Today in Digital Marketing - You Can Now Rent TikTok's Insanely Good Algorithm

Episode Date: July 5, 2021

You can now rent TikTok's insanely good algorithm... Pinterest bans an entire category of ad campaigns... Snapchat's music library just got a big boost.... The fanciest Brand Lift Studies yet... and when a digital app moves into the real-world.Get each episode as a daily email newsletter (with images, videos, and links) — b.link/pod-newsletter ADVERTISING:- Ads: b.link/pod-ads- Classifieds: b.link/pod-classifieds- Brand Takeovers: b.link/pod-takeover JOIN THE COMMUNITY:- Slack: b.link/pod-slack- Discord: b.link/pod-discord- Podcast Perks: b.link/pod-perks ENJOYING THE SHOW?- Rate and review: b.link/pod-rate- Leave a voicemail: b.link/pod-voicemail FOLLOW TOD:- Twitter: b.link/pod-twitter- LinkedIn: b.link/pod-linkedin- TikTok: b.link/pod-tiktok Today in Digital Marketing is hosted by Tod Maffin (b.link/pod-todsite) and produced by engageQ digital (b.link/pod-engageq). Subscribe at https://TodayInDigital.com or wherever you get your podcasts. (Theme music by Mark Blevis. All other music licensed by Source Audio.)Our Sponsors:* Check out Kinsta: https://kinsta.comPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

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starting at $19 per month at zensurance.com. Be protected. Be Zen. Today, you can now rent TikTok's insanely good algorithm, Be protected. Be Zen. into the real world. It's Monday, July 5th, 2021. Happy Declaration of Independence Day, Venezuela. I'm Todd Maffin from EngageQ Digital, and here's what you missed today in digital marketing. You don't have to spend any longer than 20 minutes or so on TikTok before you understand what makes the app so incredibly popular. It's content discovery algorithm.

It very quickly and with alarming accuracy narrows in on what your interests are. Obviously, it's one of TikTok's key advantages, which is why it's weird that if reports are to be believed, TikTok is selling access to that algorithm. Over the weekend, The Verge reported that TikTok's parent company, ByteDance, has started selling TikTok's AI to other companies. Apparently, they've even opened up a separate division for this called BytePlus, and its client list is said to include a U.S. fashion app called Goat, a travel site, a shopping site, and a gaming platform. And it's not just the algorithm. Buyers also get automated text-to-speech tools, some of TikTok's video filters, and an analytics platform.

ByteDance, for its part, did not comment on the report. Still with TikTok for the moment, they've added brand lift studies to their quiver. A brand lift study, in essence, is a mini-survey displayed to people who've seen an ad campaign, asking them if they remember the ad. TikTok's version of this, of course, is immersive and includes music and motion graphics. Today's premium newsletter has an example of what one looks like,

along with a case study from one of TikTok's advertisers on how their own study went. Quoting the company, Brand partners can utilize TikTok brand lift studies to apply rigid experimentation to understand and measure the impact of their campaigns. They can better analyze awareness, attitudes, favorability, and intent, unquote. They'll be using Kantar to run the numbers for verification on those surveys. Also has tipped off by someone today that the TikTok pixel is apparently now multi-session. Previously, it was limited to single sessions. A recent forecast from eMarketer says TikTok will have 37 Gen Z monthly users by the end of this year,

compared to 33 million on Instagram. Pinterest says it will no longer approve any ad campaigns that refer to weight loss. And while they didn't outright ban the category entirely, it's hard to see how even big-name brands like, say, Weight Watchers could run campaigns now. Pinterest policy now prohibits any weight loss language or imagery, any testimonials regarding weight loss or weight loss products, any language or imagery that idealizes or denigrates certain body types, any reference to body mass index or similar indices, or any products that claim weight loss through something worn or applied to

the skin. The company says it is the most restrictive of the platforms in that space. For the record, Instagram did ban weight loss content and ads about certain types of cosmetic surgery two years ago, but that policy only prevents users under the age of 18 from seeing the ads. Pinterest's new policy is for everyone. This adds to Pinterest's existing ban on appetite-suppressing pills, before and after weight loss imagery, and so on. Pinterest definitely trying to be the most woke of all the platforms. Five years ago, it banned ad campaigns that used culturally appropriated costumes. and so on. Pinterest definitely trying to be the most woke of all the platforms.

Five years ago, it banned ad campaigns that used culturally appropriated costumes. It stopped running political ads in 2018, and in 2019, was among the first platforms to block anti-vaccine content. A deal between Snapchat and the Universal Music Group will see Snapchat's music catalog grow by a healthy amount. Quoting WeRSM.com, The Snapchat community collectively shares more than 5 billion snaps every day.

With the new music expansion, many of those snaps will now be able to include more popular tracks, making video creations and communication more expressive and music recommendations to friends more personal. The announcement comes after Snapchat launched Sounds in October last year. The feature, available globally on Android and iOS, allows users to add licensed music to their snaps easily. The feature has become hugely popular, unquote. If you're wondering where the other big players' music is, like Warner Music and Sony Music,

Snapchat already has deals with those rights holders. Universal Music seems to lag behind the others. They only granted TikTok the right to license its music back in February. 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. Now that the world is opening back up again from the lockdowns, one digital app is trying to enter the real world.

The dating app Bumble says it will open its first real-world cafe in New York later this month. They'll call it Bumble Brew. It's a partnership between the app and a local Italian restaurant, and it's one that's changed a lot since the idea first struck them. They'd originally planned to open two years ago with a menu friendly to first dates. And what kind of food is that? Nothings that are easy to eat, don't make a mess, like spaghetti or large burgers. But they changed the location, then the pandemic struck, and now they are making it a little bit less of a cafe and more of a full meal restaurant.

Is it just me or is it harder to come back to work after a four-day-long weekend? My wife and I had a real visitor over the weekend. I have to say, it's really nice having real people over. People you can sit at a table with, with no masks or awkwardness. Who'd have thought back last March, when this all started, it would still be with us more than a year later? I, for one, am most excited to be able to walk whichever direction I damn well please down a grocery store aisle.

You know, when this is all over, I might just walk up the frozen food aisle and then back down the same aisle because I'm gangsta like that. Talk to you tomorrow.