POV
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01.02.23
Katerina Iliaki
Digital Content Specialist
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In a nutshell
Google is planning to demonstrate a version of its search engine with chatbot features this year, according to a New York Times report. This follows what Google CEO Sundar Pichai reportedly called a “code red” in reaction to ChatGPT as an urgent threat to Google’s search business.
What does this mean?
Daniel Liddle, senior SEO director, iCrossing UK, says: “OpenAI’s ChatGPT success has shown the previously undeveloped (yet overly predicted) demand for personalised text-based search results. Google has always wanted us to chat to search engines in a more human way so the next advancements will be an exciting development and SEOs will inevitably have to deal with more complex data. This is why innovation, scalability, attribution and agility are going to be more important than ever as we go to the next stage of transformation in organic search.”
Rob Dennis, paid media manager, iCrossing UK, says: “From a PPC perspective, the introduction of AI-powered chatbots could have significant effects as, depending on the query, searchers will be less inclined to click through on a website if they can get the information from the search engine results page. This will put further emphasis on businesses to provide a valuable experience to the searcher that delivers information in a clear and convenient way.
“Businesses should review their search queries for keywords to understand what searchers are looking for, ensure that landing pages provide this information and experience in a clear and convenient way, and make it as easy as possible for the searcher to complete the desired action/conversion.”
In a nutshell
Twitter plans to roll-out long-form tweets in February, as part of its Twitter 2.0 updates. These will get the same timeline space as other tweets, with a ‘show more’ prompt at the end.
Twitter CEO Elon Musk also confirmed a side-swipe option to make it easy to switch between algorithmic and chronological timelines, as well as a bookmark button on tweet details.
As well as this, new text formatting options will soon be available, including bold, underline, italics and different font sizes.
What does this mean?
On his Twitter account, Musk said: “The goal is to allow people to publish long-from natively on Twitter, rather than forcing them to use another website. Twitter will continue to recommend brevity in tweets.”
James Mortimer, paid social director, iCrossing UK, says: “Since Elon Musk took over Twitter, he’s taken to offering regular updates, via tweets of course, explaining what he’s planning to do next. Long-form tweets make a lot of sense as users often screenshot longer pieces of text from notes apps and then upload them as photos as a hack for showing more text.
“This new functionality could be really useful for brands as it will give them the ability to publish much longer pieces in one place rather than having to rely on a thread. This could be very helpful for product launches or events, for instance.”
In a nutshell
The US Department of Justice (DoJ) has filed suit against Google, accusing the tech giant of abusing its monopoly power over the digital advertising industry. The suit alleges that Google has used “unlawful means to eliminate or severely diminish any threat to its dominance over digital advertising technologies.”
The suit also says: “As a result of its illegal monopoly, and by its own estimates, Google pockets on average more than 30% of the advertising dollars that flow through its digital advertising technology products.”
In response, Dan Taylor, Google vice president of Global Ads, said: “We are one of hundreds of companies that enable the placement of ads across the Internet. And it’s been well reported that competition is increasing as more and more companies enter and invest in building their advertising businesses.”
What does this mean?
The DoJ wants Google to divest Google Ad Manager Suite, including DoubleClick for Publisher, and its ad exchange. Google says this lawsuit would reverse years of innovation, harming the broader advertising sector.
In a nutshell
Instagram plans to make photos more of a focus again, after heavily pushing video content over the last few years.
As part of his weekly Q&A on his IG Stories, head of Instagram Adam Mosseri said: “I think we were overfocused on video in 2022 and pushed ranking too far, and basically showed too many videos and not enough photos. We’ve since balanced, so things like how often someone likes photos versus videos, and how often someone comments on photos versus videos, are roughly equal, which is a good sign that things are balanced.”
What does this mean?
James Mortimer, paid social director, iCrossing UK, said: “Over the last few years, Instagram has focused heavily on keeping up with TikTok and, as a result, they’ve prioritised video across all of their main product features. Pivoting back to images could be a welcome move for users who’ve been on the platform since back in the day (pre-2017).”
“However, brands who’ve benefited from the increased organic reach of reels and stories could see a reduction in the number of impressions recorded against their posts. As always, testing and adapting to the data is the best way to proceed.”
In a nutshell
Google Optimize and Optimize 360 are to sunset later this year.
In an announcement Google said: “We remain committed to enabling businesses of all sizes to improve your user experiences and are investing in A/B testing in Google Analytics 4. We are focused on bringing the most effective solutions and integrations to our customers, especially as we look toward the future with Google Analytics 4.”
“Optimize, though a longstanding product, does not have many of the features and services that our customers request and need for experimentation testing. We therefore have decided to invest in solutions that will be more effective for our customers.”
What does this mean?
Experiments and personalisations in Google Optimize will end on 30 September 2023. The company has recommended all users download their historical data from within its interface before this date.
Richard Robertson, analytics director, iCrossing UK, says: “Google Optimize has been one of the best free A/B tools in the market. The product was easy to use and opened up CRO to all businesses. I personally liked the easy integration into Google Analytics which gave users the ability to dive deep into user behaviour. Google has mentioned they are investing in A/B testing in Google Analytics 4 so hopefully an alternative will be available before the product is sunset in September.”
In a nutshell
Facebook is to shut down Creator Studio, moving all its creator tools to Meta Business Suite. They’ve set up a help page to give creators all the information they need.
What does this mean?
Creators will need to use Business Suite to manage their eligible Facebook and Instagram pages for scheduling posts, private messaging, insights, analytics and more. Meta has said users can access all their content and data when they switch.
James Mortimer, paid social director, iCrossing UK, said: “It’s no surprise that the Meta brand has been added to Creator studio. All of Facebook’s tools for advertisers and creators are now under the Meta label. Usually, these tools are updated every year to 18 months. Therefore, creators who’re unhappy with the change might not have to wait long until their tools are organised differently again.”
In a nutshell
As part of The Drum’s Predictions series, Roger Barr, chief digital officer, iCrossing UK, gives his insights on how agencies should approach new business in 2023.
He says: “In 2023, we’ll continue to focus on strengthening partnerships with clients, and when pitching, we’re careful about what we go for.”
What does this mean?
Roger continues: “Rather than rely on pitch processes, we’re looking to get on the front foot. We’ve developed a range of business outcome-driven strategy products, which work equally well as up-sells to existing clients as they do for fostering new conversations.”
In a nutshell
Mediashotz has canvassed leading lights of the marketing world to find out what they see as key priorities for the sector for the year ahead. iCrossing UK’s Jo-ann Fortune and Roger Barr offered their insights for what’s to come in 2023.
What does this mean?
Jo-ann Fortune, head of content, iCrossing UK, says: “The key ambition marketers should keep front and centre for 2023 is to be helpful, whether that’s by offering expert guidance or improving the customer experience so it’s easier for users to complete a task.”
Roger Barr, chief digital officer, iCrossing UK, says: “Brands need to double down on creating and leveraging customer insights so that customer experience marketing is more human and sensitive to economic realities.”
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