Coins, Koopas, and Clickbait: The MFA Saga in Super Mario Terms
Picture this: a bustling metropolis of marketers and advertisers, where conversations usually revolve around metrics, strategies, and trends. Yet, when you mention the cryptic acronym "MFA," (Made for Advertising) it's as if you've tossed a Bob-omb into a room full of Mushroom Kingdom
residents. The advertising industry's reaction to MFAs is akin to the chaos that erupts when Mario encounters a group of hostile Goombas. It's a frenzy of emotions—indignation, panic, and resentment—that could rival the chaos of a Super Mario Bros game level. But why do these two seemingly disparate worlds share such uncanny
similarities? Let's embark on a journey through the warp pipe of analogy to discover how the Made-for-Advertising Site Scandal bears a striking resemblance to the whimsical adventures of the Super Mario Bros. 1. Hidden Pipes and Secret Passages: The World of MFAs In the Super Mario Brothers games, Mario often explores hidden pipes and secret passages to unveil hidden treasures and shortcuts. The MFA world operates under a similar premise. These deceptive publishers create cheap, cookie-cutter websites on popular topics like news, food,
sports, travel, and more. These websites are designed to attract organic traffic, much like Mario seeking out secret tunnels. However, their content production strategy often involves AI-generated or adapted content, mirroring Mario's journey through ever-changing landscapes. 2. Coin-Operated Chaos: The Economics of MFAs Super Mario's world revolves around collecting coins, which grant him power-ups and extra lives. In the MFA universe, it's all about making a quick buck. These fraudulent publishers employ a cunning strategy: they purchase forced, incentivized, and robotic traffic at a fraction of the cost (reminiscent of Mario collecting coins) and then sell ad placements on ad exchange platforms for significantly higher prices. This economic model resembles
Mario buying coins at a discount and then exchanging them for premium power-ups, creating a chaotic and unbalanced ecosystem. 3. Vanity Metrics: MFAs and ‘Vanity KPIs’ Much like Mario's pursuit of those elusive 1-Up mushrooms, MFAs have mastered the art of chasing
'vanity KPIs'—Key Performance Indicators that look impressive but lack substance. These fraudulent publishers artificially inflate viewability rates and attention metrics to appear attractive to advertisers. However, behind the façade of impressive metrics lies disinterested and robotic traffic that tarnishes advertisers' brands. It's akin to Mario collecting mushrooms in the game—seemingly beneficial until you realize they're not all they seem, and they don't lead to a true
revival. 4. Whac-A-Mole: The Industry's Reaction Mario faces endless waves of Goombas and Koopas in his adventures, and the advertising industry similarly finds itself in a perpetual game of Whac-A-Mole with MFAs. Instead of addressing the root causes, the industry often
opts for a reactive approach. Advertisers end up smashing one MFA, only to have another pop up elsewhere. It's high time advertisers adopted a more strategic approach, akin to Mario finding the source of his troubles and tackling it head-on, rather than dealing with the symptoms. 5. The Quest for Quality: Navigating the MFA Dungeon In Super Mario, quality gameplay often means carefully navigating treacherous dungeons, avoiding pitfalls, and confronting formidable foes. Similarly, the advertising industry must prioritize quality over quantity. Advertisers should transact only with trusted sellers rather than merely blocking known MFA domains. This strategic shift insulates their advertising from the issues plaguing MFAs, akin to Mario's calculated approach in
navigating treacherous territories. The parallels between the made-for-advertising site scandal and the Super Mario Brothers universe are more profound than one might initially assume. Hidden passages, coin-operated chaos, vanity metrics, and the never-ending game of Whac-A-Mole all draw intriguing comparisons. The quest for quality, reminiscent
of navigating treacherous dungeons in Mario's world, offers a glimmer of hope in an industry mired in deception. It's time for advertisers to channel their inner Mario, confront the MFAs head-on, and bring genuine transparency to the world of digital advertising. After all, it's-a me, accountability! The battle against MFAs may be arduous, but with determination and a strategic mindset, advertisers can emerge victorious in this digital adventure. |
All the news you need today, in a format that isn't TL:DR summarized for the busy executive.
Google's search bar is expanding like a comfy pair of sweatpants, ready for some seriously wordy queries! 📏🔍 This wider bar could be linked to Search Generative Experience (SGE), where longer queries are the name of the game. 🕵️♂️ Meanwhile, Google's testing new interface
tricks, from YouTube snippets for "Related products" to a beefier Google Explore, 3D and AR snippets, and a fancy carousel for Popular Products and Deals. 🛍️✨ Smaller e-commerce folks might score more SERP screen time with these features, but before you bet the farm on LSI keywords (which are as dead as disco), remember that not all SEO experts see eye to eye. 🕺💻 Time for more testing and debates in the SEO arena! 🤓🧪
Canada is playing hardball with big tech, asking Google for a cool $172 million and Facebook for $62 million annually as compensation to publishers under the Online News Act (C-18). 🇨🇦💰 However, Meta is unimpressed, rejecting the offer and keeping news content blocked. Meta's Rachel Curran insists they won't be swayed, claiming the law is based on an "incorrect
assertion." 🚫📰 Trudeau's government, on the other hand, says it's all about leveling the digital playing field. Heritage Minister Pascale St-Onge is on the case, emphasizing that the goal is to make the big players pay their dues. 💼💡 As the tech giants argue they help local news by linking to them, the battle rages on, with both Google and Meta vowing to block news content when the law kicks in next year. The federal government even pulled $10 million in ad spending from Meta, joined by news
and telecom bigwigs in a show of solidarity. 💥📺💔 Threads, the meteoric rise and sudden fall; it started as the bright alternative to the Twitterverse, amassing over 100 million users in a week 🚀📈, but now it's shedding them like autumn leaves 🍂. Brands, wary of the digital wilderness, aren't
exactly committing to a Threads-centric strategy 🤔💬, and even Meta's CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, had to admit it's facing turbulence. Meanwhile, marketers are testing the waters but not diving in headfirst, cautiously posting memes and asking generic questions 🙃🤷♂️. In this ever-evolving social media landscape, Threads may be just one thread in the fabric of fleeting platforms 🪡📱, leaving brands to seek the enduring factors elsewhere. 🌟👥 Burger King's legal beef sizzles on as a Florida judge gives the green light to certain parts of a class-action lawsuit alleging false advertising. The suit, representing a nationwide group of plaintiffs, claims Burger King exaggerated the size and beef content of its burgers. 🍔🤨 While the judge dismissed claims related to TV and online ads, he allowed allegations of negligent misrepresentation, breach of contract, and
unjust enrichment to advance. 📜💼 His reasoning? Let the consumers themselves be the jury on whether these discrepancies affect their buying choices. 🤷♂️👩⚖️ So, the courtroom drama continues to sizzle in this Whopper-sized legal battle. 🍔⚖️
In the ever-changing world of social media, it's a rollercoaster ride of features coming and going! 😱 X introduces an option for paid
users to hide the likes tab, potentially tempting some to go premium, which might make content and influencer research a tad trickier. Threads' attempt at a web version didn't quite take off as expected, but Meta isn't giving up. Meanwhile, LinkedIn is experimenting with the removal of hashtags—how often did we really use them on LinkedIn anyway? And as Business Insider notes, posts are making way for videos and ads galore. 📱🔄💡 But hey, videos do engage the social media crowd, so
maybe it's time to become a video pro! 🎥🌟
Israel-based AI startup AI21 Labs just hit the jackpot with a whopping $155 million Series C funding round, featuring tech giants Google and Nvidia among its backers. 🚀💰 This investment propels AI21's valuation to an impressive $1.4 billion, adding to the
$283 million it has raised thus far. AI21 is gearing up to expand its text-based generative AI services for enterprises, putting it in competition with the likes of OpenAI and Anthropic. With its proprietary Jurassic-2 language models, AI21 offers a developer platform for creating custom text-based business applications and a versatile multilingual AI assistant. 🤖💡 Big corporations are eagerly participating in the AI funding frenzy, as evidenced by Microsoft's massive $10 billion investment in
OpenAI, while Anthropic recently secured $100 million from SK Telecom and $450 million in a Series C round. It's clear that big tech is making multiple bets in the AI arena, ensuring they stay at the forefront of innovation. 🌐🤝💼 Congratulations to Jellyfish for winning four awards in the 2023 Google Cloud
Training Partner of the Year Awards! Jellyfish has been awarded Training Partner of the Year across two key regions, Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) and the North America regions, retaining both these titles for a second year in a row. In addition to the company awards, two of their Trainers were also honored with the Trainer of the Year award. Mark Crump received the award for EMEA, while Guillermo Perasso was recognized for North America. Nielsen's recent decision to utilize Amazon's viewership data for measuring certain programs, particularly Thursday Night Football, sparked controversy with the Video Advertising Bureau (VAB). The VAB's concern centered on Nielsen appearing to favor Amazon over the broadcast and cable networks it represents, rather than advocating
against Nielsen's use of such data. The underlying issue lies in the strained relationship between Nielsen and the Joint Industry Committee (JIC), responsible for sharing first-party network data. This tension has left the TV industry struggling to agree on measurement standards, despite the industry's gradual shift towards streaming. While streaming presents easily measurable digital data, traditional broadcast and cable ratings remain challenging. The solution lies in collaboration – Nielsen
must find common ground with networks and streaming platforms to create unified, standardized measurement systems, making it easier for advertisers to make informed decisions. In the end, working together benefits everyone and eliminates the perception of TV measurement as a confusing mess. 📊📺💼 Google is unveiling a new strategy to enhance ad transparency and protect users
from misleading or confusing advertisements, particularly those from less familiar advertisers. The "Limited Ads Serving" policy is designed to reduce the risk of scams and deceptive ads. It will be gradually implemented, primarily affecting advertisers targeting specific brands. This policy comes into play when there's uncertainty about the relationship between the advertiser and the brand mentioned in the ad, ensuring users have a clear understanding of who they're engaging with.
Advertisers with a less established track record may experience limitations on impressions as they establish credibility on the platform. Google also offers tips to create clearer ads, emphasizing the importance of transparent branding. This approach aims to strike a balance between welcoming new advertisers and safeguarding user experiences without outright blocking or removing ads. 🛡️💼🤝
impact.com has announced growth in the second quarter led by global client expansion and the launch of its new creator platform. The creator economy is estimated to double in size over the next five years to $480 billion by 2027 from $250 billion today. During the quarter, impact.com welcomed nearly 400 new clients including leading brands SeatGeek, Daily Harvest, and USAA. The company
also announced the launch of the new impact.com / creator, an influencer marketing platform that allows advertisers to discover, create, manage and scale full-funnel influencer marketing programs from a single interface. 📸📊👩💻: What a stellar day for content creators! Meta unveils a snazzy feature
allowing Stories content to morph into ads via Instagram Marketing API – streamlining the process while amping up the enjoyment factor. Speculation swirls about potential future perks like analytics. Meanwhile, Instagram's testing a cooler trick: the ability to sprinkle followers' comments onto your Stories. Just swipe, tap "Add to Story," and voilà – follower engagement galore! 💬✨ Bond with your crew and watch your following flourish. And hey, X is peeling back the curtain on ad share
payment for creators – with "receipts" featuring date ranges for each payout. A welcome step towards clarity. They've also started cracking down on platform misuse, inspiring creators to dive into the sharing pie without nibblers. Yet, full transparency still feels like a distant dream. 🥧🔍🤖
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METAVERSE MIRAGE OR DIGITAL DESTINY? THE GREAT UNVEILING In a world where trends come and go like fleeting neon lights on a nighttime boulevard, the metaverse has
emerged as a captivating enigma, oscillating between exuberant optimism and skeptical scrutiny. However, a newly published report from Market.us dares to defy conventional wisdom, painting a compelling picture of the future. This report, akin to a guiding torch through the digital labyrinth, boldly predicts that the metaverse will experience an annual growth rate exceeding 40 percent, transforming its current $64 billion value into a staggering $2.3 trillion by 2023. Such a forecast evokes the
excitement of prospectors seeking gold in uncharted territories. Yet, amidst this fervor, there are whispers of doubt from some quarters, dismissing the metaverse as a relic of past buzzwords. The central question that lingers, akin to an insistent itch, is whether these conflicting narratives reflect diverse interpretations of a complex fusion of gaming and interactive experiences. READ THE ARTICLE
DECODING THE DISRUPTION: WILL AI UNRAVEL INFLUENCER MARKETING? The winds of change are rustling through the world of influencers once again, echoing the cadence
of evolution. The ascent of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has unfurled a new chapter in the narrative of influencer marketing, plunging both creators and consumers into a quest to comprehend the imminent transformation. An era marked by generative AI tools, exemplified by the likes of ChatGPT, is poised to redefine the contours of influence, leaving us to grapple with the implications of this paradigm shift. READ MORE
WHO ARE THE PROGRAMMATIC SCAMMERS? A pervasive threat lurks beneath the glossy surface, ensnaring marketing budgets,
eroding trust, and redefining the very essence of return on investment: We’re talking about programmatic ad fraud—a cunning game played in the shadows, where bots and automated systems orchestrate an elaborate dance of deception, siphoning off billions from advertisers’ pockets. As we stand on the precipice of a new era, with AI and quantum learning technologies beckoning us toward uncharted realms of automation, the question
looms: Who are the biggest scammers orchestrating this grand charade? READ MORE
STREAMING ADVERTISING: EMBRACING CHANGE AND CONQUERING THE NEXT 24 MONTHS We currently find ourselves sailing through turbulent waters, but also
witnessing the birth of new opportunities. Over the next two years, streaming advertising is set to become a major force, transforming the way brands interact with consumers and ushering in a digital renaissance. So, hoist the sails, grab the helm, and let us set our course on this digital odyssey.
The old world of advertising with its trusty compass, the Gross Rating Point (GRP) currency, provided a sense of direction to advertisers for decades. But as the digital storm rages on, we must embrace a new currency, the impression-based metrics. This sleek, modern approach allows for precise targeting, granting us the power to reach our desired audience with laser-like accuracy, like daring buccaneers navigating
through treacherous waters. READ MORE NOW
TECH BEHEMOTH GOOGLE FACES BILLIONS OF DOLLARS LAWSUIT OVER DECEPTIVE AD PRACTICES In a shocking revelation, Google, the tech giant known
for its search engine dominance and online advertising prowess, is facing a monumental class-action lawsuit alleging that it has defrauded advertisers of billions of dollars through misleading practices surrounding its proprietary TrueView video advertisements. The 26-page lawsuit, filed on July 26, has sent shockwaves through the advertising industry and has raised serious questions about the credibility and ethics of Google’s advertising platform. READ ENTIRE STORY
YOGURT’S GOT A NEW GURU: CHOBANI SCOOPS UP MARKETING MAESTRO THOMAS RANESE We all know Chobani, the foodie trailblazer known for its heavenly Greek
yogurt and a fresh outlook on snacking! They’ve just unveiled their secret weapon as Chief Marketing Officer: Thomas Ranese, the marketing maestro who’s conquered the branding world at Uber and Google. Chobani’s CEO, Hamdi Ulukaya, gushed about their quest to serve up “better” everything – from ingredients to quality, nutrition to business practices. And guess what? They’ve found their brand wizard in Thomas. His superpower?
Making a difference for humanity through good food. Talk about a match made in yogurt heaven! READ MORE NOW
SCHILLER’S SHOWTIME: A MEDIA MAVERICK’S INSIGHTS UNVEILED As we sat down with the media maverick himself, it quickly became evident that Schiller’s sharp wit and encyclopedic knowledge of
the industry were a match made in heaven. We had wanted this interview for a while. Why? He can effortlessly traverse the complexities of digital media, technology, data, and monetization while vividly portraying the future of advertising and media consumption. I only wish I had asked more and better questions. In our first tête-à-tête, we explored Schiller’s insights into the evolution of technology and its impact on the media
industry. “Technological innovation is the catalyst for change,” Schiller remarked with a knowing smile. “In the entertainment and media business, we’ve witnessed how technology has consistently unlocked new consumer behaviors since the dawn of media. The problem, however, is that our industry often moves at the speed of a snail on vacation. We saw it with the advent of streaming, from the Napster days to YouTube. Ever tried
doing something different, and people around you are like, ‘Wow, why are you doing that? Can you say ‘streaming video’?” READ MORE OF THIS INTERVIEW |
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