Social Media

Facebook Launches First Legal Action Against ‘Click Injection Fraud’

Over the past several months, Facebook has launched legal action against several companies for operating fake Like and engagement services. And now, Facebook’s taking aim at another type of misrepresentation, in the form of ‘click injection’ scams. ‘Click injection’ is essentially building a system which simulates ad clicks, and presents them as actual engagement. The two developers identified in this case are Hong Kong-based LionMobi, and Singapore-based JediMobi, both of which have now been banned and had their accounts disabled. The two companies were able to earn money from the scheme by driving fake clicks to Facebook Audience Network ads which appeared within their apps, then earning payouts from Facebook for that engagement. The case may provide Facebook with a legal precedent for future action, while it also, again, highlights the expanded lengths the company is going to in order to secure its systems. But it may also only be the start – there could be more cases to come of businesses which are cheating Facebook’s system, and lessening the value of Facebook ads by ‘injecting’ false clicks.

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Marketing

Google Updates Google Images to Make it Easier to Shop via Search

Google has announced another social-like feature within Google Images, this one seemingly taking direct aim at Pinterest, which is rising as a product search threat. The option will help users better locate similar image matches by providing a direct comparison alongside, as opposed to having an expanded result that stays pinned as you continue to scroll. But more than just that core comparative functionality, the new option is also specifically focused on facilitating shopping. Now, you’ll be able to search for ‘blue+basketball shoes+Nike’ and get a full listing of related items, each with an expandable, pinned side-panel for matching, and price and quality measures built into the listing. The option will make online reviews even more important, as well as price and completed product information listings. We’ll have to wait and see just how many searchers revert to the new process, but it could quickly become a key SEO consideration for eCommerce brands.

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Google Top Places List Out of Beta – Uses Machine Learning

Google’s Top Places List feature is officially out of beta. Google updated the Top Places developer page with new information indicating that the Top Places List feature is now automated by a machine learning algorithm. The Top Places List is a Google feature that displays related information about a specific place. If a restaurant is mentioned in several top ten type lists, Google will display that information so that users can learn more about that business. Google’s developer page for the Top Places List feature was updated on August 5, 2019.  The Top Places List developers page now indicates the use of machine learning to select the top places lists. 

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Advertising

Google Ad Manager, AdMob add support for app-ads.txt, to start blocking unauthorized ad serving for publishers this month

Google Ad Manager and AdMob, Google’s mobile ad network, now support app-ads.txt, the anti-ad fraud protocol for app publishers. The company announcedTuesday that beginning August 27, Google Ad Manager and AdMob will block ad serving of unauthorized in-app ad inventory in both platforms when publishers have app-ads.txt files implemented. Google said in April that its DSP Display & Video 360 would stop buying unauthorized in-app inventory starting in August. Given its market leadership position, Google’s support for app-ads.txt from both the buy and sell sides will help propel adoption of the standard by app publishers. Publishers who do not implement an app-ads.txt file will see no changes to their ad serving, but they will not benefit from these added spoofing protections.

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Social Media

Pinterest Reaches 300 Million Users, Posts Better Than Expected Profit in Q2

Pinterest has provided an update on its performance, giving investors a look at how it’s tracking towards its broader growth goals. And the company is tracking pretty well – first off, on users, Pinterest is now up to 300 million monthly actives, a 30% increase on a year ago. Pinterest continues to boost its usage numbers, which is something that all brands should be taking note of – because, for one, you obviously want to reach as many people as possible, and Pinterest can increasingly help facilitate that. But the real strength of Pinterest is in driving purchase intent – according to research, some 90% of weekly Pinners use Pinterest to make purchase decisions, higher than any other social platform.  Pinterest CEO Ben Silbermann noted that it will be looking to bring more videos into Pinterest feeds to boost engagement, along with its evolving business tools.  As we’ve noted in the past, Pinterest gets less recognition than other platforms, but as you can see, the numbers are comparable, if not better than some of the more hyped platforms.   

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Facebook Adds Instagram Scheduling to Creator Studio

Instagram scheduling has long been a headache for social managers, leading to a range of alternative posting options, each of which has its own value and capacity. The new Instagram scheduling option has been rolling out to users over the past month, though it looks to have been expanded more broadly this week. This new option, provides increased capacity, in that you can better see exactly what your Insta posts will look like, which is similar to posting to a Facebook Page natively, as opposed to through a scheduling app.  The option will no doubt make a lot of social media managers very happy, with full Instagram post and scheduling functionality built into an official app. That could make Instagram management much easier – though some have also questioned whether posts which come through this process will see less engagement, as has long been the concern with various third-party scheduling tools.

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Marketing

Google to offer mandated ‘search choice’ to EU Android users in 2020

Google is introducing a new search engine “choice screen” in Europe for Android users. It’s reminiscent of what Microsoft was compelled to do roughly a decade ago, to offer “browser choice” on the desktop in Europe. Starting in 2020, when Android users set up their devices they’ll be able to choose a search provider. Google says providers will potentially vary by country. The criteria for consideration include: being a general (and not vertical) search provider, support for the local language, and free availability in Google Play. Search providers will need to apply to Google by September 13. And by October 31, the list of search engines for each country will be confirmed. Beyond the application, Google will conduct an auction to determine which engines are included on the choice screen. Successful bidders will be presented at random and “pay each time a user selects them from the choice screen in the given country.” The European Commission may step in and prevent Google from charging rivals to participate in the search choice screen but that remains to be seen. Although Google is silent on this, it will appear as a choice in every country and is presumably not going to compete in the auction. Because of its brand strength and existing usage, Google is likely to “win” in most cases unless rival search engines aggressively market some differentiating feature (e.g, privacy). Thus it’s unlikely that Google’s mobile search reach or ad revenue will be impacted much, if at all, by this process.

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Advertising

Google tests carousel local pack with ads included

Google has been testing a new design for the “local pack,” the local results box in the search results. This new design shows the local results in a scrollable carousel format and now also includes an ad spot at the top. The local pack in this new carousel format is a lot more interactive and by default only highlights one-and-a-half local results on first glance. To see more results, you need to scroll through the listing and then when you click on a listing, you get other options.

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Social Media

Facebook’s Working on a New, TV-Connected Streaming and Video Call Device

According to a new report from The Information, Facebook has approached Netflix, Disney and other media companies in regards to porting their streaming services onto a new, TV-connected Facebook device. Facebook released its Portal video calling device last year, but thus far, response has been fairly lukewarm. Privacy concerns appear to be playing at least some role in this, which is an element Facebook will have to contend with over time – but as the company has also shown in the past, people are less concerned about privacy when the device/app/tool offers a higher level of utility. It’s no surprise to see Facebook once again looking to connect to your TV set. The question is whether it will be worth it – how can Facebook incentivize users to buy a new connected TV device, in addition to those apps and tools they may already have, and make it the go-to provider for such content?

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Marketing

Google introduces App + Web for unified reporting in Google Analytics

Google has historically had two separate tools for web and app analytics: Google Analytics and Google Analytics for Firebase, for mobile apps. Now the company is combining their capabilities in a new property that seeks to provide a more unified view of customer data: App + Web for Google Analytics. Director of Product Management for Google Analytics, Jesse Savage, said that he hopes the new offering will help marketers and brands improve the customer experience by giving them “a single, consistent set of metrics for more integrated reporting and a more comprehensive view of the customer journey” (on Google properties). It’s critical for brands and marketers to gain as complete an understanding of their customers’ behavior as possible. Of course, Google isn’t the only platform consumers use in making buying decisions. For marketers entirely focused on their apps, or for those who don’t have an app, the new capabilities won’t be particularly meaningful. But for those focused on both mobile apps and the web, the new App + Web capability offers much greater visibility and insight than Google Analytics and Google Analytics for Firebase each could on their own.

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Advertising

Google App campaigns expand to Discover feeds, AdMob testing ads on app loading screens

Google has been focused on advertising opportunities for mobile games specifically and apps generally for several years. The company is announcing new inventory and features for app publishers and advertisers at Think Games at ChinaJoy, a giant conference for game developers in Shanghai this week. App campaigns (formerly Universal App Campaigns) ads are now eligible to show in Discover, the feed that appears on the Google home page on mobile and Chrome. App campaigns are also gaining access to YouTube search results on mobile devices. On the publisher side, new announcements for developers using AdMob to serve Google ads in their apps include new ad placement test, smart segmentation expansion and more metrics. App advertisers don’t have control over where their ads appear. If you’re running App campaigns, keep an eye on your performance metrics as this new inventory comes into play — you’ll likely see impressions (and hopefully conversion actions) rise.

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Google extends same-meaning close variants to phrase match, broad match modifiers

Google is further loosening the reins on close variants, this time extending same-meaning close variants to phrase match and broad match modifier. With the changes, Google is also changing its keyword selection preferences to prevent keywords from competing against each other. Phrase match and broad match modifier will match to same meaning queries and keyword selection preferences are also changing. The change will roll out “in the coming weeks. Google said it expects advertisers using phrase and broad match modifier to see 3-4% more clicks and conversions on those keywords, with 85% of those clicks, on average, coming from queries not currently covered by your existing keywords. The days of zero-keyword search campaigns have long been predicted as machine learning has taken over and audiences have come into play. 

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Social Media

LinkedIn Provides New Tips on Choosing Ad Campaign Objectives

Late last year, LinkedIn began initial testing of its objective-based advertising approach, which has been gradually rolling out to all businesses over the last few months. The update aims to make it easier for advertisers to select the right targeting options to maximize their on-platform ad campaigns. To help brands make best use of the new process, LinkedIn has this week published a new explainer on how to choose the right objective from the three top-level categories. LinkedIn has also published a video on setting up your target audience, completing the essential elements to the ad targeting process. If you’re looking to make best use of LinkedIn for your ad campaigns, the tips and notes provided here will no doubt help guide your approach, and improve your targeting strategy.

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TikTok’s Parent Company is Developing its Own Smartphone, Flagging Broader Ambitions

Tik Tok, which was introduced into western markets in August 2018, is owned by Chinese company ByteDance – which, before launching TikTok, had already been operating the same app in China for the preceding two years. Now seeing more than 450 million users worldwide, and rising, TikTok is able to roll out ad tools in western markets that it’s already tested in China. According to new reports, ByteDance is also developing its own smartphone, taking on the work of phone maker Smartisan, which it acquired recently. Smartisan has become known for trying out new ideas in Smartphone tech, like the Inifinite Screen. The company has, reportedly, experienced operating difficulties of late, but the partnership with ByteDance could provide both companies with new opportunities, and could help boost ByteDance’s ambitions even further, solidifying its presence. That could make TikTok a better bet for social media marketing, and reaching out via influencers, and even on-platform ads. There’s still a way to go, of course, TikTok hasn’t yet established its place as the next big social app. But its approach, as noted, is not the same, which may well position it to maximize its opportunities.

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Advertising

Google Keyword Planner Updated to Show the Most Relevant Keyword Ideas

Google has updated its Keyword Planner tool with the ability to show the most relevant keyword ideas based on the seed keyword. This update is designed to help users prioritize which keywords to add to their Google Ads account. Along with this update, two other features have been added to Keyword Planner: website filtering and brand exclusions. All of these changes are rolling out in English first, with coming to other languages later this year.

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Google Ads Editor Updated With 4 New Features

Google Ads Editor version 1.1 has been released, which contains updates to improve on design and usability. Here are the new features in the latest version of Google Ads Editor: Image Picker: Browse and select from previously used images, in addition to selecting images from your desktop. Dark Mode: Activate dark mode by clicking the moon icon in the bottom right-hand corner. IP Exclusions: Add and update IP exclusions, ensuring that your IP exclusion settings are consistent when copying and pasting campaigns. And, Accounts Manager: Managing multiple accounts is now easier with checkboxes in the accounts manager that allow users to select and open multiple accounts.These updates are available now by downloading the latest version of Google Ads Editor.

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Social Media

Pinterest Unveiled a Set of Mobile Ad Tools

Brands on Pinterest can now more easily create and manage ad campaigns on the network via their mobile devices and set up their Promoted Pins following Thursday’s introduction of mobile ad tools. The new tools are available to all business accounts in the U.S., and the global rollout is under way. They can only be accessed via Pinterest’s iOS and Android applications, and not via the mobile web. Tools available to brands via this new option include adjusting budgets and targeting, pausing ads, editing URL destinations and changing campaign names. On the metrics side, brands can see ad spend, remaining campaign duration, impressions, clicks, click-through rates and saves.

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Snap continues to march forward with solid gains during the second quarter of 2019

Snap, the company behind Snapchat, reported a 48% year-over-year increase in revenue for the second quarter of 2019, reaching $388 million. The upswing continued on the user front as well, with 13 million new daily active users (DAUs) added during the second quarter. Snap now stands at 203 million total DAUs. Of the 203 million total DAUs on Snapchat, 83 million are in North America. Snap reported that 7 to 9 million of the 13 million new DAUs can be accounted to the higher user engagement with its new AR Lenses. The new AR Lenses “brought in new users and re-engaged lapsed users,” the company’s CFO Derek Andersen said. Snap reported it saw more engagement with Lenses created by users during the second quarter than all of 2018. As part of the company’s prepared statements, CEO Evan Spiegel reported 75% of the 13- to 34-year-old population is currently active on Snapchat. “Making us larger than services like Facebook and Instagram among this audience, and demonstrating the broad-based appeal of our service,” said Spiegel, highlighting how Snap is positioning itself against the likes of Facebook and Instagram.

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New Report Suggests Facebook’s Data Scandals Will Impact Trust in its Libra Currency Offering

Facebook’s vision of creating an alternative currency that will better connect the world through its platforms could face some significant challenges in take-up – and that’s before you consider the regulatory concerns already raised by officials. In order to measure the public’s interest in Facebook’s coming Libra currency, and whether people actually intend on using it, messaging and calling app Viber commissioned a survey of 2,000 people in the US and UK (1,000 in each region) to get their impressions of the option. In the US, Viber’s research found that nearly half of all Americans say that they would not trust Facebook at all in regards to keeping their information secure – while less than 3% of Americans say they would be willing to try Libra for payments. Interestingly, those trends hold fairly firm across demographic sets – though younger respondents are more inclined to put their trust in The Social Network. People don’t trust Facebook now, yet for the most part, they haven’t stopped using the app because it’s become a key element in their interactive process, a means to keep them connected to the people and things they care about. If Facebook can provide the same with Libra, these initial concerns will likely dissolve over time.

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Marketing

‘Swipe to Visit’ has arrived on Google Images

Google has launched “Swipe to Visit,” an Images search feature that displays a preview of an AMP-enabled website’s header after a user selects an image result. The user can then swipe up on the preview to load the image’s corresponding web page. Visual searches allow users to efficiently scan and compare many offerings. Capturing high-quality images and optimizing them for search provides one more way for brands to attract users to their websites. This new UI feature may help AMP-enabled publishers get more traffic from their photos by putting their websites a single swipe away. 

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