The year is moving along quickly; with the longer days and shorter nights, we start to move ever closer to elections in both the UK and US as well as other countries not featured on British breakfast TV.

After high levels of controversy across numerous elections, leading to rebukes from various governments, one can forgive Meta for being wary about political content, but has it taken restrictions too far?

Also this week, there’s still plenty going on at TikTok, despite talk of an upcoming US ban (spoiler alert: you’re fairly safe there for the time being).

Why is Instagram facing a backlash over political content?

Instagram is facing a serious backlash over the decision to restrict the reach of political content on both its platforms by default. This is particularly concerning on Threads as this is essentially meant to be ‘the new Twitter’.

Essentially, you’re only able to see political content by people you already follow, thus further reinforcing the echo chamber (wherein you only see the views of people you already agree with, thus reinforcing your own). The theory goes that the Echo Chamber was a major contribution to the level of shock and anger relating to Brexit actually happening, and that by restricting this reach you’re stifling debate.

My own personal view is that while it can seem like the vast majority on the Internet seem to have already made their minds up, there should always be room for discussion and exposure to different opinions. The more people are left to their own devices and opinions, the more we then remove the ability to think critically and for yourselves.

I should add that there are ways and means to change this in both apps.

TikTok to take on Instagram at its (original) game

After a quick date check (nope, not April 1), it seems that TikTok is preparing to launch a photo-focussed app. Remember how for the last, oh I don’t know, 10 years everyone has said that Video is the future, the present and the everything on social? Well, apparently TikTok think we should go back to posting images instead. How 2011 of them.

It should be noted that this is likely more of an experiment than a serious pivot, but nevertheless makes for fascinating following. Your social media strategy (and particularly paid social) should already be incorporating images where relevant, but it’s always good to keep abreast of such developments.

Also, remember the talk around the TikTok ban in the US that was all the rage a few weeks ago? Well it’s still rumbling along, but the main takeaway at the moment is that it’ll be a considerable amount of time before anything happens. Plenty of time for you to modify your social media approach accordingly and/or put in place some contingency plans.

TikTok publishes ad playbook

While we’re on the subject of TikTok, this week it published its advertising playbook.

Much of what you’ll find within is fairly straightforward to seasoned users, but there are some useful case studies and stats that might prove useful the next time you’re pitching for some TikTok work, or trying to convince internal stakeholders that it’s worth upping your investment.

Further Reading

Business Insider has taken a look at how, with Tesla starting to struggle, Elon Musk is doubling down on his other businesses – particularly X/Twitter. Interesting reading with a morning coffee. Also, Zuck has moved past him in terms of wealth thanks to Meta’s robust performance.

Threads has released API documentation ahead of a planned June launch, meaning that you’ll soon see third-party tools integrating with the platform.

Looking to share your expertise in collaborative contributor articles on LinkedIn? The platform has added a handy shortcut to make doing this that much easier.

Finally, I enjoyed this interview in the Guardian with TikTok comedian Shabaz Ali about his ‘work’, his balancing a day job teaching with TikTok Bantz, and wider views on social.

That’s it for this week – if you found this interesting then I would really appreciate it if you shared this with your friends and peers. 

If you’re feeling particularly generous, then I won’t stop you from buying me a coffee. Have a great weekend and see you next week!

With the Easter break it’s been a slightly quieter-than-usual time in the world of Digital Marketing, so this week’s newsletter is perhaps slightly heavier on opinion than usual; but nevertheless, with April Fool’s gags taking over the internet earlier this week, they’re worth taking a look at.

Otherwise the chief of Instagram has proclaimed that you shouldn’t judge an account by its follower count, while there’s big news coming from Google and a potential premium tier for consumers.

Musings on April Fool’s on Social

I’ve always found April Fool’s Day more fascinating as an external observer than as a participant. Which probably says more about me than anything else. But, regardless, I find it to be an interesting indicator of a brand’s approach to social media. You generally end up with three different approaches.

• The all-in, full-send approach: This is generally an indicator of a brand that gives its marketing team room for creative manoeuvre. It isn’t a surprise to see a brand such as Gymbox, which is known for its cheeky and fun marketing, fully commit to an idea such as Gymbark – something which might make other brands nervous given the similarity of the name to another brand.
• The weak, content calendar fulfilling approach: Every Social Media manager who has worked agency side has had to do one of these. This is a brand where you don’t actually have that much to say, so international dates and celebrations become a core editorial pillar of the calendar, and as such the April Fool’s post is a mandatory staple. Only, because the brand is nervous and doesn’t have much to say, the actual execution itself often resembles something akin to treading on Eggshells. I value my professional network too much here to name names, but we’ve all seen these.
• The Do Nothing approach: Also known as the most sensible and cost-effective approach. These brands often do have something to say, but would rather avoid something as trivial as April Fools. Or, they have no ££.

My own view on it and whether marketers should engage is simple; if you have a great idea, then by all means. If you feel like your idea is a little cringe or one that you’re not proud to present, then you probably already know the answer.

Follower count doesn’t equal value (who knew)

If you’re reading this, then you probably already know that just because Brand X or Person Y has 100,000 followers, that doesn’t necessarily make them the real deal. I’ve been asked by multiple clients over the years how they can juice the numbers, something which in my own view is borderline (or maybe even actual) fraud, depending on the circumstances.

Anyway – a constant challenge when I’ve been asked this question has been something along the lines of what’s the harm, or why not (partly why the F word comes out). Interestingly however Instagram’s own chief Adam Mosseri has said that he doesn’t see the value in follower counts, and that success should be judged on engagement. Like, duh. 

I should note that Social Media Today has posted a riposte, making the valid point that follower counts are displayed so prominently that it is somewhat inevitable that the success and validity of an account is judged on them. However, hopefully the fact that the guy who helps run the show says that maybe we should look beyond follower metrics will be useful ammunition the next time your boss asks about how you can boost follower counts.

Further Reading

It feels like three things are inevitable in life currently; death, taxes, and a weekly survey heralding the decline of X.

Perhaps a fourth – a weekly news update about AI and Search. This week’s installment; Google is considering charging for premium AI-powered features.

Digiday have pulled together a useful summary of the difficulties marketers are facing in relation to Google Chrome and its cookie-tracking issues. The answer: keep testing.

Search Engine Journal have published the results of some tests comparing AI-generated and human-powered ad copy. As you’ve heard elsewhere, the answer is that the human touch is still relevant for that final finessing, but the process is nevertheless interesting.

That’s it for this week – if you found this interesting then I would really appreciate if you shared this with your friends and peers. 

If you’re feeling particularly generous, then I won’t stop you from buying me a coffee. Have a great weekend and I’ll see you next week!

Happy Easter! It’s been a busy few days in the world of digital marketing; no one story necessarily warrants full focus, but there are plenty of bits and pieces to keep an eye on.

Will Meta get elections right in 2024?

There’s been a lot of chatter over the last few days regarding Meta and numerous elections taking place this year. To briefly summarise:

• Some people were surprised to learn that Instagram is limiting visibility of political content by default (this can be reversed, but only by hunting through settings).
• Meta has also killed off CloudTangle, one of the key tools utilised for finding and flagging disinformation. Meta has essentially responded by stating that it is launching new features which will make these tools obsolete.
• Relevant but also not directly related, I found this piece on how AI deep fakes are scamming older users on Facebook interesting, alarming and thought provoking.

Back to my original question – with so much external and regulatory pressure, it’s hard to imagine how Meta can reasonably handle elections (and politics in general) in a way which pleases everyone. 

That said, after years of a relatively free-for-all environment, I can’t help but feel that limiting and restricting content is probably the most sensible approach. It just doesn’t feel like they’re nailing it currently. One to watch and something I’m sure I’ll circle back on as we learn more.

Disney+ advertising available for self-service buyers

Users of Google’s DV360 services should shortly be able to buy ads on Disney+ for users of its ad-supported tier. 

I’ve mentioned this before, but this has now started to move from the realms of theory to reality. Personally I think this is really interesting; for a long time, the only way to buy ads on some of the world’s largest video streaming platforms was to buy direct. This is great for big businesses with a small navy of agencies at their disposal, but for marketers who have to work smarter it means fewer options, and less ability to test, learn and scale accordingly.

I’ll still always suggest using the right channel and targeting to match your audience and service, but another powerful option seems to be around the corner. (ICYMI: You can buy ads on Netflix via Microsoft’s ad solutions)

It’s all going on with X (formerly Twitter)

It feels like every time I check my news feeds this week, there’s something else going on with X.

• According to some new research, X usage is down a quarter when compared to life before Elon Musk’s acquisition. The only surprise is, given the amount of people in my little digital marketing bubble who’ve said they’re boycotting it, is that the figure is so low. The echo-chamber in practice. 
• Remember the drama around users having to pay for blue ticks? Well, we’re now heading back to the model where people with big followings could get verified, whether they like it or not.
• And finally, X is testing adult content groups for users. Just what the platform needs, more “ickyness” – that’ll definitely get the advertisers back.

It’s hard to feel that X is anything other than a sinking ship at the moment – and none of these developments make me feel more inclined towards encouraging clients to go back there. But nevertheless, another one to keep an eye on.

Further Reading

🚨 TIKTOK AND UNIVERSAL KLAXON 🚨: This week’s news story doesn’t actually involve TikTok, but an interesting expansion of the deal between Universal and Spotify. Likely a coincidence but a sign that Universal is willing to play nice, under the right conditions.

LinkedIn is adding dynamic UTM tracking to ads. Dry, but incredibly useful.

YouTube is offering creators even more analysis of their viewers, with audience retention insights.

Came across this piece (Meta takes $40K, holds our business ransom) and, let’s just say, Meta’s customer service doesn’t come out of it particularly well. Given that they and others are moving more and more CS functions to AI, the future looks bleak on this stuff. Although at least you’ll be able to look at it through cool augmented Ray-Bans.

And finally, for those who really do want some further reading about social media, this seems like a great list and one I’ll be working through for sure.

That’s it for this week – if you found this interesting then I would really appreciate if you shared this with your friends and peers. 

If you’re feeling particularly generous, then I won’t stop you from  buying me a coffee. Have a great Easter break and see you next week!