Welcome to a brand new week and the start of the World Cup 2022. Kylie and Tom have been trawling the PPC and SEO headlines to bring you this week’s top five digital news stories to watch. This week, we discuss the alcohol ban at the World Cup in Qatar, Google’s offering to advertisers and why American Express has partnered with TikTok.
Google offering advertisers $100 to switch to auto-applied recommendations
If you have a Google representative, then there’s a good chance they’ve tried to get you to move to auto-applied recommendations. Google are now taking this one step further, offering some advertisers $100 to switch over. For most agencies and advertisers this is unlikely anywhere near enough to get users to switch, performance and suggestions are inconsistent at best and detrimental to account performance at worst.
With Performance Max, still being pushed, it’s already becoming difficult for many advertisers to control what’s coming through their accounts, it won’t be easy for them to push more automation on advertisers.
World Cup alcohol ban foils Budweiser’s marketing plans
Just days before the World Cup, Qatar and Fifa have banned beer sales at stadiums. Anheuser-Busch InBev, the brewing company behind Budweiser, are a major sponsor of the event and planned marketing activations for the global tournament.
The Budweiser owner reportedly paid $75 million for World Cup sponsorship and sales rights and has a relationship with FIFA stretching back to the mid-80s. A spokesperson said: “Some of the planned stadium activations cannot move forward due to circumstances beyond our control.”
During the tournament, sales of Budweiser Zero non-alcoholic beer are allowed but the ban on alcohol has already caused a stir on social media, saying that it will create a “sour” atmosphere for an occasion where brands are trying to stoke excitement.
Google makes it easier to get products in the Shopping tab
Google is updating Search Console with a new feature that makes getting your products listed in the Google Search shopping tab easier.
By connecting your Merchant Center account in Search Console and adding product structured data to your product pages, you can quickly get these listed in the Search shopping tab.
American Express partners with TikTok for small business accelerator
American Express has partnered with video platform TikTok to launch the #ShopSmall Accelerator ahead of Small Business Saturday on November 26th. The campaign will include tools and resources designed to help small businesses better understand how to market themselves on TikTok, as well as a $100 TikTok advertising credit offer.
The program will also see the use of influencers, enlisting lifestyle creators Anna Sitar and Sofia Bella and small business owner Brandon Blackwood to share additional resources. American Express has also partnered with music artist Chlöe Bailey to create a “Shop Small Soundtrack” that can be used for content creation.
Google’s new Local Search features are finally here
After announcing several updates to their local search results months ago, Google are finally rolling these out.
The changes include:
- Google Maps live view search which gives users the ability to search their current surroundings using their phone’s camera.
- Search for restaurants by dish.
- Find fast charging stations near you for electric vehicles.
- Find wheelchair-accessible places – although this was available in some countries.
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