What happened in marketing: Google Ads makeover, AI influencers & Pinterest’s Gen-Z move
This week: Meta’s AI avatars, Pinterest’s Gen-Z loop & Google’s ad love. All 3 are highlights but a lot more on the plate this week. 🧃
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Top 6 Updates of the Week
Mark Zuckerberg announces first stage of AI Studio, enabling influencers to create AI versions of themselves. (Interview)
Pinterest’s new video board sharing to IG stories, targets Gen-Z’s obsession with boards and stories. (PN)
Facebook expands broadcast channels to eligible pages with 10k+ followers. (TV)
Snapchat’s new protection tools for teens and other audiences. (VS)
Google’s summer gift, new shopping features for marketers. (BG)
Mischief US and Coors Light create a Time-Capsule ad with Patrick Mahomes, to launch when he retires. (watch)
Trending 👀
Apple’s hefty 30% fee for Facebook and IG Ads expands to More Regions. (TR)
EU regulators are fighting Apple on its 30% fee, asking them to list alternatives to avoid the fee.
Microsoft AI CEO believes almost all web content can be used for AI training unless restricted. (AG)
White House Digital Strategy team to host a creator economy conference on August 14th. (YZ)
YouTube premium launches picture-in-picture for Shorts, smart downloads and Conversational AI back for US audience. (AA)
Amazon’s plan to fight Temu and Shein is to copy and add direct shipping from China. (LB)
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Verizon introduces new customer-first programs and announces a new brand refresh. (AZ)
Only 46% of CFOs said their company’s top marketer has a solid grasp of finance. (AB)
Target announces new leadership changes, new fancy C-titles (WD)
ChatGPT is hallucinating fake links to its news partners. (report)
Chipotle gives brand superfans an opportunity to win the Celebrity Card that gets free meals and catering for one year. (PR)
Apple’s love for privacy costs Meta another loss, the company turned down Meta AI over privacy concerns. (BB)
Google Search Perspectives are showing instagram posts in cards format. (ERP)
Bold: Match Group’s Archer launches pro-dick pic campaign. (TD)
Khaby Lame to star in a new TUBI series sponsored by P&G, Khaby comes to America. (AS)
Google drops continuous scroll in search results for desktop. (AD)
Emma Watson’s Renaissance Gin hits the US market with ad campaign directed by Watson herself. (GH)
Coco Gauff is the new Chief Smoothie Officer at Naked. (AS)
TikTok 🎶
TikTok’s new step to promote In-stream shopping with ‘Deal For You Days’ launch. (TT)
TikTok hires new cybersecurity firms to assess its US Data Security. (TT)
TikTok launches second version of their What’s next trends report called ‘In Action’. (NS)
Two new Support programs for Small Businesses and other retailers. (CB)
TikTok publishes summer marketing guide, sharing trends and insights. (JS)
TikTok’s next step toward becoming Google, ‘People also search’ tab. (TD)
TikTok’s Global Head of brand marketing shares, TikTok ‘not interested’ in taking clients from agencies.
TikTok launches Sandbox mode for developers. (TD)
Instagram & Threads 🗂️
Threads expands Fediverse sharing to over 100 regions. (GB)
Instagram testing new interactions layout, with no. of likes and comments showing side-by-side the interaction buttons. (TR)
Thread testing disappearing posts that only stay visible for 24 hours, Stories 2.0. (FB)
Instagram testing features to post carousels in original aspect ratio. (JS)
IG encouraging users to use hashtags despite CEO saying they don’t help with reach. (TR)
You can now duplicate your published reels and save them to drafts. (CL)
Mini Tests: IG testing two different layouts for save to collection prompts and new feed icons.
Instagram’s auto-publish to Threads App feature is amazing for creators. (TR)
IG’s ‘open to collaborating’ feature gets a new tab in professional dashboard. (View)
Two feature IG could test in future, rearrange your grid and customised reels preview. (VW)
Meta 😅
Meta AI expands to all users in India. (TC)
Instagram reels are now more consumed than TikTok across various regions, including US. (MT)
Meta Oversight Board received around 400k appeals but only 53 decisions were made. (report)
WhatsApp testing feature to select Llama models for Meta AI. (BV)
The Story Continues, The failure of Meta to maintain Child Safety on platform. (new)
Australian Government might force Meta to carry news on FB and IG. (TG)
WhatsApp's new Lottie stickers are rolling out to everyone. (HB)
X (Twitter) 🕹️
X launches Ads Academy for businesses and marketers. (XD)
X using Stripe and Au10tix for creator ID verification. (ST)
X testing feature allowing creators to reach users in the same geographical area as you. (XD)
Bookmark search coming to iOS next week. (XC)
Linda Yaccarino shakes up X by firing Joe Benarroch. (why)
Youtube 🕹️
YouTube shares Fandom report for creators and brands at VidCon. (YT)
New Test: Mentions in comments on YT mobile. (GT)
YouTube’s guide to their activations and existence at VidCon 2024. (CL)
YouTube wants to pay music labels to use their songs for AI training. (SB)
YouTube is testing a new feature that will allow you to “hype” videos. (GH)
BuzzFeed Struggles to Sell Owner of Hit YouTube Show ‘Hot Ones’. (YT)
Google 🔦
Google finished rolling out June 2024 Spam Update. (SL)
Google expands Product Studio to more countries, adds new file uploads features. (SJ)
Menu Items and busier businesses maybe Google local ranking signals. (SL)
Google testing AI overviews with link cards at the top. (SL)
Google Chrome adds local places to Chrome Actions, and 4 other features. (SL)
Google announces new GA4 features as UA sunset will be here soon. (SL)
Google Ads unveils major update to search query matching. (BG)
Google automates lead credits for local service ads. (GT)
Google rolls out Local Service Ads on Maps. (SL)
Google tightens AdSense consent rules for Swiss users. (SL)
New tROAS Insight Box for Pmax and Standard Shopping. (TS)
Google Ads launches Cross-Media Reach Measurement for video campaigns. (DV)
Google tightens EU consent rules for Customer Match ads. (SL)
Agency News
IPG in talks to sell R/GA to India’s Tata Consultancy Services. (WK)
GroupM enters a long term strategic partnership with Tesco Media. (MA)
Bango announces strategic partnership with Uber to expand reach of its membership program. (LV)
MoneyGram Announces Agency Collaborations with Cutwater, Prophet,DEPT UK, and iProspect. (LB)
Alterra Mountain Company Taps Bttr to Elevate Digital Design. (AW)
Goodness Named DTC Agency Partner for OREO DTC. (BY)
VCCP Group Lands Motability Operations Account Across Creative and Media. (LB)
Liberty Mutual Names Bandits & Friends Its Creative Partner, Shifting Away From Goodby Silverstein & Partners. (AW)
Colossus appointed to do Creative Duties for Cantera Negra Tequila and Gray Whale Gin. (EM)
NHL’s Anaheim Ducks hire Battery to refresh brand. (LN)
Mediaplus Wins European Kikkoman Account. (LB)
IPG turns down investor who made approach to buy MullenLowe. (CL)
Grey Named Cayman Islands Global Creative Agency of Record. (AS)
Hearts & Science Named US Media AOR for HanesBrands. (PR)
Brands & Ads 🏓
My Favourite: Liquid Death is back with their raunchy ad starring Ozzy Osbourne. (MC)
Megan Thee Stallion stars in the ad campaign for Amazon Prime Day. (MC)
Lindsay Lohan and Pure Leaf are asking you to take a break from the hustle life and sip the tea. (YT)
The Bentley campaign is so mid, I’m asking how do you do creativity? (NS)
Toyota targeting Gen Z and Millennials on Youtube with new Corolla Hybrid short film. (ZT)
IOC launched Paris Olympics Film, “Sport. And More than Sport”. (HB)
Mother debuts their ad campaign for Wall Street Journal. (FK)
After Toys R Us, Motorola has launched a campaign made entirely with AI. (LB)
Lil Wayne gets annoyed by his own music in Beats ad, but LeBron James lightens Weezy’s mood. (ad)
Chilli’s Arcade-inspired video game slams rising fast food prices. (LB)
Seattle Southside Welcomes Aliens Back with Abductable Invitations. (watch)
Monzo’s ad campaign puts forward creativity and eases the banking tensions (LB)
Snickers UK creates an AI version of Jose Mourinho to help friends win arguments about own goals. (IG)
Everyone is talking about Oslo’s red flags ad campaign, anti-advertising style works like a charm. (VW)
Dime x Adidas launch Stan Smith Campaign with a Humorous spin. (AD)
IKEA helps Swedish people by making sunshine travel to outdoor seatings. (ST)
AI 🤨
Claude AI’s new feature ‘workflows’ improves collaborative work and project management. (FT)
Outrageous: Anthropic and OpenAI ignoring robots.txt to scrap online content. (BN)
Pepsi showed smart AI cans at Cannes Lions, and previewed AI hydration coach for Gatorade. (AF)
OpenAI launches CriticGPT to find mistakes made by GPT-4. (AP)
DIVID, new AI research on detecting AI Generated videos. (AX)
Figma launches a variety of new AI features to go full AI creativity mode. (RX)
Major Labels Sue AI Firms Suno and Udio for Alleged Copyright Infringement. (LL)
Anuvu Partners with Ryff for AI Compliance Screening Tool. (TF)
Stability AI gets a new CEO and a lifeline. (NS)
Eleven Labs partners with TIME to enable creation of audio accessible content. (TC)
Meta launches LLM Compiler, a family of models built on Meta Code Llama. (FG)
Shopify rolls out its AI assistant for merchants. (TF)
Reddit
Reddit shares new insights into Holding Marketing Trends. (RV)
Reddit to start blocking automated bots scraping its data and user conversations. (NS)
Microsoft & LinkedIn
LinkedIn adds Game tab on iOS, few weeks ago they also tested a videos tab. (MN)
Microsoft confirms Project Natick underwater data center is no more. (MS)
Microsoft shares Mitigating Skeleton Key, a new type of generative AI jailbreak technique. (AX)
EU plans to grill Microsoft rivals about the $13 billion it’s throwing into OpenAI. (FT)
IAS extends collaboration with Microsoft Ads for 3rd party measurement for advertisers. (NS)
Marketing & AdTech
Yelp unveils new accessibility features for local business search. (YP)
Millennials are catching upto Gen-Zers in terms of purchases made through TikTok Shops. (SN)
Nielsen Spinoff Claritas Hires Jefferies to Pursue a Sale. (TM)
Supreme Court Rejects GOP-Led Suit Claiming Government Censored Social Media. (PR)
Toptal Announces Launch of Toptal Marketing, Acquires Growth Collective. (PR)
Data: Netflix leads UK streaming in Q2; Prime Video close. (MB)
Sky Media launches ADsorption Index, new advancement in attention metrics. (NW)
Jameela Jamil Explores Skincare and Human Behavior for e.l.f. Beauty. (FS)
Triple lift launches Global Readiness scorecard, read the insights. (FC)
Demandbase Announces New Integration with Gong for More Targeted and Impactful Customer Engagement. (AW)
Globant and Adobe launch new Studio for marketing clients. (GV)
CMA’s Q1 report on implementation of Privacy Sandbox commitment. (read)
With streaming platforms fighting for pennies, What’s the future of streaming? (FC)
Patreon launches new features and previews upcoming updates. (PT)
The Pulped; Market Data & Studies of the week
Marketers’ post-cookie preparedness has dropped by 23% since 2022. (report)
New Study sharing how young people in India and the US trust online content in the age of Gen AI. (read)
New Study shares Optimal Attention differs for each brand outcome: On average, it takes 1.4 seconds of consumer attention to drive a 10% lift in brand awareness at the top of the engagement funnel. (more)
Havas Consumer Study shares dominance of TV as the most trusted and factually accurate media channel, despite the general preference for digital in our future-leaning society. (LBB)
45% of core brand assets are never activated in any capacity and are lost in the handoff between production and media functions, or global and local teams. (CreativeX)
60% of U.S. credit card holders have been victimized by fraud, and 45% have experienced fraud multiple times. (security)
43% of voters surveyed said they believe journalism is more important now than in previous general elections. (UK)
McKinny’s 2024 food trends report highlights the rise of NSFW food and healthy greens taking over. (read)
In a recent ad blocker survey, 20% of internet users admit to never turning off their ad blocker. (read)
60% of US consumers would choose lower fees in exchange for watching ads, but 37% of US consumers have canceled a subscription specifically because of the ads experience. (BL)
Marketers cite quality assurance (29%), format adaptation (27%), and language translation to be the three main limitations that stifle progress, limiting Campaign Efficiency. (AdSapiens)
42% of companies with 10 or fewer employees are now using AI tools. (Annual Report)
1 in 4 people under 40 and 1 in 5 over 60 said they see themselves as middle-aged. (more)
AARP’s poll results reveal U.S. Voters 50–64 Lean Republican, While Voters 65-Plus Lean Democrat. (read)
Only 18% of women believe the creation of dating apps has positively impacted society. (survey)
51% of UK consumers engaging in Financial Doomscrolling. (IF)
According to CBS, about 40% of Gen X "hasn't saved a penny for their retirement." (read)
In a recent survey, 72% consumer report they will join a customer loyalty program before making their first purchase. (Snappy)
38% of Gen Z and 39% of millennials reporting that regardless of their financial situation, summer travel is their priority. (WWD)
In Latin America, Each household spent an average of $928, a 12.8% increase, while expenditure per shopping trip increased by 12.4%, almost double the global growth rate of 6.7%. (Obi report)
Deloitte: 80% of CEOs Feel Pressured by Employees, Customers and Boards to Improve Human Sustainability. (read)
91% bargain-savvy shoppers in the northern ireland spent an additional £139 million on supermarkets’ own-label ranges in the year to June 9, up 8.1% year-on-year. (msn)
New Study shares Consumers regard the cost of money as part of the cost of living. (CEPR)
62% of FinTechs Develop Products With Gen Z Consumers in Mind. (pymnts)
WSGN shares their Future Consumer 2025 forecast report. (read)
DHL’s global report indicates which online marketplaces are preferred by consumers:
51% of consumers prefer Amazon;
24% of consumers prefer Shein;
18% of consumers prefer Temu;
16% of consumers prefer eBay;
11% of consumers prefer Alibaba; and 10% of consumers prefer Zalando.
Retail sales are plunging in Germany and more employees are getting sick affecting GDP. (msn)
Plus, German consumer sentiment is predicted to unexpectedly dip in July.
Gen Alpha: Only 14% pick a brand as their favorite due to a celebrity endorsement while only 20% did so due to the company producing “really great commercials.” (MD)
MarTech Releases & AI
Gigi - A new platform to help brands and agencies with Amazon streaming TV ad purchases.
AdSapiens - AI-powered performance advertising campaign manager for brands.
Meltwater - Meltwater unveils new Meltwater Copilot, built in collaboration with Microsoft.
Stirista - Your Digital execution partner tool, the also launched AI CTV tools recently.
Baresquare - The Platform launched TYWIN, world’s first autonomous eCommerce Agent.
Content Opportunities / Ideas of the week
1 July: International Reggae Day / ZIP Code Day / Virgin Islands Day / National US Postage Stamp Day / International Chicken Wing Day / International Joke Day / Canada Day.
2 July: World UFO Day / World Tutors’ Day / National Synesthesia Awareness Day / Made in The USA Day / World Sports Journalists Day.
3 July: International Drop a Rock Day / International Plastic Bag Free Day / National Chocolate Pudding Day / National Chocolate Wafer Day / Disobedience Day.
4 July: American Independence Day / National Caesar Salad Day / Invisible Day / Jackfruit Day / Swami Vivekananda Death Anniversary / Alice in Wonderland Day.
5 July: National Bikini Day / Pet Remembrance Day / National Hawaii Day / Algeria Independence Day / Comic Sans Day / National Workaholics Day.
6 July: International Kissing Day / World Zoonoses Day / Umbrella Cover Day / National Hand Roll Day / International Cherry Pit Spitting Day.
7 July: World Chocolate Day / International Peace & Love Day / National Macaroni Day / National Dora Day / World Circle Dance Day / Tell the Truth Day / Global Forgiveness Day.