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Given I missed a couple of weeks, this is a bigger edition, I’ve worked to make it as impactful as possible.
This week in conversations, the balance between technology & service has come up a bit, our industry is often the first disrupted by technology – and everyone is feeling it. This is the new world, how can technology companies work with their service partners more effectively? And vice versa. It’s a partnership eco-system, neither can exist without the other. <- Any good reading you come across on this, please do pass my way.
Finally, please join me in helping solve the great New Zealand conspiracy, why is New Zealand disappearing from world maps? #GetNZonthemap
Notable stories this week
- GrapeShot acquired, part-boost Moat stack but mostly the GDPR surge will mean contextual data is going to be very valuable.
- VC or Internet Ombudsman Hunter Walk proposes a nutrition label for internet privacy. Great.
- Brave the ‘token based’ alternative for pub monetization. Early experiments from Dow Jones.
- 4 Ways to Improve Your Content Marketing, a tactical post but one takeaway I liked was a reminder to think about the ‘first time’ experience.
- Facebook relooks at pre-roll, I suspect the shift to mobile stories *may* impact the need for this.
- What Axel Springer is gaining by thinking outside the Google box. Access to raw log data and how advertisers are bidding is helping improve the overall business.
- These Industry Leaders want to bring ‘Coherence’ to Content Marketing.
- IAB released their branded content creation & distribution guide.
- The five ways we read online.
- FourSquare announces their in-house creative studio.
- Some color on the other side of the SnapChat Advertising story (i.e. those using it), lower CPAs, higher engagement rates, a revenue shift.
- Tips on branded content from Jerry Media.
- Mic faces an uncertain future in a post-Facebook world.
- Snap testing unstoppable ads.
- Facebook announces the ability to ‘clear history’.
- Twitter may let pubs sell ads before their videos.
- How to use PPC to support your branded content.
Deals/M&A
- Sponsored stories coming to FireFox. Would love any data and/or first hand experiences from readers.
- Microsoft launches AI powered native ads.
Campaign of the Week
- CBS with Toyota in Vermont, with a brand light integration it’s designed to reflect the audience and the brands relationship, an elegant nod to the native integration. Laid back and shines the light on Vermont culture. Watch the video on storytelling, it’s good.
- ^ Reminds me of this viking storyteller, also worth a watch (not brand content but great storytelling).
- Saving our World, a series with Business Insider and BASF. Soak it up.
- Rolls Royce + National Geographic. I’ve been vibing on this as they have slowly been releasing the hype videos in the build up to their SUV launch. To establish SUV credibility the vehicle is still in pre-launch wrapping so that you focus on its merits. Smart. A partnership with Nat Geo is also not one you would expect from Rolls Royce but it helps impart the adventure and opportunities. Watch a few of the videos here.
- Submit your own and then view all 2018.
Smartest commentary
- “NYTimes declare the era of interruptive advertising is over to be replaced by brand-service partnerships.” Tweet by Randall Rothenberg, CEO, IAB
- “In the end, branded content is like anything else in the current landscape of advertising. If a short film or a podcast or themed experience is going to work for a brand, it must convey the essence of that story, some underlying theme or belief, onto the brand itself.” –Ernie Schenck, Editor, Communication Arts
- “Nobody’s really pulling away from the [tech] platforms”…“But they are looking for partners that can activate across platforms, whether it’s programmatic, branded content, audio, so they can spend less time negotiating a deal with 12 different partners.” –Ryan Pauley, VP Revenue Ops at Vox
Datapoints of note
- Blog output by brands has increased over 800% in the past five years but organic social share of blogs has decreased by 89%.
- ^ Hence native. 😉
- [Instagram Influencer Agency] 1.67% of Instagram audience signed up to email newsletter. 2-5% swipe up rate on ads.
- SnapChat daily usage is 30 minutes/day.
- SnapChat CPA is 5 times lower than Instagram and average CTR is 2.2%.
- The average influencer campaign on RhythmOne was $71k in 2017.
- Video ads now make up half of Twitter’s revenue.
- Contextual video increases dwell time by 1/3.
Events
- [May 16] Sharethrough’s Native Ad Summit is back.
- [May 17th, 11am EST] Gustaf Stenlund will be sharing the latest results from Nudge’s Traffic Quality study. Add it to your calendar.
Thanks for reading, we have another dinner coming up on the 31st if you’d like to join.
Ta,
-Ben
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