The Instagram “Taste Test”

[00:00:00] It is Friday May 31st.

[00:00:03] Today the new Instagram test that ignores your current fan base, why your favorite marketing

[00:00:09] tool might stop working next week, link previews are now pay for size and bad news for marketing

[00:00:16] departments as their share of corporate budget continues to fall.

[00:00:22] I'm Tod Maffin, that's ahead today in digital marketing.

[00:00:27] Instagram is testing a feature called trial reels that lets brands and creators post reels

[00:00:33] without them being visible to their own followers.

[00:00:36] Why would you want to do this?

[00:00:38] Well you could use it to test different types of content without the pressure of public

[00:00:41] scrutiny.

[00:00:42] When a reel is posted using this feature, Instagram provides performance insights like

[00:00:47] plays, likes, comments and shares.

[00:00:49] Based on this data, you can decide whether to make the reel public or just archive

[00:00:53] it.

[00:00:55] If this sounds familiar, it's because it's apparently the evolution of a previous test

[00:00:58] called experiment mode first spotted by reverse software engineers last month.

[00:01:04] It's not a complete block from your followers though.

[00:01:07] While yes these reels will be hidden from your profile, non-followers who see them

[00:01:11] can still share them with others including your followers.

[00:01:15] The trial is available globally right now to a handful of creators with professional

[00:01:18] accounts regardless of follower count.

[00:01:21] Instagram has not confirmed when or if this feature will be widely released.

[00:01:30] Your favorite marketing tools might stop working next week if they are Google Chrome plugins.

[00:01:36] Google is ending support for its older extension system, Manifest version 2, starting next

[00:01:42] week.

[00:01:43] This new version was announced 5 years ago and has faced multiple delays.

[00:01:46] The company says Manifest version 3 improves security, privacy, performance and the

[00:01:51] trustworthiness of extensions, but critics like the Electronic Frontier Foundation disagree.

[00:01:57] The EFF calling Manifest version 3 deceitful and threatening, arguing it limits extensions

[00:02:04] designed to monitor and modify web interactions thus not enhancing security.

[00:02:11] It's a hot button topic because most of this is seen as less about the overall

[00:02:16] security and more a targeted attack on ad blockers.

[00:02:21] Specifically Manifest version 3 has an impact on content filtering which ad blockers and

[00:02:26] anti-tracking extensions use.

[00:02:29] Google which earns most of its revenue from ads hasn't really explained why this

[00:02:33] new version restricts content filtering.

[00:02:36] And while ad blocking might be Google's actual target here, this is an update

[00:02:40] to the whole extension ecosystem, which means any Chrome plugin you use now could

[00:02:45] very well get degraded or stop working entirely, especially so for plugins which aren't actively

[00:02:52] maintained.

[00:02:57] LinkedIn has followed through on its plan to change the size of link previews posted

[00:03:01] to the newsfeed and that size will depend on whether you're paying to put that

[00:03:05] post there.

[00:03:07] Organic link previews will soon have that horizontal format you're probably familiar

[00:03:12] the image thumbnail in the left third and the meta text in the right two thirds.

[00:03:16] But when an admin puts a budget behind that organic post, now the link preview will

[00:03:21] be that large square format with the thumbnail taking up most of the post and the headline

[00:03:27] in the lower fifth.

[00:03:29] If someone then shares that ad those shared posts will revert back to the small link

[00:03:35] preview.

[00:03:36] Not everyone is a fan.

[00:03:38] In a tweet quoting social media today, quote, the smaller preview images don't have the

[00:03:41] same click appeal as the larger display, which as LinkedIn notes is the intention

[00:03:48] in order to help members stay on the platform.

[00:03:51] But is that a better user experience?

[00:03:53] I don't know.

[00:03:54] It seems slightly problematic or maybe just annoying.

[00:03:58] But regardless, LinkedIn is pushing ahead with the update, unquote.

[00:04:07] Our advertisers are now able to use Google's new enhancements for video ad campaigns.

[00:04:11] There are two enhancements in particular, first cropping horizontal videos to square

[00:04:16] and vertical formats and new shorter versions made by the AI picking what it thinks are

[00:04:23] the most important moments in your source video and making a new shorter video out

[00:04:27] of it.

[00:04:29] Google says this will help marketers make video ads that will perform better on mobile

[00:04:33] without any extra editing work.

[00:04:35] Matching the ad format to the app layout could of course boost campaign performance.

[00:04:39] A couple of warnings though.

[00:04:41] First Google says it will intelligently flip your original video format.

[00:04:45] There wasn't a lot of detail on this, so watch out for this especially if you

[00:04:49] have text on screen or in the background that might get mirrored.

[00:04:53] And second, Google says they've turned this on for all new video ad campaigns.

[00:04:57] You can toggle them off if you want.

[00:04:59] You'll find that in campaign settings under additional settings, then video enhancements.

[00:05:08] TikTok is taking a page from Snapchat with its new DM streaks feature.

[00:05:13] This will create a trackable streak when you've messaged each other for several

[00:05:16] days in a row.

[00:05:18] Then if you're getting to the end of the day and you haven't sent that person

[00:05:20] a message, it will prompt you to come back and do that or lose your streak.

[00:05:25] It's a little exploitative, yes, and it works.

[00:05:29] Young people on Snapchat bend over backwards to make sure they don't break a streak.

[00:05:33] It's so popular in fact, Snapchat has a support form dedicated to manually putting

[00:05:38] that streak icon back beside your BFF if you lose it somehow.

[00:05:44] What do you get for maintaining a long streak?

[00:05:47] Not much.

[00:05:48] A couple of unique emojis and bragging rights.

[00:05:50] Other apps like Messenger and Be Real have tried versions of this.

[00:05:53] One parenting blog advises parents, quote,

[00:05:56] To some, slacking off on a snap streak is seen as a major offense.

[00:06:01] A broken streak can be disappointing.

[00:06:03] In extreme cases, it can cause drama and lead to rifts in the friendship.

[00:06:08] When your favorite app is essentially keeping score of your friendships, it's easy to

[00:06:13] get caught up, unquote.

[00:06:19] The amount spent on marketing budgets in the average company continues to fall.

[00:06:23] Marketing budgets have dropped to 7.7% of company revenue.

[00:06:27] That's down from 9.1% just last year.

[00:06:32] This according to Gartner's 2024 CMO spend survey, before the pandemic, average marketing

[00:06:36] budgets were 11% of revenue.

[00:06:40] The survey was conducted from February to March of this year and included almost

[00:06:44] 400 CMOs and marketing leaders from North America and Europe.

[00:06:47] And most of these companies were large.

[00:06:48] The median annual revenues were a little over $5 billion.

[00:06:52] Only two out of every three executives said they lack the budget to execute their 2024

[00:06:58] strategies, but they do see generative AI as a way to extend their impact.

[00:07:03] While paid media investments rose to almost 28% of budgets in 2024, spending on technology,

[00:07:10] labor and agencies decreased.

[00:07:14] Martech spending is now at its lowest in a decade.

[00:07:19] As to where that spend goes, digital media now takes up 57% of paid media budgets, up

[00:07:25] from 55% last year.

[00:07:27] Top digital channels are search at just under 14%, social advertising just over

[00:07:33] 12%, and digital display advertising getting close to 11%.

[00:07:37] The top offline channels, event marketing at 17%, sponsorship at 16.5%, and TV at

[00:07:45] 16%.

[00:07:50] TikTok is disputing a Reuters report that claims the app is cloning its algorithm to

[00:07:55] offer a different version for US users which might degrade over time.

[00:08:00] The Reuters report, based on anonymous sources with direct knowledge, stated that this

[00:08:04] effort began late last year and involves separating millions of lines of code and

[00:08:09] requiring hundreds of engineers.

[00:08:12] The project is seen as a way for ByteDance, TikTok's China-based owner, to comply with

[00:08:17] a US law passed in April.

[00:08:19] The law demands TikTok sell its US operations by January 19th or face a ban, but TikTok

[00:08:24] insists the qualified divestiture required by law is impossible and so they are suing

[00:08:30] to block the US law on First Amendment grounds.

[00:08:34] Arguments start in September with a ruling expected by December 6th.

[00:08:38] Reuters says it stands by its reporting.

[00:08:44] And that will do it for the week.

[00:08:45] Today in digital marketing is produced by EngageQ Digital on the traditional territories

[00:08:49] of the Stunaimic First Nation on Vancouver Island.

[00:08:52] Our production coordinator is Sarah Gild, our theme is by Mark Bleviss, ad coordination

[00:08:56] by Red Circle.

[00:08:57] I'm Todd Maffin, have a rest of the weekend friends, I'll see you next week.