POV

“Privacy is dead.” – One of the first things I heard walking into day two of the SXSW Interactive sessions. There are various programming trends at this year’s convention – automation is a big one. Everything from transportation and…

As first-timer at SXSW, I had some expectations about the speaker line-up and vibe of the entire conference. As soon as I landed in Austin, I was blown away by how large the event was. The festival is expected…

Background: Pinterest recently announced a new way to showcase products on the platform by introducing catalogs, after a successful beta period back in 2018. Details and Implications: Pinterest’s new catalog feature will now be rolled out across the platform for all advertisers. The…

Background: Instagram has released a Branded Content ad format, designed for influencer activity and providing advertisers with additional functionality and visibility over reporting metrics. Previously only available to select partners, the product is now available to all advertisers. Details and Implications: Following…

Background: GSMA, the trade body that represents mobile network operators globally and the organiser of the Mobile World Congress, opened the doors on MWC 2019 in Barcelona on 25th February to 2,400 companies and nearly 150,000 attendees from around the…

Background: Facebook has announced that all existing and new ad campaigns will run with Campaign Budget Optimisation (CBO) from September 2019. Facebook campaigns are structured in three levels: Campaign: Containing one or more Ad Sets and Ads. Allowing you to choose…

Background: Spotify recently announced the purchase of podcast firms Anchor and Gimlet and said that it has plans to spend up to $500m further on acquisitions. In a separate move, an update to its Terms and Conditions will start to…

Don Draper, the famed anti-hero of AMC’s Mad Men, once opined that advertising was based on happiness—specifically, a kind of happiness that was "a billboard on the side of the road that screamed with reassurance that whatever you’re doing,…

Background: It’s the first quarterly earnings roundup of 2019 from the tech giants. Here’s what you need to know. Details and Implications:   Alphabet: Revenue for Q4 2018 grew 22% year-on-year from $32.32bn to $39.28bn beating Wall Street expectations of $38.9bn. Alphabet’s ad…

Background: Brands played it relatively safe at Super Bowl LIII and many were less than impressed with the lack of creativity and edginess they’ve come to expect from this stage. Recently, politics has been a major storyline for the NFL…

Background: Facebook has announced plans to integrate the messaging infrastructure of its hugely popular services WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook Messenger into a singular product intended to deliver “the best messaging experiences.” Details and Implications The Facebook-owned apps (used by 2bn + people…

Excerpt: Imagine this. Sex, violence, disease, corruption, and offensive language is rampant across American screens and viewers love it. A relatively unknown company is responsible, and advertisers aren’t welcome. This company grows from 365 subscribers in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, in 1972…