Bonded Bitesize – Your Midweek Roundup

Netflix Closes Successful Upfront and Expands Advertiser Capabilities

Netflix’s advertising business has grown significantly, with a 150% increase in upfront ad sales commitments over 2023. They secured partnerships across major industries and content, including popular series like “Squid Game” and live events like WWE Raw. Brands like Pure Leaf, Amazon Audible, and LVMH are sponsoring shows like “Bridgerton” and “Emily in Paris.” Netflix is enhancing its ad technology and measurement tools, introducing new ways for advertisers to buy and measure campaign effectiveness. These updates will expand globally by 2025, with programmatic campaigns already rolling out in several countries. Netflix aims to balance a great member experience with delivering impactful advertising solutions to its highly engaged audience.

Google removes Auction Insights from Looker Studio

Google is removing Auction Insights fields from Looker Studio, meaning advertisers must adjust their reports by September 23. Auction Insights, which provides key competitive data like Average Position and Impression Share, will no longer be accessible in new or existing Looker Studio data sources. Advertisers should remove these fields from their reports to avoid disruptions. While the data will no longer be in Looker Studio, it remains available in Google Ads, requiring a shift in how competitive performance metrics are tracked and reported.

Meta and Instagram spotted developing a new social music-sharing feature

Meta and Spotify are testing a feature that would allow Instagram users to continuously share the music they’re listening to via Instagram’s Notes. Spotted by reverse engineer Alessandro Paluzzi, this feature would automate music sharing from Spotify, unlike the current method where users manually select songs. While it’s unclear if or when this feature will launch, it builds on Instagram’s 2022 update that allowed 30-second song clips in Notes. This integration could strengthen the partnership between Meta and Spotify, offering more seamless music sharing and potentially challenging TikTok in music discovery. The collaboration also reflects both companies’ shared frustrations with Apple’s App Store policies.

X is Close to Launching Video Conference Calls in the App

X is set to launch a new professional video calling feature similar to Zoom, as part of its goal to become an “everything app.” The feature, already in use for internal meetings, will be listed as “Conferences” in the app and allow limited video streaming. While Elon Musk envisions X replacing traditional communication tools, the new feature may not be compelling enough to attract widespread adoption, especially given the established and more functional alternatives like Zoom and Google Meet. The broader challenge remains whether X can truly become a multi-functional app that users prefer over existing, specialised services.

Google Introduces New AI Features For Retailers Ahead of Holiday Season

Google has introduced new AI-powered features for retailers to help them navigate the shortened 2024 holiday shopping season, which has only 26 days between Black Friday and Christmas. These updates, unveiled at Google’s Think Retail event, include AI-generated shopping trend insights, automated performance summaries, custom data reports, and new customer acquisition goals for ad campaigns. The tools aim to help businesses quickly adapt to consumer trends and optimise their marketing efforts during this crucial period. However, it remains to be seen how effective these tools will be in driving revenue amidst growing competition from platforms like Amazon.

TikTok Publishes Guide to 2024 Holiday Marketing

TikTok has released a holiday marketing guide focused on the EU market, offering tips, insights, and data to help businesses optimise their holiday outreach. The guide provides key information on when TikTok users actively seek seasonal and Christmas gift inspiration, helping brands time their marketing efforts effectively. It also includes insights into popular gifts and outlines strategies for targeting consumers during the holiday season and the post-Christmas “Q5” shopping period. With just 120 days until Christmas, the guide emphasises the importance of finalising marketing plans to maximise end-of-year sales on TikTok.

Read more on TikTok’s “Holidays for You” 2024 guide here.

Google Introduces YouTube Creator-Based Audience Targeting

Google Ads now allows advertisers to create re-marketing audiences based on viewers of specific YouTube creator videos, expanding targeting options beyond their own channels. Previously, remarketing was limited to interactions with an advertiser’s linked YouTube channel. This new feature lets advertisers link specific creator videos to their Google Ads accounts, access organic view metrics, and create more precise remarketing segments. This update broadens targeting capabilities, potentially enhancing the effectiveness of YouTube-based campaigns by allowing advertisers to reach audiences based on content from other creators.

Snapchat Ad Platform Update – August 2024

In Snap’s Q2 2024 earnings, the company reported significant progress in its direct response (DR) business, driven by investments in machine learning, improved signals, and new ad formats. The number of active advertisers on Snapchat has more than doubled year-over-year. Notable updates include enhancements to the Lead Gen suite, which have led to reduced cost-per-lead and increased engagement rates. Improvements for app advertisers have boosted return on ad spend, while new Value Optimization and Landing Page View bidding options have driven higher purchase cart sizes and better site engagement for eCommerce. Additionally, Snap introduced new top-of-funnel products and advanced AR and AI tools to improve ad performance and creative efficiency. These developments support Snap’s goal of optimising advertising across the marketing funnel.

Threads Confirms Test Of Ephemeral Posts

Threads is testing a new feature allowing posts to disappear within 24 hours, available to a limited number of users. This feature, aimed at casual sharing, includes a timer indicating when posts and replies will vanish. While the company has not confirmed the regions or users involved in the test, the feature is designed for ephemeral content that is relevant for a short period, like live event commentary. Unlike previous similar features like Twitter’s Fleets, which was discontinued due to low usage, Threads’ ephemeral posts could be unique among its competitors, as other platforms like X, Bluesky, and Mastodon do not currently offer this option.

X Provides New Analytics Tools for Verified Organisations

X has launched new analytics features for Verified Organizations, offering advanced tools for tracking keyword and topic trends in real-time. The updated analytics allow users to monitor conversation volume, velocity, and time-based trends, providing insights similar to those previously available only through specialised tools. These features, which could replace some third-party analytics tools, are aimed at helping organisations understand market trends and optimise their strategies. However, the advanced analytics are only accessible to subscribers of Verified Organizations, with costs ranging from $200 to $1,000 per month. Despite potential value, the timing of the update might be affected by X’s current challenges with brand and user retention due to recent controversies.