Happy Thursday! It’s been a relatively quiet week in the wonderful world of digital marketing, although Elon Musk has done his best to give commentators something to discuss.

Also doing their bit are Google, which is laid out plans to fight ad blockers as well as being in the news around a rumoured Hubspot acquisition. Good job both!

Elon Musk’s X planning to charge new users to post

Another week, another wild story coming from Elon Musk and the platform formerly known as Twitter. In the latest edition of declaring your big upcoming strategic replies in casual replies to users, this week Musk informed a user that X is planning to charge new users to the platform, ostensibly to prevent bots from taking over.

In terms of solving that problem, there is a solid rationale; bots are one of the key reasons people are turning away from the platform, and with improvements in AI technology one can only assume this is getting worse and worse. Raising the barrier of registration has always been an issue for a platform that, once upon a time, provided anonymity and credibility to those who needed it.

Now though, it can’t help but also come across as something of a cash grab and a publicity stunt – it would be interesting to know, given that Twitter has been around for the best part of two decades and had a heyday long ago, how many genuine new posters the platform even has to potentially charge.

Google is finding ways to block ad blockers on YouTube

One of the big concerns for advertisers on a platform such as YouTube is around the high number of users utilising ad blocking technology (somewhere around 37% apparently). That should be changing soon, with Google making changes that should in theory block the ad blockers, meaning that there are likely to be a few frustrated users in the next few weeks.

I find ad blocking fascinating, and a damning indictment on the state of the advertising industry – the creative that people come up with is so often self-serving that there’s no wonder so many people turn to tools that block it. The funniest thing for me is the number of my peers who seem to also use ad blockers. No further learnings for marketers here, but I implore you that if you’re reading this and blocking ads, you might well be missing out on the chance to learn from competitors. Anyway, rant over!

Google considering Hubspot acquisition

Certain corners of the internet have been ablaze over the past week with rumours that Google is considering an acquisition of the CRM platform Hubspot.

This could, potentially, be quite a big deal in democratising the platform and also in creating better connections between Google’s ad platforms, its workspace solutions and then also first-party CRM data – and that’s before you even think about Gemini AI being in the mix as well.

Early days and it sounds like the regulators might take an interest, but certainly one to keep an eye on.

Further Reading

It feels somewhat odd as a roundup newsletter to include a roundup article, but Connected TV (CTV) is something I haven’t seen a huge number of materials on, despite the fact that for the right business it feels like a good opportunity. Anyway, LinkedIn has pulled together a few (obviously self serving) different thoughts and pieces – worth a look if it piques your interest.

If you’re advertising on Meta and you’ve seen painful price increases on CPMs in the last few weeks, chances are it’s due to some glitches.

TikTok is exploring options around a feature which would enable brands to ‘deploy’ virtual influencers, who would then be able to sell products on their behalf. The world is getting scarier and scarier.

And finally, a great look by The Economist at Generative AI and the implications of its “theft” of content for learning purposes.

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!

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!