The Friday Five: Meta’s action against scam ads, Reddit overtakes X and Facebook under scrutiny

It's time for The Friday Five and to read up on the latest digital marketing news.?

Today we’re looking at Meta’s attempt to combat scam ads, the difference between business and consumer opinion on third-party cookies, Reddit’s growth within the social media industry, why Facebook is under scrutiny and how Google search keyword competition is increasing.

As usual, we have a lot to get through so let’s get started.

1. The fight against scam ads: Meta introduces new rules for Australian advertisers

The parent company of Facebook and Instagram, Meta, is introducing new verification requirements for financial services ads in Australia. This requirement aims to combat ‘celeb-bait’ scam ads.?

Starting early next year, advertisers in the financial services industry will need to provide their licence number or declare an exemption when posting ads on the platform.?

These measures have already been implemented in Taiwan and the UK but Meta is not legally required to apply these restrictions globally.?

To learn more, please visit Social Media Today

2.? The ‘cookie’ debate: Business vs consumer preference

Recent research from Apply Digital has highlighted a gap between business and consumer opinions on third-party cookies.?

The report showed that 70% of senior marketers support Google’s decision to extend third-party cookie use, whilst 38% of consumers say they plan to opt out when Google introduces the option of single opt-in next year.?

Apply Digital’s research found that just over 60% of marketers believe that Google’s decision will impact digital strategies in 2025, and 70% of marketers in retail expect disruption. Many companies are starting to transition from using third-party cookies and starting to adopt alternatives.?

Read more at MarketingTech

3. Facebook is under security for content decisions related to the UK summer riots

The ‘Oversight Board’ is currently reviewing Meta’s handling of three Facebook posts linked to the UK summer riots, this past summer. The riots led to a demand for stricter online safety laws and regulations to combat misinformation online.?

The posts under review were reported to Facebook as they were deemed to violate Meta’s hate speech, violence or incitement policies. Meta has admitted that it made a mistake leaving the first post online and has since removed it, but has defended keeping the other two posts live.?

The investigation will include public comments and the board will issue Meta policy recommendations within a few weeks.

To read more, please visit The Independent

4. 2024 Google search: Less keywords and more competition

A recent analysis by Rand Fishkin of SparkToro has revealed that just 148 keywords account for 15% of Google searches.?

The analysis shows that most of these keywords are navigational, with major examples being Facebook, Gmail and YouTube. The report also highlighted that 56% of Google searches are for generic terms, while the long-tail accounts for just 3.6% of demand.?

The analysis shows the dominance of a few major brands and that organic search visibility is becoming harder because larger companies are taking a bigger share of attention.?

To read more, please visit Search Engine Land

5. Reddit overtakes X as the fifth most popular social media platform?

According to Ofcom’s latest report, Reddit has now taken X’s spot as the fifth most popular social media platform.?

This year Reddit reported nearly 23 million UK adult users; a growth of 47% from the previous year. In comparison, X saw a significant decline, with 8% fewer UK adults using the platform in 2024 compared to 2023.?

The report also highlights the shift in social media usage, as X sees a decline, competitors like Bluesky and Meta’s threads are seeing user growth.?

To discover more, please visit Skynewsuk.com

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Enjoy the rest of your Friday and have a great weekend!