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One big thing
This week I got to guest edit Why is this interesting? A daily newsletter by Colin Nagy and Noah Brier.
Using Amazon Prime Video as an example I dig in to, data-driven vs data assisted decision making. And how subjectivity plays a big role even though the data itself is objective.
I’ll be in LA in the coming weeks, if you want to come talk shop, let me know.
Notable stories this week
- Brand safe, premium content, for free were the key pillars of the NBCU Upfront. In contrast to the narrative of subscriptions, it’s a reminder for advertisers that people do want free content.
- MRC makes noise around retiring the click metric in a shift to outcome-focused metrics.
- Disney and the NY Times show how the media dinosaurs can stay on top.
- Why publishers need to communicate the value of premium context. And in-turn why brands should seek it out.
- Xandr creates Community, their private marketplace for video across their properties.
- Google launches discovery ads, their solution to recommendation units. If anyone is testing this and wants a comparison let me know.
- Podcasts will start to show up in Google search results. Likely resulting in the SEO’ification of podcast content.
- How advertisers are responding to Google’s third-party cookie crackdown.
- Uncanny timing given my intro last week, Facebook to let users opt out of off-Facebook tracking which WILL impact brands ability to build audiences off owned properties. i.e user opts out, can’t target them. Measurement won’t be impacted.
- A dive into B2B documentaries. Related, how B2B measures content ROI.
- [From me, long form] When does a human become a bot? A real-life story.
Deals/M&A
- Disney taking operational control of Hulu, with a buy/sell option for the remaining 33% in 2024. Price will be at either the fair market value, or the floor price of $27.5b.
- DotDash acquires Brides Magazine to build out its lifestyle vertical.
- Keith Weed invests in influencer platform – Tribe.
- Salon media abruptly sells to avoid bankruptcy and liquidation.
- How the Cheddar acquisition could bring home the bacon for Altice. Once you have distribution, dollars follow.
- Quora raises $60m at a $2b valuation. Approx 100x 2018 revenue.
- ^ Related: Quora ads are great for distributing content.
Campaign of the week
- EcoWorld on National Geographic, Building a greener world takes a world of change. This is an educational piece that hammers home the need for corporations, individuals and families alike, to review their own practices to understand how they are affecting the planet, in order to save/preserve it.
- Submit your own and view the best campaigns of 2019.
Smartest commentary
- “Nothing has been disrupted about media except the distribution model. Instead of reading newspapers, we read online news. Instead of watching TV, we can get video on demand on our mobile devices. Instead of buying albums, we stream unlimited music with a subscription service.” –Alex Sherman, CNBC
Datapoints of note
- [Australia] 45 percent of consumers believe if they see a brand on a trusted platform, they will also trust it. Whilst 35% believe brands on platforms they like will be a good fit for them.
- Forbes Media’s content solution now account for 40% of its direct revenue.
- Mercedes distributes 11 million copies of its print magazines.
- ICloud is the top service mobile users upload to in the US. Above web browsing, above SnapChat, above Google.
- People who read for 15 or more seconds are 25% more likely to recall a brand than those who read for 10 or fewer seconds.
- 49% of US internet users said that TV was one of the mediums where they were most likely to see a relevant ad, while just 12% said the same about streaming video.
- The average person does 22.2 searches a day.
Events
- JW Insights – 5/29, New York, New York
Thanks,
-Ben
Measurement and intelligence for content-first brands.
Nudge is built by marketers and aims to serve brands investing in content based media, across any category, looking to illustrate ROI, generate deep performance insights, and save time.
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