Today in Digital Marketing - Boulevard of Broken Memes

Starting point is 00:00:00 It's Monday, October 28th. Today, marketers in court to cancel the click to cancel, Google hangs up on call ads, Amazon has a warning for West Coast sellers, and Redditors revolt against search AI in the most Reddit way possible. I'm Steph Gunn sitting in for Todd Maffin. That's ahead today in digital marketing. Well, that didn't take long. The Interactive Advertising Bureau and two other industry groups are suing the American trade regulator to block its new click-to-cancel rule. That rule will require companies to make canceling subscriptions as easy as signing up is. The IAB represents 700 members like Netflix, Amazon, Google, and Meta, and it's joining forces with the Electronic Security Association and NCTA Internet and Television

Starting point is 00:00:53 Association, whose members include Disney, Comcast, and Warner Brothers. The FTC argues simplifying cancellations will benefit consumers, but industry groups say it could harm businesses reliant on recurring payments. Pay TV providers, which often require users to call to cancel, could especially be impacted, as the rule would demand a digital cancellation option. The lawsuit was filed just days after the FTC published the final version of the rule, which is set to take effect in about six months. Google's click-to-call ads are also getting cancelled. Google is dialing down on call ads as it prepares to phase them out next year, moving those campaigns to the responsive search ads format.

Starting point is 00:01:42 This shift means advertisers will need to make some changes, like adding a landing page and a business name at the campaign or account level. Google says that starting sometime next year, creating new call ads will no longer be an option, and any existing call ads without a final URL added will not be migrated to responsive search ads. A Google spokesperson said that while there's no specific kill date yet, the transition is likely to happen early next year. Advertisers should get an alert ahead of the change. Reddit users are gaming Google's search results in order to drive customers away from their favorite restaurants, all in an attempt to keep those locations less busy. Ars Technica reported on this first this week. The trend also points out flaws in Google Search's reliance on Reddit

Starting point is 00:02:29 and its AI overview feature. This all appears to have started on the London subreddit, where a user complained about a spot being ruined by influencers. The post has more than 5,000 upvotes and several responses suggesting Redditors talk about how good a chain restaurant called Angus Steakhouse is so that Google picks up on it. The commenters understood the assignment. Now a search for best steak or steak sandwich in London comes back with a Reddit thread titled, which Angus Steakhouse do you recommend for their steak sandwich? At the top. One Redditor commented

Starting point is 00:03:03 on the post, perfect place for an influencer. Quoting Ars Technica, the Angus Steakhouse hype doesn't appear to have made it into AI overview, but it is appearing in search results. And while this is far from being a dangerous attempt to manipulate search results or AI algorithms, it does highlight the pitfalls of Google results becoming dependent on content generated by users who could very easily have intentions other than providing helpful information, end quote. Apparently, only the viral brands get HD on Instagram. If you've ever wondered why some of your brand's videos look blurry while others look sharp on the app, we may now have an answer. It's because Instagram lowers video quality for unpopular videos. This,

Starting point is 00:03:51 according to platform head Adam Mosseri. Quoting Mosseri, in general, we want to show the highest quality video we can. But if something isn't watched for a long time, because the vast majority of views are in the beginning, we will move to a lower quality video. And then, if it's watched again, a lot will re-render the higher quality video." In a follow-up response on Threads, he added that Instagram devotes more resources to videos from creators who drive more views. Mosseri acknowledged concerns about how this approach could affect smaller creators and brands, but said people interact with videos based on their content, not their quality.

Starting point is 00:04:33 Ahead of the busiest commerce season of the year, Amazon is pushing sellers to stock up their inventory earlier than last year to maintain quick delivery during the holiday rush. Retail Dive reports today that sellers that haven't done so may face delays due to Amazon's current capacity constraints. In an announcement to third-party sellers, the e-commerce giant said it's experiencing tight capacity at some West Coast facilities, in particular due to high demand. This is resulting in longer processing times for seller inventory at inbound shipping locations. It's also causing longer times for palletized freight. Amazon says it's rerouting some shipments to other regions. It's also extending the automatic closure and abandoned shipment windows for orders placed between August 7th and October 31st.

Starting point is 00:05:23 A new rival to TikTok called Loops is making its way to the Fediverse. The short-form video app developed by the creator of Instagram alternative PixelFed recently opened signups. Brands and users that have signed up will be able to post up to 60 seconds of video, according to details shared by its developer on Mastodon. Features like using sounds and remixing others' videos will be coming soon. Users will also have the option to pin profile videos and manage their comment sections. However, the platform currently lacks support for hashtags and mentions. The initial version of the iOS app will be available through TestFlight,

Starting point is 00:06:00 Apple's platform for testing unreleased apps. According to a FAQ on its site, the Loops Fettyverse integration is in progress but not live, and the platform hasn't been open-sourced yet. Even though there is a somewhat incomplete bridge between Threads and the Fettyverse so far, there doesn't appear to be a similar bridge between Loops and Instagram or TikTok. A good friend of mine just won Taylor Swift tickets and it's kind of a cool story. So my friend is a huge Swifty. So big that when she couldn't get Eros tour tickets in North America, she decided that she would just try to get them anywhere that she could get them. And she ended up getting tickets in Vienna. And I'm not kidding, she went all of the way there just for the concert. And then the Vienna concert, if you

Starting point is 00:06:51 recall, it was cancelled because of a terrorist plot. So she flew home concertless until now, and she just won tickets to the Toronto concert, which I think is actually pretty cool. Now I just have to figure out how I can try to convince her to take me as her plus one. Don't forget to follow us on socials. We're pretty much everywhere. Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, Mastodon, even Snapchat. You can go to today and digital.com slash social, or you can tap the link in the show notes. Thanks for listening. I'm Steph Gunn. Todd will be back to talk to you tomorrow. It's the season for new styles and you love to shop for jackets and boots. So when you do, always make sure you get cash back from Rakuten.

Starting point is 00:07:37 And it's not just clothing and shoes. You can get cash back from over 750 stores on electronics, holiday travel, home decor, and more. It's super easy. And before you buy anything, always go to Rakuten first. Join free at rakuten.ca. Start shopping and get your cash back sent to you by check or PayPal. Get the Rakuten app or join at rakuten.ca. R-A-K-U-T-E-N.ca.

Today in Digital Marketing - Boulevard of Broken Memes

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