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Bridging commentary on the art & science of content; content marketing, branded content, native advertising and the analytics, attribution and intelligence that powers it.
Commentary

Anonymous trust

Edition #375 Anonymous trust, more creator solutions and the autostrada of partnerships. I’m traveling a bit this summer, so the newsletter won’t be every week :) But as much as I can. One big thing I’ve been using a car share app whilst travelling. The first I booked looked up someone had ingested polystyrene and spread it throughout the car. Who would leave a car in such a state. The next however was clean, so away I went. Having swapped sides of the roads three times in the last month. All these sharing platforms are akin to brand partnerships. We find something listed and think we can use that to achieve what we want. Hopefully there are some reviews/testimonials, the specs are correct. And we can get where we are going. But brand partnerships are hard. Finding and capitalizing on the points of intersection to a high degree of quality. Do that week in week out. And just one other thing, all your work is in the public domain. So when something goes wrong, it goes wrong. You might be surprised anyone works in media. But the work is good, it’s challenging, always changing and competitive. These redeeming feature are what bring people back for more. And occasionally you get the right partnership where everything just clicks, and you’re cruising down the autostrada at 130 kmph. This week we feature a couple of partnerships which just work. Illimitly partnered with the FT to raise awareness of their offerings. Now it’s not rocket science but it 1) teaches you about the brand. 2) Gets it on your radar as an FT reader. The other is Circular Cities from Bloomberg Media Studios for Holcim, the cement company. Highlighting cities in the race to net zero. Great positioning for the company but also subtle sales, if you’re a city featured and its your mandate, maybe you’ll see what Holcim can offer. Notable stories this week Disney inks major deal with The Trade Desk. And Netflix partners with Microsoft for advertising. The Information launching social network for subscribers. SwapStack crosses more than $1m paid out to newsletter creators. Congrats! ^ Related, Spark Loop launches the partner network. ANA releases first-ever guidelines for measuring influencer marketing. Distributed Trust: The Future of Crowds & Honesty. Via Ben Dietz. PR Newswire expands sponsored placement network to Europe and Canada. Deals/M&A Spotify to acquire music trivia game Heardle. Podcast platform Acast to acquire Podchaser. StoryChief raises $3.4m Campaign of the Week illimity with the FT. The Circular Cities Barometer, Bloomberg Media Studios with Holcim. Continue reading

Ben Young
Ben Young
July 22, 2022
Commentary

Real estate

Edition #373 On those real estate newspapers, retention and new creator tools from Facebook. I’m traveling a bit this summer, so the newsletter won’t be every week :) But as much as I can. This weeks note is from Italy where the sun is scorching the Campari is cold. One big thing As you do when you’re traveling, I picked up a local real estate newspaper. To skim, to learn, to dream about what I could buy. Oh, two bedrooms, that big, good luck finding that in New York. And I’m sure I’m not the only one. I hunted and pecked my way through, and have picked it up several times during the day. Now as a piece of content, you might go, well he did finish it, or he got what he was looking for. So that’s success. It has educated me, it did bring me in, and maybe I won’t buy. But someone else will. And that’s the thing, that piece of content did its job. MrBeast highlights with YouTube, you want to focus on retention, picking up the print and working your way through it. Are readers fully consuming? If not, why not? How can you change the format? Should it be shorter? Longer? Better use of images? Maybe sorted differently. At this point in time you would expect most real estate prints know how to do that. But that’s not always the case when it comes to online comms. We change things because we can, because someone didn’t like something. But the whole goal, the only goal, is to get someone to read the thing. From start to finish. And as many people as possible. Maybe all those things that seem nice are getting in the way of doing the job you were trying to achieve. Which is why we all love newsletters right now, because they’re simple and to the point. If they’re not, we don’t open them and read them. We only remember those that actually deliver on that. Ironic huh. But so, if there’s one thing to focus on, it is retention. Retention even down to each piece of content. Because if you can have a library of content with high retention. You have a top performing portfolio and obtaining results are be a lot easier. Alas, even with all that retention, my wife reassures me, that no we won’t be buying a property here. Cut off at the pass! Content can’t solve all conversion problems hey. Notable stories this week On why retention rate within a video is so vital on YouTube. House of Highlight’s creator-led content triples revenue. Mark Zuckerberg announces new creator monetization tools for Facebook and Instagram. ConvertKit launches their sponsor network, creators can join to get partner deals from them. Your content business model. The Webpage, can it survive the relentless attack? Substack will let you add voiceovers to posts. Congrats to JMJ and WaPo! Interesting tid-bit on Twitter ads starting to work. On why this DTC brand stopped spending on Amazon ads. Malcolm Gladwell's audio company signs a film and TV deal with A24. Can media companies weather a recession? Executives say they’re in stronger shape this time. Deals/M&A Group Black is in talks to buy stake in Bustle parent and has been eyeing a deal for Vice Media. Campaign of the Week eToro with Market Watch, How do we invest in an unknown future? Continue reading

Ben Young
Ben Young
July 8, 2022
Product Updates

Be interesting

Edition #373 CBC retains its branded content division, Twitter notes and on being interesting. One big thing Cannes was back this week! David Berkowitz jammed on a take on Anti Canne (whilst he attended). As did Sir Martin. We didn’t go this year, the simple equation was that when we calculated a per head cost, it was double last time we attended. Ouch. That’s not to say it’s not worth it, but where else could that money go to work more effectively? What if that went into the product. Etc etc. We can rationalize these decisions but I bet for many, reconnecting with peers and getting inspired, was worth it. And not necessarily tangible. Maybe next year for us. Now no one likes to be surprised, especially when it comes to data. And for our own data I’ve built a muscle memory over time so can see when things shift. So when something jumps out I pay attention to it. One of the analysis we have been doing is looking at earned impressions but also earned attention. Seeing not just drives clicks but what drives engagement. For us, LinkedIn is driving an outsized quality of traffic. But we don’t really do anything on LinkedIn, so it’s messages, profile visits etc. Word of mouth and higher intent is driving that quality. So, do I rush and to do more LinkedIn? Well, maybe, but my ROI right now is pretty unbeatable. Maybe best to focus on the things which create that word of mouth. And take some of the gravy. That’s Steve Bryant’s riff this week on creating interesting stuff. Give it a peek, you won’t regret it. Notable stories this week Twitter launches Notes. Why your brand’s content is sooo boring. What good narrative strategy looks like. Semafor launches. CBC can keep its controversial branded content division. Why limited-time brand activations rule in Roblox - for now. Chipotle is an early winner. How will brands measure ad performance in the Metaverse? Twitch ad update offers some streamers big money, others pocket change. NBCU is the exclusive reseller for Apple News and Apple Stocks in the UK. GroupM & iSpot quantify CTV impression overcounts. And Netflix meets with Google to discuss its ad business. Twitter partners with Shopify to bring merchants products to Twitter. And is bringing Branded Likes to the platform. Google News gets a redesign. Walmart to enable product purchases via Roku. [Long read] ‘Wallets and eyeballs’ how eBay turned the internet into a marketplace. Deals/M&A Tremor International in advanced talks to buy Amobee. Campaign of the Week How to make foil-packet Chicken Fajitas. Food Network with Do Good Chicken. Continue reading

Ben Young
Ben Young
June 24, 2022
Xero + TheGuardian
Xero + TheGuardian
Commentary

Always on

Edition #372 Why tv’s are always on, TheAthletic gets bundled and Twitter product drops. One big thing For many set top boxes, they’re on all the time. And if they’re tuned into a channel, even though the tv is off, chances are that viewership is being counted. Which leads to over counting. Even OTT apps can continue to play after you turn the tv off. This means at least $1b worth of ads are being played to no one each year. This is why viewability for the web was invented, to ensure that ads were shown in view of the customer. Makes sense. However for tv, the existing roll out of set room boxes and lack of universal standards make the implementation of a similar type solution challenging. We saw a few weeks back that NBCU is experimenting with multi ad and content on screen. Initially this may seem a bit grim, but is it an improvement over the ad break? And everyone’s tv is a lot larger than they used to be. Maybe that yields enough to drop one or two ad breaks per hour. I’ll be curious to see how it goes. With all this, the backbone or thread is that measurement enables product innovation. Getting those right things captured in your metrics, helps push things forward. Notable stories this week Twitter tests product drop alerts with Home Depot. Is your TV still playing ads when it’s turned off? WaPo to keep software business. Google offers to let ad rivals place YouTube ads in EU antitrust probe. CheckMyAds starts a campaign to get Fox News removed from exchanges. TheAthletic to be added to the NYT subscription bundle. Publishers like Gannett are using micro-surveys to amass audience data. IAB updates guidelines for measuring 3D ads for the metaverse. Includes things like, what’s the minimum viewing angle for an ad. Bidtellect partners with D&B to deliver ads to key decision makers. A revisit of Kevin Kelly’s 1000 True Fans, The Rise of the Internets Creative Middle Class. Deals/M&A Ad agency Mekanism acquired. Campaign of the Week 10 questions you should ask your advisor this end of financial year. Xero with TheGuardian. Like the format, simple and high utility for the reader.   Continue reading

Ben Young
Ben Young
June 17, 2022
Commentary

Out and about

Edition #371 Green media, BBC to launch marketplace for content and Tom Brady raises $50m. One big thing Getting out and about is fun. Those first few reconnects after covid. What I’m seeing is that more senior people are off to conferences, juniors are off to meetups and everyone else is somewhere in-between. Now it used to be the juniors would go to the conferences to hang and learn and really absorb the industry. So it feels like a bit of a disconnect, that the remote working when everyone comes back, only seems to agitate. This then feels like opportunity, to bring both groups back together. Which is where marketing teams can help, creating events that whole teams can come to, whether that’s affordability, style or event, or just subtle positioning. The old StartupWeekends, the UnConferences, the hackathons. What does this have to do with content & media? Well, it’s where we’re all going to meet the next new partner for that project. Or that new collaborator. Whether someone will challenge our thinking. Which I think is a good thing. Notable stories this week Sharethrough launches its first green media products. How this TikTok creator makes $20k/month. BBC to launch BSP in partnership with Vuulr, a marketplace for licensing their shows. European Baby Brand Bugaboo makes its first US-focused social media and content play. Hubspot is pushing into video. Spotify CEO teases major push into audiobooks. 12-Step Brand and Content Framework. Google Slides link. Another Google Slide deck, Brand Building on Social Media. Deals/M&A Tom Brady & Michael Strahans, Religion of Sports raises $50m. CreativeX raises $25m Series B. PepperContent raises $14.3m to enter US. Contentoo acquires Contentbox. Campaign of the Week DinoTracker from Department of Prehistoric Wildlife, as part of Jurassic World launch. @DinoTracker on Twitter. ^ Extending this to native placements across publishers would be the kicker in the execution of this strategy.   Continue reading

Ben Young
Ben Young
June 10, 2022
Commentary

Good Wine

Edition #370 On what we can learn from what makes a good wine. Educational branded content and Stranger Things. One big thing One sip leads to another. Whilst away I read Cork Dork and in answering the question of what makes a good wine. Paul Grieco of Terroir fame would answer that one sip leads to another. The first leads to the second and the second leads to the third. As I lay there in the Mexican sun, I thought that’s a brilliant little analogy. If someone enjoys it they reach for more. Such an idea could bring a lot of simplicity to marketing teams. Instead we dive for more. What else should we be looking at. Over intellectualizing it. Rather than simply going, is the consumer coming back for more. I liked it and thought it was worth sharing. Notable stories this week How Front Office Sports is leveling up its branded content business through educational courses. Lessons on readability for marketing content. Ed Norton talks media measurement. Deals/M&A Substack drops fund-raising efforts as market sours. The charts showing Creator Economy investments this year. Campaign of the Week Leaving a legacy: how to give a gift that lasts beyond your lifetime. Guardian with Cancer Council. Continue reading

Ben Young
Ben Young
June 3, 2022
guide to influencer content marketing
guide to influencer content marketing
Influencer Marketing

Guide to Influencer Content Marketing

Influencer content marketing is partnering with content creators who have their own audience to create content that helps to deliver on your marketing objectives. Influencer marketing is analogous to celebrity endorsements, which pre-internet was a way to capture the loyalty and share of voice of celebrities that aligned with your brand. This analogy also speaks to the challenges, finding the right influencers to work with, how you engage with them but also the ongoing risks that influencer may pose down… Continue reading

Gustaf Stenlund
Gustaf Stenlund
December 5, 2022
Commentary

Advertising claims

Edition #369 Regulators are not giving any leeway when it comes to the third dimension. And content marketing not just a pandemic trend. One big thing Law firm Fenwick dug into the implications of advertising in the metaverse, “regulators emphasized that ads in the Metaverse must be truthful and not misleading even if the technological medium for delivery of those ads is nascent.” And it turns out, the metaverse literally adds dimensions to potential legal claims. “One unique issue about advertising in the Metaverse is the potential to make three-dimensional claims. A Metaverse application that purports to reflect how a real-life article of clothing would look could be found to make the claim that the article of clothing would fit as shown digitally if worn by the consumer in reality. This is a natural extension of the law as it has currently been applied to claims made in product images.” They also pointed to that disclosures must be made, even if ‘text disclosures’ are not available in that platform. It seems that there is no longer a this is a new place so you’re off the hook. As regulators are getting savvier and faster to deal with these same issues that pop up repeatedly on new platforms. Notable stories this week Content marketing maintains momentum as pandemic restrictions ease. Why Manscaped is leaning into ads on Tumblr. NBCU leaning into new ad formats to engage viewers. Twitter announces Premium Content Partnerships at 2022 Digital Content NewFronts. And other NewFronts releases from LinkedIn, Meta, Pinterest & YouTube. What are the legal implications of advertising in the metaverse? Is a digital representation held to the same legal standard? Eddy Cue reportedly has bigger plans for Apple’s billion-dollar streaming and ads business. With no third-party accredited measurement, this year’s upfront season is a testing bonanza. Ads may come to Netflix by the end of 2022. Campaign of the Week Anker with BuzzFeed. You should have a home energy kit - and this is the very first thing you should buy for it.   Continue reading

Ben Young
Ben Young
May 13, 2022
Commentary

Headless chickens

Edition #368 Fortune partners with SalesForce+ in this weeks edition, headless chickens & Roku ARPU. One big thing For many in sales it feels obvious that when you’re having multiple conversations and the potential partner is really engaged, that you’re more likely to make a sale. Yet when it comes to this sort of engagement or touch points online it doesn’t feel the same. Conceptually people get it but it hasn’t quite clicked for many. RealEyes released a study this week and have identified where the tide is beginning to shift. 65% of participants in their study report that attention is a conversion stage in the sales and customer journey. That is a good sign. Rather than running around like headless chickens, using the signals consumers give us from their behavior is vital to understanding progress. Notable stories this week TripleLift aims to insert itself into the CTV conversation using native ads. Brand Creator partnerships are prioritizing expertise and diversity over fame. Adland bullish on attention metrics, expects brands to pay. Attention increasingly is recognized as a business outcome in advertising. Twitter says it overcounted its users over the past 3 years. NBCU unveils self-serve programmatic ad manager. Deals/M&A Mavrck raises $135m and acquires link in bio company Later. Vice is looking to sell its studio business. Roku & Apollo team up on Starz bid. Campaign of the Week Fortune & SalesForce, the Ecopreneurs. A video series on entrepreneurs focused on saving the planet. Also a lead in for SalesForce+. Continue reading

Ben Young
Ben Young
May 6, 2022
Commentary

Advertising Vibes

Edition #367 Goldman invests in tv measurement, Kevin Hart merges his companies and Spotify allows video anywhere. One big thing The vibe around advertising right now is a bit weird huh. Elon Musk hating on it. Outcry about Netflix adding advertising. But advertising supports a healthy economy, aiding in product discovery. In a digital attention world, subscriptions have a stronger role to play. And with Netflix’s focus, it seems like most platforms are heading towards a hybrid future. Part subscription, part advertising. You choose. And that’s smart, because advertising makes content more accessible to all. And subscription provides reliable revenue. Spotify is maybe a good example of this with their subscription focused, advertising supported model. But you look at WPP, who is growing YOY, there’s a sign of creativity leading growth in advertising. And that’s exactly what’s needed. Notable stories this week YouTube is testing ads on its short-form answer to TikTok, Shorts. Sharethrough hires a CMO. And founder Dan Greenberg and native advertising pioneer steps down after 14 years to work on something new. ???? BuzzFeed arrives at upfronts with a vertical ad format, a creator network, and plenty of new programming. Spotify now allows all creators in select markets to publish video podcasts. Video can now be embedded off platform too. Study website Quizlet launches ad platform using native. The Ad Tech vendors helping programmatic go green. CNN+ shut down and subscription cost is driving cancellations. [Long read] How retail media ad platforms are rewriting the wallets garden playbook. Deals/M&A Goldman Sachs to invest $325m into tv measurement company iSpot.tv. Kevin Hart’s LOL Network and HartBeat productions merged and the combined entity raised $100m in investment. G/O Media buys Quartz. Campaign of the Week Metlife with WSJ. Tailwinds for Emerging Markets. Continue reading

Ben Young
Ben Young
April 29, 2022