Monday Insights: This Week’s Industry Updates

The marketing industry is constantly changing and evolving, with new trends emerging daily, sometimes even hourly. As marketers, it's crucial to stay updated with the latest industry developments. Here's a recap of recent updates to keep you informed:

X (previously Twitter) is testing a new ad display, which would replace its ‘promoted’ tags

With the new rebrand of Twitter, now referred to as ‘X’, the app continues to undergo small changes that users are noticing. Ad display on Twitter is receiving a slight makeover, as the usual “promoted” display at the bottom of the post has now adapted into a small “ad” display in the top right corner. This change seems to be an attempt to support the app rebrand and also cause ads to appear more naturally in the feed. Some suggest that there is a possibility that this change may go against FTC guidelines, since the smaller display may not appear as noticeable anymore. It seems as if X is still experimenting with the new format and it will be interesting to see how this affects ad response.

Instagram is experimenting with a range of generative AI elements

In addition to Instagram’s AI tools for ad creation, Instagram is experimenting with tools for regular users to use as well which should be coming to Instagram feeds soon. Instagram is working on creating an AI sticker tool for stories, which would allow users to create customized graphics based on text. They are also creating visual editing tools that can help users to replace or get rid of certain elements within their uploaded photos. Another tool that they are experimenting with is an AI chatbot feature. This tool would allow users to ask any questions and the chatbox would answer. In relation to the chatbox, there is a plan for message summary in your DMS, that would summarize your messages to make them faster to go through.

Microsofts ‘Xandr’ is getting out of political advertising later this year

The Microsoft ad-tech platform, “Xandr”, announced that they are getting out of political ads. When updating their political ads policy, they stated that they forbid advertisements with any election-related content, political parties, candidates, and polls. They announced this to users over email with all other major updates, stating that changes will go into effect in September and October. This change is an effort to align Xandr with all of the same policies as Microsoft. This isn’t the first time political ads have been forbidden, in fact, Google and Meta also have strict political advertising guidelines as well.

LinkedIn is testing a new AI-generated LinkedIn Coach to help guide App Usage

LinkedIn is integrating even more AI features on their platform as they are testing out “LinkedIn Coach”. LinkedIn Coach is designed to help users through building their LinkedIn profile and utilize other aspects that LinkedIn offers. Essentially, it should help you apply for jobs, achieve new skills, and connect with your network. Although there are ways that this can be helpful, people are concerned about the future useability of LinkedIn. For instance, if all LinkedIn applications are automatically generated by AI bots, then it is possible that people's skills won’t actually reflect on the job description. If generative AI was used in moderation, it is possible that it could be a success.

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Grace Nelson