Today in Digital Marketing - I've Got Ads in Low Places

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Starting point is 00:00:18 starting at $19 per month at zensurance.com. Be protected, be Zen. It is Wednesday, November 28th. Today, ad revenue is climbing and 2023 might turn out to be a banner year for the industry after all. YouTube brings shorts ads to more brands. LinkedIn has updated marketing tools for B2B advertisers. And why are government ads appearing on porn sites? Apparently, someone forgot to uncheck the opt-out checkbox. I'm Todd Maffin. That's ahead today in digital marketing. Is the bounce back officially underway?

Starting point is 00:00:57 Digital ad revenue is exceeding expectations in 2023, according to new economic forecasts by industry analyst Brian Weiser. The growth rate is now projected at 5.9%, nearly 1% higher than previously expected. This comes from an overall increase in spend, of course, but particularly from e-commerce companies and cross-border platforms, primarily manufacturers in China. Weiser told Marketing Brew that he expects e-commerce retailers will spend an average of $4 on ads for every $1 that a traditional retailer spends. Commerce platforms like Amazon and Walmart are way up a nearly 23% increase in ad revenue. The report also mentioned that part of the growth is from AI-based ad tools from Google and Meta, both of which's automated ad systems are performing better than expectations. Holiday

Starting point is 00:01:52 spending is expected to rise by 3-4% this year, aligning with pre-pandemic averages. YouTube is broadening the availability of its shorts ads, moving beyond the beta phase to reach more advertisers. Marketers can now select shorts as a video format and integrate them with existing in-stream and in-feed ads. This is, of course, welcome news for brands which have been wanting their content to be seen alongside the trendiest videos.

Starting point is 00:02:22 The rollout is still happening with some accounts still awaiting access. Here's how to see whether or not you have it in your YouTube ads account. Create a campaign, then choose create a campaign without a goals guidance. Select video. And if you have it, you will find it under video in the efficient reach section. While this is all good news, one thing to note, YouTube's select run of shorts lineups remains in invite only beta. LinkedIn is rolling out a few new items, including a new conversions API, often called CAPI in our world. With LinkedIn's CAPI, you can choose between direct

Starting point is 00:03:01 API integration and partner integration. You can connect both your online and offline data to LinkedIn, letting you see how your campaigns influenced actions taken on your website, sales completed over the phone, or leads collected in person at, say, an event. LinkedIn says it's privacy compliant, doesn't rely on third-party cookies, and if you use the conversions API with their insight tag, you'll get an even more complete view of your conversion tracking. Also added, website actions, which let marketers track and retarget button clicks without complex event tracking setups.

Starting point is 00:03:38 And document ads, an ad format unique to LinkedIn, now includes retargeting capabilities and new objectives like website visits and conversions. If you ask someone what's on TikTok and they answer short videos of teens dancing, well, it's safe to write that person off as someone who has no idea what they're talking about. Content wise, it's a full spectrum from DIY construction to AI ethics to parrot care and everything else. And while it's true that TikTok videos started short, the app has been increasing its maximum limit lengths. Now, it's trying to get creators on board to produce longer content, similar to what's found on platforms like YouTube.

Starting point is 00:04:23 At a recent event at its New York office, TikTok told creators that longer videos could lead to increased earnings. It revealed that users are now spending half of their time on videos longer than a minute, and creators posting longer content have seen a five-fold increase in follower growth rate compared to those who only post short videos. This strategic shift is somewhat of a role reversal as platforms like YouTube had previously adapted to compete with TikTok's short video format. Do you have business insurance? If not, how would you pay

Starting point is 00:05:01 to recover from a cyber attack, fire damage, theft, or a lawsuit? No business or profession is risk-free. Without insurance, your assets are at risk from major financial losses, data breaches, and natural disasters. Get customized coverage today starting at $19 per month at zensurance.com. Be protected. Be Zen. Well, this is embarrassing. Google Ads is under some scrutiny after a report revealed that ads paid for by U.S. and EU government agencies appeared on rather controversial websites, including sexually explicit sites, and those in Iran and Russia potentially breaching economic sanctions. The report from Analytics highlights concerns about the lack of awareness among ad buyers around where their ads are displayed. The issue stems from Google's

Starting point is 00:05:51 Search Partner Network, which extends ad reach beyond Google's own websites to a wider range of other websites. This placement is on by default, though advertisers do have the option to opt out. The findings have prompted calls for more government involvement in online ad industry regulation. For its part, Google questioned the report's methodology, but did acknowledge some findings, and says it's taken steps to prevent certain sites from receiving its ads. And finally, if you haven't checked in on your Google Drive in a while, you may want to check in briefly as some users say they've lost data with files reverting to a state from back in May. This issue seems to be happening for those who use the Google Drive desktop application and

Starting point is 00:06:42 to be clear, only a very small group of those. Google advises users not to disconnect their accounts or delete or move the app data folder, suggesting an attempt to preserve any remaining file cache. The problem appears to be a sync issue, but the exact cause is unclear. Drive for desktop operates in two modes, traditional mirroring and file stream. In file stream mode, most files are not stored locally, but are shortcuts to cloud-stored files, which could lead to data loss if the cloud data is compromised. We are back from Vancouver. My wife and I were over there Monday and Tuesday for a surgery that she had. She's doing well.

Starting point is 00:07:29 But she can't be in the hot tub for eight weeks. She's gagged. Follow us on threads. We are at Today in Digital Marketing. Or you can follow my personal account at Todd Mappin. Thanks for listening. See you tomorrow. Baby girl, let's be honest. Cause my love is sincere. Look, baby girl, let's be honest. Make the pain disappear. Look, baby girl, let's be honest.

Starting point is 00:07:48 I love you and it's real. Look, baby girl, let's be honest. It's obvious I want you near. 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. 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.

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Today in Digital Marketing - I've Got Ads in Low Places

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