What happened in marketing: Netflix stays ahead, UK gets strict on social and X becomes more AI-friendly
This Week; FTC gives US consumers a gift, Google adds more AI to shopping and Netflix sneaks ahead again. Plus, Carousels get more reach on IG. 🧃
A little slow week in terms of social media updates. As someone who reports on these updates, I don’t know if it is a good thing or not.
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Top 6 Updates of the Week:
Google adds new AI features to Google shopping experience. (GB)
Netflix added 5 million new subscribers in Q3 2024 and reports healthy user engagement. (JM)
Social media platforms to face big changes under UK’s new Ofcom rules. (FG)
FTC announces ‘Click-to-Cancel’ rule making it easier for people to cancel memberships. (FC)
X updates its privacy policy to allow third parties to train AI models with its data. (EG)
Youtube launches new updates to enhance playlist creation, MiniPlayer and TV viewing. (NH)
Trending 🗞️
Apple debuts new business tools for managing presence across email, calls and Tap to Pay. (PG)
Amazon Ads launches new AI tools for advertisers - AI creative studio and Audio Generator. (AZ)
LinkedIn announces updates to Event Ads and AI campaign options. (LN)
Meta announced a new round of layoffs. (TV) (fired due to food allowances?)
Snap and BCG publishes first report sharing insights into Gen-Z’s distinctive spending. (GB)
Spotify testing music videos for premium users in 85 new markets. (SF)
ChatGPT arrives to Windows with desktop app for Plus, Enterprise, Team and Edu. (OA)
Meta teams up with Blumhouse and Filmmakers like Casey Affleck to test Movie Gen AI tool. (VK)
CEOs are becoming more and more active on social media. LinkedIn reports a 35% increase in C-suite professionals activity in the US on LinkedIn in the past 5 years and a 30% rise in the UK. (FT)
Nike’s ‘Stairs’ ad campaign, part of ‘Winning isn’t for everyone’ brand platform shares a new message ‘Winning isn’t Comfortable’. (watch)
Google vs Epic Games: Judge is letting Google temporarily keep its Android app store closed to competitors. (TV)
IPG unites agencies and clients under all-in-one data platform ‘Interact’. (PL)
Google Search gets a new Boss: Nick Fox is in and Prabhakar Raghavan is out. (SL)
Chanel’s new campaign, starring Jacob Elordi and Margot Robbie is confusing yet capitative. (VM)
EU Commission concludes that X aka Twitter shouldn’t be designated under DMA. (RT)
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Also, Trending
X drops Unilever from its ‘advertiser boycott’ lawsuit. (read)
A new wave of photogenic products want to help Gen Z quit vaping. (read)
Miu Miu’s Tales & Tellers, film series/project is an antidote to our digital consumption. (AM)
Rivian’s Halloween ad campaign starring David Hasselhoff aka Michael Knight. (AR)
Harvard Donations are declining, a 15% drop warns of rising costs. (BG)
Bobbie and Molly Baz take over NY Times Square to support new mothers. (BW)
Lidl US relaunches brand with new ad campaign with MONO as creative agency. (TG)
AKQA founder and CEO Ajaz Ahmed steps down after 30 years. (HR)
DC Comics are transforming into Digital content for TikTok generation. (WD)
Domino’s promotes brand chief to CMO to sharpen global strategy. (MD)
Glossier launches new attentive campaign encouraging voter registration. (GC)
Event Drama: Nike-sponsored Melbourne Marathon Festival apologises for sharing edited photos of winner with Asics singlet. (PN)
Snapchat’s another behaviour-changing feature ‘Peek a Peak’, to see if your friends are swiping while you’re in the chat. (TR)
TikTok 🎶
TikTok Shop partners with British Beauty Council for British Beauty Week. (NS)
TikTok launches ‘It starts on TikTok’ ad campaign to highlight the TikTok effect in the UK. (IG)
TikTok encouraging users to allow their user profiles and content to be discovered on Notes app. (TM)
TikTok Shop partners with Free Soul to fuel women’s health on Super Brand Day. (NS)
TikTok is trying to help creators launch their own product lines. (BN)
TikTok expands #ElectronicMusic hub globally. (EW)
TikTok rolling out ‘Trending fonts’ and ‘Text animations’ for captions. (TR)
Instagram & Threads 🗂️
Instagram officially announces carousels with music now show up in reels and reach more audiences. (TR)
Threads will start showing others when you’re online by default. (TC)
Instagram introduces new profile card design and it’s great for networking. (TC)
Instagram is working on social library, a section where you can find posts, reels and media shared in chat threads. (TR)
Instagram working on ability to edit cropped thumbnail in the posts grid for reels and carousels. (OM)
Meta 😅
Meta launches new measures to fight the rise of sextortion scams on their platforms. (BG)
Meta must face US state lawsuits over teen social media addiction. (RT)
Meta introduces Spirit LM open source model, combining text and speech input/outputs. (VB)
Meta CTO confirms Mixed Reality glasses project. (RT)
WhatsApp to get chat memory for Meta AI. (BT)
WhatsApp for iOS gets new video playback controls with speed adjustments. (AP)
X (Twitter) 🕹️
X changes how block function works, public posts will be seen by blocked accounts. (EG).
X opposes Turkish Authorities’s request to block a news organisation within Tǔrkiye . (FG)
X is possibly selling usernames to verified orgs. (DK)
X expands roll-out of Radar, trend analysis tool to selected Premium+ users. (PM)
X AI is getting Grok 2 mini vision model soon. (LP)
Youtube 🕹️
Youtube testing AI-enhanced comment reply suggestions. (ST)
YouTube experiments with custom membership badges and launches paid product placement on mobile and desktop. (more)
Youtube implements new capture disclosure to combat Deepfakes. (TR)
Youtube citations in Google’s AI overviews surge 300%. (YH)
YouTube ‘Premium Lite’ plan expands to more countries with ‘limited’ ads
Google 🔦
Google to pause US election ads after polls close on Nov 5th. (GJ)
Google introduces new features to NotebookLM: customise audio overviews and more. (GJ)
Google shifts Gemini app team to DeepMind. (RT)
AdMob updates privacy terms as more U.S. state laws take effect. (SL)
Google warns against over-reliance on SEO Tool metrics. (SJ)
Google shakes up ad auction dynamics for holiday shopping. (SJ)
Google’s Local Service Ads feature raises cost concerns. (KM)
Google Merchant Center letting businesses name their shipping policy. (SJ)
Merchant Center also adds new verification methods. (ST)
Google Ads API version 18 now available. (SK)
Google simplifies Video ad testing with new experiment tools. (SL)
Agency News
Omnicom reports 6.5% organic revenue growth in Q3. (AW)
Starbucks awards US creative duties to WPP. (LB)
California Pizza Kitchen revamps Agency Roster with Iris to lead social and Blue Engine to handle PR. (BW)
Signature Aviation appoints BarkleyOKRP as AOR. (MP)
VML chosen as lead creative and social agency for TruGreen. (LN)
Publicis Groupe reports a organic growth of 5.8% for the Q3 2024. (AD)
123w selected as AOR for Aquamar Seafood. (LB)
Taylor Farms selects Erich & Kallman as Creative AOR. (FD)
Loop Earplugs appoints Impure as new creative agency. (MS)
The Yellow B entrusts DAC Madrid to lead its digital strategy. (LB)
Saatchi & Saatchi phases out ‘squad system’ and returns to traditional agency model. (PG)
Lucky Generals wins Britvic’s Robinsons account. (LM)
Snapchat picks Uncharted Studio for EMEA project. (CL)
Brands & Ads 🏓
Papa Johns brings back Shaq-a-Roni to benefit nonprofits and fight food insecurity. (MB)
IKEA Thailand’s Flooded room campaign is creative yet a little lost on the brand support angle. Brand’s own contributions should have been highlighted in the work. (BG)
Motion Sickness makes New Zealand the best place in the world to get Herpes. (KM)
McDonald’s and Leo Burnett UK confirm the return of McRib with OOH focused on ‘mmm’ and error app notification. (MC)
Jif’s new SMS giveaway campaign asks buyers to send 100s of text to win free peanut butter jar. (GR)
Surf’s new campaign “Smells that good” by Mullenlowe UK. (MJ)
Virgin Voyages launches new ‘White Lotus’ inspired reality TV show. (AW)
Spirit Airlines launches new ad campaign with ‘Malcom in the Middle’ star Frankie Muniz. (TP)
Audi’s latest campaign sends influencers on heart racing test drives. (US)
Serviceplan for BMW transforms landscapes into country flags with CGI and AI. (MD)
McDonald’s Sweden lets fans flaunt their own favourite orders on merch. (HJ)
Jamie Dornan keeps his kit on as Diet Coke targets new generation. (MA)
EE's WiFi 7 ‘Clocking Off’ ad campaign is filled with cine vibes and more. (TD)
MilkPep turns viral ‘How It Started’ TikTok trend into a celebration of milk’s benefits. (NH)
Rec Room’s oversized arcade claw plucks people out of everyday routines. (WD)
Beats by Dre is going full SNL with new campaign ‘Beats Pill Assistant’. (YT)
Vienna’s Tourist Board’s latest colourful and classy yet cartoony ad campaign. (YT)
Gucci’s ‘We will always have London’ campaign promoting Blondie handbag, stars Kelsey Liu and Debbie Harry. (AW)
Fiverr’s cursed shops halloween-themed ad spot ‘Retail Graveyard’. (BT)
Discovery Parks launches ‘Do It All’ ad campaign. (MG)
Air Brussel’s new Apaq-W campaign ‘No Need to Look Far to Eat Well’. (AW)
Soan Papdi is making a comeback in India, LinkedIn and other places for Zepto’s new campaign. (CA)
AI 🤨
The CEO of Anthropic shares a lengthy article on how AI could transform the world for the better. (DM)
Dropbox launches ‘Dash for Business’, new work apps and AI-features. (DH)
Perplexity AI gets new finance search features with incredible UI. (AD)
Adobe Photoshop gets new AI tools; Distraction removal and other features. (TV)
Former OpenAI CTO Mira Murati is reportedly fundraising for a new AI startup. (TC)
Mistral AI prepares to release new ‘Pandragon’ model. (TF)
Perplexity introduces new research tools: Internal Knowledge search. (PA)
Taboola introduces Abby, GenAI assistant for advertisers ‘Talk to Abby’. (RT)
Microsoft & LinkedIn
Microsoft updates Bing Webmaster Tools with extended data access, new recommendations system and more. (SJ)
LinkedIn testing a News Banner atop feed on mobile. (DU)
Microsoft releases Digital Defense Report 2024. (read)
Marketing & AdTech
Semrush acquires Third Door Media, parent company of Search Engine Land and MarTech Org. (CL)
Kajabi introduces new creator products, entering newsletter business. (JK)
Lyft announces new offers to support U.S. Election and announces a goal of 500k voter registrations by 2028. (FT)
DoubleVerify expands Invalid traffic and viewability measurement to Spotify video ads. (TR)
Discord fights DMCA subpoena it says would violate the First Amendment. (EW)
Nectar360 loyalty scheme encourages members to cut water use. (MH)
ANA releases playbook for Data Clean Rooms. (TN)
Apple Music wants artists to turn setlist into playlists. (KP)
Tom Holland celebrates Sobriety and launches non-alcoholic beer brand, BERO. (BR)
Walmart’s CTO shares his view on GenAI’s future and how it will transform customer shopping habits. (FT)
GrowthLoop and Audience Acuity partner to enhance data accuracy for enterprise marketers. (ST)
IAB Tech Lab releases protocol for private sharing of conversion data. (MT)
Harris Poll launches in Canada with inaugural ‘Top 50’ reputation quotient ranking. (AK)
Rokt launches new GenAI tool ahead of shopping season; ACE. (BG)
Amplitude adds A/B testing tool to analytics suite. (TG)
FCB Chicago introduces Burt’s Bees' new brand platform ‘A touch of wonder’. (TC)
LG CNS introduces AI-powered ‘LG Optapex’ to U.S. ad market. (ML)
The Pulped; Market Data & Studies of the week
94% of Organizations Believe Creator Content Drives More ROI than Traditional Digital Advertising, Compared to 74% Last Year. Plus, 4 is the average number of dedicated influencer marketers in 2024. (CreatorIQ)
40% of small businesses self-identified they use generative AI—nearly double the level from last year (23% in 2023). 51% SMBs from the group are using AI for marketing and purposes. (read)
Brands are being experimental, Global experiential marketing spending is expected to reach $128.35 billion in 2024. (more)
IPA UK’s Industry report shares events marketing category demonstrated strong performance, with a net balance of +9.9%. Direct marketing maintained positive growth momentum, achieving a net balance of +9.7%. Plus, net balance of UK companies revising their marketing budgets is up (21.6%) vs revising them down (21.6%) has dropped from +15.9% in Q2 to 0.0%. (more)
50% of U.S. cinema audiences are 18-34 year olds, and that demographic seems to love horror movies. (MB)
U.S. Retail sales rose 3% year over year in September. (RD)
Havas research shares 69% people won’t let the tough times keep them down, despite believing the world is going in the wrong direction. (TF)
50% of UK brands are set to increase their influencer marketing budgets next year. Plus, Facebook is the second favourite influencer marketing platform for UK Brands. (KQ)
September 2024 U.S. travel agency air ticket sales totaled $8 billion — a 6% increase from September 2023. (ARC)
Gen-Z (54%) vs Millennials (57%) are more influenced by the businesses they choose to follow, with influencers and friends holding the least weight. (more)
21% of adults in the U.S. feel lonely, with many respondents feeling disconnected from friends, family, and/or the world. They identified various factors that contribute to loneliness, as well as personal and community solutions. (Harvard)
75% of survey respondents said they have skipped an online purchase due to an outdated or unprofessional-looking website. (read)
Ozempic shows promise for alcohol and drug addiction, study finds. (NPR)
In UK, Sales volumes increased by 0.3% in September, beating economists’ expectations for a monthly 0.3% fall. (RT)
The author of new research on corporate marketing, “Even if you frame information in a positive way, consumers with pre-existing negative beliefs regarding social responsibility might draw up mostly negative experiences from memory.” (Oxford)
40% of Gen Z and 36% of Millennials surveyed report that they are learning about finance from social media platforms, whereas less than 25% of this cohort are being educated by their financial institution. (FIS)
New study discusses ‘Does time of day affect consumers’ price sensitivity?’. (read)
When U.S. employees were asked why they regret their benefits selections, 25% said they did not adjust their benefits to match their lifestyle changes, 20% said they forgot to make their selections by the deadline and 19% said they did not understand the options available or the benefits they selected. (BP)
Only 38% of U.S. respondents believe that their political views align with those of their neighbors. (UT)
86% of Gen-Z homeowners would consider laminate as a countertop material, compared to only 56% of Boomers, 73% of Gen X and 78% of Millennials. (more)
60% American Women say they are entirely self-taught when it comes menopause knowledge. (more)
Millennials and Gen Z consumers — representing a third of the total Amex card spending — was up 12% in Q3, Amex noted, far outpacing the 6% growth seen with Gen X. (read)
80% of elderly people have landlines, compared to just 50% of 18-29-year-olds. (The Guardian)
MarTech releases & AI
Antavo - The AI-powered loyalty platform launches Timi AI, an AI agent.
Dstillery - The AI ad targeting company, create custom AI audiences and targeting plans.
Sago - The market research and insights platform for marketers and CPG businesses.
PlayPhrase - A free resource for video and social marketers to find movie scenes using XYZ phrases.
Castsy - A e-commerce product management platform.
Content Opportunities / Ideas of the week
21 October: National Apple Day / National Pumpkin Cheesecake Day / International Day of the Nacho / National Reptile Awareness Day / Everyone Writes Day / Count Your Buttons Day / Back To The Future Day.
22 October: National Nut Day / National Color Day / International Caps Lock Day / International Stuttering Awareness Day / National Make a Dog’s Day / Leave a Review Day / Smart is Cool Day.
23 October: International Snow Leopard Day / National iPod Day / Event Organisers Day / National Crocs Day / National TV Talk Show Host Day / National Mole Day / Geelong Cup Day / National Paralegal Day.
24 October: World Kangaroo Day / National Bandana Day / National Jamaican Jerk Day / National Food Day / United Nations Day / National Bologna Day / World Tripe Day.
25 October: Global Champagne Day / Frankenstein Friday / National Breadstick Day / Nevada Day / World Lemur Day / World Opera Day / Punk for a Day / World Pasta Day / Crisp Sandwich Day / International Artist Day.
26 October: National Pumpkin Day / National Mule Day / National Microneedling Day / National Chicken Fried Steak Day / National Hug A Sheep Day / National One United Race Day / Pumpkin Festival / National Financial Crime Day / National Pit Bull Awareness Day.
27 October: World Run Day / National American Beer Day / National Parmigiano Reggiano Day / National Mother-in-Law Day / National Mentoring Day / Navy Day / National Black Cat Day.