As the holiday season approaches, execs are eyeing an early log-off and pondering 2024's prospects. Forrester's crystal ball gazers in marketing foresee a year of David and Goliath dynamics. Big tech giants like Google, Meta, and TikTok are poised for triumphant wins, with TikTok aiming to gobble up Gen Z ad budgets. Google, on the other hand, plans to maintain its search
engine reign with generative AI, while in-game advertising emerges as the speedster of 2024. 🎮💰 Amidst the AI buzz, there's a cautionary tale: deepfake ads could be the rogue element in the 2024 election, a modern twist in the age-old battle of truth versus deception. 🤖🗳️
"AI" has done it again! For the second time in six years, it's been crowned the ANA Marketing Word of the
Year. 🎉 Why, you ask? Because it's everywhere, reshaping our marketing and business landscape, and everyone's buzzing about it. 🌐💬 From its incredible potential to its looming existential questions, AI is both a game-changer and a conversation starter. Generative AI's disruptive power is undeniable, and if you're not on the AI train, you risk being left behind in the ever-evolving marketing realm. 🚂🤖 So, here's to AI, the word that's taken the marketing world by storm once more!
🥂📈 #MarketingWordOfTheYear
📺 Tucker Carlson, the controversial former Fox News host, is venturing into the streaming world with "Tucker Carlson Network" (TCN). For just $9 per month (or $6 for early birds), subscribers gain access to his interviews, videos, films, and a lineup of five new shows. Plus, a weekly Q&A and the chance to probe Carlson's mind with your burning questions in his "personal
inbox." This move follows his departure from Fox News and his brief stint on X. With a history of interviewing polarizing figures, including Alex Jones and former President Trump, and a seemingly fickle relationship with his political allegiances, Carlson's TCN promises to be a rollercoaster of content. 🎢📹 #TuckerCarlsonNetwork #StreamingVenture
🚀 Andrea Prosperi takes the helm as Regional Director, Italy for
global digital marketing powerhouse Jellyfish. With over 15 years of digital expertise, including a decade at Google, Andrea's promotion marks a pivotal moment in Jellyfish's Italian journey. Their plans for 2024? More growth, an expanded team, and a series of exciting events to shape the industry's future. 📈🌟 From data and analytics to AI innovation, Jellyfish is set to make waves in the Italian market. 🌊🇮🇹 #Jellyfish #DigitalMarketing #ItalianExpansion
Elon Musk, the maverick behind X Corp. (aka Tesla), is knocking on the Supreme Court's door 🚪🏛️. He's got a beef with restrictions on his Tesla tweets, claiming it's a First Amendment faux pas 📜🚫. The deal? In a 2018 SEC settlement (over some iffy tweets), Musk agreed to lawyer-check his Tesla tweets before hitting send 📲👨⚖️. His lawyers are now like, "Hold up, that's free speech censorship!" 🗣️🚫. Musk's worried about getting
slapped with fines or worse for unapproved tweets 🚨💬. Despite earlier court thumbs-downs, he's hoping the Supreme Court will give his tweet freedom the green light 🤞🚦.
Linear TV isn't ready for retirement yet! 📺👵 23andMe, the DNA-decoding experts, are channel-hopping back to traditional TV, despite the digital dazzle. 🧬🌐 They're airing their "Hero Gene" tales during big events like the Macy's
Parade. 🎈🐕 It's all about sharing unbelievable customer stories that just can't be contained in the digital sphere. 📖💥 Despite a budget trim, they're sticking with TV's wide reach and charm, especially when digital gets murky with privacy updates. 🕵️♂️🛡️ Meanwhile, they're still playing the field with YouTube, Facebook, and even TikTok. 📱💃 It's a media mix-and-match, juggling the old-school cool of TV with the snazzy new world of online ads. 📺✨🌍
In the CTV (Connected TV) universe, it's not just about catching eyes; it's about catching clicks and sales! 💸📺 Marketers are on a mission for measurable results, making CTV a "performance channel" 🎯. But here's the plot twist: tracking who watches what and then buying stuff (hello, retargeting!) is tougher than solving a Rubik's cube 🧩🚫, thanks to tech hiccups like vanishing cookies 🍪💔 and Apple's privacy play 🍏🔒. Agencies and tech wizards are conjuring up
new spells (think partnerships and first-party cookie magic) to keep the ad alchemy alive 🎩✨. Meanwhile, brands like Rumpl are dipping their toes in CTV's waters, lured by promises of digital-style results tracking 🏊♀️💻. The big question: Will 2024 be the year CTV becomes the performance marketing superstar? 🌟🤔 Only time (and maybe a few more tech tricks) will tell! ⏰🔮 (DIGIDAY)
Disney is shaking up the streaming
world 🌍📺 by rolling out "Hulu on Disney+," a mash-up more epic than a superhero crossover! It's like Disney decided to throw a house party 🎉 and invited Hulu to crash with its own flashy room. Subscribers can now mix and match their binge-watching menu, whether they're craving a Disney+ original, a Marvel adventure, or Hulu's spicy dramas 🎬🍿. This move is like a dream come true for advertisers, offering a buffet of ad spaces 📈💰. Bob Iger, Disney's head honcho, is like a proud
chef serving up this streaming feast, boasting about increased engagement and juicier margins 🍽️🤑. And let's not forget Disney's $8.6 billion splurge to fully own Hulu - talk about putting your money where your mouse is! 🐭💸
🚀🎮 "Lego Fortnite" is here! A groundbreaking collaboration between Lego and Epic Games, this game ups the ante with a gigantic digital world, 20 times
larger than "Fortnite: Battle Royale." 🌍 Imagine building with 10,000 digital Lego bricks! 🧱 Lego's not just playing games; they've been mastering this since '97 with hits like "Lego Star Wars." 💫 With this Epic (Games) partnership, they're leveling up, merging Lego's building blocks with Fortnite's gaming giant. It's like mixing peanut butter with chocolate - a delicious combo for gamers and Lego lovers alike! 🎉💻🤖
🚀 Verizon's masterstroke in the streaming wars: a $10/month deal for Netflix and Max, but with a twist – it's ad-supported! 📺 It's a bold move in the "Great Rebundling" saga, as mobile carriers (with their mammoth subscriber numbers) are giving traditional MVPDs a run for their money. 🏃♂️💨 The plan? Bundle streaming with other services like 5G broadband. 🌐 It's a clever "pay-less-and-watch-ads" strategy that could make ad-supported tiers the new
norm, shaking up the streaming landscape. 🤔💡 For competitors, it's time to rethink strategies and possibly embrace the ad-loving bundle train. 🚂🌍 (ALAN WOLK)
🚀 Atlas Creative dives into the Roblox realm, led by new director Alex Graham-Watson, signaling a big shift in the metaverse brand game! 🎮 This strategic move, aiming to create immersive worlds for brands in Roblox, challenges Fortnite's market position. With Roblox's robust
brand ecosystem and Atlas's expertise in creating virtual experiences, they're set to capitalize on the platform's higher brand activation rate and user engagement. 🌐 It's a smart play, potentially inspiring more Fortnite studios to follow suit, as the race to dominate the metaverse heats up. 🔥🌟 (DIGIDAY)
🚀 Google's on a spree! GA4's got a refresh with a 28-day data window and strict event data retention; watch your analytics! 📊 Real-time
review updates in multiple languages mean quicker ranking changes. 🔄 2024 brings AdMob's programmatic bidding, but mind the cookie consent! 🍪 And crypto advertisers, mark Jan 29 for mandatory US certification. 📜 Google's keeping us on our toes! 🕺💻
🚀 Meta's AI adventure is a mixed bag! They're launching cool AI tools for better mobile interactions and integrated Facebook and Instagram features, plus a safety initiative, Purple Llama. 🛡️
But, their Imagine image generator can't quite keep up with the likes of Dall-E. 😕 Meanwhile, Google's Gemini Pro faces backlash over performance issues and allegations of a misleading demo, reminding us that AI's road to perfection is still filled with bumps. 🤔💻🚧
🤝📱 Meta teams up with Dentsu for a WhatsApp upgrade! Dentsu, with its savvy customer-experience arm Merkle, is now the go-to for WhatsApp Business in the
UK. They're offering a full package: account management, analytics, and optimization tools. This move taps into the huge base of 200M+ monthly WhatsApp Business users globally. Since its 2018 launch, the app's been a hit for small businesses to chat in real-time with customers, offering deals and updates. A Meta study reveals a whopping 75% of adults prefer messaging businesses like friends. Dentsu's plan? Blend AI advancements with Meta's apps for innovative media and brand activation
solutions. And guess what? Dentsu is the first global agency network to bag the title of WhatsApp Business Solution Provider. Angela Tangas of Dentsu highlights the trend towards easy, conversational customer-brand interactions, aiming to deepen customer engagement through this integration. 💬🚀 #WhatsAppBusinessEvolution #DentsuMetaPartnership #ConversationalMarketingBoost
🚀📧
esbconnect boosts its team with a new star player! Ross Lafayette, a former pro footballer turned adtech expert, joins as Sales and Partnerships Director. He's bringing his digital solution skills to help UK's top brands with first-party data strategies. This move comes as esbconnect, known for its data-driven email marketing, gears up for growth post-management buyout. They're already big in the game, managing campaigns for 600+ clients with a massive UK email database. In this
cookie-less world, email's becoming the MVP of customer data. CEO Suzanna Chaplin is excited about Ross turning client needs into wins. He's got a cool background too, balancing a 15-year adtech career with scoring goals in football! At esbconnect, he'll be helping clients like HelloFresh and Ted Baker to connect with customers across devices using their cutting-edge platform. Here's to Ross scoring big in the digital marketing league! ⚽️💼 #RossLafayetteJoinsEsbconnect #DataDrivenMarketing
#EmailMarketingGoals
🎬📺 Warner Bros. Discovery and Amazon's Freevee join forces! They're adding 37 new free, ad-supported streaming channels (FAST) to Freevee. Today, 16 channels like CNN Headlines and Warner Bros. TV - Generation Drama go live, with more coming in 2024. This expansion builds on a previous deal, boosting Freevee's FAST channel count by 75% in 2023. Amazon's Freevee, evolving from IMDb Freedive to IMDb TV, has grown
rapidly in content since its 2019 launch. Meanwhile, WBD, despite facing challenges like a recent subscriber loss and a stock drop, continues to push its licensing agenda, even offering HBO hits like “Westworld” to other FAST services. However, licensing revenue dipped recently, and the future is uncertain with the ad market's unpredictability. Still, WBD CFO Gunnar Wiedenfels sees potential in their expansive library for licensing. As the streaming world evolves, consumers are demanding quality
over quantity, despite rising subscription costs. WBD and Amazon are adapting, aiming to meet these shifting viewer preferences. 🌐💼 #WarnerBrosDiscoveryFreeveeExpansion #StreamingStrategy #AdSupportedTVGrowth
Yahoo is diving headfirst into AI with Blueprint, its new DSP feature for ad optimization. 🚀🎯 It's all about crunching first-party data and email-based insights to make campaigns smarter and more
effective. Yahoo, waving goodbye to its SSP, is now all in on helping advertisers hit their targets with less grunt work and more AI magic. 💻🔮 Blueprint's not just about suggestions; it's about giving advertisers the power to choose smarter strategies while keeping an eye on privacy concerns and transparency. In the digital marketing world, it seems Yahoo is keen to be both the brainy geek and the cool kid on the block. 🧠😎
It's trend report time! 📊🌟 First up, TikTok: the king of short-form videos predicts 2024 will be all about curiosity, unique storytelling, and building trust. Brands, get creative and transparent to win hearts! 💃🎥 Next, Pinterest is vibing with a mix of old and new in fashion and decor, thrifty DIYs, and... jellyfish? 🎨🏡 And on Reddit, with 70M daily users, subreddits like r/amitheasshole, r/mildlyinfuriating, and r/popculturechat are the hot spots. Plus, a big
thumbs-up for AI discussions. If you're AI-savvy, Reddit might just be your new playground. 🤖💬 So, whether you're a TikTok trailblazer, a Pinterest pioneer, or a Reddit raconteur, there's a trend for you to lead in 2024! 🚀🌍
Publicis Media's Zenith has gone low-key 🤫 with its latest global ad forecast update, trimming its 2024 growth prediction to +5.3% 📉 from an earlier +6.9%. This subtle revision, shared
quietly on its website 🌐, contrasts with the usual December fanfare 🎉. Meanwhile, Zenith's 2023 outlook remains steady at 4.4% 📊. Interestingly, while skipping a fresh U.S. forecast, they're more optimistic about the Americas overall, predicting a 5.7% bump, a leap from North America's 4.3% forecast in June 🌎. This comes just after similar updates from IPG Mediabrands Magna and WPP’s GroupM 📺.
🥤🤖 Coca-Cola, riding the generative AI wave, has emerged as a trailblazer among consumer brands. In collaboration with Bain & Company and OpenAI, Coke launched the "Create Real Magic" platform and embraced AI across digital and experiential channels, including a buzzworthy Las Vegas Sphere campaign. 🎄 Their Christmas campaign, "the world needs more Santas," resulted from these AI-driven efforts, offering people-friendly, engaging platforms for
creating personalized Christmas cards. Coca-Cola's AI journey extends to their internal processes and marketing strategies, notably with the launch of the AI-assisted Y3000 flavor, demonstrating how generative AI can offer personalized, scalable consumer experiences while honoring the brand's longstanding values. 🚀🌐
🌆📱 Downtown Baltimore is lighting up with innovation! The Downtown Partnership of Baltimore has spearheaded the installation of
digital billboards on two buildings at Lombard and Charles streets. These aren't just any billboards; they're a beacon of revitalization and hope for the city. 🎨🏙️ Amy Jordan, the property manager of 36 S. Charles St., sees these billboards as a symbol of Baltimore's reset, showcasing local businesses, artists, and big events. With partnerships from Orange Barrel Media and Capitol Outdoor Media, these digital displays are more than just advertising tools; they're a statement of urban
rejuvenation. Shelonda Stokes, the Downtown Partnership president, envisions these billboards as a key strategy in attracting major events like the World Cup and Super Bowl to Baltimore. By summer, 11 digital billboards will light up the city, reflecting hope and progress in Charm City! 💡✨
🗞️👩⚖️ The Spanish Information Media Association, representing titans like El País and El Mundo, has thrown a legal gauntlet at
Meta, seeking a hefty 550 million euros! They're accusing Meta of playing fast and loose with EU data protection laws, saying "¡Basta ya!" (enough already) to Meta's ad profiling antics. Meta's response? A digital "🤷♂️," having not yet peeked at the lawsuit. Meanwhile, the association's rallying cry is for advertisers to jump ship to more data-respectful media, as they seek to clip Meta's digital wings and champion "democratic quality" in Spain. 🇪🇸💻🏛️
📊🚀 "Everything old is new again, but with a high-tech twist!" says the OAAA, giving a hat-tip to AI and machine learning for making Media Mix Modeling (MMM) the new/old darling in advertising. 🌟💡 Anna Bager, the CEO who probably loves pie charts as much as real pie, suggests cranking up Out-of-Home (OOH) advertising budgets for better brand buzz. 📈🎯 According to their time-traveling data analysis (2017-2022), bumping up OOH spend is like adding extra hot sauce to
your marketing strategy: it just makes everything better! 🌶️💰
📲🚀 Meta's new kid on the block, Threads, is zooming past X (aka the app formerly known as Twitter) in the app download race! 🏎️💨 According to Apptopia, Threads is getting all the love with a whopping 41 million downloads, overshadowing X's 27 million since September. 🌍📈 The twist? Most of Threads' fans are from India, not the U.S.! 🇮🇳🌟
Meanwhile, X is experiencing a bit of an identity crisis and a not-so-warm reception post-rebranding, dropping from a top app to "where did it go?" in the rankings. 📉😕 As advertisers give X the cold shoulder, all eyes are on Threads to see if it becomes the new advertising sweetheart once Meta rolls out the red carpet for ads. 🌟🤔