In this month’s edition of the Just Media Platforms Post, we’ve tapped a few of our in-house experts to dish on some of the key trends to keep your eye on this month!

Bing Ads Rebrand as Microsoft Advertising

Bing Ads just got a makeover and is now called Microsoft Advertising. Much like Google Ads’, formerly Google AdWords, own re-brand in late 2018, the new Microsoft Advertising name signifies a shift towards personalization and story-telling by utilizing new advertising capabilities that enhance and bolster search efforts. If these re-brands tell us anything, it is that agencies and brands must 1) re-think current Search efforts to see how new targeting capabilities can be layered on to better help curate users and messaging, and 2) consider strategies outside of just Search in both Google Ads and now Microsoft Advertising to maximize brand exposure and provide a connected experience.

Google May Decide to Charge for Google My Business Listings

Google is hinting that they may begin charging for Google My Business listings. They are currently surveying to determine if users would pay for their business to be listed on the service, and the range they are suggesting varies from $10-$70/month. We have managed clients with Google My Business listings in the past, and if we were to manage listings for other clients in the future, we would likely need to factor these listings into our budgets.

LinkedIn Profile Targeting

LinkedIn Profile Targeting in Microsoft Advertising is coming out of beta later this summer. Outside of LinkedIn, Microsoft Advertising is the only digital advertising platform to offer LinkedIn targeting. This will allow us to target industry, job function, or company size across the Microsoft Display Network.

So long, Instagram Likes

Instagram was recently spotted initiating an experiment that is “hiding” the number of likes on posts. Certain accounts received an update removing all external visibility into the engagement (likes) your post received, alongside a message from the app: “We want your followers to focus on what you share, not how many likes your post gets”. While the idea may come as a surprise for some, Instagram’s head, Adam Mosseri said the change is designed to “minimize the stress of posting online”. It appears the Instagram could be the first of many platforms to begin the experimentation as Twitter’s Jack Dorsey was recently quoted saying “like and follower counts… take away from genuine interactions”… If the trend of removing engagement style metrics stockpiles, we will no longer turn to the traditional Engagement Rate calculations to qualify successful ad engagement. Instead, these engagement based metrics will turn less quantifiable and more qualitative.

Twitter takes a new direction in 2019

Twitter as an ad platform tends to align best with awareness or branding campaigns, but the company appears to be focusing on a new direction this year. Among top priorities is their Mobile App Promotion for app install ads. The news comes with Twitter posting better than expected earnings year-over-year, with an 18% increase in revenue and 11% uptick in monetizable daily active users. While Facebook and LinkedIn typically come first to mind for our advertisers, especially in the realm of demand generation, these stats along with the news of Twitter’s focus this year should place them more top of mind in social platform consideration. Even more so as Facebook continues to receive backlash for privacy issues, affecting targeting options as well as general advertiser concern.

Sizmek Plans sale of ad Marketplace for $36 million

Zeta Global is purchasing Sizmek after Sizmek declared Bankruptcy at the end of March. This acquisition will assist Zeta in becoming a true competitor to The Trade Desk, another DSP. This move by Zeta assists them in becoming a competitive option in the ad tech space. It’s unlikely that we’ll see any immediate effects in our agency or for our clients, however, it does signify the further consolidation we’ve noticed in the industry.

Advertisers Are Hedging on Google as it Enacts GDPR-Compliant Policies

As GDPR compliance is becoming more eminent in the US, industry leaders are forced to adjust and adapt, which in many cases can be limiting or even eliminate features that gave them the edge. It’s increasingly important to stay up to date and find compliant partners with innovative solutions to deliver on our promises to our clients. One of our most significant reasons for a move to DCM and onboarding Google is their attribution capabilities and transparency across channels. With these new features in order to become GDPR compliant/ready, it raises the question as to how that will, in turn, affect what we’re expecting to deliver with our new ad server. It may not be our only incentive for a shift, but in our fast-changing industry, it’s critical to stay informed and prepared.

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