COMING AT YOU WEEK OF 2.22.22

This week’s most important marketing news

​FACEBOOK HAS (RELATIVELY) IMPROVED iOS CONVERSION TRACKING​

Since Apple’s privacy updates, Facebook’s estimated they were underreporting iOS web conversions by about 15%. Now, they believe they are underreporting by about 8% The link above shares best practices for getting the most accurate data from your FB ads.

​GOOGLE INTRODUCES PRIVACY INITIATIVE FOR GOOGLE PLAY​

Google says they’re working toward a privacy solution for Google Play that will allow them to:

1. use ad revenue to keep many apps free
2. keep some data to make ads relevant, and
3. protect privacy for individuals

​SPOTIFY ACQUIRES PODCAST TECH PLATFORMS ​

This tech will improve ad placement and ad attribution on Spotify. This paves the way for ads on audio streaming services to become an industry standard.

These graphics from Instagram concisely show ranking factors. We’re showing one, but there are graphics like this for ranking Reels and the Discovery page.

​GOOGLE DOCS RELEASES ‘SMART CANVAS’ UPDATES​

As we write this, we’re using their new Pageless format. It transforms your doc into one page with a wide margin that automatically expands to accommodate your content. They’ve also added:

• AI-generated summaries to catch you up on doc content quickly
• An email draft template (yes, in docs) that makes it easier to collaborate
• A meeting notes template that pulls info from a calendar event

​GOOGLE DENIES THAT A BUG CAUSED A SPIKE IN AD DISAPPROVALS ​

Around Feb 14-15, many advertisers reported ad disapprovals for a “government documents and official services” policy. Google says they don’t see any mass disapproval pattern or bug.

Is it good news that it’s business as usual to reject ads based on policies that have nothing to do with the ad content or industry? 🙃

​GOOGLE HAS NO PLAN TO REMOVE STANDARD SHOPPING CAMPAIGNS ​

Performance Max is taking over Smart Shopping, and Google ads continues to emphasize ad automation. This has advertisers fearing the demise of Standard Shopping campaigns. But, Google says that’s not in their plans.

DIFFERENTIATE TO DEFINE YOUR BRAND (AND YOURSELF)

Interview with Sidra Zia

Last week, as you gathered around watching the Super Bowl, I bet you were impressed by the ad Coinbase aired. The ad was so successful that the app crashed, and it’s still receiving a lot of hype. We were lucky enough to interview Sidra Zia, ​​who is part of Brand Marketing at Coinbase. For 8+ years, she’s worked with some of the most iconic brands, and here’s what we learned.

Your biggest weakness can be your strength

Imagine moving to a foreign country to pursue your dream. This is exactly what Sidra did when she decided to come to the United States on a Fulbright Scholarship. Sidra recognized her lack of cultural understanding, which fueled her learning. She said, “ I think a big cultural bridge is giving yourself time to adjust. It didn’t happen overnight. It’s taken me four to five years.” She had to unlearn things to relearn about the culture in the United States. She is constantly trying to learn through newsletters, and other sources, to be on top of trends and see what’s coming. She turned what once was a weakness, she turned it into a strength.

Knowing your crowd

America is a big melting pot, and there isn’t any one-size-fits-all when your brand marketing. Everyone has different definitions of what brand marketing entails. Sidra’s definition is essentially how you present yourself and brand in a unique way to who you are. Questions to ask yourself are:

• What insights do you have on your consumer?
• What is the pain point for the consumer?
• What are your competitors doing?
• How could you differentiate yourself?

Sidra said, “So all branding is essential, an exercise in differentiation in setting anchors and then differentiating yourself against them. That’s my definition of branding.” These questions will allow you to see where you are in the marketplace and how you can stand out.

Overall, it’s important to have diverse employment where people can come together to create brand awareness tailored to the uniqueness of the consumer. Each brand will have different circumstances and target audiences. However, as we seek to learn from them we can create killer campaigns. Now, go try it! ✌🏼

LET’S GET VISUAL