??? Digital Marketing Must-Knows

This week here is the full version of the newsletter that I send out every Monday morning EST. Subscribe here if you like this format.

???News

1. Digital out-of-home billboards can now be bought through Google's DV360 platform.?The?ads are shown in physical locations including stadiums, airports, bus stops, elevators, taxis, shopping centers, and more. (Google?↗?)

• Google emphasized that the out-of-home ads do not use Google's data on users. Ads are only displayed based on the location & screen type.
• Google's DV360 platform will tap into exchanges that have access to ad placements from JCDecaux &?Clear Channel and others.?While "marketers can activate, pause, and optimize digital out-of-home campaigns in near real-time"

2. YouTube is moving into Podcasting and giving Apple & Spotify some more competition.?YouTube is the king of video podcasts and confirmed in a report they are creating a dedicated page for podcasting. But stopped short of announcing what their plans are which is likely to come at their upcoming Creator Conference. (Tech Crunch?↗?)

3. TikTok confirmed that it is testing a dedicated 'Nearby' tab with a feed showing posts published locally.?The?early?test shows?the Nearby tab next to the typical 'Following' and 'For You' tabs. There is no suggestion that it's close to rolling out but it could be a sign of things to come. (Social Media Today?↗?)

4. G/O Media Company (owner of The Onion, Quartz. Gizmodo) offers advertisers a money-back guarantee.?If advertisers don't see a lift in?at least one of the three selected metrics then they get their money back. The lift must be statistically significant as determined by a mutually agreed measurement partner. G/O Media is putting their money where their mouth is as a way to stand out to advertisers in a saturated market.?(Ad Week?↗?)

5. BeReal's success prompted Instagram to start a test copying the feature.?BeReal just got to 10 million daily active users?and has clearly got Instagram's attention. It's called 'IG Candid' and like BeReal, prompts users to post a photo within 2 mins at a random time of day. (Search Engine Journal?↗?)

Plus

• Microsoft?is bringing more ads to Outlook
• YouTube?gives insights on 'other videos your audience watched'
• T-Mobile?partners with SpaceX's Starlink for coverage in dead zones

???TL;DR

'The End of Social Media and the Rise of Recommendation Media'

Social media used to mean that content was distributed to social networks of friends. Now algorithms increasingly show content based primarily on what will generate the maximum attention. This fundamentally changes what social media is.? Michael Mignano ?calls this the rise or 'Recommendation Media'.?

• TikTok and YouTube focus less on content from friends and social groups. Instead, they serve algorithmic-driven recommendations to match the content and viewer.
• Instagram do the same with Reels and announced their plans to follow suit in feeds too, although they are "temporarily decreasing" the amount of recommended content. But only temporarily.
• Recommendation Media favors the best piece of content for each individual viewer. Whereas Social Media is more of a popularity contest where the person/brand with the most followers gets the most distribution.
• Recommendation Media puts the platforms and their opaque algorithms more in control over what is seen and when. And only companies with huge amounts of capital can afford to invest in machine learning algorithms that power this new type of media.
• Social Media is still in demand with consumers but will it command enough user time and attention to be a lucrative business for big tech?

Full article from?Michael Mignano on Medium

???Tools

Warm?Welcome?embeds video into landing pages, email marketing campaigns, and more. Most brands mostly rely on written text to build and persuade customers to try a product. With?Warm?Welcome, customers can see the friendly face of someone within the business who can “greet visitors as if they walked into your physical store.”

???More you might find useful

1. Access?my swipe file of digital marketing tools and ideas
2. Book?a free digital marketing brainstorm session. No strings. I'll help if I can.
3. Apply?to join our free slack for senior marketers at DTC companies?(like Uber, Beard Club, & Mint Mobile)?sharing tips on customer acquisition and retention

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