The Media Minute 1.17.24

NYT vs. OpenAI: Is It A Winner-Changes-All Battle?

Following the holiday headlines late last month that The New York Times would be suing OpenAI and Microsoft for copyright infringement, the AI organization is pushing back, stating in a blog response yesterday that the lawsuit “is without merit” and that it views this “as an opportunity to clarify our business, our intent, and how we build our technology.”

The NYT lawsuit claims that millions of its published articles were “used to train automated chatbots that now compete with the news outlet as a source of reliable information,” and that the defendants should be held responsible for billions of dollars in damages and forced to destroy their models and data that were trained on or use their copyrighted material.

Needless to say, a lot is on the line.

 

Leveraging AI In Marketing

With the proliferation of AI understanding comes more knowledge of how it can be applied to marketing strategies. So, how are marketers currently using AI, and how do they plan to invest in its use in the coming year? To help answer this question, Ascend2 and our Research Partners fielded the Leveraging AI in Marketing survey.

 

Marketers Gear Up For A Brighter 2024

Despite very real concerns about the economy, the majority of marketers around the world are optimistic and expect business to be better next year than this, according to a new WARC report. … Two-thirds (64%) of marketers indicated that economic recession will have the biggest impact on marketing strategies in 2024, while 41% highlighted inflation and the cost-of-living crisis. Yet almost two-thirds of marketers (61%) expect that business will improve next year and 41% believe that marketing budgets will increase.

 

B2B Mixology: Email Is A Top Lead Generator And 2024 Budget Item

Email maintains its position as a top lead generator, and will be an important part of marketing budgets in 2024, judging by the 2024 b2b Marketing Mix report, a study by Sagefrog. As a lead source, email is second only to in-person trade shows & events.

Share on FacebookTweet about this on TwitterShare on Google+Share on LinkedInShare on RedditEmail this to someone

The Media Minute 1.10.24

Publishing Paradise: What Would An Ad-Free Facebook Look Like?

Meta announced last Fall that it would be launching a subscription service in the EU, giving Facebook and Instagram users the option to pay for an ads-free experience. And the reactions and hypothetical questions this proposal prompted were instant and only continue to snowball.

For now, speculating and hypothetical pre-planning are about all we can do as Meta’s subscription model takes shape in Europe and casts shadows here in America. 

Looking at it from a publisher’s perspective, I can’t help but think a Meta subscription model here in America could help ease the pain for publishers competing in the social media ad arena.

 

Survey Reveals Marketers Waste The Most Time On Improving Tone

A marketing expert has suggested that almost 50% of marketing teams may need to improve their Tone of voice (TOV) guidelines to improve efficiency. This suggestion follows the recent finding that rewriting copy to improve tone is the most time-consuming part of the copy development process, as reported by 44% of marketers. Clearer TOV guidelines would allow marketers to get better quality content into the market faster.

 

Linkedin Ad Prices Surge As Advertisers’ X Boycott Continues

Prices have surged by as much as 30% – but advertisers are reporting up to 20% ROI for premium LinkedIn campaigns. LinkedIn ad prices have soared due to a surge in demand reportedly driven by the advertiser boycott of X.

 

Email Tide: Usage Booms, Especially When Combined With Other Channels

Email has been booming this year — especially when used in combination with other channels, according to The State of Messaging, a study by Customer.io and Parcel.io. Overall, there was a 26% increase in email volume, at least on the Customer.io platform. But that was outpaced by a 44% hike in brands using two or more channels.

Share on FacebookTweet about this on TwitterShare on Google+Share on LinkedInShare on RedditEmail this to someone

The Media Minute 1.3.24

Cancel Culture: More Consumers Would Subscribe If Canceling Was Easier

A study by Toolkits and National Research Group recently asked consumers about their subscriptions to digital publications, and 67% said they’d be more likely to purchase a new subscription if the cancellation process was easier.

“Converting new subscribers is becoming increasingly challenging for many publishers as competition for consumer attention intensifies and they begin to search for growth beyond their most engaged and loyal audience segments,” writes Toolkits’ Jack Marshall. “The data suggest that easier cancellation processes could actually help publishers drive incremental conversions and revenue: If consumers are confident they can easily cancel subscriptions, they might be more likely to subscribe in the first place.”

 

Publishers Forecast To Lose $54B In Revenue From Ad-Blocking

Publishers are estimated to lose $54 billion in ad revenue globally due to ad blocking in 2024, representing about 8% of total ad spend, according to data released Monday.

 

ANA Programmatic Media Supply Chain Transparency Study

Knowledge is power. With programmatic media, data drives knowledge and is the enabler that allows marketers to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of their campaigns. Access to data, pulling insights from data, and then acting on those insights provides a pathway for marketers to optimize their programmatic media investments.

 

84% of B2B Deals Are Decided Before Marketers Even Know About Them

B2B selling teams are at a disadvantage, according to the 2023 B2B Buyer Experience Report released from 6sense. The report indicates that marketing efforts play a critical role in the B2B buying journey with 84% of deals decided upon first contact – made by buyers. These insights come at a time when sales and marketing executives agree that revenue generation has become increasingly difficult.

Share on FacebookTweet about this on TwitterShare on Google+Share on LinkedInShare on RedditEmail this to someone

The Media Minute 12.20.23

Sign Of The Times: NYT Hires Editorial Director Of AI Initiatives

As the hand-wringing around AI and its place in the newsroom continues, The New York Times is taking a giant leap forward with the announcement of its first editorial director of Artificial Intelligence Initiatives.

And while the human filling those shoes is plenty important — in this case, Zach Seward, a former reporter and Quartz founding editor who NYT leaders described as “the rare journalist to also serve as chief product officer, then C.E.O., and finally editor in chief” — it’s the mere existence of shoes to fill that makes this so newsworthy.

 

Cookie Draw-Down: How It Will Affect Advertisers And Publishers

Digital advertisers are facing a looming crisis — the phasing out of third-party cookies. Publishers would be well advised to help them prepare, emphasizing contextual advertising and first-party data. Senior digital marketers are confident that they are ready for the change. But not junior executives, who are in the trenches, according to Navigating the Privacy-First Landscape, a study by Fyllo. 

 

Retail Media Ad Spend Will Reach Over $100b By 2027

US retail media ad spend will more than double between 2023 and 2027, reaching a total of $109.40 billion, according to our forecast.

 

Why Is The Holiday Period So Important For Advertisers?

What makes the ‘golden quarter’ just so golden? And why are advertisers still missing out on key opportunities over the holiday season?

Share on FacebookTweet about this on TwitterShare on Google+Share on LinkedInShare on RedditEmail this to someone

The Media Minute 12.13.23

AI Evaluations: The Lessons Readers Are Telling Publishers

ChatGPT turned a whole 1 year old last week, and proud parent OpenAI rounded out that inaugural year in the spotlight with enough boardroom drama to fast-track a Netflix series.

In that first year, study after study has come out revealing how individual businesses and entire industries are either tiptoeing or cannonballing into the AI waters. I’m of the belief that publishers have much to gain from harnessing a wide variety of AI’s current capabilities, and with the launch of Google’s Gemini, I can’t wait to see what 2024 has in store for the technology.

AI within the confines of journalism, however, still seems to be eluding acceptance.

 

Most Readers Want Publishers To Label AI-Generated Articles — But Trust Outlets Less When They Do

An overwhelming majority of readers would like news publishers to tell them when AI has shaped the news coverage they’re seeing. But, new research finds, news outlets pay a price when they disclose using generative AI.

That’s the conundrum at the heart of new research from University of Minnesota’s Benjamin Toff and Oxford Internet Institute’s Felix M. Simon. Their working paper “‘Or they could just not use it?’: The paradox of AI disclosure for audience trust in news” is one of the first experiments to examine audience perceptions of AI-generated news.

 

Marketers Use Affiliate Strategies Across The Purchase Funnel

U.S. marketers are using affiliate strategies throughout the purchase journey, including upper-funnel awareness (56%), mid-funnel consideration (58%), and lower-funnel conversion (50%), per June 2023 Gen3 Marketing data.

 

The B2B Perspective on Multi-Channel Marketing

Today’s top B2B marketers employ a multi-channel strategy to unlock insights, engage customers, and win faster. But how effective is this approach? Where are the biggest opportunities for growth?

ZoomInfo, in collaboration with research firm Ascend2, surveyed 101 B2B marketing professionals about their experiences with multi-channel strategies — the good, the better, and the possible.

Share on FacebookTweet about this on TwitterShare on Google+Share on LinkedInShare on RedditEmail this to someone

The Media Minute 12.6.23

Paying Their Dues: Google Agrees To Pay Canadian Publishers For Content

This time of year, they say it’s the thought that counts.

Well, as good as $70+ million a year does sound, it’s as much the thought that Google is even willing to pay for news that’s making publishers worldwide particularly jolly.

Google has agreed to pay Canadian publishers an annual fee of CA$100 million so that the tech giant may keep their news content in its search results. This follows the passing of Canada’s Bill C-18, known as the Online News Act, this summer, which Google responded to by threatening, “when the law takes effect, we unfortunately will have to remove links to Canadian news from our Search, News and Discover products in Canada.”

 

Google Starts Deleting Gmail Accounts That Have Been Inactive For Over Two Years

Any chance there’s a Gmail account that you all made years ago that you have not been using? Well, it may soon be toast, if it is not already. Google began deleting old Gmail accounts yesterday — old meaning inactive for more than two years. It’s not just Gmail though. It’s Google Drive, Google Docs and Google Photos.

 

Wrong Ads Serve To The Wrong Consumer 1 In 3 Times

Agencies report that the wrong ad creative is served to the wrong consumer nearly one in every three times, according to new research. The joint study from Advertiser Perceptions and Claravine fielded in August analyzed the impact of not having a data standards and a strategy in place. It showed how advertisers and agencies struggle with brand safety and in the process, found a connecting line between data standards, brand safety and ad targeting.

 

B2B Buyer Report 2023

Simply going digital won’t cut it anymore. Faced with economic uncertainty, inflation, and increased interest rates, today’s B2B buyers have complex demands, high digital expectations, and strict budgets. A deep understanding of your prospects’, customers’, and clients’ unique needs is critical to success.

Share on FacebookTweet about this on TwitterShare on Google+Share on LinkedInShare on RedditEmail this to someone

The Media Minute 11.29.23

Programmatic Advertising 101: A Beginner’s Guide For Advertising Sales Reps

In publishing, the addition of digital advertising has opened a new world of revenue opportunities as well as many challenges. And the technological transition has brought with it opportunities for publishers that did not exist as publishers gain the ability to sell advertising inventory across the entire internet. It’s a challenge for many sales reps to understand how programmatic digital advertising works so they can take advantage of these opportunities.

 

Turmoil at OpenAI: Now That Sam Altman’s Coming Back, What’s Next For The Creators of ChatGPT?

After some haggling, it’s official: Sam Altman is returning to his post as CEO of OpenAI. How did the world’s hottest generative AI company go through three CEOs in under a week? This is what we know so far.

 

Follow-Up Folly: Many SMBs Fail To Send Emails After Holiday Rush

Most small businesses depend on holiday sales to make their numbers. But too few have strategies in place to retain new customers, according to Holiday Trends For SMBs, a study from Constant Contact, conducted by Ascend2. Only 49% of the consumers polled receive an email after making a purchase, and 27% never hear from the business again. Yet 81% are open to receiving messages from a small business they have visited or bought from during the holidays.  

 

B2B Marketers Are Taking A Cautious Approach Toward Data Investments

After years of stronger growth during the pandemic, increases to marketing data outlays are slowing thanks to tighter marketing budgets, privacy regulations, and a need to show ROI. The YoY growth rate in 2023 will be roughly half of what it was in 2022. Macroeconomic conditions, shifting buyer dynamics, and privacy concerns will contribute to this slowdown. We expect the YoY growth rate to increase to 3.8% in 2025 as the economy improves and other concerns are mitigated. That year, marketing data spend will be just shy of $4 billion.

Share on FacebookTweet about this on TwitterShare on Google+Share on LinkedInShare on RedditEmail this to someone

The Media Minute 11.22.23

New Study Estimates How Many Billions Google & Meta Owe Publishers

The response time of a Google search result is less than a tenth of a second. For some reason, that’s the first measurement I thought of when I read the recent study of what Google and Facebook might owe U.S. publishers for their content. Using that near-instantaneous micro-metric of a search response, the total tab for the two tech giants comes out to somewhere between $37.73 and $44.07 every tenth of a second. Or, as the study’s more-rounded estimate puts it, between $11.9 billion and $13.9 billion a year.

The Power Of Partnership: How The CEO–CMO Relationship Can Drive Outsize Growth

Amid a challenging macroeconomic environment and rapid change, CEOs are searching for the next engine for growth. The answer may be right in front of them: a redefined and reinvigorated relationship with their CMO.

Big Bucks Martech: Spend Is Expected To Hit Almost $700B This Year

Martech now accounts for 30% of all marketing budgets, and the total spend on martech and sales tech is estimated at $669.3 billion this year, a 31.5% over the $508.9 billion posted in 2022, according to State of Martech and Marketing, 2023/24, a global study by LXA, sponsored by Tealium. Moreover, 83% of CMOs expect increases this year. Still, budgets are getting squeezed and CMOs face numerous obstacles to fully achieving marketing efficiency.

The 2023 B2B Influencer Marketing Report: Elevate & Ignite

The question is no longer, “Does influencer marketing work for B2B?” We already know the answer. The question is, “How can we get the best results from B2B influencer marketing?” Or even better: “What are the most successful B2B brands doing that the rest of us are missing?” For this year’s third annual B2B Influencer Marketing Report, we surveyed over 400 B2B marketers to find out. Our respondents shared their successes, frustrations, accomplishments and best practices.

Share on FacebookTweet about this on TwitterShare on Google+Share on LinkedInShare on RedditEmail this to someone

The Media Minute 11.15.23

Branding Exercises: What Publishers Can Do To Improve Trust 

Content is king, as they say, but recent research by Toolkits and National Research Group has found a hierarchy even on that tier. 36% of consumers surveyed said they trust brand-published content more than content from traditional media sources and organizations. That includes newspapers, magazines, TV, and news sites.

 

Ad Duopoly Looks Over Its Shoulder As Amazon Ad Revenues Jump 26%

Amazon’s ad business is now one of the company’s fastest-growing sectors. Ad revenues enjoyed a 26% increase in Q3, totaling more than $12 billion — double Amazon’s 13% overall revenue growth. Amazon’s ad business has grown impressively over the last several years after a 57.6% boost from the coronavirus pandemic, per our forecast. We expect worldwide ad revenues to grow 18.9% to $44.88 billion this year and to reach $67.59 billion by 2025.

 

Study: Blogs Appear Most Often In Top Google Positions

Blog posts are the most common content type found in the top 5 Google positions, a new study has found. Multiple CTR studies show most organic clicks go to the top 5 positions on Google Search (around 69% to 74%). So prioritizing the types of content Google rewards with more visibility is only logical.

 

Report: US E-Retail Media Market Will Double To $85 Billion By 2026

Havas Market is out with a new report about retail media that examines the five most advanced western markets including the U.S., UK, France, Germany and Spain. … Havas cites Statista, IAB and SRI data indicating that e-retail media ad spend is growing at a rate of 15% to 38% across all markets. “This represents a growth rate 3 to 4 times larger than other digital media investments,” which also are still growing significantly. 

Share on FacebookTweet about this on TwitterShare on Google+Share on LinkedInShare on RedditEmail this to someone

The Media Minute 11.8.23

Risky Business: Should Publishers Preemptively Offer More Consent Choices?
Two out of three digital publishers in the United States don’t offer their consumers consent choices, according to a new report from Compliant and Peer39. And though, as Ray Schultz writes, U.S. publishers don’t have to contend with the same regulations as EU publishers, this absence of choices is “dangerous considering that the states are passing ever-tougher laws — for example, the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA).”

Data Disruptor Dilemma: Brands Face Increasing Challenges To Quality
Businesses are being rocked by changes in technology and other shifts. And 88% think their discomfort is going to intensify over the next year, according to Mastering Tomorrow’s Markets: The Data Quality Revolution, a study by Experian. The biggest market disruptors are technology advancement in AI (33%), increased operational costs (32%), [and] depleting skills (29%).

Emerging Technology Trends
“One of the most astounding things about these technologies is that they are pushing the frontiers of economic growth. If we put generative AI together with the basket of automation technologies, we’re looking at a potential of $4.4 trillion of GDP growth globally. That is larger than the size of the United Kingdom.”

Announcing The Growth Report 2023: Special AI Edition
What once was material right out of Sci-Fi is now a part of daily life. From personalized product recommendations to ChatGPT, people are more curious about artificial intelligence than perhaps ever before. Despite some of the pessimistic rhetoric surrounding AI, like the innovation before it (the printing press, the computer, the internet, the cell phone anyone?), new technology brings new opportunities and 2023 is the year that AI exploration has begun to take root.

Share on FacebookTweet about this on TwitterShare on Google+Share on LinkedInShare on RedditEmail this to someone