Keeping up with the Joneses (or maybe the Kardashians) may not be about what to wear or what to buy, especially if you’re looking to make the most of your digital marketing campaigns. Marketing is a field that changes constantly. Here’s what you need to know about what’s happening in digital marketing this week.
Google Ads Adopts Video Content in Local Ads
Video content is super important in this day and age, and that goes for your advertising efforts as well. Google Ads is hopping on this trend, with video ads now spotted within the local map pack. Instead of just using static or text-based listings, some advertisers are now getting the ability to add more, in the form of their own engaging video content. This feature is still in beta testing and is only available to select advertisers in certain locations. You can check your eligibility by signing into your Google Ads dashboard and checking the Google Ads Location Manager.
Google Updates Demand Gen Capabilities
Google has been busy this week! Google isn’t just updating your video use opportunities, but they’re also expanding their Demand Gen capabilities with new features that are meant to drive faster conversions. This is especially true across YouTube.
This exciting new update integrates Demand Gen into the Google Commerce Media Suite. This allows advertisers to leverage retailer first-party data, including product catalogs and conversion signals. This update helps to enable precise targeting of high-intent shoppers across platforms like YouTube, Discover, and Gmail.
But that’s not all Google has been up to! They’re also introducing a new view-through conversion optimization feature. This feature prioritizes conversions that occur after a user sees an ad, not just clicks. This leverages first-party data as well as view-based attribution to capture high-intent audiences more effectively than before.
Search Ads Falling Behind Social & Video
A new study conducted by PwC has revealed some interesting statistics regarding the placement of search ads and their status in relation to social and video efforts. This report has revealed that overall, while search ads are still at the top, they aren’t growing as fast as video and social media posts. The report released some interesting figures, including:
- -Social media saw a 32% increase to $29 billion, while search saw an 11% increase.
- -Digital video grew to a whopping $78 billion, a 25% increase.
- -Digital advertising revenue is up to $294 billion, which is a 13% increase from last year.
YouTube Most Popular with Kids
While not everyone may be looking to advertise with children in mind, for those who are, YouTube is the place to be. A new report has revealed that YouTube is where all the kids are going, not just the cool ones. YouTube has even beaten TikTok as the preferred video platform across all child demographics.
In fact, YouTube is the biggest hit with:
- -74% of boys from 10-12 years old
- -72% of girls aged 6-9 years old
- -80% of boys from 6-9 years old
- -69% of girls aged 10-12 years old
TikTok is falling, with the only demographic to cross the 50% benchmark for the platform being among girls aged 10-12.
Pinterest Growing in Popularity
If you had heard that Pinterest is one of the best places to advertise for your ROI five years ago, you probably would’ve closed this tab immediately after this sentence. But wait, because Pinterest is quickly becoming the place you need to be for CPG brands who want to build awareness while driving measurable sales impact.
- A new report by the platform has revealed some impressive and interesting stats:
- -82% of campaigns generated a positive ROI
- -83% achieved either ROI or a sales uplift
- -76% achieved an ROI of 1.5x or even higher
To break it down, Pinterest claims that if you put $1 into Pinterest campaigns, most brands got back more than $1, with many getting more than $1.50 back. However, while this is true, you’ll still have to play by strategy, with Pinterest suggesting that you plan around real CPG activities, not just audiences. Like most things, you have to play to win.
From major changes with Google to interesting stats about YouTube and Pinterest, it’s been an exciting week in digital marketing, and we’re not even through with it yet!
Keeping up with current marketing trends may sound daunting. Life is hard enough; let me do the research for you, bringing you the best weekly marketing insights. Follow me for more insider marketing knowledge!
