Category: Advertising & Marketing

Google Sandbox could push news publishers out of business

As Google prepares to remove third-party tracking cookies from its Chrome browser later this year, publishers, advertisers, and the UK Competition & Markets Authority are giving their proposed replacement — Google’s “Privacy Sandbox” ad system — a closer look.

Many don’t like what they’re seeing.

Google is developing Sandbox under a set of legally binding “commitments” intended to ensure that Google doesn’t abuse its dominant position in the online ad market. It can only introduce Sandbox once the CMA has signed off on the final product.

The CMA recently threatened to ban the company from implementing Sandbox entirely: “Google cannot proceed with third-party cookie deprecation until our concerns are resolved,” the CMA said in its most recent report on Sandbox. It wants “to ensure that Google does not use the tools in a way that self-preferences its own advertising services.” Currently, the CMA believes that Google is working to comply with its requirements: “Based on the available evidence, we consider that [in the most recent reporting period], Google has complied with the Commitments”.

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Sandbox Topics: Clunky and gives control to Google

The CMA is specifically worried about one aspect of Sandbox, named “Topics”.

Content from our partners

The Topics system allows advertisers to target readers via a new function in their Chrome browsers which will track the most recent themes those users have shown an interest in. For instance, if an advertiser wants to reach users interested in “sport”, any publisher using Topics will be able to show an ad to any user if “sport” was one of the user’s top five browsing interests of the

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Temu and Shein Are the ‘Jaws’ of Digital Advertising

Fashion brands advertising on Facebook, Instagram and Google are swimming in shark-infested waters, and Temu and Shein are the sharks.

The Chinese e-commerce players have been on a huge advertising spree capable of disrupting the marketing of any brands they end up competing against head to head. They can appear out of nowhere, abruptly send costs soaring and disappear just as quickly.

“We are all very aware of their spending power and their ability to change our results in a hurry,” said Vic Drabicky, founder and chief executive of January Digital, a consultancy and marketing agency with customers including Tory Burch, Fenty Beauty and Victoria’s Secret.

Temu’s parent company, PDD, spent almost $2 billion on Meta ads in 2023, sources told the Wall Street Journal, making it Meta’s biggest advertiser by revenue for the year. (Temu disputed the number but didn’t provide a figure of its own.) The company also placed around 1.4 million ads across Google services globally in the past year, the New York Times reported.

Shein is trying to keep up. In the last quarter of 2023, the company’s US ad spending was up 160 percent compared to the prior year, according to data from digital-intelligence firm SensorTower. It ratched up spending a further 80 percent month over month in January of this year.

Most of the time fashion brands won’t see much impact from this flood of advertising. But when it’s targeted at the same shoppers they’re trying to reach, it can make it dramatically more expensive to get the same number of clicks from users — and may come as they’re already fighting to keep their shoppers from decamping to those platforms for similar-looking items at much cheaper prices.

At least two of January Digital’s customers have already run into scenarios where they’ve found

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Legendary Marketer ads criticized as misleading

Chelsea Ouimet has more than a million followers between her two Instagram accounts, “Chelsea the Affiliate” and “Hustle with Chelsea.” The self-described stay-at-home mom of three smiles broadly and shows off her beautiful home in video posts touting ways to make money — quickly — through a business model called affiliate marketing.

“All you need is a phone, a laptop, wi-fi and one to three hours a day,” she says in one of dozens of videos posted on her pages. In one post, she says the average annual salary of an affiliate marketer, with no experience, is $177,566. “I made that salary in my first 11 weeks,” she says.

Affiliate marketing is not new, but social media triggered an explosion of interest — and an array of concerns. The market for online learning courses has boomed in recent years, spanning professional development platforms to online influencers selling lessons on everything from gig work to the timeless art of seduction.

Dozens of companies online offer courses to teach you how to get into affiliate marketing. Typically, affiliates earn a commission on sales of products they recommend. The internet is full of videos with people saying they became millionaires through affiliate marketing. Part of the appeal is that these jobs can be pitched as a “side hustle” that don’t require as much time and effort as a full-time position.

I really thought I was just doing a $7 course. I was very, very shocked about it being a lot more than that.

Dana Gunning, Legendary Marketer customer

Side hustles have continued to become more common during this period of persistent inflation, particularly for younger people. A survey from the financial services company LendingTree published in February found that more than half of millennials and Gen Z supplement their main source of

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Alloy Named a Top 25 Atlanta Marketing & Advertising Agency

Atlanta, March 21, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Alloy, the premier agency specializing in precision storytelling and experiences for imaginative technology brands, today announced a remarkable 103% year-over-year growth. This achievement led to the Atlanta Business Chronicle naming Alloy as one of the top 25 largest advertising and marketing firms in Atlanta as well as giving the agency a coveted spot on its Pacesetters list, which recognizes the region’s 100 fastest-growing companies.

Driving Alloy’s triple-digit growth in 2023 was a successful acquisition that brought together Alloy and Narwhal Digital, as well as the addition of eight new clients across health IT, EdTech, FinTech and enterprise IT and more.

“2023 was our biggest yet as we added new capabilities and talent, refining our Alloy methodology to deliver greater impact for our clients,” said CEO Raj Choudhury. “Alloy’s ability to create digital experiences that drive growth, combined with our expertise telling stories that build brand reputation, set us apart from single-capability agencies and one-size-fits-all firms that don’t focus on technology brands. We’re different. We’re trailblazers. And we’re proud of that.”

“The backbone of our client success is our people. In 2023, the Uncommon Crew had a 92% voluntary retention rate, and 40% of our colleagues received well-deserved promotions,” said Jenni McDonough, Alloy’s chief people officer. “From generous health insurance coverage and wellness benefits to each employee receiving $1,000 annually to use towards their professional development – we continue to invest in the lives and careers of each of our employees.”

To accommodate future growth, this spring the agency is expanding its headquarters by 200% and relocating to the Encore, which is owned by the Georgia Institute of Technology and located inside West Midtown’s Interlock building. Alloy’s crew will have access to a game room, open-air balconies as well as popular

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How marketers can advance personalized marketing across the digital advertising ecosystem

In modern media, personalization will become increasingly critical in connecting audiences with content and advertising that best align with their interests and preferences. For brands seeking 1:1 relationships with new consumers, quality audience data has become critical as the digital landscape expands and channel engagement fragments. This is particularly relevant across two fronts: traditional digital media across computer and mobile and connected TV (CTV1).

While the lines between these two environments are blurring, they currently exist independent from one another, which means that marketers need to understand how each is structured and evolving so they can best navigate the intricacies to best capitalize on the promise of personalization.

The digital advertising ecosystem is fundamentally different for CTV than it is for other platforms.

  • In browser-based digital media, marketers have used third-party cookies for audience-specific digital engagement for more than 20 years. Now, as the industry moves away from cookies, Nielsen is prepared to use other identifiers such as hashed emails (HEMs) or any other ubiquitous identifiers that the industry uses, as there is no single universal identifier that the ecosystem has adopted that is a true replacement for cookies. Nielsen is recommending the use of HEMs for digital measurement as it is a non-proprietary identifier that can be generated without integrating with other third-party systems.
  • In video-based CTV, marketers use a combination of first-party identifiers, unique device IDs and/or household IP addresses for audience-specific advertising.

While complex and evolving, these environments become significantly more navigable for marketers when they have person-based measurement data to tap into for their campaign efforts.

Foundational differences aside, traditional digital media and CTV are similar in that they offer the same value proposition to marketers: a direct means of communicating with specific audiences. While many throughout the industry expected media spending across traditional

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24 Facebook Statistics Marketers Should Know in 2024 [Updated]

Know whether your target audience is still on Facebook? Or if you should keep investing in Facebook ads? Staying on top of the latest Facebook statistics will give you the insights you need to update your Facebook marketing strategy.

Even after all this time, Facebook continues to be the most popular social media platform with the largest user base across all platforms. Understanding statistics around its usage, demographics, marketing uses and more can help inform your marketing strategy.

So without further ado, let’s dig in.

Top 3 Facebook stats every marketer should know

Facebook usage statistics

Over the years, Facebook has become almost synonymous with social media. It continues to be the biggest social media platform and is widely popular on a global scale. Here are some of the key Facebook usage statistics to understand its popularity and inform your Facebook marketing strategy:

1. Facebook hit 3 billion monthly active users in 2023

By Q4 of 2023, monthly active users on the platform had grown to 3.065 billion after reaching the 3 billion user milestone in Q2 of 2023. Although adoption has slowed down, monthly usage is still seeing an upward trend. If your marketing efforts are also feeling stagnant, download our Facebook marketing template to reinvigorate your strategy.

A line graph showing Facebook's monthly users growing quarterly since Q3 2008 through Q4 2023.

2. Americans spend about 30.9 minutes on the platform daily

On average, American users spend about 30.9 minutes on Facebook daily. This puts it ahead of other leading platforms such as X, Instagram and even TikTok. These numbers suggest that the platform is still seeing a high level of engagement from its user base.

Facebook user statistics

Facebook may have billions of users, but how are these people using the platform? Let’s look at a few vital Facebook user statistics to find out:

3. Over two-third of all monthly users are

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Top 36 Creative Agencies to Check Out in 2024

According to findings from Insider Intelligence, a significant portion of US Internet users make use of ad blockers. Therefore, to continually reach your target audience and followers, thinking creatively about your marketing strategy is now even more important. Who better to turn to than a creative agency?

The benefit of working with a creative agency is that they provide a variety of professional services to help your business stay relevant, even when trends and consumer behavior change. Fortunately, there are many creative agencies to work with, and in this blog post, we’re going to share our top picks (in no particular order).


Top Creative Agencies You Should Check Out in 2024

Top

creative agencies

2024

Viral Nation

Min. Project Price: $50,000+ minimum engagement

Having worked with top brands, Viral Nation has become one of the world’s leading marketing and technology companies. Its marketing services cover influencer marketing, paid and performance media, creative and content, and blockchain/W3.

For influencers, Viral Nation can help you tap into a diverse array of growth opportunities. It does this through services that range from professional representation and career guidance to content distribution and brand deals. It also offers growth solutions tailored to your specific style and audience. 

Moreover, Viral Nation goes beyond offering creators social media support. It provides you with a team of experts who focus on helping you grow your reach and engagement for better results. And it’s not just influencers and content creators working with this full-service creative agency. Some of the world’s top professional athletes and brands have worked with Viral Nation to grow their reach and revenue.

Key Services

  • Influencer marketing
  • Pad and performance media
  • Social studio
  • Social experiment marketing
  • B2B marketing

Notable Clients

  • Uber
  • Ubisoft
  • Canon
  • Disney
  • The Coca-Cola Company 

️Unique Offerings

Viral Nation employs a strategy-first approach to its

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Advertising & Marketing Industry Hosts Pride Kick Off Event


This week ADvocates Ireland, Outhouse LGBTQ+ CentreIAPIMarketing Institute IrelandIbec and Technological University Dublin, hosted an event for the industry: brand owners and marketeers, advertising agencies, and media companies to inspire and empower a room of community and allies on how to create authentic campaigns with lasting impact that are inclusive of the LGBTQ+ community.

Oisin O’Reilly, CEO of Outhouse LGBTQ+ Centre, set the scene on how to ignite and sustain positive change. “The future is queer 4% Boomers are LGBTQ+ & 18% of Gen Z identify as LGBTQIA+ – brands need to represent this growing population. The corporate movement is crucial in supporting the community, with 2023 being the most violent year yet against the community. Corporate allyship helps to combat extremism and provide a safe space that allows LGBTQ+ folks to feel safe, seen and celebrated.”

Darius Pasalar,  Head of Planning at Droga5 Dublin, spoke about his five “guiding principles” “The graft behind the glitter” while also sharing some of Droga 5’s work for Dublin Bus such as Proud Dads – an inspiring impactful genuine piece of creative.  Darius’s Insights on Best Practice are reproduced below.

Richard Miley, Marketing Lead at An Post, shared powerful examples of the progressive campaigns at An Post, from representing queer couples in an authentic way through their trio of Christmas ads, to their hugely impactful Bród campaign in 2021 – celebrated in 900 stores across Ireland with merchandise, charity partner support, postmark, playlist, Bród post card door drops and more.


These keynotes were followed by an animated panel discussion moderated by Niall Cowley from We The People / ADvocates Ireland, as Jill DowneyAmanda Adé ( Adewole)Stephen WhelanRichard Miley & Oisin O’Reilly shared their experiences & opinions on

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AI could reshape ad budgets and marketing strategies

Advertising companies are poised to benefit from the widespread adoption of artificial intelligence. Macquarie Senior Media Tech Analyst Tim Nollen joins Yahoo Finance Live to discuss how AI can help advertising companies optimize their budgets.

Nollen acknowledges that AI “has been a factor for many years already” in the advertising and media landscape. However, he also highlights the “broader implications” of language models like ChatGPT, which could fundamentally change how consumers perform searches. This shift could substantially impact search market revenue, which is already a $200 billion industry, Nollen explains.

He notes AI could open up opportunities for advertisers who allocate ad spending to search engines, allowing them to diversify their budgets and explore alternative avenues. Nollen points to companies like AppLovin (APP) as potential beneficiaries: the company could leverage its data “to make their automated ad buying platforms more effective,” potentially delivering higher “returns on spending” for advertisers.

For more expert insight and the latest market action, click here to watch this full episode of Yahoo Finance Live.

Editor’s note: This article was written by Angel Smith

Video Transcript

JOSH LIPTON: A key theme for markets. It’s all about AI. We know that.

And it’s not just about chip makers and internet names. Macquarie is out with a new note highlighting opportunities amid the hype across a spectrum of software and hardware stocks. And joining us now is Tim Nollen, Macquarie Senior Media Tech Analyst. Here to take a closer look at the advertising space.

Tim, it is good to have you on the show. Maybe just start, Tim, big picture. Because you point out how advertising and marketing companies, Tim.

They’re already integrating AI and benefiting. How so, Tim? Walk us through some of the examples you’re seeing in those two industries?

TIM NOLLEN: Sure. Thanks. AI is

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How brands are measuring Super Bowl ad success

An estimated 123.7 million people tuned in to watch the Super Bowl on February 11, making the event the most-watched single-network telecast of all time, per Nielsen. That’s good news for CBS and the football industry — and advertisers as well.

Super Bowl commercials are costly. A 30-second ad this year, according to sources, totaled $7 million. Still, many brands decided to make the investment, using the opportunity to reach new audiences or tease new products.

Many years ago, brands’ Super Bowl efforts revolved around TV. Now, with audiences interacting with Super Bowl content on various channels — linear TV, digital websites, Instagram and TikTok among them — brands are drawing out the length of their Super Bowl campaigns and repurposing the content long after the ads have aired. They see these ads as investments in building brand awareness over time, a long-term bet for bigger market share.

At the same time, brands are methodically tracking parts of their campaigns to see the direct impact on their businesses and provide reassurance to investors. With so many ways for consumers to view and respond to content, brands are using a wide range of KPIs to judge the success of their Super Bowl ads.

Here’s what three brands who ran their first Super Bowl ads in 2024 — Vuori, Salomon and Nerds — took into account.

Vuori

  • Ad title on YouTube: “A New Perspective on Performance Apparel”
  • Super Bowl ad length: 30 seconds
  • Ad’s main KPIs: Web traffic and brand awareness

Athleisure brand Vuori turned around its Super Bowl spot in less than a month, founder Joe Kudla told Modern Retail. The brand, which is in the midst of opening 20 to 25 new stores a year, had run TV ads for years. It sees TV as a valuable marketing

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