MarketingDojo #68:🌀 Advertising Feng Shui🧿
Brand safety is killing news, influencers are out of favor, advergames on CTV and more.
Hello everyone,
Welcome to the second half of 2024! Time is flying by faster than Usain Bolt 🏃♂️.
Happy Air Conditioning Appreciation Day and Stay Out of the Sun Day.
I live in Singapore, where every day feels like Stay Out of the Sun Day! Jokes aside, turn on that A/C, grab a coffee ☕, and dive into this week's topics.
We will cover:
🌀Advertising’s Good Vibes Illusion
🦖 Meme-time: Remembering Influencers
📺 The Anatomy Of An Effective YouTube Ad
🎮 Disney's Advergames
...and lots more!
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With that, let's dive right in!
Advertising’s Good Vibes Illusion.
News publishers are experiencing a tough time. Social media networks, especially Facebook, used to be their main traffic source, but that source has significantly dried up. According to industry data, traffic referrals from Facebook to publishers decreased by 48% in 2023.
There's also the issue of brand safety. Most brands don't want their ads appearing next to news about wars, crimes, inflation, or elections. Ironically, the news about wars and destruction often draws the most attention. This reduction in traffic and the reluctance of advertisers to appear next to such content has dealt a significant blow to the industry.
In this light, a report by Stagwell makes a compelling case for brands to rethink the concept of ad safety. The study surveyed around 50,000 respondents, testing purchase intent and brand favorability among other metrics. These respondents were shown ads alongside articles covering sports, entertainment, crime, war, inflation, etc.
The significant findings include:
Advertisements adjacent to brand-unsafe news (inflation, crime, war, etc.) perform on par with those next to brand-safe news (sports and entertainment).
The ads' performance showed no statistical difference across all metrics for all segments, including Gen Z, high earners, moms, and more.
73% of respondents follow the news regularly, and 11% are exclusive news junkies, focusing solely on news without consuming sports or entertainment content.
Studies like Stagwell's Future of News can drive behaviour change with potential upsides. News is under-advertised. By redefining brand safety standards, brands can achieve the same results at lower costs. Advertising in the news can help sustain publications, stopping the downward spiral of clickbait and misinformation.
Meme-time: Influencers??? What Are You Talking About?
Last week, my feed was filled with all things Cannes. Two topics dominated the conversation: AI and the creator economy.
There was much discussion about the importance of creators in both the B2B and B2C worlds. Amidst all this chatter, I noticed one term has fallen out of favour—influencer.
While there are a few nuances that separate them, the words creators and influencers are often used interchangeably. However, everyone now wants to be seen as a creator rather than an influencer.
Creators are perceived as more authentic, trustworthy, and less cringe-worthy than influencers. The influencer marketing world is going through a successful rebrand.
Today's meme features Bender Bending Rodriguez from Futurama, using his razor-sharp wit to tell it like it is.
How I Met My Next Purchase.
The channels for product discovery have undergone a massive shift. This graph from eMarketer demonstrates how TikTok, Instagram & Pinterest are central to product/brand discovery for Gen Zs.
Despite its active audience size, Gen Zs are least likely to discover new products on Facebook.
Is It A Game? Is It An Ad? - It’s Advergames.
We all know this: customers hate ads and go to great lengths to avoid them—adblockers, subscriptions, and more. That's why Disney's latest attempt at making engaging ads for connected TVs is a step forward worth noting.
Last week, Disney announced Advergames on Hulu and ESPN. Formats such as branded quiz shows and beat-the-clock quizzes are designed to be played using remote control.
Disney also introduced new shoppable ads featuring the trusty old QR Code.
Advergames are a nascent category, but there have been a few early experiments. Brands like Spotify, Uber, and Lego have given it a shot. Platforms such as Netflix, YouTube, and even LinkedIn are introducing games to keep their users engaged longer.
With the increasing need for interactive, clutter-breaking advertising, advancing technology, and the popularity of gaming, Advergames is a category poised to explode.
What's the recipe for an effective YouTube Ad?
The folks at YouTube used their AI prowess to analyze 8,000 campaigns from top advertisers that ran on YouTube over the past six months.
The fundamentals remain the same as ever. Effective ads rely on tried-and-true tactics like strong hooks, pop culture references, catchy music, and humour. But what sets the best ads apart today?
Here are other common patterns of better-performing video ads:
Representation: Ads that feature diverse casting and authentic representation resonate with audiences. For example, Apple's ad featuring a father using his phone's voice feature to read bedtime stories to his daughter garnered 15,000 likes and 19 million views. Unfortunately, Google AI found that some brands still use tokenism, highlighting an opportunity for improvement in this area.
Individuality: Celebrating individuality and self-expression also contributes to successful YouTube ads. For example, check out this unexpectedly cool ad from Tissot.
Community: Ads that highlight community and connection resonate deeply with audiences.
Fantasy: Move over, Harry Potter. Incorporating elements of wonder and fantasy can transport viewers and spark their imaginations.
Creator Partnerships: Partnering with trusted YouTube creators can positively impact brand perception and purchase decisions. For example, this Lululemon campaign featuring YouTuber Casey Neistat shows the magnetic pull of creators.
Shorts: Brands are successfully using Shorts to connect with audiences more authentically.
Short Stuff:
TikTok launches a new image sharing app, Whee. (Instagram competitor no one asked for).
Meta customer service is so bad that advertisers now prefer to go to small claims court for resolution. (We might need a separate small claims court for Meta customers.)
Google’s AI-powered search to start testing ad placements. (Never kill the golden goose).
That’s a wrap on this week. Thank you for your time and attention. If you liked this week’s newsletter or found something interesting, please give me a like ❤️ or drop a comment🗨️. Your support helps drive the newsletter's discoverability.
Once again, thank you for your time. See you in your inbox next Wednesday.
Regards,
Garima Mamgain
P.S: Economical with the truth.
Have you heard Sabrina Carpenter's "Espresso"?
If you're a Spotify user, the answer is probably yes. Last week, a brewing internet conspiracy caught my attention.
Spotify users have taken to Reddit and X, alleging that Spotify is playing Sabrina Carpenter's new single "Espresso" on a loop after unrelated songs. Some are even calling her an industry plant.
Others allege that Spotify's relentless autoplay of "Espresso" has inflated the single's numbers, which have shot up to #1 on the Spotify Charts.
This uproar prompted me to reflect on the pivotal role of platforms in shaping our culture. Platforms like Spotify, TikTok, Instagram, and Netflix wield immense influence in determining what's trendy and often what's acceptable. If Spotify has indeed been paid for this overt promotion of a song, it should be obligated to disclose it, just as we expect influencers creators to be transparent about paid promotions. The rules governing these disclosures are currently ambiguous at best.
Force-feeding us "Espresso" seems innocent, but this lack of transparency can have far-reaching effects. Case in point: Google avoided antitrust allegations by not declaring its payouts to an influential law professor, Joshua Wright.