Today in Digital Marketing - Reels of Misfortune

Starting point is 00:00:00 It's Friday, February 28th. This week, YA blowout Super Bowl game is tanking ad recall. Meta and X are caught approving AI-generated ads referencing hate crimes, YouTube's ditching interruptive ad mid-rolls, and Instagram has some major algorithm drama. Plus, is a Reels app in the works. I'm Steph Gunn sitting in for Todd Maffin. All that ahead in our Friday wrap-up of the week in digital marketing. We start as always with the advertising news that broke this week. The blowout victory

Starting point is 00:00:35 by the Philadelphia Eagles this year and this year's Super Bowl didn't just crush the competition, it also tanked ad recall. Data shows a drop in ad recall with average unaided brand awareness declining from 10% last year to 8.5% this year. Attribution scores or the ability to name a brand based on its ad dropped even more. While some brands saw slight increases, others like Dunkin took a major hit from 20% in 2024 to 9.5% this year. Several factors could be at play, but marketing expert Rick Miller pins the blame on the lopsided game, as a bad game can be bad for brands. MetaNx approved AI-generated ads referencing Nazi war crimes ahead of Germany's federal elections, according to new research from the non-profit organization Echo, the ads called for the gassing of immigrants in concentration camps and the burning

Starting point is 00:01:29 of synagogues. The Watchdog submitted 10 extremist ads filled with hate speech to both platforms last week. Metta approved five within 12 hours. X approved all 10 ads immediately. A Metta spokesperson said the ads violated its policies and were disabled before publication, while X did not respond to requests for comment. No more mid-sentence ads. Starting May 12th, YouTube will reduce mid-roll ads deemed interruptive, shifting to more natural breakpoints like pauses or transitions. Creators can opt for automatic ad placements or continue manually selecting slots. However, the company warns that manual, chosen, interruptive ads may earn less revenue.

Starting point is 00:02:11 YouTubers can use automatic ad slots, manual slots, or a combination of both. A new YouTube Studio tool will let users check if their mid-roll slots are deemed interruptive. It's unclear if manual choices could result in fewer ads being shown. And now for the updates with Google Ads this week. The company has notified local service ads advertisers that searchers can now book appointments or services directly through ads if a booking link is detected on their Google Business profile. This feature is enabled by default and the businesses will be charged for bookings, just like how they are charged for calls and messages.

Starting point is 00:02:45 To avoid charges, businesses have to disable the feature in the settings section of their profile and budget page. Google is also making changes to offline conversion quality in Smart and PMAX campaigns with Store Goals. The platform now prioritizes locally engaged users on high local intent channels, like search and maps. Google says this shift may reduce conversion volume, but increase cost per conversion. And finally, Performance Max Campaigns has an option for new customers high value, letting advertisers differentiate between new customers

Starting point is 00:03:19 and high value ones. By assigning higher conversion values to high value customers, Google Ads can adjust bids to focus on those with the highest revenue potential. To the world of social media now, we start off with TikTok. TikTok has officially hit the more than halfway mark to its 75-day US extension, with no clear resolution in sight. But as the deadline looms, it seems it's business as usual for the platform. Advertisers are still going all in. CPG ad

Starting point is 00:03:52 spend is up 10% since its return to the app stores. TikTok Shop's video ad revenue surged 290% from April 2024 to January 2025.S. app downloads jumped 165%, though daily active users saw a slight dip. New initiatives are still rolling out, like automotive ads, and there are still more than 2,000 job openings in the U.S. However, the company is losing top execs, including the global head of music business development and the global head of content strategy. And heads up,

Starting point is 00:04:27 TikTok is about to replace its creative center, including its creative marketplace with its new TikTok one platform. As it makes the transition, it is now starting the process of sun setting the creator marketplace platform. All your past campaigns will be available in your upgraded TikTok one account. March 1st creator marketplace will stop allowing new campaigns and creator applications. And April 1st, Creator Marketplace will redirect to TikTok One and will no longer be functional. Current Marketplace users can upgrade by logging into the app and following the in-stream notifications.

Starting point is 00:04:59 This will be mandatory by April. Now over to Meta. Instagram head Adam Osseri explained how the algorithm measures watch time. It's not just about finishing a video. The total watch time matters too. Instagram looks at both the percentage of the video watched and the total seconds spent viewing. For instance, 10 seconds of a one-minute video counts the same as 10 seconds of a 10-second

Starting point is 00:05:23 long video, meaning longer videos aren't penalized. Both the percentage of the video watched and the total time spent viewing contribute to ranking. And a glitch in Instagram Reels had the algorithm pushing a never-ending stream of disturbing content including animal abuse, murders, dead bodies, and other gore. Meta confirmed. Most, but not all, of these videos were behind a sensitive content warning requiring users animal abuse, murders, dead bodies and other gore. Meta confirmed. Most, but not all of these videos were behind a sensitive content warning requiring users

Starting point is 00:05:49 to click see real to view them. Meta apologized for the mistake and said the issue is now resolved. The company also said the problem is unrelated to its recent move to loosen some content moderation rules. Instagram may be considering a standalone Reels app according to the information. Platform head Adam Mosseri shared the idea with staff this week. A separate app would be a more direct replica of TikTok, featuring a full-screen scrolling feed of short-form videos.

Starting point is 00:06:18 With Reels now extending to three minutes, the range of content could warrant its own platform. And Meta is also planning to launch a standalone app for its AI chat bot. The company is also eyeing a paid subscription model. As for other social updates, YouTube has updated its Replace Song feature with music recommendations, helping brands and creators replace copyrighted audio with licensed tracks. The update offers 10 relevant track options to replace infringing audio. LinkedIn is testing a new feed filter

Starting point is 00:06:47 that lets users switch to viewing updates only from their first degree connections. The test provides two tabs, one, all your current LinkedIn feed, which remains the default, and two, one that's called My Network, showing updates only from connections and followed pages. LinkedIn is also rolling out comment impression counts,

Starting point is 00:07:06 letting users see how many times their comments are viewed. A comment impression is counted each time someone views your comment, including repeat views and even your own. So yes, you can technically inflate your numbers by just reviewing your own comment. 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,

Starting point is 00:07:40 and more. It's super easy, and before you buy 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. Between juggling client meetings and keeping up with what's changed in the marketing world, who has time to stress about website security? But security is important, what with bots pummeling your brand site by the hundreds every hour looking for a way in. Kinsta provides managed hosting for WordPress sites,

Starting point is 00:08:18 offering lightning fast load times, top-tier security, and human-only customer support. And thanks to their unlimited free, expert-led migrations, Kinsta ensures a smooth transition from other hosting providers so you won't experience any downtime. Ready to experience Kinsta's hosting for yourself? Get your first month free when you sign up at Kinsta.com today. It's the perfect opportunity to see why Kinsta is trusted by thousands of businesses worldwide

Starting point is 00:08:48 to power their websites. Visit Kinsta.com to get this limited time offer for new customers on select plans. Don't miss out, get started for free today. To search marketing now, Chegg, an edtech company, is suing Google over its AI overviews, arguing the AIOs are stealing traffic that once went to their site, leading to lower acquisitions, revenue, and job cuts.

Starting point is 00:09:14 The suit makes three main arguments. One, reciprocal dealing. Google forces companies like Chegg to supply proprietary content to be included in search results. 2. Monopoly maintenance. Google unfairly exercises its search dominance and other anti-competitive conduct to push out rivals. 3. Unjust enrichment. Google is reaping the financial benefits of Chegg's content without having to spend a dime. Google, meanwhile, is making it easier to scrub personal information from search

Starting point is 00:09:48 with updates to its results about uTool. A remove this result option in the 3.menu lets users request removal and see what information is eligible for deletion. And SEO chatter about Google search ranking volatility is on the rise, though third-party tracking tools seem relatively calm, which could be a sign of an upcoming ranking update. Now over to the world of commerce. Walmart's ad business grew 30% globally in Q4, with Walmart Connect rising 25% in the US, bringing it to $4.5 billion for the year, a 27% year-over-year increase. Despite this growth, it remains a small portion of the retailer's total revenue

Starting point is 00:10:32 of $681 billion, which rose 5% year-over-year. Dubbed eBay meets Twitch, live shopping platform Whatnot is positioning itself as a new home for TikTok livestreamers amid its uncertainty in the US. After TikTok briefly went offline in January, Whatnot ran full-page print ads saying, no matter what happens, we're here for you, resulting in a surge of new seller applications. And if you didn't have many customers today, this could be why. A national U.S. boycott or economic blackout is underway, urging Americans to refrain from shopping for 24 hours.

Starting point is 00:11:14 Spearheaded by the People's Union USA, the boycott protests the rollback of DEI initiatives at companies like Target. It also aligns with the protests against President Trump's plans to cut the government workforce and recent mass firings at federal agencies. While the boycott is trending on social media and gaining international support, its real impact on retail sales and profits remain to be seen. Now for some new product updates. Microsoft is testing a free, ad-supported version of its Office Suite.

Starting point is 00:11:49 The free version of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint has fewer features, like missing tools and restricted access. Ads appear in a banner on the right and will include video ads, which are muted, thankfully. Microsoft confirmed this is a limited test and it has no current plans to launch a free version of its desktop apps. Adobe released a new Photoshop app this week that brings a lot of its desktop-level design, editing and generative AI tools to your phone. It also syncs with Photoshop on the web, so you can work on projects across devices.

Starting point is 00:12:25 It's available now on iPhone, with Android coming later this year. And finally, should you kill your brand mascot? While the deaths of Duo the Owl and Mr. Peanut got attention, they could also be a customer turnoff. DuoLingo's stunt saw engagement across platforms increase 350%, with a 50% engagement rate on the Instagram announcement alone. But not everyone was a fan. Before yeeting your mascot to the afterlife,

Starting point is 00:12:58 Marketing Brew highlights what brands need to consider. First, know your audience. Death is a sensitive topic. Make sure it fits your brand's personality and, know your audience. Death is a sensitive topic. Make sure it fits your brand's personality and resonates with your audience. Second, don't push it too far. Replicating the stunt is risky, so know your limits. And finally, make it meaningful. Duolingo's revival kept audiences engaged,

Starting point is 00:13:19 but dragging things out too long can backfire. Well, we are on the topic of death. But dragging things out too long can backfire. Well, we are on the topic of death. My dog had an entire bird foot in his mouth last night. So I have a pug. His name is cheeseburger. He is one. I also have a one year old. So the two of them are always chewing on each other's toys. So last night he's in his bed and he's chewing on something and I just thought it was one of my daughter's toys.

Starting point is 00:13:46 So I grabbed it from his mouth and to my absolute horror, it was a full on bird claw. I screamed and I threw it on the ground and then he ate the entire thing, like went after it and swallowed the whole thing whole. I'm just glad that my toddler wasn't chewing on it. Those were the top digital marketing stories over the whole thing whole. I'm just glad that my toddler wasn't chewing on it. Those were the top digital marketing stories over the last five days.

Starting point is 00:14:08 You'd have gotten all of this news earlier if you were signed up to our email newsletter, which comes out every weekday at 5 p.m. Eastern and is completely free. You can sign up at todayindigital.com slash newsletter. You can follow us on social media. We're on Blue Sky, Mastered on YouTube, LinkedIn, TikTok, and more. Just go to todayindigital.com slash social, or you can tap the link in the

Starting point is 00:14:31 show notes. I'm Steph Gunn. Thanks for listening. I hope you have a great weekend. 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. 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.C-A.

Today in Digital Marketing - Reels of Misfortune

There aren't comments yet for this episode. Click on any sentence in the transcript to leave a comment.