There are lots of bits and pieces this week, with some potentially game-shifting product news from TikTok and plenty going on at Meta Connect. Plus, there’s a slightly odd battle in the world of WordPress, content moderation news from X, and TikTok’s latest craze. Let’s go!
TikTok launches keyword-targeted search ads
One of the common observations over the last couple of years has been how people are increasingly using TikTok as a search engine. Indeed, according to TikTok, 23% of users search for something within 30 seconds of opening the app. So, it might be slightly surprising then that it’s only now that TikTok is launching keyword-specific search ads, enabling advertisers to target a selection of keywords.
This is far more nascent than the more established Google Ads offering, and we probably shouldn’t expect the same level of planning or analysis capabilities just yet. The most significant difference from its existing Search Ads in format is giving advertisers more control over placement.
It offers enormous opportunities, and if your audience lives on TikTok, it is certainly worth investigating further.
The platform also announced more access to enhanced services for a broader range of content creators this week.
Meta announces new features at Meta Connect
Meta Connect is now well underway, with a few new announcements – the headlines have so far been grabbed by a Judi Dench-voiced chatbot and by Orion, its next foray into smart eyewear.
First to Orion – essentially, they look almost like a normal pair of glasses, but this brings Augmented Reality out of headsets and into glasses. It’s still in the prototype phase, but is an excellent insight into what’s coming down the line. The Verge have written up a great hands on article.
Meanwhile, it’s brought in a diverse range of celebs to voice its new AI assistant chatbot, including the likes of Judi Dench, John Cena, Keegan-Michael Key, Kristen Bell and Awkwafina.
Probably the biggest news for us is the expansion of Meta’s business AI chatbots to those running click-to-message ads on messaging apps Messenger and WhatsApp (where Meta AI usage is heaviest), which opens up a raft of engagement options beyond just driving to a landing page or instant experience. Initially, this will only be available to English-language users.
Further Reading
There has been a bizarre and pretty difficult skirmish this week in WordPress-land, resulting in thousands of WP Engine customers being banned from using the platform. WP founder Matt Mullenweg had previously labelled WP Engine a “cancer” to WordPress.
Meanwhile over at Meta, the firm has now acquired Threads.com, meaning the desktop version should be easier to find online.
Elon Musk v Brazil looks to be reaching an end, with X agreeing to appoint a legal representative in the country, pay its fines and take down user accounts as requested by the local government.
X released its first transparency report since rebranding to X. And, surprisingly, the actual volume of removals is not too dissimilar to pre-Elon Twitter. However, its looking to remove account blocking functionality in the app, which feels like a significant step backwards in terms of winning over sceptics.
And finally, we’ve moved on being demure; the internet’s (who are we kidding, TikTok’s) newest sensation is a baby pygmy hippo, Moo Deng from Thailand, who has sparked a makeup craze. These newsletters get wilder every week.
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!