Today in Digital Marketing - Redefining the Marketing Industry's Most Important Metric

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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 22nd. Today, is it time to completely redefine one of the most basic metrics in our industry? One consortium group of big players thinks so. Also, consumers don't want your AI, behind the scenes at X's ad sales department, and the bizarre live stream that sold millions with barely a word uttered. I'm Todd Mathen. That's ahead today in digital marketing.

Starting point is 00:00:56 One of the benefits to being a subscriber to the premium version of this podcast is we go a lot more in-depth into the digital ad platforms. Normally, you don't hear those here on the free feed, but every so often, we run those columns here. This is one of those few weeks. If you like what you hear and want to get regular deep dive updates into both the Meta and Google platforms with industry veterans, Jill Saskin-Gales and Andrew Foxwell, tap go premium in the show notes or go to todayindigital.com slash premium. Of course, the premium podcast never has ads. You get instant access to 20 interviews with marketing scientists. It comes up before the free show and a lot more. Okay, enough plugging. Here is today's premium content for you to sample.

Starting point is 00:01:33 This is a premium exclusive. Few things in our industry scare me more than the phrase automatically created. It's not that the creation is troublesome, but it's often followed by a removal of your ability to manually create. Tech bros and platforms alike have gotten very, very drunk on the elixir known as AI, and they're sharing their drinks with us, even if we would really rather abstain. Over the past year, Google Ads has been rolling out automatically created assets, pieces of your ads that are automatically generated for you.

Starting point is 00:02:10 Google says these ACAs are created using your own existing website and ad content. But of course, advertisers don't always want AI to be generating their ad copy. We've been hearing reports that more automatically created assets are showing

Starting point is 00:02:25 up in advertiser accounts automatically. So for more on this and whether humanity can possibly survive, we turn to our Google Ads correspondent, Jill Saskengales. Hello, Jill. Hey, Todd. So what is, first of all, what is an automatically created asset? Well, before I can explain an automatically created asset, it's important to define what an asset is in Google Ad. Oh, good call. Because now that word is used to describe two quite different things. So an asset is a piece of an ad. And an asset can be a headline or description, which are pieces of your responsive search ad or responsive display ad, like the core meat and potatoes of the

Starting point is 00:03:03 ad. But an asset is also what used to be called extensions, optional pieces that may or may not show with your ad. So there are a dozen different assets like site links, callouts, structured snippets, image, etc. So assets refers to the mandatory part of the ad, headlines and descriptions and images and video if applicable. And then assets also refers to the optional add-ons to your ad. And so a dynamically created asset is one of these assets that is automatically created by the Google ad system, whether it is those headlines and descriptions automatically generated using your website copy or existing ad copy or dynamic image assets created by pulling images from your website or now dynamic business name assets generated by using the verification you did

Starting point is 00:03:53 on your Google Ads account, for example. And these are opt in, right? Like, is Google going to automatically create assets without our consent? Yes, most of them are opt in, but there are some new ones. Oh, you sound very hesitant in that answer. There are some new ones that are now opt out. And those are the automatically created business name assets and automatically created business logo assets. I guess Google figured that like those are so fundamental,

Starting point is 00:04:25 your business name and your business logo, because those are now showing next to most ads. They never used to in Google ads and now they are, that Google is trying to just automatically generate those. I imagine because most advertisers are not doing the simple thing to add your business name and business logo. But at least for now, those are the only ones that you are automatically opted into. And it's actually very hard to opt out of them. I had to Google how to do it because I could not figure it out in the interface. It's very hidden. And we should say you worked for Google for six years.

Starting point is 00:04:56 So, I mean, if you can't figure it out, there's no hope for us. You have to go to assets and there's like three dots on the side and you tap the three dots and then it brings you to it. There's many steps. They don't want you to find it, in my opinion. And they don't want us to find it because they believe that their automatically created assets,

Starting point is 00:05:13 their machine learning based stuff will perform better than marketers using just our brains. Are they right? Generally speaking, like, I mean, do these machines, I mean, I know Performance Max started out slow, but a lot of people, I would say probably most of the industry has accepted that, you know, Performance Max actually does more or less

Starting point is 00:05:35 better than what we could do. Yeah, Google definitely wants to get to a place where everything is done by AI. You know, you give the system your budget and your target ROAS or target CPA and your website or app, and it goes from there. That is Google's ultimate goal with Google Ads. And there definitely, in my experience, is a mentality within Google that just AI is better. AI is better. That's not really questioned.

Starting point is 00:05:59 At least in my time there, that was not questioned. Now, from an asset perspective, most of these assets, you still have to opt in to the automatically created ones. I mean, I would recommend advertisers test it, right? There are chances that you could opt in and then you'll see all of a sudden there's some random page on your website you forgot was there that's generating some weird assets. So, of course, wonky things can happen. But I think it's worth testing. I think for the vast majority of smaller accounts and smaller business owners, it could potentially be better than things are going to come up with on their own. But if you are, you know, a PPC specialist or you have an in-house team or work at an agency, you're probably not going to love the automatically generated stuff so much more than your own. But test it. Let the metrics show you not just click through rate, what performs better, but conversion rate, what performs better. Everyone whose opinion I respect always has the same answer, the same one that you just gave, which is the real solution here is to test.

Starting point is 00:06:53 That is true. You definitely want to test this. It could be helpful. And it all comes down to if your website has really great content, your automatically generated assets are going to be really great. So I've said this, you know, on the podcast before, Todd, that the success with Google ads really comes down to the success of your website. If your website performs well, then using ad dollars to drive more people there or using tools in Google ads to pull information

Starting point is 00:07:18 from your website is going to work well for you. And if this doesn't work well for you, fine, you tested it. But also maybe that's a suggestion that you might want to work on your website copy, your website imagery, etc. I have completely forgotten I ever did business with and it's great. It lets me unsubscribe from them. Obviously, Black Friday, Cyber Monday. Judging from what you have seen out there in the Google ad marketplace and with your clients and with your students from what you've seen in the last couple of weeks. How do you think Black Friday, Cyber Monday will have shaped up this year for brands? How do I think it will be shaped up this year? Well, the clients I'm working with more closely in the ad accounts and see more closely are much kind of smaller businesses, not the kind of big behemoths doing the huge sales. And so what I can see from them is I have a few business owners I know who are actually testing either not doing a Black Friday deal for the first time or doing something really scaled back because they just cannot afford to offer some giant discount. So how that interacts with the ads and how that shakes out for them, of course, remains

Starting point is 00:08:31 to be seen. But what I have been hearing from a variety of businesses over the last week or two is a drop in conversion rate, you know, people filling up their cards, waiting it out, seeing if that automated email comes to their inbox. So a lot of hope placed on the next couple of days to see what happens. But as we all know, as I feel like we say every year for the last couple of years, very uncertain times right now. So we'll see how it shakes out. Very much. Jill, thank you. See you in a couple of weeks.

Starting point is 00:08:58 Yes, thank you. Jill Saskengales is our Google Ads correspondent. You can learn more about her Google Ads training program at our affiliate link at b.link slash gatraining. What do we want? Better measurement standards. When do we want it? Hopefully, like, maybe around Q3 of next year, if that's okay. All right, might not be the most compelling protest chant, but that's essentially what a group of platforms are calling for.

Starting point is 00:09:28 Better measurement standards for ads that run within mobile apps. The coalition is made up of the analytics company AppsFlyer, along with TikTok, Snapchat, and the gaming development platform Unity. They want a more accurate way to measure how long ads are viewed within mobile apps. They also want a way to determine if ads are viewed for a longer period of time than what's required to be considered a view on different platforms. Much of this data was lost after Apple introduced more rigorous privacy controls in its smartphone operating system a couple of years ago. Quoting MarketingBrew.com's coverage of this today, quote, the proposed new metrics include an engaged view.

Starting point is 00:10:07 When someone watches a skippable video for a minimum amount of time or a video is completed in less than a determined number of seconds, the second metric is an engaged click.

Starting point is 00:10:17 When a user engages with an ad and isn't redirected to an app store or another app, an example could be an ad for a game demo, unquote. We reported Monday that TikTok is rolling out something it calls the Engaged View-Through Attribution, which measures the conversions that take place

Starting point is 00:10:34 after a user views an ad for six seconds or more, but doesn't click, then goes on to convert within the attribution window a maximum of seven days. Snapchat has a similar model, but considers a view happening at the two-second mark. Again, marketingbrew.com. Quote, instead of forcing partners to agree to a minimum standard, the hope is that the engagement-based metrics will help offer more transparency to the ecosystem. Some of the details of the new standards, including the minimum amount of time for some videos to be viewed before being considered engaged views, will be determined in early 2024, unquote.

Starting point is 00:11:14 What if it was all for nothing? What if all this talk about how consumers are excited to use artificial intelligence to help them shop or find different clothes to try on or different shades of nail polish. What if consumers actually don't want that AI? New research from CMS platform Storyblock says 85% of the 1,000 global consumers they polled couldn't care less about using AI to help them decide on purchases. When asked if they'd be likely to buy something that AI recommended, only 17% said they would. 60% said it wouldn't make them more likely to buy anything. That said, the study doesn't account for the fact that much of the AI underpinning things like content recommendations or upsells or cart abandonment offers don't specifically identify themselves as AI generated. So it's quite likely that consumers just wouldn't know. A study also probed the role of influencers in the marketing funnel,

Starting point is 00:12:10 and it showed that sector might be cooling a bit. 57% of consumers said a celebrity or influencer endorsement wouldn't make them more likely to buy something. Almost a quarter said it would actually make them less likely to buy. Do you have business insurance? If not, how would you pay 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,

Starting point is 00:12:43 data breaches, and natural disasters. Get customized coverage today starting at $19 per month at zensurance.com. Be protected. Be Zen. 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.

Starting point is 00:13:15 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. Digiday.com has a great occasional series called Confessions where they trade anonymity for candor and get access to some of the real stories behind the digital marketing industry. Today, they published a fascinating inside look at the strained relationship between marketing agencies and X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, through the lens of an agency pro. One of the interesting disclosures was that

Starting point is 00:13:50 ad sales at X seem to be in a perpetual fire sale, with reps offering $200,000 of ad impressions for a $100,000 spend. That sounds like a great deal, but those are still impressions on a platform generally now considered no longer brand safe. Here's a bit of Digiday's interview with the agency executive. Quote, you always understand when working with social that it's a lot of user generated content. That's always been part of the story when you've done brand safety guidelines for clients and things of that nature. But the narrative has really changed to people are afraid to be on the X platform. And these reps are calling and being like, we're still safe. A lack of trust has really been developed, where you can't believe the things you're hearing from them anymore. Because the

Starting point is 00:14:36 things that you're hearing from these reps are directly contradicting things that are happening in the news, unquote. On the other hand, it seems X's dire revenue problems are making their reps much more helpful. Quote, there's definitely a sign of desperation. You're seeing a lot more follow-up emails, offers, and how can I get in front of you? Hey, do you want to do a lunch and learn? Hey, do you want to do a happy hour and meet?

Starting point is 00:14:59 Where it was more you RFPing them, now they're sending a lot of info themselves proactively. It's more them reaching out to you. Meta has some of the worst client reps I've ever seen in my life. Absolutely atrocious. We beg them for help. It's exactly the opposite with Twitter. It's like, hey, this is available. What do you need? Unquote. The full piece is definitely worth a read if you buy ads on social platforms, especially on Twitter. Look for the piece called Confessions of a Strategist on the strained relationship between X and agencies. We, of course, have a link in today's newsletter, which you can sign up for free at todayindigital.com slash newsletter or by tapping the link in the show notes.

Starting point is 00:15:42 It looks like Snapchat is following the trend laid out by X and Meta in selling an ad-free subscription plan. Looks like it'll be an add-on to their paid Snapchat Plus plan. I haven't seen any formal announcement on this, but there is now a help page up on their site saying, quote, the ad-free plan for Snapchat Plus lets you enjoy Snapchat Plus with no story or lens ads. You may still see sponsored My AI responses, unquote. It's apparently still rolling out, but if you have it and want it, you'll find it under your profile, then under the Snapchat Plus banner card at the top. And finally, I have seen the future of live social commerce, friends, and it is depressing.

Starting point is 00:16:28 This week, Vice News posted a video of a Chinese influencer doing a live shopping stream on Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok. So she's standing behind a table. Someone off screen throws a box across the table. She holds up the clothing item in it for one second, says something, which I can only assume is like sweater or shoes, then literally throws the box and does it with the next one. She is blasting through these at a rate of probably 40 products a minute. Honestly, I have to say, it's quite compelling to watch.

Starting point is 00:17:18 Vice says the influencer made $13 million in just one week. So much so that Doyen introduced a new rule saying you had to at least give a little information about the products if you want to live stream and sell on their platform. Follow us on social media. We are almost everywhere. Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, TikTok, Threads, Mastodon, Blue Sky, Post.News, Spoutable, Snapchat, and Pinterest. It's a long list. Go to todayindigital.com slash social or tap the link in the show notes. Don't forget about our email newsletter. It comes out every day.

Starting point is 00:18:00 It's free. It contains everything you hear in the podcast and more. Links to learn more about the stories that we cover, videos, charts, illustrations. You can sign up by tapping the link in the show notes or going to todayindigital.com. It is American Thanksgiving tomorrow. No news ever breaks, so we are taking the day off. I'm Todd Maffin. Thanks for listening. See you on Friday.

Today in Digital Marketing - Redefining the Marketing Industry's Most Important Metric

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