Welcome back to May’s Mashup! This month, we delve into the latest innovations and trends shaping the marketing landscape. From Google's AI-driven shopping ads to Netflix's rapidly growing ad-supported plan, and from TikTok's impact on box office sales to LinkedIn's organic traffic dominance, we’ve got a lot to cover. So let’s get on with it!
- Google Enhances Shopping Ads with AI
- Netflix's Ad-Supported Plan and Programmatic Partnerships
- Google AI Under Fire for Dangerous and Wrong Answers
- LinkedIn Leads the Charge in Organic Traffic Growth
- TikTok Boosts Box Office Sales
1. Google Enhances Shopping Ads with AI
At the recent 2024 Marketing Live event, Google unveiled several AI-driven ad tools designed to optimise campaign performance and streamline creative processes. Notable among these is the integration of generative AI into Google Ads, which allows marketers to create more personalised and effective ad copy automatically. This innovation aims to enhance user engagement and improve conversion rates by leveraging AI's capabilities in understanding and predicting consumer behaviour.
Source: Google
2. Netflix's Ad-Supported Plan and Programmatic Partnerships
Netflix's ad-supported plan has surged to 40 million monthly active users, up from 5 million last year, with over 40% of new signups in ad markets choosing this option. This rapid growth underscores the plan's popularity and effectiveness. To enhance its advertising capabilities, Netflix will integrate The Trade Desk, Google’s Display & Video 360, and Magnite as programmatic partners this summer, joining Microsoft. These partnerships will help Netflix optimise ad delivery, targeting, and measurement, leveraging advanced technologies to provide advertisers with better insights and more effective campaigns. Additionally, Netflix plans to launch an in-house ad tech platform to further streamline ad operations and enhance user engagement.
Source: Marketing Dive
3. Google AI Under Fire for Dangerous and Wrong Answers
Google's AI Overviews have come under scrutiny for providing dangerous and incorrect answers. Notable hilarious failures include advising users to run with scissors, cook with glue, and eat rocks. Despite a disclaimer stating "Generative AI is experimental," these errors have drawn significant negative media attention, in other words they’ve gone viral. Google defended itself, stating these issues are from rare queries and not representative of overall performance. However, critics argue that the prevalence of new, unique queries on Google means these mistakes are unacceptable. People are definitely wavering in their trust in Google's search reliability, which has an impact on user behaviour and advertiser performance.
Source: Search Engine Land
4. LinkedIn Leads the Charge in Organic Traffic Growth
In May 2024, LinkedIn emerged as the top platform for generating organic growth, solidifying its role in digital marketing (like we all knew but now we really know). Transitioning from a job-seeking site, LinkedIn now offers robust features in Creator Mode, allowing brands to effectively engage with their target audiences and boost retention rates. This shift highlights the importance of engagement in achieving higher retention. LinkedIn's powerful tools enable us to create meaningful connections and foster long-term relationships between brand and audience, positioning it as a really solid option for digital marketers aiming to enhance organic growth and audience engagement.
Source: LinkedIn
5. TikTok Boosts Box Office Sales
TikTok has become a powerful tool for driving cinema ticket sales, as revealed by a LiveRamp study analysing 12 film campaigns in the UK. The study found that 92% of these campaigns saw an increase in sales, with 49% of users purchasing tickets within a day of seeing a TikTok ad. TikTok's 150 million-strong European community engages deeply with film content, turning releases into movements through creative user-generated content. LiveRamp's data collaboration helps studios measure the total value of their marketing spend, proving TikTok's effectiveness in reaching new audiences and driving box-office sales.
Source: ChannelX
So, let’s wrap this up: from AI innovations to strategic partnerships and impactful movie campaigns, as always there’s a lot going on. Platforms that we all use every day are getting smarter and smarter, and the only way to harness this is to keep staying up to date with the goings on! So see you back here next month for more of that…
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