Fried Bids, Digital News | 21-28 Jan 2025
Andrea Girelli
MarTech Director | Adjunct Lecturer | Exploring AdTech Innovations, Driving Martech Strategies, Bridging Marketing & IT, and Championing Digital Transformation to Unlock Business Growth and Future-Ready Solutions
This is my personal selection of the most interesting stories published 21-28 January 2025. Enjoy!
Chinese AI company DeepSeek has made a significant impact in the tech industry by releasing highly efficient AI models that rival those of major U.S. firms like OpenAI and Anthropic. Founded in 2023, DeepSeek launched its V3 model in December, achieving performance comparable to OpenAI’s GPT-4 at a fraction of the development cost. Following this, the R1 reasoning model was introduced in January 2025, designed to handle complex tasks better than its predecessors. DeepSeek's innovations focus on efficiency, using techniques such as parameter sparsity and data compression to reduce resource requirements. These advancements have garnered attention and concern from investors, as they threaten established AI companies and lead to significant market valuation shifts.
Meta has initiated an ad testing phase on its Threads platform, targeting selected users and brands in the U.S. and Japan. This move comes as Threads approaches 300 million monthly active users, signaling its potential to surpass X (formerly Twitter) as a leading real-time social app. Advertisers can easily extend existing campaigns from other Meta platforms like Facebook and Instagram to Threads without additional creative resources. Despite initial hesitations about launching ads before reaching a billion users, the growing user base and demand for advertising opportunities have prompted this early rollout. Meta aims to ensure ads are engaging and relevant, while also allowing users some control over the ads they see.
Google has announced a significant change to mobile search results by removing the breadcrumb hierarchy from URLs, starting January 23, 2025. This update will replace the breadcrumb trail, which has been displayed since 2009 and indicates a webpage's location within its site's structure, with only the domain name on mobile devices. Google explains that this adjustment aims to enhance user experience, as breadcrumbs often get cut off on smaller screens, making them less useful. While breadcrumbs will still appear in desktop search results, this shift has raised concerns among web developers, as the hierarchical context provided by breadcrumbs can help users navigate websites more effectively, especially on larger mobile screens.
Instagram has announced that it will start recommending longer Reels, specifically 3-minute clips, in its Explore section, reversing its previous stance that discouraged longer videos due to lower engagement rates. This change, effective January 21, 2025, aligns with evolving user preferences for long-form content, similar to trends seen on TikTok. Despite earlier advice suggesting that Reels longer than 90 seconds might perform poorly, Instagram now aims to ensure these extended clips receive equal visibility as shorter ones. The platform's shift reflects its commitment to adapting to audience demands and competing effectively in the social media landscape, encouraging creators to post longer content without fear of reduced reach.
X has announced plans to launch its in-stream payment service, X Money, later in 2025, with Visa as its first partner. This service will enable users to make payments within the app and transfer funds to their bank accounts, marking a significant step toward Elon Musk's vision of an "everything app." Despite previous delays and challenges in securing payment licenses in key states like New York and California, X has gained approval in 41 other states, facilitating this rollout. The partnership with Visa is expected to streamline payment processes, allowing peer-to-peer transfers through the app. However, challenges remain, including regulatory scrutiny and public skepticism about Musk's broader ambitions for the platform.
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Netflix plans to enhance its advertising capabilities by rolling out an in-house ad tech stack in April 2025, coinciding with the upfronts market for advertisers. This initiative follows a successful Q4 2024, where Netflix exceeded ad-revenue targets, doubling its ad revenue year-over-year. The ad-supported plan has gained traction, representing over half of new subscriber sign-ups in regions with ads. With Visa as a partner, Netflix aims to offer a flexible advertising experience, reducing activation hurdles for advertisers. The shift to proprietary technology is intended to improve ad targeting and measurement, positioning Netflix to capitalize on the growing connected TV advertising market, projected at $25 billion.
Nielsen has regained accreditation for its Big Data + Panel National TV measurement from the Media Rating Council (MRC), positioning itself as a leader in TV measurement ahead of the 2025 upfronts. This accreditation comes after Nielsen lost its MRC seal in 2021 but successfully regained it in 2023. The new measurement integrates first-party livestream data and traditional panel data, enhancing Nielsen's capabilities in a fragmented TV landscape. The combination of data from over 45 million households makes it appealing to advertisers looking for accurate insights. As competition from alternative measurement firms increases, this accreditation is expected to boost Nielsen's adoption rates and restore its influence in the advertising market.
Meta is facing criticism from the European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) regarding its pay-or-consent model for data usage in the EU. The BEUC has raised concerns that this policy may violate the Digital Markets Act, suggesting that users are misled towards Meta's preferred options through a confusing interface. Despite Meta's recent updates, which included a 40% price reduction for its no-ads subscription, the BEUC argues that these changes are merely cosmetic and fail to provide a fair choice for users. Meta's Head of Privacy and Competition Communications, Matt Pollard, disagrees, asserting that the adjustments exceed EU legal requirements. The situation highlights ongoing tensions between consumer rights and tech company practices in Europe.
OpenAI, in collaboration with SoftBank, has announced the Stargate Project, a $500 billion initiative to develop a network of AI data centers in the United States. This plan was unveiled during a White House press conference featuring key figures, including Masayoshi Son and Sam Altman. The project aims to build new AI infrastructure, with initial funding contributions from Oracle, MGX, Microsoft, and Nvidia. Construction has begun in Texas, with further sites under consideration. Alongside this announcement, Microsoft reaffirmed its partnership with OpenAI, extending their agreement through 2030, while also adjusting the terms of their collaboration regarding new capacity. This initiative reflects an ongoing commitment to enhancing AI capabilities amid a rapidly evolving technological landscape.
Oracle and a group of investors, including Microsoft, are in discussions to take over TikTok’s global operations. Under the proposed deal, ByteDance would retain a minority stake while Oracle would manage TikTok's algorithm, data collection, and software updates. The White House is reportedly involved in negotiations, although President Trump has stated he is not directly working with Oracle on this matter. The potential acquisition aims to minimize Chinese ownership and increase transparency in TikTok's operations. Other notable figures, such as Elon Musk and Kevin O'Leary, have expressed interest in the platform, while Microsoft’s role remains unclear beyond its participation in the talks.
Piwik PRO has launched a free Customer Data Platform (CDP) as part of its freemium Core plan within the Analytics Suite, aiming to democratize customer insights for businesses of all sizes. This initiative allows marketers to integrate demographic, behavioral, and transactional data, enabling them to activate insights for improved campaign efficiency and enhanced customer experiences. The CDP features seamless integration with Piwik PRO’s existing analytics tools, offering flexibility for various business needs and a user-friendly design that simplifies data activation. By providing these capabilities without the previous enterprise-level costs, Piwik PRO empowers more organizations to leverage data for growth while emphasizing data privacy compliance.
Digital Performance Supervisor at OMD Italy | Digital Humanist | Innovation Enthusiast | DEI Activist
1 个月Thanks Andrea Girelli! What do you think about Threads introducing ads? Maybe in the US the user base is higher, but in the EU (and, specifically, in Southern Europe), it could be too early to have meaningful results (even though, of course, using different placements as recommended by Meta, you'd have additional reach for your message)
PR & Community Manager for Piwik PRO & Cookie Information
1 个月Happy to make the list, thanks!