May 1, 2018: Instagram releases data portability tool, Amazon ad business surges, Snapchat tests non-skippable ads, Twitter gets caught in Cambridge Analytica scandal, Facebook releases new statement on “safe and civil” ad targeting
Here’s what’s worth knowing this week:
Instagram Data On-The-Go
Instagram released a data portability tool, allowing users to download a copy of everything they’ve ever done on the platform, similar to how Facebook’s download your information tool works. The ‘Data Download’ feature contains basically any info you (or a marketer) would ever want to know about your Insta and more – profile info, photos, videos, archived Stories, post and story captions, uploaded contacts, the usernames of followers and people you follow, Direct Messages, comments, Likes, searches, and settings.
What it means, IRL: The move comes at a time where issues around data and privacy continue to plague the world. And, with GDPR just around the corner, the launch of Instagram’s Data Download feature is likely the app’s effort to comply with the new set of laws – something that my email inbox would tell you most companies are currently in the process of announcing – Mavrck included. ICYMI – just last week, Facebook-owned WhatsApp also announced plans to roll out a Data Download tool, allowing users to export their “account info” which includes their profile photo and group names.
Make it work: With the launch of Instagram’s Data Download feature, influencers now have the ability to download their activity to share with marketers – directly from the source. In addition to granting influencers the ability to open up to this level of transparency, marketers now have the ability to complete thorough “Influencer Audits” during the influencer onboarding process to make sure influencers have not/are not engaging in fraudulent activities (i.e. third party scrapers, comment pod fraud, fake followers, etc.).
It’s Amazon’s World
Amazon’s ad business is growing, and it’s growing fast. In the company’s earnings call on Thursday, CFO Brian Olsavsky reported revenue in Amazon’s “Other” category grew 132% YoY to $2 billion in the first quarter of 2018, with advertising services making up a “majority” of that segment. And Amazon’s not stopping there – the company announced plans to “aggressively expanding the infrastructure” in the hopes of getting more brands buying ad space though its ad platform. One small step for Amazon, one giant leap towards self-service programmatic advertising.
As your brand continues to evolve its Amazon-facing strategy, brands have the opportunity to collaborate with influencers to create content that maximizes the breadth of content available for personalization on Amazon’s product pages. High performing influencer-generated and user-generated content can then be repurposed across paid and owned assets (i.e. brand & product pages and paid ads), and in turn – highly searched for and reviewed products should be core products featured in influencer-generated content – both reinforce consumer trust in that product across the customer journey.
Testing… Testing 1, 2, 3
Snapchat is testing non-skippable ads in some of its broadcaster programing. The six-second ad units, which Snap plans on testing with publishers mid-May, will not run in Discover or between personal Stories but within three-to-five minute professionally produced shows.
As a company, Snap has always taken pride in its reluctance to impose ads on its audience, but after a disappointing year, the company is seemingly desperate to add new revenue streams. It’s why Snapchat has been steadily building its repertoire of ad options over the past year. Think: app-install ad updates, expansion of its automated ad-buying platform and new location-targeting tools for advertisers.
Curious on how to optimize influencer marketing on Snapchat? Check out our cheat sheet. disclosure – we made this #shamelessplug
Cambridge Analytica: Twitter Edition
The Cambridge Analytica Scandal takes no prisoners – not even little blue birds. On Saturday, Twitter confirmed that it sold data access to the researcher who also obtained millions of Facebook users’ information without their direct consent, then sold that data to Cambridge Analytica. However, unlike the Facebook information that was gathered over months, the Twitter data was gathered over a single day – resulting in the breaching of significantly less data than at Facebook. Nonetheless, Twitter has suspended Cambridge Analytica from advertising on its platform. Is this the end of social media platforms coming forward about Cambridge Analytica involvement or just the beginning? Too soon to tell.
New Quarter, New Facebook
Facebook is continuing to push brand safety and transparency in a number of fronts. In a new blog post, Facebook released a new statement on all the ways it makes ad targeting more “safe and civil.” According to the post, Facebook has been collaborating with experts in privacy, data ethics and civil rights to keep advertisers from misusing Facebook’s ad targeting capabilities, namely the ability to discriminate by using exclusion targeting.
And in other Facebook news – F8 is here, click here to tune in.
ICYMI
Influencer content on the rise as consumer skepticism grows
Oracle acquired Grapeshot, a ‘brand safety’ marketing provider, sources say for up to $400M
