Meta’s Twitter competitor is moving closer to launch, with selected creators now being briefed on how Instagram’s text-based app – tentatively titled ‘Barcelona’ – will function. When you also consider that Instagram has over a billion daily active users, versus Twitter’s 253 million, and that Meta’s looking to make it as easy as possible for these users to veer across to the new app, that could definitely see it become a very big Twitter-like stream very fast, which may see more Twitter cast-offs spending more time in this new experience.
Our Take: If there’s going to be a Twitter killer, this will probably be it. And probably a better means of ad targeting than Twitter offers currently.
LinkedIn’s Now Up to 930 Million Members, Continues to See Strong Engagement
While the other social apps continue to reform their core offerings, and re-shape their audience focus, LinkedIn has continued on its own steady path, which has seen it progressively add more members, and boost user engagement. Indeed, the professional social network is now up to 930 million total members, up from the 900 million it reported back in January.
Our Take: This is the year we’re really taking a hard look at LinkedIn as a means of reaching audiences, and these numbers are encouraging. They’re also a bit surprising given these are double what they were just five years ago. LinkedIn exploding? Wasn’t on our 2023 bingo card.
Google Marketing Live 2023: Everything you need to know
The core component of this year’s Google Marketing Live (GML) event can be summed up with just two letters: AI. There will soon be AI here, AI there and AI everywhere in your Google Ads account. A handful of tactical elements are coming to your Google Ads account that features better insights, more tools to guide Google around brand restrictions as well as, you guessed it, AI and LLMs in Smart Bidding.
Our Take: While this Google Marketing Live was heavy on AI, it isn’t forced. The AI is shown to be rolling out in a way that will help with the heavy lifting that advertisers face, rather than replacing all of the work.
Google Ads adds 2 new campaign types: Video views, demand gen
Advertisers will have new video-first campaign types at their disposal, Video view campaigns and Lead gen campaigns. Video view Campaigns does precisely what it is named, maximize views. A study showed that with Video view campaigns, advertisers saw on average 40% more views than in-steam skippable CPV campaigns, according to Google. New Demand Gen campaigns will leverage AI and help to engage and drive action with consumers. The calls to action shown appear to simply send traffic to the site instead of leveraging lead form assets, it was qualified that conversions can be tracked.
Our Take: These two new campaign types offer specific video-first options for advertisers with goals of more views, or more demand. These campaigns reach across a variety of Google inventory for more robust reach.
Meta Agrees to Sell Giphy to Shutterstock for a $347 Million Loss
Meta’s long-running legal battle over its acquisition of Giphy has finally come to an end, with the company agreeing to sell Giphy to Shutterstock for $53 million. Which is a significant discount on the $400 million that Meta paid for Giphy back in 2020. But then again, as per Giphy’s own argument, GIFs ‘have fallen out of fashion as a content form, with younger users, in particular, describing GIFs as ‘for boomers’ and ‘cringe’.
Our Take: GIFs are cringe!? Don’t tell Instagram …
Instagram Adds GIFs in Comments
This is either an exciting or annoying update, depending on your personal perspective. In a Broadcast Channels chat with Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Instagram chief Adam Mosseri announced that you can now post GIFs in Instagram comments.
Out Take: But still no links in captions. C’mon, man!
TikTok Challenges Montana’s Decision to Ban the App
Not really unexpected, but definitely worth paying attention to, TikTok says that Montana’s ruling that banned the app violates the first amendment, and it will be seeking to halt the bill from becoming law before its January 2024 implementation date.
Our Take: So goes Montana, so goes the nation ..? We’ll see.
What’s the Future of Twitter Blue Under a New CEO at the App?
Right now, it seems that Elon Musk’s early hopes of generating 50% of Twitter’s revenue from subscriptions is well off the mark. But maybe with enough incentives, more people will pay to use the app. At the same time, maybe, with an ad industry veteran coming on as CEO, that doesn’t even matter anymore. Maybe, now, Twitter’s strategic approach on this front is starting to shift.
Our Take: So many maybes and so much uncertainty around Twitter. Someone with a strong advertising background coming in gives us hope, but is it too little too late?
YouTube’s Rolling Out 30-Second Unskippable Ads to Connected TVs
YouTube’s looking to capitalize on the rising usage of the app on home TV sets, with the expansion of 30-second non-skippable ads to Connected TV campaigns. Which could be an annoyance for viewers, but the capacity to use YouTube to reach people via the biggest screen in their house has big potential for marketers, with TV traditionally being the most effective avenue for broad reach marketing.
Our Take: Video is video in 2023, wherever the user views it and obviously this expansion of reach is music to our ears.
Meta Adds New Lead Generation Tools on Facebook
Meta’s looking to help brands make more direct contact with consumers via Facebook, with a range of lead generation form updates that will make it easier for users to connect with businesses via simplified, automated info sharing tools and processes.
Our Take: We love lead generation in any format we can get it.
Elon Musk Says that Twitter is in the Process of Purging Inactive Accounts and Freeing Up @Handles
Now could be the time to grab that Twitter username that you’ve always wanted, which has thus far been unavailable in the app, with Twitter chief Elon Musk announcing that the company is currently in the process of removing inactive profiles from its system.
Our Take: As we mentioned on our podcast a couple of weeks ago, if you have a brand handle you haven’t used in awhile, now is the time to go post and make sure it doesn’t get purged. Even if you don’t use it, always a good idea to protect your brand name on the popular platforms from being hijacked.
Meta Begins Testing Generative AI Elements for Facebook and Instagram Ads
As Meta looks to better align itself with the generative AI shift, it’s building a range of new ad tools that will help refine its AI options, including new, built-in generation tools for ad creative. Meta outlined its new AI Sandbox project, which it’s currently testing with a small group of advertisers, and includes a range of new options for building better ad campaigns. Meta’s AI Sandbox currently incorporates three elements: text variation, background generation and image outcropping.
Our Take: Some of these new AI-based tools are pretty cool, others feel a bit undercooked compared to what other platforms are starting to roll out. Check out our May 24 podcast to hear more on this topic.
