The digital evolution is advancing at an unprecedented pace. That's why we regularly offer you short, concise updates on the latest trends and developments - from social media and Google ads to AI and relevant research. This way you will be fully informed in no time and ready for the challenges of tomorrow.

Ad-free social channels on the rise

More and more social channels are investigating the possibilities of ad-free subscriptions. For example, TikTok will test an ad-free subscription. This is expected to cost $5 per month. Meta is also in the process of introducing ad-free subscriptions for their Instagram and Facebook users in Europe, at a rate of 10 euros per month. YouTube already has an ad-free model (YouTube Premium) and there are rumors that X will also introduce it.

X (Twitter): Ad Revenue down almost 60% compared to last year

Monthly U.S. ad revenue on social media platform The company has struggled to retain some advertisers since the acquisition, as brands were wary of rapid change under Musk's ownership.

Email marketing is becoming a lot more difficult

Google will make email marketing a lot more difficult from February 2024. For example, bulk emails and newsletters must come from a verified address. Newsletters must now be DKIM authenticated. Emails that are not will be automatically blocked in Gmail from February.

Google continues to build on AI

Google will connect their Assistant speakers to the Bard AI. Called Assistant with Bard, it combines the generative and reasoning capabilities of Bard with the personal help of the Assistant. Furthermore, Google has been working on a successor to Bard for some time, called Gemini AI, to compete with OpenAI. Google has reportedly given select companies early access to Gemini, signaling an upcoming release.

Research: Social media is less of a source of traffic for news websites

While social media used to be a major source of traffic for news websites, this has declined significantly in recent years. This is due to the shift in social media traffic from Facebook to TikTok. There is little traffic from TikTok to the websites themselves, because users are more likely to stay on the platform itself.

Insight for Netflix advertisers in the US

Nielsen, the world leader in audience measurement, data and analytics, can now measure ads on Netflix in the US. This allows Netflix advertisers to validate the performance of their ads, including co-viewing metrics, to better understand how effectively their ads are reaching Netflix members. In the Netherlands we are still waiting for the possibility of advertising on Netflix, but in any case the measurement options are already there.

Be alert with Google Display campaigns!

Normally advertising on X was only possible via their own platform. Now it is connected to a larger platform from Google (GAM). As a result, if you do not set clear targeting, advertisements may unintentionally end up on X.

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