Edition #544
Big week for big tech in ads, an influencer figures out swear words stop ads and CINT goes private.
Big news for big tech, and on the same day! The DOJ seems to be endorsing AI usage of content for training as fair use. And Google won’t be forced to break up its tech. And Amazon has been accused of using a soft reserve, to lift bids!
And that’s kind of the crux of tech’s antitrust arguments, we live in a big, competitive landscape, we can be disrupted at any point in time. And for the new challenger ‘big tech’ that’s why they need to hype AI, to get enough capital so that they can compete with big tech. Join them or beat them.
Meta dropping their latest model is a good example, not long ago Anthropic had the market beating model, now Meta is in there with a strong model, on a way lower cost basis.
I enjoyed this piece from Jonathan Moran, posing the question, does your march stack really need real time data?
It’s good, and it’s a sensibility I have seen changing in the enterprise. Matching the need to the business case. And the rise of bad data, means we have seen folks shifting to sampling, on a regular basis, rather than relying on a stream of fresh data. Which can take a lot longer to vett.
There was one client which asked us to review some data, that the board had already made a decision on, only to find, it was directionally wrong, and the initial call have to be re-evaluated. This is happening everywhere and much more common than you think!
And an influencer figured out, if you put swear words in your searches, you get no ads on Pinterest?!
Ha.
Notable stories this week
- MrBeast’s literary debut comes with a chance to win $1 million. Is that enough to make it a bestseller?
- How every major platform pays creators.
- Amazon’s fight with the FTC contains an uncomfortable lesson for advertisers.
- Google avoids breakup as judge orders ad tech unit changes.
- The Telegraph’s next podcast play: video, events and paid memberships.
- OpenAI expands ads measurement team.
- We underestimate CTV’s ability to drive short term sales.
- How subscription fatigue is driving more flexible revenue models.
- Marketers are media measurement’s biggest problem.
- Google yet again avoided a breakup of its business – but it will have to play nicer.
- Micro dramas are weird, cheap, soap operas for your phone. And they’re booming.
- Netflix continues to invest in podcasts.
- Good Good’s CEO and president are out after ad debacle.
- Google won’t be forced to break up its ads business.
- Does the success of Dish from Waitrose prove branded entertainment works?
- How the World Cup boosted The Athletic’s audience and sponsor roster.
- Locala introduces adaptive advertising, setting the foundation for its next phase of growth.
- GTA makes advertising appointment TV. And why it hints at Netflix’s gaming future.
- Anthropic has never signed a licensing deal with a digital publisher, yet never been sued. Why?
- News helps advertisers get more from their media investment.
- The Information bets bigger on video with new AI show.
- Media’s life after the page view.
- Does your martech stack really need real-time data.
- A lot of people say the web is dead.
Deals/M&A
- Cint goes private.
- Media upstart valuations surge.
Campaign of the week
- Figma launched Source Material.
Smartest commentary
- “There is a big gap between willingness to pay and willingness to commit” –Anjali Iyer, Global Head of Subscription Marketing, The Washington Post.
Datapoints of note
- Waitrose’s branded podcast recently passed one billion downloads, views and listens, staking a claim as the world’s most successful branded podcast.
- OpenAI says ad biz reached $1b revenue run rate.
- Horizon Media used no code agents to increase its workforce capacity 15 to 20%.
- Freestar shared that after partnering with Boston Global Media on programmatic. Boston Globe is up 99% YoY in programmatic revenue. Boston.com is up 24%. Boston Globe hit 200% of its forecast in its first full month. Boston Magazine put up 60% RPM growth in a single month.
- The Athletic readership received a 40% boost around the tournament.
Events
- The Advertising CMO breakfast in early October..
That’s it for this week.
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