There was a moment of panic for smartphone owners this week, with a new mysterious icon appearing on their phones. In reality it was nothing to panic about, just a new logo for Instagram. A more relevant change was the introduction of Dynamic Ad Retargeting on Instagram. Similar to what is offered on Facebook, the units also include the ability to use Facebook Custom Audiences. These new ad products are useful for all UM clients. Facebook released a desktop client for WhatsApp, available on Mac and PC, it’s a further step towards bringing WhatsApp towards a media offering.
On the rumor front. Google’s developer event Google I/O is next week and there are reports that Google will launch an Amazon Alexa rival, codenamed Chirp as well as their own true VR headset. While both are likely, Chirp makes the most sense as natural language voice search has the potential to disrupt Google’s stranglehold on paid search. It’s worth keeping in the back of your mind this trend, as most voice search providers currently monetize their platform via affiliate deals e.g. eCommerce sites, pay per lead, etc. Also in the natural voice area, the first public demo of the new (and much hyped) AI platform created by ex-Siri developers, call “Viv’, was shown during the week. You can watch a replay of the demo here.
Pew Research Center released some updated stats on smartphone, tablet and e-reader ownership. Smartphone ownership is growing, although there is some interesting detail on where certain demographics where it under indexes. Low income and 50+ being notable standouts. While the data is not surprising, it’s important to remember if you’re planning media to against these audiences.
A subject close to our hearts, Ad Blocking. Digiday reports that the New York Times is doing a reader survey on reasons for using Ad Blockers. The Guardian in the UK asked readers the same question back in March. The feedback from people in the Guardian article makes for good reading and it will be interesting to see the NY Times results (assuming they’re published). As an industry, where we value data and performance, it’s easy to lose sight of how people feel about being targeted by advertising. There’s always a fine line between being useful and being creepy.
Finally, in the distraction of the week. The Washington Post reported this week about an app that is helping with Alzheimer’s and Dementia research. The app, Sea Hero Quest, takes the form of an enjoyable game, which shares data in the background with researcher’s at the University of East Anglia. Worth a download, as we’re enjoy killing time with a game so put that time to good use. Just 2 minutes of use is apparently equivalent to 70 years of research data, so it’s a small ask of your time.
Joshua