📰 Round Up: Pinterest Placement On Google Ads?

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In today’s edition:

• Reddit publishes an interesting study on Gen Z

• Meta takes AI transparency seriously

• Pinterest and Google partner

& More. But first, a word from today’s sponsor 👇

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REDDIT REVEALS WHAT GEN Z HATES

Reddit recently published research on the increasing role of recommendations in consumer purchase decisions, highlighting how trust in influencers and AI is declining. In this study, Reddit shares some interesting data points on factors such as Gen Z finding influencers less trustworthy over time, their belief that most reviews are fake, and more. Check out this study below for more info.

PINTEREST x GOOGLE

Pinterest has entered into a new advertising agreement with Google, aiming to boost its ad revenue as it nears 500 million monthly active users (MAUs). This partnership, announced during Pinterest's Q4 2023 earnings call, is significant as Google becomes Pinterest's second third-party ad partner, following a deal with Amazon. Despite reporting lower-than-expected revenue of $981 million for the quarter, Pinterest's announcement of the Google deal led to a recovery in its stock price. The collaboration will focus on monetizing Pinterest's unmonetized international markets through ads served via Google's Ad Manager, addressing the disparity where 80% of Pinterest's users are outside the U.S. but only contribute to 20% of its revenue. Put plainly, it appears you will now be able to run ads on Pinterest through the Google Ads platform. Check out the announcement below for more details.

META’S GET TRANSPARENT ABOUT AI

Meta has introduced a policy to label AI-generated images on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads to enhance transparency. The initiative, part of a broader effort to establish common technical standards for identifying AI content, aims to inform users when they encounter photorealistic content created by AI. This move reflects Meta's commitment to responsible AI use amidst growing concerns over distinguishing between human and synthetic content. The labels, which will be applied in the coming months, are a step towards addressing the challenges posed by the increasing prevalence of AI-generated material online. Personally, I love this as the progression of AI has been rapid, and the outputs are already tricking many. Learn more on Facebook’s blog below.

COKE BRINGS EXCLUSIVE TO SHOPS

Coke recently launched a brand new flavour, Raspberry Spiced. However, you won’t be able to get this everywhere — it’s actually exclusive to TikTok Shops. This is a pretty significant move, as TikTok Shops have been growing dramatically over the past few months. There are many questions about how Shops are changing the digital marketing landscape, but the fact remains that consumers are engaged with it. This seems like the first major milestone in greater adoption from brands, which raises further questions about the longevity of the format. Check out MarketingDive’s article on this below for more details.

• 🛍 LINKEDIN LAUNCHES ENHANCED CONVERSIONS: LinkedIn has launched an Enhanced Conversions option in their ad platform that will improve the accuracy of measurement.

• 🌤 BLUESKY IS OPEN: BlueSky, the text-based social platform designed to rival X, is officially open to the public.

• 👨‍⚖️ META & TIKTOK vs EU: Meta and TikTok are challenging the EU's Digital Services Act in court over a financial levy designed to fund the enforcement of online content moderation.

• 🧵 META REVEALS THE THREADS FEED ALGO: Have you ever wondered exactly how social media platforms determine what they show you? Check out this breakdown from Meta on how Threads does just this.

• ✍️ X ARTICLES: Similar to LinkedIn, X has begun exploring article-style post formats to continue encouraging longer-form content.

CADBURY — YOURS FOR 200 YEARS

Agency: VCCP

I won’t waste your time here with a large breakdown of my thoughts, so instead, the short and sweet: It’s cute, it’s a treat for the eyes both in terms of set design and post-processing, and the message is clear and concise. Designed to celebrate Cadbury’s 200 years, the ad starts with a throwback to their early days and works forward to the modern era. It’s hard to produce something so grand yet so simple, but I think this does so effectively.

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