It’s the start of a new week, and our digital gurus Kylie and Tom have researched their top stories in PPC and SEO. In this week’s digital news to watch, Google releases more features for Performance Max, TikTok and it’s ‘de-influencing’ trend is a new marketing tactic and audio ad spend grows during the digital slowdown in Australia.
TikTok ‘de-influencing’ trend could be a marketing tactic
Every trend has its counterculture, and it has finally happened for influencing. Known as de-influencing, popular influencers are now starting to call out poor-performing products that have previously been pushed by other influencers om TikTok. These honest reviews of disappointing products are going to be important for brands and influencers alike, for influencers, it’s going to build trust and support.
For brands, social listening is going to become even more important and pivoting away from poorer-performing products will become necessary.
However, there’s an opportunity for brands within this new trend. If your product is better/cheaper than a product currently being ‘de-influenced’ then there’s a great opportunity to jump in and have your product highlighted as an alternative. If you were thinking about cutting your social listening budget then maybe it’s time to think again.
Google product reviews update is being rolled out
Google’s February 2023 Product Reviews update was announced last week and is currently being rolled out globally to eleven languages and will take approximately two weeks to be finished. Google updated their official guidance on Product Review Updates to clarify that this one focuses on the overall system, as opposed to a single update, to weed out thin, unhelpful content.
Google Ads announces four new features on Performance Max
Google Performance Max continues to get new features and Google announced last week that some much-requested features are on the way. Campaign-level brand exclusions will soon be accessible which is something that previously had to be done through Google support.
Page feed support, asset group reporting and budget pacing are also available, being able to pick and choose specific landing pages should help control customer journeys in a similar way to DSA campaigns and asset group reporting will give a quicker view of performance between groups. Finally, experiments will now let you test Pmax vs standard shopping campaigns so those that are reluctant to move over can trial-run Pmax.
It seems like Google is listening to customers around their frustrations with Pmax but there is still some way to go to convince the staunch standard shopping defenders.
Audio ad spend grows as slowdown hits Australian digital market
Audio ad spend is growing in Australia despite a slowdown in digital marketing, 63% of spend was through digital streaming and 37% of it came through podcasts. As advertisers look for ways to reach more at cheaper CPMs, audio may offer a way to reach new audiences at key times in the user journey.
We’ve seen Spotify improve its ads platform over the last few years and podcast sponsorship continues to grow across the market. As radio moves more towards digital, we anticipate they will share more of the advertising budget pie. With the improvements in measurement that come with digital, we’re likely to see this channel grow.
AI-powered Bing now available on mobile
Microsoft has introduced their new AI-powered search functionality within Bing on mobile devices. As soon as you open Bing on a mobile device, you are met with a prompt box with examples under the main search bar to explain “the new Bing” and encourage users to ask real questions and learn more.
For more information on how we can support your digital marketing strategy for 2023, whether you need help with PPC, SEO, or TikTok – or you’re looking for an ambitious marketer to join your team and need recruitment support, get in touch with our helpful team by sending us an email to team@modo25.com
