What happened in marketing: TikTok is IG, X on TV and Canva on a hike 🥾
This Week: Canva is raising prices, Snap gets a new ad format, YouTube protecting teens and Gaming ad world being flat. All that and more...
ICYMI, I published first part of my interview with Mark Pollard and shared more insights on state of social media. Plus, shared a new piece on AI marketing.
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Top 6 Updates of the Week 🪩
IAB releases its annual advertising outlook, ad growth is up overall but gaming ad industry isn’t doing so well. (TG)
YouTube shares new tools and to protect creators and artists against AI copycats. (YT)
Snapchat CEO announces Sponsored Snaps advertising option and shares future plans. (NR)
Canva’s massive subscription price increase due to AI features is causing disruptions. (ET)
X TV app beta is now available on several app stores. (CTV)
TikTok is testing Instagram-like Notes feature ‘Share a Thought’. (TR)
Trending 🐥
The support for a U.S. TikTok ban continues to decline, and half of adults doubt it will happen. (PW)
Life360 launches direct ad sales business, with Uber as its first major advertiser. (AW)
YouTube announces new limitations on content recommendations for teens. (EU)
News Publishers are experimenting with Reddit, even without a formal publisher program. (DD)
Google Analytics launches new updates, new visualisation tools, compare up to five metrics side by side and more. (SL)
AI worse than humans in every way at summarising information, government trial finds. (CK)
Google’s ad agency perks and AdTech strategy revealed inside its Antitrust court documents. (AG)
AI campaigns are going mainstream, McCann UK’s Qatar Airways campaign uses AI to make customers the star of the ad. (YT)
Amazon’s Multi-Billion dollar media account awarded to OMG and WPP. (AW)
In partnership with Supermetrics
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News Publishers criticise Google’s AI overviews product, new interview with 7 audience directors. (NL)
LinkedIn launches new Gen Z podcast in partnership with iHeartRadio. (BW)
Oatly Australia launches new campaign ‘Support your local Oat dealers’. (CB)
Nikki Haley joins PR Firm Edelman as Vice Chair. (VZ)
New Evidence suggests Google, Microsoft, Meta and Amazon could be listening to you on your devices. (TG)
NFL fans were divided this week because of official game promo featuring Taylor Swift. (Drama)
J.Crew is brining back their iconic/nostalgic catalogs. (WSJ)
Google Ads to upgrade Video Action Campaigns to Demand Gen in 2025. (GB)
Tesco turns Homeware into striking fashion for F&F Home Range. (LB)
Dentsu and The 614 Group spearhead a new coalition to enhance investment in news. (ST)
NaNoWriMo is in disarray after organizers defend AI writing tools. (TV)
Google has ‘abused its dominant position’ in UK ad tech, says CMA. (MD)
X to shut down its San Francisco headquarters on 13th September. (FE)
Google expands Virtual Try-On tools, adding new clothing types. (GB)
Reviving a trend for a campaign, Chipotle Mexican Grill teams with Spirit Halloween on a costume collection. (DN)
Coca-Cola and Oreo launch ‘Besties’ Spotify playlist campaign. (KN)
The Internet Archive lost its appeal over ebook lending. (TV)
OnlyFans is unstoppable, the company’s revenue grew by $217 million to $1.3 billion in 2023, up from $1.09 billion in 2022. (MB)
Stone Island announces Liam Gallagher is the official face of the brand. (DD)
Canva launches new brand campaign ‘Love Your Work’ targeting US Business professionals. (MI3)
Reddit is now showing ads between multiple comments. (JS)
TikTok 🎶
TikTok rolled out improved safety measures for Teens. (TT)
TikTok and NFL renew partnership with multiyear agreement. (read)
TikTok publishes 94-page guide on selling on TikTok Shops for brands. (TT)
TikTok shares new updated security measures for U.S. Elections. (KO)
Daivid’s research shares 8 out of 10 videos released by brands on TikTok are under-performing. (more)
TikTok testing new feature that allows you to search content on your profile. (LG)
TikTok testing a feature to delete and re-edit a video after publishing. (24)
Instagram & Threads 🗂️
Instagram rolls out ‘turn on replies’ feature in broadcast channels. (TR)
Instagram officially launches comments for Stories. (TR)
DMs are coming to Threads, first look. (TR)
Instagram adds feature to create a reel from an existing post. (LG)
IG adding new features for DMs, photo editing capabilities and stickers. (TV)
Threads showing new hashtag prompt “#hashtags are here! You can add 1 per post.” (TR)
Instagram adds option to select where broadcast channels show up in DMs tab. (TR)
Threads sending ‘Popular near you’ notifications for trending content. (CR)
LinkTree is Manychat, new feature to send web links through automated DMs. (AG)
Meta 😅
Meta shares reels performance playbook for marketers. (ST)
An Analysis of over one million U.S. campaigns found that when brands used its automated product promotion Advantage+ Shopping Campaign tool, they saw an average return on ad spend of $4.52 — a 22% increase on average for first-time users. (CL)
Meta publishes new blog on 10x growth of Llama since 2023 as a leading engine of AI innovation. (MT)
Facebook’s AI-Generated spam problem is worse than you realise. (RT)
Facebook pages can now poke their audiences. (VG)
Meta provides an update on major changes they made to WhatsApp and Messenger under DMA. The new changes will allow WhatsApp, Messenger users call, text users on other chat apps. (EU)
WhatsApp is working on a call link shortcut for group chats. (GH)
X (Twitter) 🕹️
Job Search is coming to the Android App. (XH)
X shares new data and insights on Back-To-School trends. (BS)
X Insights is now available for Verified Orgs in the US. (ST)
X launches new feed for Top writers to add their notes to pending requests for Community Notes. (CN)
X to soon offer select customer up to 50% off to renew X premium. (DN)
X to let you change the quality of the videos manually on iOS. (ST)
Users will soon be able to add labels to people in DMs on X. (AP)
X working on image uploading feature for Grok AI on X for iOS. (TC)
X shares 2024 Holiday Season insights, learn what are shoppers searching. (BS)
Youtube 🕹️
YouTube launches Text and Filters for Shorts Thumbnails and ability to edit Thumbnails post-upload. (CR)
YouTube introduces new supervisory tools for Teen users. (ZT)
YouTube Studio adds new website visits goal for promotions. (ST)
YouTube shows gun videos to Minors despite new policy, report shows. (BG)
Google introduces YouTube creator-based audience targeting. (TR)
Google 🔦
Google Ads to deprecate enhanced CPC for search and display ads. (SL)
Google Search testing new display for forum content. (SE)
Google August core update rollout is now completed. (ST)
Google Ads tightens rules on gambling certification recertification. (SL)
Google Ads introduces new masthead format requirements page. (GH)
Google may unify schema markup and merchant center feed data. (SJ)
Google clarifies indexing API Quota & Pricing Information. (SR)
Google Trends subscription quietly canceled. (SL)
Google Ads gains merchant product tab for images. (RT)
Agency News
Ebay moves global media account from WPP’s EssenceMediacom to Dentsu’s iProspect. (MA)
Global wins Network Rail’s OOH contract after competitive pitch. (MA)
Finlandia Vodka appoints DDB Paris to run global creative account. (CL)
Sandals Resorts names Leo Burnett Creative AOR. (AW)
Dr Squatch appoints Goodstuff to hand media business. (KM)
Swoop, tech-focused healthcare specialist agency spins off Real Chemistry. (WK)
Oxy Acne Care selects Arrivals + Departures as Creative Agency. (LB)
Serviceplan Group reports 11% revenue growth in 2023/24. (F4)
Rite-Hite appoints 7Dots to develop and lead its digital marketing strategy across EU. (SP)
French/ West/ Vaughan named as PR agency of record for FITCRUNCH. (AD)
RocketMill named Digital Media and SEO partner by Smart Money Group. (LB)
GUT, global creative agency launches New York office. (MT)
EssenceMediacomX is no more. (TM)
ACCIONA Energía Australia appoints DDB Group Melbourne as lead creative agency. (LB)
Brands & Ads 🏓
Favourite Ad: Martin Scorsese is the face of Kith and Giorgio Armani collaborative campaign.
Pepsi launches Gladiator-themed NFL campaign starring Megan Thee Stallion, four NFL stars, with Travis Kelce being the highlight. (ZT)
KitKat’s new ad campaign reveals corporate reality of going to take a break, showing only real part of that break is ‘Kitkat’. (JK)
Tostito’s biggest NFL campaign to date, starring former Patriots teammates Tom Brady AND Julian Edelman. (YT)
Peyton Manning stars in funny Nationwide commercial as 'Paintin’ Manning'. (BW)
Pizza Hut launches new campaign ‘Pay with your trend’ offering free food in exchange for your content. (MD)
Olipop takes aim at Mountain Dew with new flavor, ‘A Can of Do’ ads. (MD)
Dunkin’ reunites Love Island bombshells for iconic breakfast deal. (AW)
Uswitch unveils brand platform that puts ‘U’ first. (CL)
Mother injects some ‘big autumn energy’ into Marks & Spencer Fashion campaign. (MA)
Morrisons loyalty card campaign plays with the card name ‘More Card’ sharing how consumers save more with the card. (YT)
McDonald’s Monopoly brings their classic peel-on-pack concept online ‘Power Peel’. (TD)
Mischief US is back with another campaign for Tubi, it’s focused on Tubi being a freemium product for everyone. (TD)
Nike is targeting running community in their latest ad films part of ‘Winning isn’t Comfortable’ campaign. (MD)
Google is back with another AI campaign, this time with Bob from Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. (YT)
Supercell and John Cena are in a ring together for Brawl Stars gaming ad campaign. (CL)
Nando’s ditches mealtime shame in Peri-Ketchup ad. (MB)
Bags take on a life of their own in Coach ad spot starring Elle Fanning. (AW)
Maybelline NY brings back its iconic 90’s Jingle “Maybe it’s Maybelline” with campaign starring Gigi Hadid, Storm Reid, Peggy Got and Shay Mitchell. (AA)
NFL Ads: Toyota / Best Buy / ESPN / DoorDash / Progressive.
GUT Amsterdam and Heinz create ‘The Most Dutch Ketchup Ever Made’. (AM)
Heinz also launched Pickle Flavoured Ketchup in Australia by sending Human Pickle to La Tomatina Festival. (BL)
AI 🤨
Nvidia DuckDuckGo back AI search startup You.com. (BG)
Australia proposes mandatory guardrails for AI. (TR)
Soundstripe launches ‘AI Song Editing’ feature with Daaci. (MK)
Anthropic launches Quickstarts repo, a collection of projects to help developers work more productively. (AN)
Ask Claude: Amazon turns to Anthropic's AI for Alexa revamp. (KO)
Audioshake and AIMS team up to launch AI lyrics and sync tools. (MK)
OpenAI co-founder’s new safety-focused AI startup SSI raises $1 billion. (RT)
Roblox teases GenAI project and introduces new earning opportunities for creators. (TC)
Anthropic launches Claude Enterprise plan to compete with OpenAI. (AC)
Volkswagen introduces ChatGPT to vehicles. (RT)
The Article making rounds in AI community, Ed Chiang’s piece in The New Yorker titled “Why AI isn’t going to make Art". (HJ)
Microsoft & LinkedIn
Microsoft announces new partnership with StopNCII providing helful resources to victims of deepfake content/images. (TC)
Microsoft customers pause on Office AI Assistant due to budgets and bugs. (TN)
Microsoft is training developers on the intricacies of threat intelligence. (CD)
The Truth behind LinkedIn’s Open to Work banner. (BN)
UK clears Microsoft’s partnership with Inflection AI. (RT)
Marketing & AdTech
Mediavine bans publishers for overuse of AI-Generated Content. (SJ)
JOLT launches OOH planning and trading platform. (AN)
EU is building a case to place Telegram under stricter content scrutiny. (SG)
Twitch revamps Ads manager tool with easier navigation. (TV)
IAB Tech Lab unveils new privacy taxonomy for public comment. (NS)
Vieve celebrates skin perfection with experimental roadshow. (CL)
Aditude acquires Hashtag Labs to scale SaaS publisher ad tech. (AS)
UK competition watchdog launches Oasis tickets investigation. (MZ)
Deliveroo shows off ‘wicked’ perks with new brand platform. (PR)
Amazon wins big at its first UpFront, shaking up the TV Market. (AW)
Bustle owner BDG raises growth round. (AS)
Advertising Association partners with Adwanted UK to form new UK-focused training hub. (MB)
Haider Ackermann has been named creative director of Tom Ford. (GM)
Odeeo secures $5M to boost audio ads in mobile games. (MH)
AppsFlyer partners with Unity Ads to introduces its integration with Privacy Sandbox on Android. (MG)
Telegram launches Star Giveaways, celebrates 10M premium subscribers and more updates. (RG)
Roku makes UK retail media move with Curry’s tie-up. (MS)
The Trade Desk ‘preparing to launch its own smart TV OS’. (K8)
Media Distillery launches video preview solution to aid content discovery. (FT)
The Pulped; Market Data & Studies of the week
Core updates their forecast from 4.1% growth to 6.9% in advertising expenditure to €1.57bn in 2024. (Ireland)
46% of stores answered that up to 30% of their annual sales volume happens during a combination of the BFCM and holiday period, while 24% answered that over 30% of sales occurred during that period. (BFCM Report)
Average pitch cost rises 26% as agencies target ‘fewer, bigger, better’ reviews. (CSR)
A new survey from Kantar shares, a net 26% of marketers planned to cut X ad spend in 2025, and only 4% considered X ads brand-safe. (FT)
The Luxury automotive brands experienced an 18% year over year increase for the first half of 2023, faced the largest decline, dropping 6.4% in the first half of 2024. Meanwhile, mainstream brands, while still declining year over year, saw conquest levels fall 1% vs. the first half of 2023. (S&P)
News publishers miss as advertising spend heads for a 7% full year lift in the US. (ED)
Only 37% of Australian respondents rated the government’s performance as very good or good, while 40% expressed dissatisfaction. This marks the lowest satisfaction levels since October 2022. (LB)
People feel less represented in ads this year, with sentiment levels 7% lower than in Q2 2023. The only group that felt more represented in ads was the over-55s. (reporting)
User survey from TikTok shares, 33% of respondents said TikTok has been the reason they went to see a new movie in theaters, while 47% said they learned about a new movie through TikTok.
62% of adult content creators now use artificial intelligence tools to expand or run their business. 80% use it for content or shooting inspiration. (more)
AdTech spend to reach $43.5 Billion globally by 2029. (read)
Japanese consumer spending edged up 0.1% in July year-on-year, compared with the median market forecast for 1.2% growth, government data showed on Friday. (RT)
FTC says that fraud losses to Bitcoin ATMs have topped $65 million in just the first six months of 2024. (GV)
76% of shoppers are more likely to purchase walnuts when displayed next to fruits and vegetables. (TP)
Research finds Gen Z, Millennials more vulnerable to Fake News. It found two-thirds of Americans can tell fake from real headlines. Only 11% of 18- to 29-year-olds earned a high score (over 16 headlines correct) and 36% received a low score (10 headlines or under correct). (NJ)
New IPSOS Poll shares 30% of Japan Gen Z men think equality measures have 'gone too far'. (JP)
People in financial distress behave more morally, says study. (read)
38% of women aged 16-24 made changes to their beauty and grooming routines. And, while retail as a whole took a hit in the cost of living crisis, beauty retail remained relatively stable in 2023, thanks to beauty becoming part of affordable luxury trend. (Gen Z)
New Research exposes the narcissistic traits and fragile egos of online trolls. They may troll others to elevate themselves by comparison, masking their insecurities behind a façade of bravado. Yet, these same individuals are highly sensitive to being trolled themselves, often reacting with anger or defensiveness when they are the target. (RD)
2 In 3 laid-off workers happier building freelancing careers. (Forbes)
57% of Gen Z say they are more interested in the cultural moments of sports events than the outcomes. Plus, 40% of Gen Z and Millennials find women's sports more exciting to watch than men's (vs. <25% of Gen X and Boomers). (Sports report)
Only 53% of Americans say they believe that American Dream still possible, and 41% say it used to be possible but isn’t anymore. 6% say it was never possible at all. (TS)
Half of Gen Z voters support Harris, one-third back Trump. (NBC)
21% of Generation Z respondents—born between the years 1997 and 2006 — admitted to clashing with their in-laws twice a month on average. (NW)
Canadian Gen Z (60 percent) and Gen X (79 percent) had a better understanding of financial systems and tools compared to Millennials (55 percent) and Baby Boomers (22 percent). (WP)
In July, deliveries of battery-powered cars fell more than 10% across the region, mainly due to a 37% plunge in Germany — the region’s biggest market. (EV Shift)
Tubular Labs releases The State of Social: H2 2024, the report shares an increase of video uploads on Facebook by 1.8x and comments increasing on TikTok by 4.5%. (TL)
MarTech finds & AI
Yoast - The SEO tool introduces new AI-Powered features.
Spotter Studio - A new platform for video creators to brainstorm, research and plan new work.
Accurat AI - A market and consumer insights platform for retailers.
Paragone - A business managment platform built for performance marketing agencies.
Content Opportunities / Ideas of the week
9 September: Sudoku Day / Teddy Bear Day / National When Pigs Fly Day / Emergency Services Day / Wonderful Weirdos Day / National Wienerschnitzel Day / National Boss/Employee Exchange Day.
10 September: World Suicide Prevention Day / National TV Dinner Day / Debate Night! Kamala Harris vs Donald Trump.
11 September: US Patriot Day / 2024 MTV Video Music Awards / National Quiet Day / Libraries Remember Day / National Make Your Bed Day / National Hot Cross Bun Day.
12 September: Programmers Day / National Video Games Day / World Dolphin Day / National Chocolate Milkshake Day / Gym Day / National Police Woman Day.
13 September: International Chocolate Day / National Hug Your Boss Day / National Peanut Day / Supernatural Day / Uncle Sam Day / Roald Dahl Day / Positive Thinking Day / National Fortune Cookie Day.
14 September: National Sober Day / German Language Day / National Coloring Day / Gobstopper Day / National Eat a Hoagie Day / National Cream Filled Donut Day.
15 September: Wife Appreciation Day / National Google.com Day / National Cheese Toast Day / International Dot Day / National Online Learning Day / World Afro Day / National Linguine Day / Greenpeace Day.