Today in Digital Marketing - Searching for Ads in All the Right Places

Starting point is 00:00:00 It is Thursday, May 25th. Today, Instagram's API just got a big upgrade, YouTube kills Stories, new intent signals for LinkedIn, TikTok is testing an AI chatbot, and Google's AI now writes your video descriptions. I'm Todd Maffin. That's ahead today in Digital Marketing. We reported yesterday on further delays in TikTok search ads for marketers, but that's not the case for Instagram. Meta updated its marketing API yesterday, and now brands can place ads in search results based on keywords through their third-party tool of choice. Instagram started testing the feature in March to target customers actively searching

Starting point is 00:00:42 for businesses, products, and content. This represents a wider rollout. With this change, users will see ads related to their searches. So, for instance, if a consumer searches Instagram for skincare, they will see relevant ads within the search results feed. These ads will, of course, be distinguished from regular posts by a sponsored label under the account name. The marketing API now supports three capabilities, ads creation, ads insights, and ads preview. Short form video has taken another casualty. YouTube is killing stories. The company confirming today that stories will end on June 26th. Starting tomorrow, though, nobody will be able to post stories, and any existing posts will expire after seven days. YouTube plans to notify

Starting point is 00:01:32 creators about the shutdown through various channels like forum posts, reminders in YouTube Studio, and so on. Like Instagram, YouTube stories disappeared after a set period of time, which let brands and creators post updates or behind-the-scenes content to promote their channel. As it sends stories packing, YouTube is pushing brands to post content to community posts and, of course, shorts. LinkedIn recently added some new updates to its Sales Navigator business dashboard. First, it has introduced a new Account Hub feature, which prioritizes buyer listings based on various data points. Account Hub will sort your existing buyer info to highlight potential opportunities. LinkedIn is also integrating product category intent into its Sales Navigator,

Starting point is 00:02:22 which shows which products a potential buyer has shown interest in based on their LinkedIn activity. It's also adding similar buying intent signals into its search filters and integrating more purchase intent into sales navigator alerts. New activities visible in this buyer activity section include website visits, new connections to colleagues, and a few other factors. And finally, LinkedIn is adding more capacity to its autosave functionality, so you can edit your CRM listings a little easier. I guess it was only a matter of time. TikTok confirmed today that it too has succumbed to the rise of AI chatbots with Taco. Their new chatbot that can recommend videos, but not your next investment.

Starting point is 00:03:09 The chatbot is currently in limited testing. It appears on the right-hand side of the TikTok interface. When tapped, users can ask questions about a video or request content recommendations using regular natural language. The company though has not disclosed which third-party AI provider is powering the tech. The bot is not publicly available in the US, though.

Starting point is 00:03:30 It is being tested in other markets, including the Philippines. One app intelligence firm, though, reported finding the AI chatbot tests in iOS devices in the US, so, you know, who knows? Upon launch, TikTok cautions that its feedback may not be entirely accurate, a common disclaimer for AI chatbots. And more importantly, the extent to which the chatbot logs user data or maintains privacy remains unclear.

Starting point is 00:04:00 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, data breaches, and natural disasters. Get customized coverage today starting at $19 per month at zensurance.com. Be protected. Be Zen. Google has developed a visual language model which auto-generates meta descriptions for YouTube shorts videos. It comes from merging its DeepMind and Google Brain products. Google says since shorts are often created in a few

Starting point is 00:04:37 minutes without descriptions or helpful titles, it makes them harder to find via search. This new tech, which they're calling Flamingo, analyzes the initial frames of a video and generates text descriptions that explain the content. Luckily, no need to check what Google's AI may have written for your brand's videos. These descriptions are not public facing. They're stored as metadata to improve video categorization and match search results. A YouTube spokesperson told The Verge that because shorts are typically consumed through swiping on a feed rather than active browsing, adding metadata has been less incentivized.

Starting point is 00:05:14 Flamingo has already started applying auto-generated descriptions to new shorts uploads and a substantial number of existing and highly viewed videos. Well, they talked about it a lot, but now Google's AI-powered search is rolling out starting today. They're opening up access to Search Labs, a new program that lets people sign up for the experiments, including the search generative experience, and test them out before wider release. Those who signed up will receive an email

Starting point is 00:05:45 notification that they have been accepted to start testing the tools. Google says there are three ways search can be improved with the new generative AI features. First, AI-powered snapshot. This lets users get up to speed on a new or complicated topic. Then the search generative experience will offer tips for specific questions. You'll find pointers for key information, a range of options available, and so on. And the new search experience includes shopping integration. Consumers can search for a product to learn about important factors and get a buying list of options like price, customer rating, and more. And finally, a Formula One team has found a new way to use digital advertising tech, and it could transform sports advertising.

Starting point is 00:06:29 The brand logos, of course, are already seen on cars, but McLaren has come up with a new way to get sponsors more airtime with prime placement. Teams will now be able to show even more ads since they're displayed on side panels, mounted in the cockpit, and are visible to home viewers because the TV camera is installed behind the driver. People in the stands, of course, won't be able to see those ads. Throughout a Grand Prix weekend, the display will change,

Starting point is 00:06:54 presenting a range of ads. The company behind the technology hopes to expand by adding the panels to golf bags, for instance, and even digital helmet ads. But if you've got a marketing position you're trying to fill, or maybe you're looking for that next great gig, consider a classified ad right here. It's just 20 bucks. You can book it online. Link in the show notes. I'm Todd Maffin. Thanks for listening. See you tomorrow.

Today in Digital Marketing - Searching for Ads in All the Right Places

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