal with the NFL to build a new stadium that can host major sporting events including the Final Four and Super Bowl — to the tune of up to $2.2 billion. The pending project is
expected to receive a $500 million bond from the state. The bond includes interest — and state taxpayers will be responsible for it. A 1% tax on hotel rooms in Davidson County will help fund the project, as well as a sales tax at the new stadium and on its 130-acre campus. As a result, the Titans' new home could end up being one of the most expensive stadiums ever built — and one that is largely financed by public money.
12. Netflix on Friday
disclosed that director Rodolphe Belmer is resigning from the streaming giant's board. In an 8-K filed with the SEC, Netflix said Belmer's resignation is effective October 27. Belmer joined Netflix's board in January 2018, when he was then CEO of satellite operator Eutelsat. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Belmer is stepping down to join French TV group TF1 as CEO, following a failed effort to merge with French broadcast competitor M6, a combination that was meant to combat the
rise of U.S. streaming platforms. We're sorry to see him go and we wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors...preferably not with our competitors.
13. The best stuff on Facebook happens in Groups. That's why Facebook has decided to add more features to Groups, making them even more personal and engaging. With group profile updates, members can customize the "About me" section to share more information and notify other members
about whether they're open to messaging. Reels let you share information, tell stories, and build relationships by sharing special Reels videos directly in groups. And you can also share a public Facebook event for your Group on your Instagram story regardless of whether you're an admin or a group member. Sweet! With these new features, groups will be even more powerful tools for building community and connection.
14. Warren Craddock's recent
Twitter thread about failures at Google really resonated with us. As he so accurately points out, it's all too easy for product teams to overlook the glaring flaws in their projects. We've certainly been guilty of this ourselves! In fact, we can think of at least three times when we've worked with companies that wasted money on doomed products. The first was when we launched our ill-fated "Summertime Fun" campaign. It was clearly doomed from the start, but we were so excited about the
idea of a viral marketing campaign that we didn't bother to do any research into whether or not the target market would actually be interested in it. The second time was when we tried to break into the Chinese market. We spent a lot of money on ads and translations, but we neglected to consider the fact that Chinese consumers are very different from American consumers. And last but not least, there was the time when we invested in a new website platform that promised to be the next big thing.
Unfortunately, we didn't realize that it was vaporware until after we'd already spent thousands of dollars on it. So, yeah...we've definitely learned our lesson! These days, we make sure to do our homework before investing in any new product or campaign. (TWITTER)
15. The internet is a vast and wonderful place, full of images
of all kinds. But sometimes, you just can't find the right image. That's where Bing's new Image Creator comes in. The new feature, powered by DALL-E 2 AI technology, allows users to create their own images. Wow. The new feature will be coming later this month to "select markets" first. So if you're in a market that's not yet select, don't worry – your time will come. And when it does, you'll be able to create the perfect image for your needs.
15. It seems like Amazon is really cracking down on fake reviews lately. They've filed legal complaints against Italian and Spanish "fake review brokers" and warned five German websites about the same issue. This is a good thing for customers, because it means that the reviews they're seeing are more likely to be accurate. However, it's also a good reminder for businesses to play by the rules when it comes to reviews. After all, no one wants to get on Amazon's
bad side!
16. David Moreno, Chief Marketing Officer of Europe's Virtualware, has been nominated for the Raising Star Award at this year's CMO Awards. The CMO Awards, established in 2013, is the first and only CMO awards program designed and driven by an elite group of peers. The CMO Awards celebrate the marketing industry's best and brightest leaders. Moreno is in charge of conceptualizing and leading the execution of the company's
marketing, digital communications, and public relations. His work has allowed Virtualware to be known as one of the world's leading Virtual Reality companies, especially among those doing B2B and industrial work purely. "It is a dream to have been nominated for such an honor. The fact that the CMO of a tech Spanish company can be acknowledged as an industry leader, next to some of the big tech companies out there, it's just amazing," said Moreno when asked about his nomination. When Moreno was
told he had won the award, he was so excited that he almost fell off his chair. "This is a huge honor and I'm so grateful to be recognized by my peers," he said. "I'm looking forward to continuing to push the envelope when it comes to marketing and helping our company grow." Congratulations, David Moreno!
17.We all know the old saying, "what a tangled web we weave." Well, it turns out that the same is true for the World Wide Web. As we've
moved from Web 1.0 to Web 2.0 and now to Web 3.0, the way we interact with the internet has become increasingly complex. And, as Antonio García Martínez points out in a recent blog post, this complexity has made it difficult to attribute credit (and blame) for everything that happens online. García Martínez is the founder of Spindl, a new startup that's hoping to solve the attribution problem with the help of blockchain technology. Spindl has already raised $7 million from investors,
and it's clear that there's a lot of interest in finding a better way to track the impact of online activity. With the increasing popularity of Web 3.0 applications, it's more important than ever to have a robust system for attribution. Otherwise, we'll continue to weave an ever-more tangled web. (ADEXCHANGER)
18. In order to bring more numbers-led performance-based objectives to how creators work with brands, creator economy company Kyra has
launched Kyra Platform. With the app, creators submit content for brands and can get paid per view. The ethos is similar to how performance marketing models pay media companies for clicks and conversions.At launch, the app is focused exclusively on content for TikTok. “What we are really trying to do here on the brand side is create programmatic, but for creator content,” said Kyra CEO Devran Amaratunga Karaca. (ADWEEK)
20. The word
“gaming” came up exactly once on Tuesday’s “Women in the Metaverse” panel at Adweek— when moderator Quynh Mai, founder of the agency Qulture, said that “Web3 is an extension of gaming, and gaming is mainstream” — but the panel was otherwise focused on the ways brands and platforms could take advantage of technologies such as non-fungible tokens (NFTs), without elaborating on the gaming comment. Other panels I attended also failed to address the role of gaming in the metaverse, instead
focusing on topics like e-commerce, digital marketing, and creating engaging experiences for users. This is not to say that gaming isn’t a part of the metaverse — it clearly is — but it seems that Advertising Week is more interested in exploring how brands can enter the metaverse without explicitly mentioning games. (Digiday)