Today in Digital Marketing - The Day the Little Mermaid Went Full Batshit Crazy

Starting point is 00:00:00 It is Friday, May 19th. Today, Facebook funnels, Meta launches new lead-gen tools while continuing to battle European regulators, the mobile app economy is now a half trillion dollars and ads make up most of that, Google's near-miss with mobile irrelevance, and the poor unfortunate souls at YouTube try to explain a bizarre glitch. I'm Todd Maffin. That's ahead today in digital marketing. Meta has added some welcome updates to Facebook ads. First, the company is introducing a new ad format called promotional ads, which will automatically apply advertised discount codes during the checkout process. Plus, if a consumer clicks through to checkout but doesn't complete the purchase, they will receive a Facebook notification before the deal expires.

Starting point is 00:00:50 The new ad format is being rolled out slowly. Currently, some advertisers in the US, the UK, Canada, and India have it. Meta is also expanding its tools for lead gen. The platform is updating lead ads with a new dynamic question flow that adapts based on consumer responses. So, for instance, an educational institute could ask questions like, what degree are you interested in? Based on the answer, the subsequent questions will dynamically adjust to provide the person with tailored information about a specific program. The tech giant will also soon let brands overlay instant forms on their business web page within Facebook's in-app browser. That means that when a user taps through a Facebook link,

Starting point is 00:01:32 brands can apply feedback forms from Facebook on their site. And with the latest Facebook page experience update, businesses have the option to include a lead gen form on their website linked to the CTA button on their page. Meanwhile, though, Met is facing its third fine this year for allegedly failing to comply with the GDPR by transferring user data of European residents to the US without adequate guarantees that it would be safe from inspection by authorities. The exact amount of the fine to be imposed by Ireland's Data Protection Commission

Starting point is 00:02:06 is still undisclosed as the commission has not yet formally published its decision. Well, even with tightening budgets and regulatory restrictions, mobile advertising is thriving. According to a new report from data.ai, global spend on mobile apps exceeded

Starting point is 00:02:26 $500 billion last year, with two-thirds of that coming from advertising and a third from in-app purchases. In terms of ad spend, two-thirds of the total went to non-game apps like TikTok and Instagram, while gaming apps made up the remaining third of the spend. When it comes to in-app purchases, games dominated consumer spending. Non-game apps accounted for a third. The report also revealed that subscriptions were a significant contributor to in-app purchases on iOS, accounting for nearly 30% of spending in the first quarter of this year. As for total revenue, excluding China, Facebook claimed the top spot globally, followed by Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and Snapchat. Gamers who watch ads may soon be able to skip Xbox subscriptions.

Starting point is 00:03:18 Microsoft has lured more than 25 million subscribers to its Xbox Game Pass since 2017, but now the company is reportedly considering a new model where players can opt for a brief gameplay session in exchange for watching ads. But would users tolerate it? While the company's interest in incorporating ads into games is not new, Ars Technica reports that in-game advertising primarily focuses on billboards and other in-world placements. One in-game ad study published in 2009 warned developers not to interrupt the game experience and found that such marketing could, quote, generate irreparable damage to a brand, unquote. But since then, mobile gamers have become accustomed to interstitial video ads as part of the free-to-play experience. But as the report notes, it's less clear if these kinds of ad breaks would be as welcome during loading screens or between levels of high-end console games.

Starting point is 00:04:20 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. We previously reported that Samsung was considering replacing Google with its arch rival Bing as the default search engine on all Samsung phones. Now it seems that won't happen after all. The Wall Street Journal reporting today that Samsung has halted an internal review exploring the move,

Starting point is 00:05:03 according to people familiar with the matter. The switch would have replaced Google as the primary search engine on Samsung's internet web browsing app, which comes pre-installed. Had this breakup occurred, Microsoft's Bing would have achieved a huge victory in the search space, which has long been dominated by Google. Neither of the three companies would comment. Amazon's Prime Air drone delivery program is having trouble with liftoff. CNBC reported yesterday that the e-commerce giant's drones have only made 100 deliveries in its two operating locations in California and Texas. 100! Initially, Amazon had set a target of 10,000 deliveries

Starting point is 00:05:46 using its fleet of flying robots by the end of this year, but progress has been slow. Earlier reports indicated deliveries to fewer than 10 households, and the pace doesn't seem to be picking up. The report notes that a big obstacle for Amazon is the strict regulations imposed by the Federal Aviation Administration on drone operations.

Starting point is 00:06:05 These regulations prohibit flying across roadways or near people, making it a little difficult for the company to drop packages in residential areas. In contrast, Amazon's competitors like Walmart are experiencing some better results. Walmart has partnered with companies like DroneUp, Flytrex, and Zipline to complete more than 6,000 deliveries across the U.S. And what is the most popular drone delivery near the top of the list? Rotisserie chickens. And finally, YouTube crashed recently during the tense final moments of an NBA playoff game, leaving viewers stuck on a perpetual loop watching the same ad for The Little Mermaid. And the game never came back online. It wasn't until early yesterday morning and several hours after the game ended that the platform resolved the issue.

Starting point is 00:07:03 YouTube has not confirmed what exactly dragged NBA fans under the sea. Well, Monday is a holiday in Canada, so there will not be a regular show. There will be a show on Monday, though, an in-depth look at the surprising untold story behind one of the world's most talked about ad campaigns. A campaign was called True, but you probably know it as... Wazzup! Life is getting better now. It's OK, OK, whoa, oh. Today in digital marketing is produced by EngageQ Digital on the traditional territories of the Tsunami First Nation on Vancouver Island. Our associate producer is Steph Gunn.

Starting point is 00:07:49 Production coordinator, Sarah Gill. Features producer, Sarah Burke-Christian. Music licensing by Source Audio. Ad coordination by Red Circle. And you know, not many people know this, but our theme composer, Mark Blevis, is one of the world's first users at Twitter. He's long since abandoned the platform. He keeps jumping to all the new replacements. T2 one day, Mastodon the next, Blue Sky the one after.

Starting point is 00:08:16 Maybe it's because his first post on those platforms is always the same and a little rude. He posts, here we are now. Entertain us. I'm Todd Maffin. Have a restful weekend. Thanks for listening. See you next week. Life is getting better now. It's okay, okay, whoa-oh. Life is getting better now. It's okay, okay, whoa-oh.

Starting point is 00:08:42 Yeah, life is getting better now. It's okay, okay, whoa-oh. Yeah, Life is getting better now. It's okay. Okay. Whoa. Yeah. Life is getting better now.

Today in Digital Marketing - The Day the Little Mermaid Went Full Batshit Crazy

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