What Does Marketing Without TikTok Look Like?

[00:00:00] It is Friday, December 6th. This week, how a TikTok ban will affect your ad campaigns and social media reach.

[00:00:08] New incentives for agencies to use Google Ads because, well, the math wasn't mathing.

[00:00:14] Why is Google adding outbound links to your website's content?

[00:00:18] And if you don't know what the Castlecore and Picklefix trends are, it's time to get with the times, boomer.

[00:00:25] I'm Todd Maffin. That's ahead here on our Friday wrap-up show.

[00:00:29] And stick around to the end to find out why we are giving listeners $100 gift cards.

[00:00:36] Well, all in all, it's just another brick in the wall.

[00:00:39] An American federal appeals court today upheld a law that could lead to TikTok being banned in the country next month.

[00:00:45] The U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C. this morning ruled unanimously that the law can remain in effect,

[00:00:51] citing national security concerns about the Chinese-owned app.

[00:00:55] That law requires TikTok's parent company, ByteDance, to sell its U.S. operations to a non-Chinese company by January 19th,

[00:01:05] or its app must be blocked from app stores in the country.

[00:01:10] TikTok says this law unfairly targets the platform and violates the First Amendment, which protects free speech.

[00:01:16] The decision poses challenges for President-elect Donald Trump, who previously tried to ban TikTok.

[00:01:22] Recently, though, he's been on TikTok's side after saying he didn't want to help Meta,

[00:01:27] which he felt suppressed his ability to communicate with the electorate.

[00:01:31] The ban is set to take effect one day before his inauguration.

[00:01:36] And while he can't cancel the law, he could use an executive order to have the Justice Department just not prioritize enforcement.

[00:01:45] Quoting a piece from Wired today, quote,

[00:01:47] In reality, the app is most likely to survive a few more months.

[00:01:51] A 90-day extension of the deadline remains on the table for the Biden administration.

[00:01:56] What's more certain to happen is that ByteDance would appeal the court decision today and take it to the Supreme Court,

[00:02:03] which is expected to take the case and issue its decision later next year, unquote.

[00:02:09] While all this consumes the news cycle, at least two American investors are trying to put together a deal with TikTok's Chinese owners to buy TikTok,

[00:02:17] potentially allowing it to continue operating.

[00:02:19] So how does this affect marketing?

[00:02:22] Well, the truth is Meta and YouTube both copied TikTok's popular vertical format so early and so well

[00:02:28] that the impact on the marketing community could be less than previously thought.

[00:02:33] Although, if a whole lot of advertisers suddenly have to move their media spend to those two platforms,

[00:02:39] the increased competition could have an upward impact on ad prices.

[00:02:44] Also, TikTok's shop has been a huge success, and with catalogs, cappies, pixels, and other technical pipes delicately connected,

[00:02:52] replicating that setup on another social media platform's commerce system would not be an easy task.

[00:02:58] For marketers, it is a reminder to keep your content and ad strategy diversified.

[00:03:03] In particular, make sure you've got a brand presence on the competing apps, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts.

[00:03:09] You may want to identify and collaborate with influencers who've got a substantial presence across multiple platforms

[00:03:16] to help you maintain your campaign continuity.

[00:03:19] And, yes, prepare for a possible uplift in ad prices

[00:03:23] if TikTok buyers suddenly flee to Meta and other platforms.

[00:03:32] All right, here's a wrap-up of what happened this week in the world of digital marketing.

[00:03:35] We start with advertising.

[00:03:37] Meta will require financial advertisers in Australia to verify their identity and licensing

[00:03:43] starting February of 2025 to combat celebrity scam ads that have been targeting users online.

[00:03:49] Google Ads is rolling out new policies for dating ads effective March 4th.

[00:03:55] Advertisers will also need to be certified to run ads in this category.

[00:03:59] The policies include restrictions on underage dating, mail-order spouses, and ads promoting fetishes.

[00:04:05] Google Ads is also finally testing some new incentives for agencies to sign up new advertisers

[00:04:10] after complaints that agency perks sucked compared to direct offers.

[00:04:15] For example, Google Partners were stuck offering a $500 credit.

[00:04:20] But if you signed up directly with Google, you got $3,000 worth of credit.

[00:04:25] Microsoft advertisers can now automate insertion order placement in the platform through Prisma.

[00:04:30] That integration is now live.

[00:04:32] OpenAI admits it's planning to drop ads into its results soon.

[00:04:35] The company got $6.5 billion in a funding round in October and has been scooping up ad executives

[00:04:40] and engineers from Google and Meta.

[00:04:43] And FullThrottle.ai has launched a generative AI tool called Audience Library that organizes

[00:04:49] first-party data into audience segments based on demographics, behavior, and search intent.

[00:04:58] Only a couple of stories around the search area.

[00:05:01] First of all, Google's iOS app is now adding clickable search links to text on websites.

[00:05:08] Yes, like your brand's website.

[00:05:10] Google says this will help users more quickly find information about mentioned topics, but

[00:05:14] obviously this will encourage people to leave your brand's website.

[00:05:18] You have 30 days to opt out.

[00:05:20] And Google has now completed its November core update.

[00:05:24] Originally, it had expected the rollout to take a couple of weeks.

[00:05:27] Google no longer says what's in any of these updates,

[00:05:29] but SE Roundtable today said it doesn't contain any penalties.

[00:05:33] Rather, the update promotes or rewards what Google calls great web pages.

[00:05:42] To the world of DTC and commerce now,

[00:05:44] online sales on Black Friday were up almost 15% over the previous year,

[00:05:49] but in-store sales couldn't even crack a 1% increase.

[00:05:53] Jewelry, electronics, and apparel were the top purchases.

[00:05:56] The popular game platform Roblox has launched a closed beta test of Shopify integration,

[00:06:02] letting a handful of game developers set up in-game stores.

[00:06:06] New research has found that high-income consumers often begin their shopping journey

[00:06:11] in physical stores, gathering inspiration and exploring products,

[00:06:15] but they finalize purchases through digital channels.

[00:06:19] TikTok shop saw a 165% increase in shoppers year over year during the Black Friday and Cyber Monday weekend.

[00:06:27] Sales hit more than $100 million on Black Friday alone.

[00:06:31] That's three times last year's total.

[00:06:34] And Klaviyo's 2024 consumer spending report has shown that while consumers are cautious,

[00:06:39] they remain willing to spend despite economic uncertainty.

[00:06:43] About a third have cut back on discretionary spending since last year,

[00:06:47] but only a fifth plan to spend less this holiday season.

[00:06:50] Inflation concerns are still high.

[00:06:53] 97% of consumers are aware of its impact on costs,

[00:06:56] and 90% said it will influence their spending.

[00:07:04] To social media now, and we start with Blue Sky, the CEO there,

[00:07:08] saying the platform might indeed have to introduce ads into the future,

[00:07:13] reversing a previous position she held.

[00:07:15] She says the ads will try to avoid traditional intrusive models.

[00:07:19] All that while Blue Sky's momentum is building,

[00:07:21] publishers reporting three to four times higher conversions,

[00:07:25] yes, conversions, and triple the traffic and engagement from clicks from Blue Sky.

[00:07:36] To Instagram now, and a new study by Ravino reveals that 80% of sponsored Instagram posts in November

[00:07:43] did not properly disclose their advertising status.

[00:07:48] 80%.

[00:07:50] Also, I spotted a report on social media this week that Instagram

[00:07:52] is removing the ability to add music to stories for creator accounts.

[00:07:57] Now, this would mirror other platforms' handling of music,

[00:08:00] which limit commercial use to a limited catalog of songs.

[00:08:04] Also, Instagram creators can now turn on replies in broadcast channels,

[00:08:08] letting participants respond to messages and each other's comments.

[00:08:11] It's actually a pretty popular thing with large influencers these days.

[00:08:14] And who needs data, right?

[00:08:16] Meta is axing several Instagram metrics from its API starting January 8th.

[00:08:21] Affected metrics will be available temporarily,

[00:08:24] but they will be removed from reports in Q2.

[00:08:27] Say goodbye to profile views, video views, and email contacts.

[00:08:32] No, we have no idea why they would do that either.

[00:08:39] In TikTok news, 55% of consumers find holiday gift ideas on TikTok.

[00:08:45] 69% rely on unboxing videos and product reviews to make purchasing decisions.

[00:08:51] The data came this week from a survey from the marketing agency MGH.

[00:08:54] And TikTok is moving closer to testing TikTok Minis,

[00:08:59] small in-stream apps similar to those in Doyen, its Chinese counterparts.

[00:09:04] These mini programs could enable transactions like food ordering,

[00:09:07] ride hailing, and ticket purchases directly within the app.

[00:09:11] Kind of an everything app that sounds like Elon Musk is trying to go for.

[00:09:15] Thank you.

[00:09:45] A little mini section on threads.

[00:09:46] You can now follow people from other Fediverse servers on the app who interact with your posts.

[00:09:52] Now, when a Fediverse user replies, you can tap their profile and follow them directly within the app.

[00:10:02] Finally, a handful of other social media stories to wrap up this week's show.

[00:10:07] Pinterest's 2025 trends report predicts sensory-driven aesthetics will dominate this year.

[00:10:13] Trends include the fisherman aesthetic with a maritime vibe and sardine tattoos.

[00:10:20] I'm not kidding.

[00:10:22] Searches are booming for sardine tattoos.

[00:10:25] Primary play and castle core will influence home decor and fashion,

[00:10:30] while pickle fix will see Gen X and millennials incorporating pickles into everything,

[00:10:37] from pickle cakes to margaritas.

[00:10:40] LinkedIn has a new option that lets premium users select up to five photos

[00:10:44] to create a rotating slideshow of banner images on their profile.

[00:10:48] No idea why you'd want this, but there you go.

[00:10:51] More X metrics are being locked behind a paywall.

[00:10:54] X can now show you how many followers versus non-followers engage with your brand's posts.

[00:10:59] Many other platforms, notably YouTube, do this.

[00:11:01] The difference is that X makes you subscribe to its premium plan to see this data.

[00:11:06] And finally, just buy a new phone already.

[00:11:09] WhatsApp will stop supporting iPhone 5S 6 and 6 Plus starting May 5th,

[00:11:15] meaning you will have to upgrade your device if you want to continue using it.

[00:11:19] But I know that's not you because you're totally up with the times and don't have an old phone.

[00:11:25] Right?

[00:11:30] I feel like we're starting to get our footing with this new twice-a-week schedule.

[00:11:33] In case you missed it, Fridays will be this show,

[00:11:36] a full wrap-up of all the developments in the digital marketing world of the week.

[00:11:40] Tuesdays will be deep-dive interviews with platform experts,

[00:11:43] industry analysts, and marketing scientists.

[00:11:45] We hope this will be a better use of your time.

[00:11:47] We heard from many of you that you still wanted all the news,

[00:11:50] but were finding it hard to listen every day.

[00:11:53] This Tuesday, our Google Ads correspondent, Jill Saskin-Gales,

[00:11:56] will be back for a look at that platform, the recent changes,

[00:11:59] some of them really big actually,

[00:12:01] and what we can expect there in the weeks ahead.

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[00:12:54] I'm Todd Maffin.

[00:12:55] See you on Tuesday.