Social Media, Parler, and President Trump. And eMarketer Adjusts its Forecast. This Week in Digital Advertising: January 15th

Social Media, Parler, and President Trump. And eMarketer Adjusts its Forecast. This Week in Digital Advertising: January 15th

Hello Bidtellectuals!

We’re already half way through January – can you believe it? If you started off feeling bright and hopeful for the new year, but are feeling discouraged and down with all that’s going on, might I recommend these 5 Easy Self Care Tips to Life Your Mood Today. 

Updates: Social Platforms & President Trump

  • Twitter has now permanently suspended President Trump ‘due to the risk of further incitement of violence’ in a statement. Trump responded through a series of tweets on the @POTUS account, which were swiftly taken down.  Twitter also suspended @TeamTrump, an account associated with the Trump campaign, after it shared a portion of Trump’s statement condemning the company’s action.

  • Facebook and Instagram are maintaining President Trump’s account ban through the final two weeks of his presidency.

  • YouTube announced Tuesday that it has now suspended his channel for at least a week, citing concern over “ongoing potential for violence.” 

  • Google announced Wednesday it would pause political ads on its platforms until after Inauguration Day.

  • Snapchat locked Trump’s account “indefinitely.” 

  • Twitch disabled Trump’s account until he leaves office.

  • Shopify shut down two online Trump memorabilia stores.

 

The Latest on Parler: 

  • Amazon, Apple, and Google have all booted new conservative-leaning social media site Parler from their platforms in a span of a little more than 24 hours. Amazon suspended the social media platform over the weekend for failure to moderate “egregious content” related to the Capitol riots and the others quickly followed suit.

  • Parler now finds itself “homeless,” and facing hackers that are “crawling” its information.

  • In response, Parler filed a lawsuit against Amazon on Monday.

  • Parler is also working with the FBI to share information linked to the Capitol rioters.

 

eMarketer’s US Programmatic Outlook for 2021

“Please don’t be ugly, please don’t be ugly…” (TikTok, anyone?)

 As we all recall, eMarketer had to adjust its pre-pandemic forecast once corona-f-this hit the U.S. The good news is that advertisers reported better-than-expected results throughout the summer leading eMarketer to adjust its outlook AGAIN. 

US programmatic digital display ad spending grew more than 10% in 2020 and will rebound to 24.1% growth in 2021. WHEW at least something is looking bright.

 

There’s Still a Pandemic: How Each Industry Has Felt It

With everything else on the news (understatement), coronavirus has taken a second seat. But its impact on industries and advertising is still being felt. Since the pandemic upended life in the United States in March, Bidtellect has been tracking its effect on advertising, industries, and consumers. Check out our ongoing compilation of those resources, from retail to travel to B2B to quarantine cocktails. 

→ Read More: Industry Update: The Impact of the Coronavirus Crisis

 

Good News: What I’m Watching Lately

Who knows if you wanted a recommendation or not, but here’s what I’ve been watching lately that is perfect escapism and pre-pandemic-happiness-inducing. Take them or leave them. 

  • Lupin (Netflix) – part spy-drama, jewelry heist, and revenge scheme. You won’t be able to turn it off.

  • The Crown (Netflix) – incredible acting and beautiful exploration of historic events.

  • Brooklyn Nine-Nine (NBC and Hulu) – probably one of my favorite shows. Hilarious, heartwarming, everything we need right now.

  • Pretend It’s a City (Netflix) – any New Yorkers or New York lovers will love Fran Lebowitz’s curmudgeonly humor, directed by Martin Scorsese.

 

Stay safe,

Charlotte

Which Social Platforms Banned Trump and How to Adjust Your Creative Messaging. This Week in Digital Advertising: January 8th

Which Social Platforms Banned Trump and How to Adjust Your Creative Messaging. This Week in Digital Advertising: January 8th

Hello Bidtellectuals!

When I began to draft this newsletter at the beginning of the week, the sentiment was still an excited and hopeful “Happy New Year!” Well, it feels as though 2020 is having a good laugh at us.

We send our fervent hopes and prayers to Washington D.C. for peace and safety after the week’s events, and to our representatives who upheld our democratic process in the face of violence.

Advertisers Pause Ad Campaigns, Announcements Indefinitely

Advertisers are rethinking their social media strategy, pausing campaigns, and halting planned announcements after this week’s events in Washington D.C. Announcements slated for Thursday from at least three major companies have been postponed in reaction to ongoing volatility, according to Ad Age. And brands have and continue to pause paid social advertising and TV campaigns on news networks this week.

Bidtellect recommends reallocating social media budgets to a brand safe demand-side platform that can place ads on reputable publisher sites around relevant information to avoid any chance at bad content association.

→ I know it’s “Dry January” for many, but you probably need a drink. Just saying.

 

Social Platforms Ban President Trump 

  • Following Thursday’s events, Twitter suspended President Trump’s account for twelve hours and removed two of his tweets.
  • Facebook and Instagram followed suit, with Facebook announcing a permanent ban through the final two weeks of his presidency (and Instagram is owned by Facebook).
  • YouTube, owned by Google, announced more general changes that will penalize accounts spreading misinformation about voter fraud in the 2020 election, with repeat offenders facing permanent removal.
  • Snapchat on Wednesday locked Trump’s account “indefinitely.”
  • Twitch, the live-streaming site owned by Amazon and used by Trump’s campaign to stream speeches, disabled Trump’s account until he leaves office, saying it didn’t want to be used “to incite further violence.”
  • E-commerce company Shopify shut down two online Trump memorabilia stores for promoting people or organizations “that threaten or condone violence to further a cause.” (AP News)

Start 2021 With a Growth Mindset When It Comes to Creative Messaging

Start 2021 with a growth mindset by enhancing your creative messaging for maximum engagement. Be authentic and go for an emotional response in your messaging, but the key is to utilize dynamic creative optimization (DCO) to adjust to best-performing creative assets in real time. Bidtellect CEO Lon Otremba contributes to the piece on Forbes.

Good News: How to Find Happiness During this Time

Not exactly good news per se, but I found this piece on how to find happiness during the pandemic, which could certainly be applied now, to be informative and helpful. If you’ve been glued to the news this week (guilty) and feel a sense of dread and anxious uncertainty (also guilty), this expert recommends making plans. The anticipation of seeing a friend for a walk, over Zoom, or even a phone call, for example, boosts happiness more than the activity itself. And studies have shown that control was the number one contributor to people’s overall level of happiness: Those who felt they had a sense of agency in their day-to-day lives were far happier than those who did not. So plan a virtual happy hour.

Stay safe,
Charlotte

adexchanger final straw twitter facebook ban trump
This Week in Digital Advertising: June 19

This Week in Digital Advertising: June 19

Happy Juneteenth! Congratulations to Star Bidtellectual Yulia Khudzik! Summer’s here and the world is changing for the better. Have a cocktail and read about the latest in the industry. It’s also on the blog.

The Nuances of Reopening: Adexchanger Podcast

Adexchanger‘s Ryan Joe interviewed Bidtellect CEO Lon Otremba for the latest episode of the Social Distancing with Friends podcast. Among the discussion was talks of reopening: “It takes a much higher threshold of safety and security to get people back to doing things the way they used to do things,” Lon says. They also dive into the evolution of Native Advertising: “I still believe the term ‘native advertising’ is transitional and eventually any advertising that is considered relevant and engaging will have to be native or it will cease to be relevant and engaging.” Listen to the conversation here.

Travel Post-Coronavirus

Let’s dive into what’s next for the travel industry (it’s not bleak, we promise). What can brands do now? How can advertisers adjust their messaging? Local travel (roadtrips!!) will be the most popular form of travel this summer. People, who have a van or a trailer would be seen on the road making frequent stops at places that might appear marvellous to them. Furthermore, luxury vacations may also be chosen by people, who prefer ecstatic travel opportunities. For instance, some might be tempted to explore the wildlife of Africa and might be seen planning a customized itinerary for themselves with the help of a luxury travel expert.

But how can different brands be of help here? How can advertisers adjust their messaging? Let’s take the example of a cleaning company. of course, they have a role to play here! Those who travel would be in need of tidying their dwellings before leaving for the trip and after returning. Hence, cleaning firms would need to show off their skills in providing urgent cleaning services. Needless to say that consumers will trust (and turn to) brands that can demonstrate their expertise. Moreover, they can distinguish themselves by over-communicating and being a trusted source of information that puts consumers’ minds at ease. Read more here. Watch our 7 messaging suggestions for travel advertisers below.

Watch: 7 tips to adjust travel messaging

More in the Industry: Cookies, Spotify, and Retail Sales

Retail sales in the United States were up nearly 18% in May after record lows in March and April, according to the US Census Bureau, but customers are still wary of brick and mortar reopenings. Marketers should shift to a ‘test and learn’ mindset, according to Adexchanger. Meanwhile, The IAB Tech Lab is shuttering the DigiTrust cookie-sharing program at the end of July. This comes as internet browsers are depreciating third-party cookies which often collected customer data for advertising. Spotify is on a talent hiring spree (Joe Rogan, Kim Kardashian to drop some names) and announced it is adding video to its self-serve ad platform, as well solidified a deal with Warner Bros. and DC. The company has spent over $600 million buying podcasts and expanding their library beyond music. Currently it is unknown if marketing strategies such as using a growth service to buy Spotify plays will also expand to cover these new additions to Spotify’s lineup. For digital advertisers though, Spotify’s expansion may encourage new potential target markets to their platform and for that, maybe some Spotify promotion could help them achieve their desired goals.

Happy Juneteenth

Juneteenth is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States. On June 19th, 1865 – two years after the Emancipation Proclamation – Major General Gordon Granger landed in Galveston, Texas and announced that the war had ended and the enslaved were now free. The date celebration tapered o in the early 1900s, but gained popularity in the Civil rights movement of the 1960s and has seen another resurgence in recent years. TodayJuneteenth “celebrates African American freedom and achievement” and is a reminder that “nobody is free until everybody’s free.” Read more on Juneteenth here. Read more on how to support the movement for racial equality here.

Stay safe. Stay healthy.

With love and unity, Charlotte

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Charlotte Otremba is Sr. Manager of Communications and Marketing at Bidtellect.

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