TechShu Marketing Digest: January 2020

This curated list includes important digital marketing updates and insights from the month of January. To stay updated on the latest updates from the digital landscape, read our Digital Marketing Apple Page.

Digital Advertisement 

1) Facebook to let users control whether or not an advertiser can show ads to them with a Custom Audience from a list. The announcement read 

These Custom Audiences are built when an advertiser uploads a hashed list of people’s information, such as emails or phone numbers, to help target ads. This control will be available to all people on Facebook and will apply to all advertisers, not just those running political or social issue ads. People have always been able to hide all ads from a specific advertiser in their Ad Preferences or directly in an ad. But now they will be able to stop seeing ads based on an advertiser’s Custom Audience from a list — or make themselves eligible to see ads if an advertiser used a list to exclude them.

2) Amazon's ad business rose by 40% in 2019 to a record $4.8 billion. Read more here

3) Spotify announces the launch of Spotify Podcast Ads, powered by Streaming Ad Insertion (SAI) which leverages the power of streaming to deliver Spotify’s full digital suite of planning, reporting, and measurement capabilities to podcast advertisers. Read the announcement here 

4) Advertisers across the globe can begin creating Responsive Search Ads through Microsoft Advertising online, Microsoft Advertising Editor, or with the Microsoft Advertising APIOpens in new window. Read more here

5) All Google Ads campaigns to use improved Standard delivery. The announcement read 

Your ad delivery method determines how long your daily budget lasts within a day. Last year, we announced that Standard delivery would be the only delivery method for Search campaigns, Shopping campaigns, and shared budgets. Standard delivery takes into account expected ad performance throughout the day, making it more effective at maximizing performance within your daily budget.

6) Microsoft extends deadline for expanded text ads. The announcement read

In April, we announced that standard text ads would no longer serve after 2019. However, to give advertisers more time to migrate, we’re extending the deadline to March 31, 2020.

7) Google makes parallel tracking mandatory for all Video campaigns starting March 31st, 2020 (as it already is for Search, Shopping, and Display). Read more here

8) Google Ads rolls out simulator support for budgets and for the Target ROAS bid strategy as well as a new budget simulator. Read more here

Search 

1) This Microsoft study lists SEO as the most important hard skill for marketers. Read the key insights here

2) Google rolls out an updated look for paid and organic search results on desktop.

3) If a web page listing is elevated into the featured snippet position, Google will no longer repeat the listing in the search results.

Social Media

1) Pinterest rolls out a new augmented reality (AR) feature ‘Try On” – that lets users virtually try on various lipstick shades that suit their complexion. Read more here

2) Twitter launches new Reactions-like option in direct messages.

3) Instagram removes IGTV button. “Most people are finding IGTV content through previews in Feed, the IGTV channel in Explore, creators’ profiles and the standalone app,” an Instagram spokesperson told TechCrunch, “very few are clicking into the IGTV icon in the top right corner of the home screen in the Instagram app.” Read the full story here

4) Instagram tests Direct Messages on the web for a small percentage of users around the globe. 

5) Pinterest crossed Snapchat as the third-biggest social media platform in the US in 2019. Read more here

 

Category
Digital Marketing