Today in Digital Marketing - The Revolution Will Be Monetized

Starting point is 00:00:00 It is Monday, June 12th. Today, the revolution will be monetized. How will Reddit react to today's massive moderator protest? Also, Twitter's latest cost-saving move is likely to further erode what's left of its trust and safety tools. TikTok joins the generative AI crowd, and Twitch backs off from its controversial ad guidelines. I'm Todd Mathen.

Starting point is 00:00:25 That's ahead today in digital marketing. Well, TikTok's AI overlords can now write and direct your next video ad campaign. The company recently added a new tool to Creative Center called Script Generator that, as you might guess, provides video script ideas based on your input. You'll be able to enter your vertical, your product name, item description,

Starting point is 00:00:47 and any relevant keywords to include. You then tell it what duration you want it to be, between 15 and 60 seconds, as well as the video format, and then click Generate Scripts. TikTok's AI will then create a selection of sample video scripts, including a hook, a scene description, a call to action, and also some suggested audio and visual cues to include. The tool is currently only available in English. TikTok noted that users are responsible for ensuring content accuracy, complying with

Starting point is 00:01:17 relevant laws, blah, blah, blah. It also mentioned the tool is developed in partnership with a third-party provider. They did not disclose who that third-party provider was, but said that any information provided to the tool will be processed through this mysterious third-party service. Twitch has reversed its decision to implement a new set of branded content guidelines it introduced last week. This change of heart comes after the platform faced massive backlash from creators concerned

Starting point is 00:01:50 about the potential impact on their earnings. The original guidelines are set to take effect this July 1st, and we're supposed to restrict certain types of branded content, including bans on burned-in ads placed directly within a stream, video ads, display ads, even audio ads. The terms also limited on-screen logos to just 3% of the total screen size. Streamers criticized the new rules, saying the platform was hurting creators by limiting their income. In response to the uproar, Twitch has retracted the guidelines. Twitter's trust and safety teams are teetering on the edge of uncertainty as Platformer reports that the company has stopped paying its Google bills. According to the report, Twitter entered into a long-term contract with Google Cloud in 2018 to host a number of services, including those combating spam and removing inappropriate content. Critical systems

Starting point is 00:02:50 responsible for identifying violent extremism and graphic media on the site are all hosted on this Google Cloud account. Since acquiring Twitter, Elon Musk has implemented several drastic cost-cutting measures. He's also allegedly stopped paying some bills, leading to lawsuits from several unpaid vendors. The information previously reported that Twitter has been in negotiations to revise its Google contract for several months. But now, Platformer says it has stopped payments altogether and plans to stop using the platform completely. The report noted that Twitter has been scrambling to move services off Google Cloud before the contract ends on June 30th. Sources say the process is taking longer than expected, leaving uncertainty regarding the fate of some services. One of these services, by way of example, is Smite, a company acquired by Twitter a while back. Smite provides tools to combat harassment, abuse, and spam.

Starting point is 00:03:49 That tool is currently hosted on Google Cloud and is now set to be shut down at the end of the month. With six months of the year under our belt, Group M has published its latest forecast today, indicating a welcome break in the clouds of uncertainty surrounding ad spend, as global advertising spend in 2023 is expected to grow according to their forecasts, and that growth 6% to $875 billion. Despite shifting consumer habits and ongoing inflationary pressures, the agency advises marketers to brace themselves for a return to some kind of normalcy, their words, in the second half of the year and beyond. The report describes the industry as being at an inflection point with pandemic trends waning, digital growth stabilizing, and other avenues of expansion maturing. Over the next five years, Group M anticipates mid-single-digit growth.

Starting point is 00:04:49 PurePlay digital ad revenue is expected to rise by 8.5% this year, accounting for 70% of total ad revenue. Due to the pandemic-driven surge, digital advertising growth has slowed to single digits, and the agency suggests the slowdown is more indicative of the channel's maturity rather than a recessionary indicator. But the rise of AI poses new uncertainties, with GroupM foreseeing AI playing a role

Starting point is 00:05:15 in at least half of all advertising revenue by the end of the year. 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. It's the season for new styles, and you love to shop for jackets and boots.

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Starting point is 00:06:21 R-A-K-U-T-E-N dot C-A. Well, it turns out even meta employees have trust issues with Mark Zuckerberg. A recent internal survey obtained by media found only one quarter of meta employees are confident in the company's leadership. This from the Washington Post. The declining morale within the company comes in the wake of multiple layoffs, strategic shifts, and cost-cutting measures. As a result, those remaining are burdened with increased responsibilities and are adjusting to a whole bunch of new managers. While Meta initially pushed for building the metaverse, the company has now scaled back to those grand ambitions and shifted the focus toward AI. This sudden

Starting point is 00:07:03 change in direction has also left employees questioning Zuckerberg's effectiveness as a leader. Despite these internal concerns, Wall Street is still bullish on Meta. The stock is up 110% so far this year. As we reported last week, a number of Reddit communities planned to go offline today in protest of the platform's new API pricing structure, which is forcing many third-party apps to shut down. Now, that blackout is officially underway, with thousands of subreddits switching to private mode. According to a live list tracking the protest, more than 7,000 subreddits have gone dark out of the approximately 100,000 active communities on the app. 7% might not seem substantial, but those 7,000 groups have a combined subscriber count of

Starting point is 00:07:53 2.7 billion, which as social media today points out, could have a big impact on platform engagement. In fact, the migration of groups switching to private mode caused a temporary outage on the site this morning. Many of the subreddits involved in the protests say they will remain inactive indefinitely as a response to Reddit's API pricing changes. Reviews seem to be vanishing from Google local service ads listings, which caused some speculation within the local SEO community over the weekend. Some think Google is removing fake or guideline violating reviews, while others suspect a technical glitch. While the exact cause remains uncertain, several users have reported the disappearance of reviews from these ads. Welcome to those of you who are new. We are running some ads inside some podcast apps,

Starting point is 00:08:54 so maybe that's how you found us. We do this every day. Hope you'll stick around. See you tomorrow. The one that she adored. The one that she adored. She thought that he was cool. She thought that he was cool. He played it for a fool. He played it for a fool. And now she feels so bad. She don't know what to do.

Starting point is 00:09:12 She don't know what to do.

Today in Digital Marketing - The Revolution Will Be Monetized

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