SPECIAL: "True" (AKA "Wazzup") by Budweiser
A behind-the-scenes look at how one of the world's most successful ad campaigns almost didn't happen. Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
Episodes
Today in Digital Marketing
Every Friday: An information-packed 15-minute summary of everything you missed in the world of digital marketing, e-commerce, and social media that week. Every Tuesday: A deep-dive episode into one specific digital marketing topic.
Episodes
SPECIAL: "1984" by Apple
The untold story of what many believe is the best television ad of all time. Rate and Review Us • Contact Us 📰 Get our free daily newsletter 📈 Advertising : Reach Thousands of Marketing Decision-Makers 🌍 Follow us on social media or contact us GO PREMIUM! Get these exclusive benefits when you upgrade: ✅ Listen ad-free ✅ Back catalog of 20+ marketing science interviews ✅ Get the show earlier than the free version ✅ “Skip to story” audio chapters ✅ Member-only monthly livestreams with Tod And a...
SPECIAL: The Surprising History Behind "Mana Mana"
The untold story of one of the original acoustical earworms. Rate and Review Us • Contact Us 📰 Get our free daily newsletter 📈 Advertising : Reach Thousands of Marketing Decision-Makers 🌍 Follow us on social media or contact us GO PREMIUM! Get these exclusive benefits when you upgrade: ✅ Listen ad-free ✅ Back catalog of 20+ marketing science interviews ✅ Get the show earlier than the free version ✅ “Skip to story” audio chapters ✅ Member-only monthly livestreams with Tod And a lot more! Check...
The Security Breach We All Feared Has Happened
The hack nobody wanted: How a leading two-factor authentication app used by marketers worldwide is now exposed. Plus TikTok slows down, a deep-dive into Google's changes to its ads platform, and the clever technique consumers are using to see if you are gouging. Contact Us • Links to today’s stories 📰 Get our free daily newsletter 📈 Advertising : Reach Thousands of Marketing Decision-Makers 🌍 Follow us on social media or contact us GO PREMIUM! Get these exclusive benefits when you upgrade...
If You Can't BEAT Apple...
A big design tool pulls its AI features... the slow recovery from a Google algorithm update... Meta makes a big change to a small tag... and YouTube's new service will be powered by the magic of human eyeballs. We think. Contact Us 📰 Get our free daily newsletter 📈 Advertising : Reach Thousands of Marketing Decision-Makers 🌍 Follow us on social media or contact us GO PREMIUM! Get these exclusive benefits when you upgrade: ✅ Listen ad-free ✅ Back catalog of 20+ marketing science interviews...
Meta's Ad Platform: Half-Measures Availed Us Nothing
For many Meta ad buyers, June was a month full of bugs and volatile performance. Is this the new normal? We check in with our Meta ads correspondent Andrew Foxwell for a gut check. Contact Us 📰 Get our free daily newsletter 📈 Advertising : Reach Thousands of Marketing Decision-Makers 🌍 Follow us on social media or contact us GO PREMIUM! Get these exclusive benefits when you upgrade: ✅ Listen ad-free ✅ Back catalog of 20+ marketing science interviews ✅ Get the show earlier than the free versio...
Meta Hates Bots. (Except Those It Creates.)
Your Facebook ads might soon cost more — but there is a way out. Google's search ranking apparently considers how busy your business is. Wordpress admins get a new and peculiar tag insert. And the end game of civilization has arrived — Meta's influencer bots. Did anyone ask for this?! Contact Us • Links to today’s stories 📰 Get our free daily newsletter 📈 Advertising : Reach Thousands of Marketing Decision-Makers 🌍 Follow us on social media or contact us GO PREMIUM! Get these exclusiv...
Googol Typos
Typos are coming to your ad reports — here's why you'll like that. TikTok tries to pre-empt Amazon's big sale. An verification tool used by major platforms left its users' government IDs practically unlocked. And Meta expands the content tool that keeps your fans quiet. Contact Us • Links to today’s stories 📰 Get our free daily newsletter 📈 Advertising : Reach Thousands of Marketing Decision-Makers 🌍 Follow us on social media or contact us GO PREMIUM! Get these exclusive benef...
If You Can't Beat Them, Temu Them
Amazon's response to the discount Chinese ecommerce sites? To become them. Also: Why social media platforms would rather you forget all about that whole "social media" thing. GA4 will import other platforms' data. And a nice update for people who track ROAS. Contact Us • Links to today’s stories 📰 Get our free daily newsletter 📈 Advertising : Reach Thousands of Marketing Decision-Makers 🌍 Follow us on social media or contact us GO PREMIUM! Get these exclusive benefits when you...
Marketers (Still) Aren't Ready for When the Cookie Crumbles
We've known it was coming for years, so why do marketers feel even LESS ready for the cookiepocalypse than they did before? Also: Pinterest wants your board content on TikTok. Ad agencies are swimming in AI. And Threads gets even more connected to the fediverse. Contact Us • Links to today’s stories 📰 Get our free daily newsletter 📈 Advertising : Reach Thousands of Marketing Decision-Makers 🌍 Follow us on social media or contact us GO PREMIUM! Get these exclusive benefits when you upgrade...
DEEP DIVE: Disabling Comments on Social Media Posts
There are many decisions to make when you're posting an ad on social media for your brand — the placement, the timing, the audience, the hook, the creative. But one factor that doesn't get talked a lot about is the comments. After all, social media ads are mostly just posts with a budget behind them — posts that can include comments. That's great if your company has a lot of goodwill and gets positive comments; less so if you don't. Which is why some marketers consider turning co...
Meta Thinks Everything Is AI Now
Did you use AI to make that product image? No? Then why is Meta telling everyone you did? Also: Local Service Ads expand to Maps, whether you want them to or not... unboxing goes big... YouTube editing goes long... and a dispute over programmatic ads heats up with advertisers caught in the middle. Contact Us • Links to today’s stories 📰 Get our free daily newsletter 📈 Advertising : Reach Thousands of Marketing Decision-Makers 🌍 Follow us on social media or contact us GO PREMIUM! Get these exc...
The Meta ‘Discount Code Fiasco’
A crazy new bug on Meta's ad platform is selling products at big discounts — and the merchants have no idea it's happening. Also: Sorry, why can't I exclude past buyers from my Facebook ad campaigns any more? Amazon's huge sales database is being put to work. And Instagram expands its livestreaming by letting you restrict it. Contact Us • Links to today’s stories 📰 Get our free daily newsletter 📈 Advertising : Reach Thousands of Marketing Decision-Makers 🌍 Follow us on social ...
Your Griefbots Have No Soul
Government regulators sound the warning on AI spokespeople, as the marketing industry and social media platforms scramble to ramp up their avatar game. Also: LinkedIn goes B2C, consumers prefer year-round Pride support, and more on Google's decision to force many companies off using credit cards to buy ads — today, an insider's view. Contact Us • Links to today’s stories 📰 Get our free daily newsletter 📈 Advertising : Reach Thousands of Marketing Decision-Makers 🌍 Follow us on social ...
"We're Passing the Savings Along to Ourselves!"
Google won't let some companies pay for ads by credit cards any more, in a move that could cost businesses hundreds of thousands of dollars overnight. Also: A dispute between two big ad players could shake up video inventory. Threads releases its API and makes it free. And YouTube's plans to let regular people add corrections to your brand's videos — what could possibly go wrong?! Contact Us • Links to today’s stories 📰 Get our free daily newsletter 📈 Advertising : Reach Thousands ...
Is YouTube About to Blow Up Ad Blockers For Good?
Has the final gauntlet been thrown? A technical change to how YouTube ads are delivered may break ad blockers for good. Meta backs down on AI training. LinkedIn's new promotional tools will cost you. And Spotify's latest announcement — is it bad news for digital agencies? Contact Us • Links to today’s stories 📰 Get our free daily newsletter 📈 Advertising : Reach Thousands of Marketing Decision-Makers 🌍 Follow us on social media or contact us GO PREMIUM! Get these exclusive benefits wh...
There Exists a Not-Inconsequential Chance This Headline Will Make You Skip Today's Podcast Offering
Dumb it down — new research says the simpler you make your headlines, the more people will click on them. Also: Instagram's latest ad format is just as irritating as it sounds. A huge player exits the ad business entirely. And podcast listeners might just be the nicest people ever! Contact Us • Links to today’s stories 📰 Get our free daily newsletter 📈 Advertising : Reach Thousands of Marketing Decision-Makers 🌍 Follow us on social media or contact us GO PREMIUM! Get these exclusive benef...
The Myth of "99% Brand Safe"
Brand safety tools claim platforms they measure are '99% safe.' But can marketers trust those numbers? Probably not. Also: YouTube adds the single biggest item from marketers' wish lists. TikTok's new search feature could sell more of your products. And garbage in, garbage out — the sad and dangerous state of AI search summaries. Contact Us • Links to today’s stories 📰 Get our free daily newsletter 📈 Advertising : Reach Thousands of Marketing Decision-Makers 🌍 Follow us on soc...
Uncomfortable Questions
The app that wanted the world to be more authentic has been acquired. Google says the next search update might restore some penalized sites. Why marketers are starting to be wary of ad verification platforms. And is it the return of the hashtag? Contact Us • Links to today’s stories 📰 Get our free daily newsletter 📈 Advertising : Reach Thousands of Marketing Decision-Makers 🌍 Follow us on social media or contact us GO PREMIUM! Get these exclusive benefits when you upgrade: ✅ Listen ad-free ✅ ...
More. More Never Changes.
It's happened again. This time, Adobe scrambles to reassure marketers it's not going to steal their work in the service of AI training. But can its track record be trusted? That, plus updates to Meta's Conversions API, LinkedIn pulls one of its most effective ad targeting tools, and much more. Contact Us • Links to today’s stories 📰 Get our free daily newsletter 📈 Advertising : Reach Thousands of Marketing Decision-Makers 🌍 Follow us on social media or contact us GO PREMIUM! Get t...
Deepfakes: The Next Brand Safety Challenge
Deepfakes are the next challenge for brand safety. Reddit's Ads API is out, barely. LinkedIn has a new video ad product. Instagram updates carousels. And the toggle switch inside Microsoft's ads platform you might want to turn off. Contact Us • Links to today’s stories 📰 Get our free daily newsletter 📈 Advertising : Reach Thousands of Marketing Decision-Makers 🌍 Follow us on social media or contact us GO PREMIUM! Get these exclusive benefits when you upgrade: ✅ Listen ad-free ✅ Back c...
The 'Other' Bucket: What is Google Ads Hiding?
Why is Google dumping up to three-quarters of your ad results into an unmarked bucket? HubSpot is about to get more expensive. Finally, a framework for data deletion requests. And Microsoft's change to shopping campaigns is coming whether you want it or not. Contact Us • Links to today’s stories 📰 Get our free daily newsletter 📈 Advertising : Reach Thousands of Marketing Decision-Makers 🌍 Follow us on social media or contact us GO PREMIUM! Get these exclusive benefits when you upgrade: ✅ ...
⚠️ A TikTok Cyberattack is Underway
A nasty cyberattack is targeting big TikTok accounts — and all you need to do for your account to be compromised is read a DM. Also: Why Google may stop indexing your brand's web site next month. Which products sell more when you use an animated banner ad. And podcast audiences may have been massively undercounted. Contact Us • Links to today’s stories 📰 Get our free daily newsletter 📈 Advertising : Reach Thousands of Marketing Decision-Makers 🌍 Follow us on social media or contact us GO ...
Meet the Instagram Ads Everyone Is Going to Hate
Enshittification comes to the Instagram feed — how will users react to the new ad format which stops them from scrolling through content? Also: Google slows way down on its AI search results... SEO pros figure out how to get their brand into those results... and Shopify's acquisition could mean a huge bill for you. Contact Us • Links to today’s stories 📰 Get our free daily newsletter 📈 Advertising : Reach Thousands of Marketing Decision-Makers 🌍 Follow us on social media or contact us GO ...
The Instagram “Taste Test”
The new Instagram test that ignores your current fan base. Why your favourite marketing tool might stop working next week. Link previews are now pay-for-size. And bad news for marketing departments as their share of corporate budget continues to fall. Contact Us • Links to today’s stories 📰 Get our free daily newsletter 📈 Advertising : Reach Thousands of Marketing Decision-Makers 🌍 Follow us on social media or contact us GO PREMIUM! Get these exclusive benefits when you upgrade: ✅ Listen ad-f...
Damage Done
What's next for the relationship between Google and the marketing industry after a huge leak exposes Google's SEO secrets. The news is not good for brands that rely on Facebook for traffic. Instagram is adding its strongest mute button yet. And another Google tool heads to the graveyard — this one, a messaging tool used for business. Contact Us • Links to today’s stories 📰 Get our free daily newsletter 📈 Advertising : Reach Thousands of Marketing Decision-Makers 🌍 Follow us on social ...
The Refund Clawback: A New Tactic in E-Commerce?
It seems ridiculous — asking people to buy something from you as you're refunding them from a previous purchase. But researchers say — it works. Also: PayPal is planning a big splash in the ad pool. And Instagram has a new "just add meme" button. Contact Us • Links to today’s stories 📰 Get our free daily newsletter 📈 Advertising : Reach Thousands of Marketing Decision-Makers 🌍 Follow us on social media or contact us GO PREMIUM! Get these exclusive benefits when you upgrade: ✅ List...
Everything You Need to Know About the Huge Google Search Leak
It's the biggest leak in Google's history — and the documents in it detail thousands of previously secret factors that decide how high you rank in their search engine. What are those factors, and have we been being lied to all this time? We have extensive coverage today in this special episode. Contact Us • Links to today’s stories 📰 Get our free daily newsletter 📈 Advertising : Reach Thousands of Marketing Decision-Makers 🌍 Follow us on social media or contact us GO PREMIUM! Get thes...
Will Google's Biggest Acquisition Shake Up the Marketing Industry?
Is Hubspot about to sell to Google? Pinterest has summer trends for your content marketing. Amazon's AI-based ads seem to be performing well. And Snapchat gives us exactly what we marketers want: crazy clown faces. Contact Us • Links to today’s stories 📰 Get our free daily newsletter 📈 Advertising : Reach Thousands of Marketing Decision-Makers 🌍 Follow us on social media or contact us GO PREMIUM! Get these exclusive benefits when you upgrade: ✅ Listen ad-free ✅ Back catalog of 20+ marketi...
We Have Seen the Future of AI and It Is... Shitposts
Two big players in the design space have a new offering for large brands and agencies. Snapchat has a new CAPI partnership. Yes, Bing was offline today. And Google's deal with the devil: What happens when you use the world's largest shitposting forum as a main AI training source? Exactly what you think. Links to all of today’s stories here 📰 Get our free daily newsletter 📈 Advertising : Reach Thousands of Marketing Decision-Makers 🌍 Follow us on social media or contact us GO PREMIUM! ...