In this weeks digital news, Google Ads is testing a new “Video” option in its Assets section, allowing advertisers to integrate video content more easily. Virtual product placement (VPP) on Shopify is a digital advertising strategy using AI to seamlessly integrate branded products into videos or images during post-production.
Google is taking another run at wearable tech more than a decade after its Google Glass smartglasses flopped with consumers. Google’s December 2024 Core Update started rolling out on 12th December, just 8 days after the November Core Update had finished, and is expected to take two weeks to complete. Google Search Console has been updated to display more recent data with a new “24 hours” view.
It’s been a negative year for consumer confidence. However, confidence grew for the second month running, rising by one point to –17, according to GfK’s Consumer Confidence Index. Sorrell share their rational behind Omnicom takeover of IPG.
Table of Contents
Google Ads tests video asset option
Google Ads is testing a new “Video” option in its Assets section, allowing advertisers to integrate video content more easily. This feature simplifies video uploads and could signal Google’s intent to expand video’s role in search and other ad campaigns, potentially reshaping strategies for 2025.
Key points:
- A “Video” option now appears in the Assets section, leading to an “Add Video” screen.
- The feature is part of a limited pilot for select advertisers and is not yet widely available.
- Google confirmed the test but has not provided further details.
As Advertisers we should monitor this development and consider how video might enhance their ad performance as Google continues to innovate.
Read more here.
Google enters the headset race
Google is taking another run at wearable tech more than a decade after its Google Glass smartglasses flopped with consumers. The tech giant is now teaming up with Samsung to offer a mixed-reality headset. Named “Project Moohan” after the Korean word for “infinite,” the device features a new version of Google’s Android software, which integrates AI capabilities and allows other companies to design headsets and glasses for the operating system. Google’s latest foray into mixed reality sets up a direct challenge to Apple’s Vision Pro and Meta’s VR headsets in a market that’s faced slow adoption.
Read more here.
Google Rolls Out December 2024 Core Update
Google’s December 2024 Core Update started rolling out on 12th December, just 8 days after the November Core Update had finished, and is expected to take two weeks to complete. In Google’s official announcement for the update, they pointed users to their Q&A on Google Search Updates from 2023 to explain why core updates can come so soon after one another, as they work towards updating different systems. This seems to be an indication that Google are aiming to roll out more frequent updates in future, as they announced at Search Central live in Zurich recently.
Read more here.
Google Launches New ’24 Hours’ View In Search Console
Google Search Console has been updated to display more recent data with a new “24 hours” view. This new view contains clicks, impressions and CTR data with hourly updates across Search, Discover and Google News which is much more helpful for SEOs to provide more immediate performance tracking
Read more here.
Virtual Product Placement: Pros, Cons, and Considerations
Virtual product placement (VPP) on Shopify is a digital advertising strategy using AI to seamlessly integrate branded products into videos or images during post-production. Unlike traditional product placement, VPP is flexible, cost-effective, and allows advertisers to update or tailor placements based on current viewer data.
Benefits include a less intrusive viewer experience, improved audience targeting, and higher sales performance. VPP enables advertisers to monetise existing content libraries and adapt campaigns to consumer behaviour. Major brands like H&M and Lexus use VPP to drive impact. With studies showing it enhances viewer perception and increases purchase rates. Streaming platforms and brands are rapidly adopting VPP, making it a popular alternative to traditional advertising methods.
Read more here.
Consumer confidence remains ‘far from strong’ ahead of Christmas
It’s been a negative year for consumer confidence. However, confidence grew for the second month running, rising by one point to –17, according to GfK’s Consumer Confidence Index. This means consumer confidence has increased by just two points since the beginning of 2024. With January’s figure coming in at –19. “Consumer confidence is still far from strong but there is some room for optimism,” says Neil Bellamy, consumer insights director at GfK. Comparatively, consumers’ confidence in their personal finances during the last year grew by two points in the last month, up to –7. This is a seven-point increase on December 2023. Confidence in the forecast for personal finances in the next 12 months is on the up, with confidence now sitting at 1, compared with –2 this time last year.
Read more here.
Sorrell on rationale behind Omnicom takeover of IPG
While the corporate optimism surrounding the mega-deal between Omnicom and Interpublic has been palpable. Sir Martin Sorrell, founder of S4 Capital and former WPP chief executive, is never one to mince words. Sorrell’s assessment of the merger begins with a critical look at IPG’s motivations.
Read more here.
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