🗞️ Links & Thinks from 2023.02.03
Earnings Bonanza
Let's recap:
- Snap saw user and total revenue growth, but a drop in revenue per user and what seems a general lack of confidence in The Ghost.
- Meta was similar but the markets loved it. Sentiment appears to be that Zuck+Co are heading in the right direction.
Now:
- Google (/Alphabet (+YouTube)) was more Snap than Meta. Ad revenue was down, but that’s ok because AI will save the day! (Cloud did well, put a pin in that.)
- Apple was more of the same. Revenue was down, but it was the supply chain’s fault (thanks, China!).
- Amazon continued the trend, but it was in part due to fun accounting games to clear the books for 2023.
On the ad front:
But as Andy Taylor, Tinuiti’s vp of research explained, any digital channel that leans toward the performance side of marketing had a bit more reason to be upbeat. “Those channels and platforms that have really been proven drivers of performance — really tried and true campaign types in terms of driving that return on ad spend — those still grew pretty meaningfully,” said Taylor. “And I think we’re probably going to continue to see that focus in the early months of 2023, where a lot of marketers are focusing on channels and platforms that they feel confident will deliver them results.”
Sounds like the opportunity early this year is in:
- Streaming video ads
- Meta ads (notably Reels)
- Sponsored product ads on marketplaces like Amazon and Walmart
(Google Ads will likely be ol’ faithful, if unremarkable. (Not mentioned in that piece: Microsoft Ads could be huge if the ChatGPT fervor draws enough interest in testing out BingGPT.))
Google Ads Tricks
How to evaluate the incremental cost per conversion of your Google Ads campaigns (using the performance planner tool, so grain of salt).
And let ChatGPT write your ads for you.
About That AI
Google pulled a Microsoft and invested in an AI company (one that just so happens to have a solid ChatGPT competitor) with the funds invested being used to buy cloud computing from the source of the money.
Doesn’t sound like Claude (said competitor) will find its way into Google products as part of this deal. Until it does, of course.
Oops, Microsoft’s AI-powered Bing just leaked. For a brief moment the next era of search was live and the example in the screen shot hinted at an experience superior to the current 10 blue links paradigm. (The example was a system suggestion and some inference, so not sure what % of BingGPT searches will be superior.)
The Key to Virality
People love correcting other people on the internet. You can use that to your advantage.
Intentionally make a mistake in your post or post a comment with the wrong answer from a burner account and wait for the comments to role in.
Another thing to consider on TikTok (according to Jorden Souza of The TikTok Lab) is “comment campaigns.”
It’s an easy way to get brand awareness, and usually the creator will make a video responding to the comment in shock, further propelling the brand. It also “humanizes” the brand and gives it some personality!
Emotion Vs. Logic
Via the Chase Diamond newsletter:
Emotion is how you’ll get your prospect to buy. Logic is how you’ll get your prospect to defend their buying decision to their friends and family — which becomes your word-of-mouth messaging, leading to indirect sales for you.
GA4 Is No Joke
That's a nice analytics set up you have there, shame if anything were to happen to it. Is what someone at Google probably said. But they worded it like this:
For any customer who does not set up a GA4 property with basic settings, starting in March, we will configure one with a few basic settings consistent with the existing Universal Analytics property; this includes certain conversion events, Google Ads links, and existing website tags.
Just The Headline
From Amazon to tech startups, e-commerce takes on the TikTok-style feed