Temperatures are plummeting where your correspondent writes from; as we prepare for the clocks to change in the UK, the changing of the seasons means that we’re fast approaching the holiday period.
While this might be a magical time of year for consumerism, it’s a wretched time for digital marketers, who either have to work overtime to ensure the go-live of mission-critical ads or explain to stakeholders why CPMs have increased sharply. My thoughts are with you (us?) all at this difficult time.
Canva might be delivering some blessings for put-upon social media managers, however, with news this week of a new text-to-image generator. Meta is also beefing up security with facial recognition, and Google is testing AI-powered video ads. This paragraph would have been the stuff of science fiction not so long ago, but now this all feels very real.
With that said, let’s get to it!
Google’s AI-Powered Shopping Ads
Google is rolling out video-enabled shopping ads in search results, allowing product videos to play directly in the ad.
This can significantly boost engagement, considering how video ads consistently outperform static formats on other channels. This could mean higher CTRs and potentially better ROI. It’s definitely one to keep an eye on if you’re in e-commerce.
Google also announced a range of other Performance Max (AI-powered ads) roadmap features this week. While minor, I actually really like the shareable ad previews, as this has been a bane of my life over the last decade. But there’s some good stuff coming; I haven’t seen impressive returns from PMAX yet, but Google is betting big on it.
Meta Launching Facial Recognition
Meta has announced that it’s testing facial recognition features on Facebook and Instagram to help combat scams. As someone who has seen numerous clients and colleagues fall foul of hacks, this is a welcome development.
It’s also using this to better identify unauthorised uses of prominent figures in advertising, something that Money Saving Expert’s Martin Lewis has, for example, fallen foul of in the UK.
It’s pitched solely as a safety feature, but the privacy concerns are unavoidable in this day and age. Ultimately though it should offer more peace of mind, and improve security for customers.
Canva’s New AI Text-to-Image Generator
More AI news: Canva has launched a text-to-image generator powered by AI. This could save serious time on creative production.
This feature should help streamline design processes and reduce the need for expensive bespoke graphics, allowing for quicker turnarounds on campaigns; if you’re the kind of person already needing to use Canva, then you’re probably very pleased by this news.
Further Reading
LinkedIn users this week saw sizeable drops in follower counts, sparking rumours of a bot purge; apparently this was just a bug all along.
Meanwhile, WhatsApp has announced a few interesting new platform features, the headline of which is that users will be able to add contacts from any device. It’s also experimenting with usernames, and it looks like Meta is working on an AI memory feature for chatbots used within the platform.
Speaking of meta and AI, the platform revealed that it is releasing an AI model that can check the work of other AI models.
Threads is rolling out mobile analytics, as it continues to grow into a fully-fledged platform.
Some interesting data from Buffer this week revealed that Instagram Reels are the best format on there for reach, but not engagement. Also, interestingly, Instagram is experimenting with performance tips mid-stream for Reels.
ByteDance fired an intern this week who worked to sabotage TikTok’s AI, and reportedly caused $10m in damages.
Finally, YouTube is experimenting with a cheaper subscription plan with fewer ads. Presumably not as many people have signed up to Premium as hoped (which, at the price point, perhaps is unsurprising), so this might act as a good gateway.
That’s it! If you found this interesting, I would appreciate it if you shared it with your friends and colleagues.
If you’re feeling particularly generous, I won’t stop you from buying me a coffee. Have a great weekend, and I’ll see you next week!