Spam As a Service

[00:00:00] It is Tuesday, April 23rd.

[00:00:03] Today, now even Reddit comments are filling up with AI spam and a whole new generation of

[00:00:09] bots are lined up to take your money.

[00:00:12] While your buyers are willing to wait up to five days longer for their purchase, what

[00:00:16] media buyers are saying about the proposed TikTok sale, and Europe says TikTok's

[00:00:21] latest promotion is as addictive as cigarettes.

[00:00:27] I'm Tod Maffin, that's ahead today in Digital Marketing.

[00:00:32] One of the search tricks people use online if they're finding Google results lacking

[00:00:36] is to add the word Reddit to the end of their search.

[00:00:39] This usually finds more relevant content from that community, usually free from bots

[00:00:44] and scammy promotional text.

[00:00:46] Well, the AI tech bros have decided that the best way to capitalize on that is

[00:00:51] to infect Reddit threads with AI-generated marketing messages.

[00:00:57] A service called Reddit advertises itself as the AI that plugs your product on Reddit,

[00:01:05] and which automatically mentions your product in conversations naturally.

[00:01:10] Examples on the site show two different Redditors being controlled by AI, posting plugs for

[00:01:14] a text-to-voice product called any speech, and a bot writing a long comment about

[00:01:20] a debt consolidation program called Debt Freedom Now.

[00:01:24] A video demo shows a dashboard where a user adds the name of their company and URL they

[00:01:29] want to direct users to.

[00:01:31] It then auto-suggests keywords that help the bot know what types of subreddits and tweets

[00:01:34] to look for, and when to respond.

[00:01:37] Moments later, the dashboard shows Reply Guy is already in the responses of the

[00:01:43] comments section of different Reddit posts.

[00:01:47] It's interesting to see this entry in the content wars.

[00:01:50] Reddit has invested a ton of money into catching deceptive bots.

[00:01:54] Even regular users get caught up in the protections.

[00:01:56] Many communities on the site won't let you post without having been a member for X number

[00:02:00] of days or have X amount of karma.

[00:02:03] And if your account gets banned site-wide, it's common belief that your IP address

[00:02:07] and hardware's unique address are also shadow banned, making it hard to do anything

[00:02:13] from your location or device.

[00:02:15] That and communities exist specifically to make fun of spammy accounts like the

[00:02:19] subreddit called this fucking account.

[00:02:23] This AI bot called Reply Guy uses what it calls a pool of high quality Reddit accounts,

[00:02:27] but you can also give it your brand's account to reply from, just in case you'd

[00:02:32] like to know what it feels like to have your brand account banned too.

[00:02:36] This whole black hat industry is called by some parasite SEO, where people try

[00:02:41] to get their brand or content on a domain that Google already trusts.

[00:02:45] None of this is bad, mind you.

[00:02:48] I mean, the only people answering questions on Quora now are people looking

[00:02:51] to promote themselves or their company.

[00:02:53] And if brands are going to gently promote in Reddit comment threads anyway,

[00:02:57] is a service that does this at scale really that bad?

[00:03:02] This is one of the new ethics debates I expect our industry will be having

[00:03:05] in the years ahead.

[00:03:07] A spokesperson for Reddit told 404 Media they consider AI bots to be

[00:03:12] against their rules.

[00:03:14] A transparency report released by Reddit last week said that when

[00:03:17] they take content down, three fourths of those removals are done automatically

[00:03:22] by an AI bot.

[00:03:29] A new report from Logistics Giant Radio reveals a growing consumer readiness

[00:03:33] to support sustainable shipping practices.

[00:03:37] Despite a general decline in sustainability importance among American consumers,

[00:03:42] a bigger portion is now willing to pay extra and endure longer

[00:03:45] waits for eco-friendly delivery options.

[00:03:49] According to the study, 51% of consumers are prepared to spend more

[00:03:53] for sustainable shopping.

[00:03:55] That is a big increase from 15% just in December of last year.

[00:04:02] Plus, 77% of those surveyed said they'd be willing to wait longer

[00:04:05] for their purchases if the shipping methods were environmentally friendly.

[00:04:08] Out of these, 29% said they could wait an extra day and 38% were OK

[00:04:13] with a delay of three to five days.

[00:04:16] But if you're going to try this, Radio says put communications

[00:04:19] like regular updates high up on your list.

[00:04:27] Adweek today published some interviews they've had with senior media

[00:04:29] buyers about what they're telling their clients about the future

[00:04:32] of ads on TikTok.

[00:04:34] TikTok's presence in the US hangs into balance as lawmakers recently

[00:04:38] passed a bill giving TikTok a year to divest from its Chinese ownership

[00:04:42] to avoid a ban.

[00:04:44] The uncertainty has sparked a flurry of shifts among ad buyers,

[00:04:48] but not all think it's a huge deal.

[00:04:50] Darren Del Torrio from W. Promote says, quote,

[00:04:52] the platform is heavily embedded in the culture at this point.

[00:04:55] The move would be extremely unpopular and it's an election year.

[00:05:01] We're helping our clients create a social mix that integrates

[00:05:03] platforms like Snapchat and Reddit, unquote.

[00:05:06] Other buyers told Adweek the issue is more about advertisers not

[00:05:10] having a diversified enough program, quoting Dan Gardner,

[00:05:14] co-founder of Code and Theory, quote, we're not concerned

[00:05:17] with the TikTok ban and advertisers that have a solid digital

[00:05:20] strategy that revolves around how to reach and engage consumers

[00:05:23] beyond a singular platform shouldn't care either.

[00:05:27] Ultimately, if there's one thing we've learned from

[00:05:29] platform or algorithmic changes in the past, it's that if

[00:05:33] you're a business that relies on only one platform and one

[00:05:37] algorithm, then you will be at risk because the landscape

[00:05:40] always changes regardless of the reason, unquote.

[00:05:44] Indeed, that does seem to be the overall theme of the piece.

[00:05:46] Keep running TikTok but have plans set up to jump ship.

[00:05:50] Fred Schenck, the VP of Brand Experience

[00:05:52] at the Marketing Arm said, quote, we are advising clients

[00:05:55] to stick to the game plan while the audience activity

[00:05:58] is high.

[00:05:58] TikTok is still a place where we can reach them

[00:06:01] in a highly engaged mindset.

[00:06:04] This wouldn't necessarily be a replacement for TikTok,

[00:06:06] but be ready to expand that style of short form video content

[00:06:10] to Meta's apps and YouTube shorts, unquote.

[00:06:13] The whole piece is definitely worth a read if you are keen

[00:06:15] to learn how your media buying peers

[00:06:17] are thinking about the whole thing.

[00:06:19] You'll find it at adweek.com.

[00:06:20] Look for the post called,

[00:06:22] How Ad Buyers Are Advising Clients

[00:06:24] As Possible TikTok Ban or Sale Looms.

[00:06:28] At Parker, our purpose is simple.

[00:06:30] We want to make the world a better place

[00:06:33] by working more efficiently,

[00:06:35] by using more sustainable practices,

[00:06:38] by developing better technologies.

[00:06:40] We keep moving forward with each new idea,

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[00:06:46] We're one step closer to fulfilling our purpose

[00:06:49] every single day.

[00:06:51] To find out more visit parker.com

[00:06:54] slash parker.com.

[00:06:55] Parker, engineering your success.

[00:06:58] You have one unheard message.

[00:07:01] Hi, I was calling current,

[00:07:04] the influencer marketing platform,

[00:07:06] but I think I just got redirected

[00:07:09] to a bunch of people listening to a podcast.

[00:07:11] Well anyways, I was calling current

[00:07:14] because I was told they could help get my brand set up

[00:07:16] on TikTok shop and even build out

[00:07:19] an affiliate program of content creators

[00:07:22] from the beginning.

[00:07:23] I'm an affiliate program of content creators

[00:07:25] promoting my brand and even have those content creators

[00:07:29] go on live streams and promote my product there.

[00:07:32] Wow, I could really use current.

[00:07:37] I also heard that the brands they work with

[00:07:38] are making millions in sales.

[00:07:41] I guess I'll just go to their website at current.tech.

[00:07:44] Buzzer.

[00:07:46] Speaking of TikTok,

[00:07:47] the European Commission has launched formal proceedings

[00:07:49] against TikTok's lighter version,

[00:07:51] TikTok light over concerns that its rewards program

[00:07:54] could lead to addiction among children.

[00:07:57] This feature debuted in Spain and France,

[00:08:00] entices users to earn points by watching videos

[00:08:03] and liking posts, which can be exchanged

[00:08:06] for Amazon vouchers and TikTok coins.

[00:08:09] Commissioner theory Breton compared the app's addictive

[00:08:12] potential to that of light cigarettes saying,

[00:08:14] quote, we suspect TikTok light could be as toxic

[00:08:17] and addictive as cigarettes light.

[00:08:21] TikTok now has to submit a risk assessment of the app

[00:08:23] by Tuesday after getting an extension

[00:08:25] from missing their deadline last week.

[00:08:27] For its part, a TikTok spokesperson said

[00:08:29] there's a daily limit on video watching tasks

[00:08:31] and the rewards hub shouldn't even be accessible

[00:08:34] by kids under 18, assuming, of course,

[00:08:37] they didn't lie about their birth year,

[00:08:39] which many of course do.

[00:08:42] The scrutiny is part of a broader investigation

[00:08:44] by the EU into TikTok's practices under the new DSA,

[00:08:47] targeting platforms with significant user bases

[00:08:50] to manage their content more closely.

[00:08:55] So yesterday was kind of a special place of hell.

[00:08:58] I own about, I don't know, 20 domains, something like that.

[00:09:02] Seven or eight of them are active.

[00:09:03] Most of them are for hobbies that my wife and I have.

[00:09:05] And then there's the main one, of course, today,

[00:09:07] digital.com, engageq.com, our agency, and a few others.

[00:09:12] And I had them hosted on one of those lifetime deals,

[00:09:17] which was great, actually.

[00:09:19] It was fine.

[00:09:19] Like it had been hosted there.

[00:09:21] I paid 39 bucks for unlimited hosting, unlimited traffic

[00:09:26] like four years ago.

[00:09:27] Now, it was a slow server, as those of you who've been to our

[00:09:30] website can attest, but it worked until it didn't.

[00:09:34] My own website, ToddMaffin.com,

[00:09:36] which I think is still down actually,

[00:09:38] started getting errors.

[00:09:39] The issue, I think, is that the PHP,

[00:09:42] the database of the underlying database architecture,

[00:09:45] this company was not updating it.

[00:09:47] So it was kind of stuck on an older version

[00:09:49] and they stopped applying to support requests.

[00:09:51] Clearly, I had taken up as much time

[00:09:55] as they were willing to invest in my 39 bucks for four years.

[00:09:57] I still think it was a great deal.

[00:09:58] Anyway, so I found another hosting provider

[00:10:01] and went through the whole process of switching things over.

[00:10:04] But my God, that is difficult, hey?

[00:10:07] Like, so I got the domain,

[00:10:08] I got the, they migrated it fine.

[00:10:11] Most of them, there's still a couple

[00:10:12] that are a little wonky.

[00:10:13] And then I forgot about the email

[00:10:16] I've got to like repoint the email,

[00:10:18] MX records to Google,

[00:10:20] oh it was just such a nightmare.

[00:10:21] And there's nothing more terrifying

[00:10:23] than knowing that you've done something technical,

[00:10:28] you've done it wrong.

[00:10:30] And now nobody in your agency is getting their emails.

[00:10:34] Like why do I do these things to myself?

[00:10:37] Why don't I hire someone?

[00:10:38] Anyway, it's all happened last night.

[00:10:40] Luckily, I got it up and running.

[00:10:42] We were only down for a couple of hours.

[00:10:44] And I mean, thank goodness I decided to do it at night

[00:10:47] because if I had decided to do it in the middle of the day,

[00:10:50] that would have been even worse.

[00:10:51] But that is why my hair went a little bit more gray

[00:10:54] last night.

[00:10:56] All right, thanks for listening.

[00:10:57] I'll see you tomorrow.

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