Bonded Bitesize – Your Midweek Roundup

LinkedIn Ads Launches Dynamic UTMs For Campaign Tracking

LinkedIn is launching a new solution for monitoring campaign performance without third-party cookies. Dynamic UTMs simplify adding custom tracking elements to campaign URLs, improving tracking accuracy. Previously, marketers have had to manually create UTM parameters for their campaign but with Dynamic UTMs, this process is automated. UTMs are essential for marketers to grasp a campaign’s performance, especially in a privacy-focused landscape, as they don’t rely on third-party cookies or IP addresses for ad measurement. However, creating them manually can be time-consuming, inefficient, and prone to errors. This solution looks to address these challenges.

YouTube Issues Guidance On When To Post Content For Maximum Reach

YouTube has issued guidance to creators and marketers on the best times to upload videos for maximum reach. The guidance states that any news, trends, or content with a shorter lifespan, its best to post as soon as possible. However, if you’re sharing evergreen content, the timing of your posts is up to the creator, meaning one less thing to worry about in your content strategy. If users posted at unsociable hours, for example, early in the morning/late at night, the initial boost in views may be slower but over a few weeks or a month, the total views typically even out.

Meta Plans A Less Punitive AI-Generated Content Policy

Meta has announced an update to its AI labelling policy, expanding its definition of “manipulated media” to go beyond AI-generated videos, to now include deceptive audio and images on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads. In order to counteract the update being perceived as restricting freedom of expression, content will be labelled rather than removed. With the labels being “Made with AI” and “Imagined with AI.” Harmful content that violates the Community Standards, such as content that incites violence, election interference, bullying or harassment will qualify for removal, regardless of whether it is human or AI generated.

Snapchat Turns Off Controversial ‘Solar System’ Feature By Default After Bad Press

Snapchat introduced a feature called “solar system” that ranked users’ closeness to their friends, causing anxiety among teens. In response to feedback, Snapchat has adjusted the feature, making it opt-in for paid subscribers. While the company claims the feature isn’t widely used, it reflects Snapchat’s strategy to keep users engaged, especially younger demographics. The solar system feature is just one of Snapchat’s friend ranking systems, including “Best Friends” and “Streaks,” which have faced criticism for promoting addictive behaviour. Despite promises to address potential negative effects, Snapchat’s design choices have invited legal scrutiny and public concern.

Google Is Rolling Out Its AI Overviews In The UK Following Tests In US

Google’s AI overviews are now appearing in search queries for a limited group of logged-in users in the UK, marking a new development in Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE) which the giant has been testing in the US since May 2023. The impact of these AI-generated overviews on search behaviour and website traffic remains uncertain. Google is gradually expanding SGE testing, with speculation that it may launch more widely, though there’s no confirmed date. Additionally, there’s discussion about potentially making AI-powered search features available only to subscribers, though it’s unclear if this applies specifically to SGE or other features. Google has stated that while it’s considering premium features for subscribers, classic Google Search will remain free with ads alongside search results.

Meta Announces Major Audience Targeting and Insights Update

Meta has launched new audience insight and targeting options within its Advantage+ Shopping Campaigns. These new capabilities allow you to generate reporting breakdowns of your audience and target individuals interested in your products or services who haven’t yet made a purchase. Gaining a deeper understanding of your audience better enables effective campaign optimisation, while precise targeting capabilities help reach high-value consumers – potentially leading to increased conversions and overall campaign success.

Reddit Releases 6 Updates To Ads Manager To Simplify Campaign Creation And Tracking Through Automation

Reddit Ads Manager has faced several updates to help marketers simplify the process of creating and tracking campaigns through automation. These updates include a new smart headlines tool, a creative asset cropper, a lowest cost automated bidding strategy, average daily budgets, updated campaign management and finally reporting improvements to the Reddit dashboard. Reddits EVP of Business Marketing and Growth, commented “through automation, our aim is to make it easy to create the best and most relevant ad experiences for advertisers and users alike. Smart headlines, for example, is an intuitive tool that all Reddit advertisers can leverage to effectively connect with their audience.”

Google Podcasts Is Shutting Down Soon, Users Urged To Move To Youtube Music

Google is shutting down its Podcasts app in the U.S., requiring users to migrate their subscriptions to YouTube Music by April 2. The app, with over 500 million installations globally, has been offering podcast discovery and listening for over half a decade. The shutdown is part of Google’s plan to centralise audio services under YouTube, which now supports podcasts globally. The move aligns with rising interest in video podcasts, with Spotify also entering this space. Users will have until July 2024 to export their subscriptions. While the shutdown date for the U.S. is confirmed, the timeline for other regions is yet to be announced, but the plan is to discontinue Google Podcasts globally in 2024.

X Rolls Out Access To XAI’s Chatbot, Grok, To Its Premium Tier Subscribers

Following Elon Musk’s announcement last month, X is now rolling out access to xAI’s Grok chatbot to users of its Premium tier. According to the platform’s support page, only users on either Premium or Premium+ will be able to interact with the chatbot in select regions. Users chatting with Grok, can use either its ‘regular mode’ or ‘fun mode’, both of which come with the general disclaimer that Grok’s answers may not be fully accurate. One case has already been released by Mashable, of Grok writing the fake headline “Iran Strikes Tel Aviv with Heavy Missiles”.

LinkedIn Introduced CTV Ads For B2B Campaigns Through Partners Including Paramount, Roku & Samsung Ads

LinkedIn has introduced CTV ads to its platform, allowing B2B marketers to scale their campaigns through a network of partners including Paramount, Roku and Samsung Ads. A LinkedIn representative explained, “Since only 5% of buyers are in market for a new purchase at any given time, it’s important for B2B marketers to consistently engage with their audiences to ensure their brand is memorable when it’s time to buy. We launched LinkedIn CTV to help our customers continue to reach and engage new audiences across streaming television content.”