Digital Digest
Marketing Intelligence Weekly
Weekly updates on the digital marketing news you need to know, including data reform, AI, cookie deprecation and platform updates.
Platforms
TikTok ban delayed
- The TikTok ban has been delayed with Trump announcing that he would give the social media platform 90 days to find a buyer.
- What happened? TikTok stopped working for users in the US on late Saturday. By Sunday, they started restoring service to US users.
- TikTok said: “We thank President Trump for providing the necessary clarity and assurance to our service providers that they will face no penalties providing TikTok to over 170 million Americans and allowing over 7 million small businesses to thrive. It’s a strong stand for the First Amendment and against arbitrary censorship. We will work with President Trump on a long-term solution that keeps TikTok in the United States.”
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Marketing by numbers
Platforms
Google’s global market share dips below 90%
- Google's global search market share dipped below 90% in the last quarter of 2024, marking the first time since 2015 that it has fallen under this threshold.
- This decline was particularly noticeable in Asia, significantly contributing to the overall decrease in Google's market share.
- In the U.S., Google's search market share peaked at 90.37% in November but dropped to 87.39% in December, indicating a potential shift in user preferences.
- Competitors like Microsoft Bing, Yandex, and Yahoo have gained some of Google's lost market share during this period.
- This trend suggests that users are exploring alternative search engines, which could have implications for marketers relying heavily on Google-centric strategies.
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AI in digital
Platforms
No value for marketers in answer engines, but AI agents look promising
- Paul Hewett, CEO of In Marketing We Trust, discusses the evolving search landscape and its implications for marketers with Mumbrella.
- Shift from Search Engines to Answer Engines: Traditional search engines direct users to external websites, while answer engines like ChatGPT provide direct responses, reducing traffic to publishers and marketers.
- Challenges with Answer Engines: These platforms leverage existing content without proper attribution, diminishing the visibility and value for content creators and marketers.
- Emergence of AI Agents: The next phase involves AI agents capable of executing tasks such as bookings and transactions, offering new opportunities for marketers to engage consumers directly.
- Restoring Value for Marketers: AI agents can re-establish a balanced value exchange by facilitating direct interactions and transactions, thereby benefiting both users and marketers.
- Strategic Adaptation: Marketers are advised to diversify content strategies and prepare for the integration of agent-based platforms to stay relevant in this evolving ecosystem.
- In summary, while answer engines pose challenges by bypassing traditional content pathways, the rise of AI agents presents promising avenues for marketers to re-engage audiences and maintain value in the digital landscape.
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AI in digital
Platforms
Gemini AI to integrate real-time news with The Associated Press
- Google has partnered with The Associated Press (AP) to integrate real-time news into its Gemini AI chatbot.
- This collaboration enables Gemini to provide users with up-to-date news content sourced directly from AP, enhancing the chatbot's information accuracy and relevance.
- This partnership reflects a broader trend of AI companies collaborating with news organisations to license content, aiming to improve AI performance and address concerns about unauthorised use of journalistic material.
- While such deals provide news outlets with additional revenue streams, experts caution that they may also reduce publishers' control over their content.
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AI in digital
Opinion: The impact of AI on SEO
- AI isn’t just changing SEO; it’s fundamentally reshaping the search landscape. From how users interact with search (think: keyword searches vs. conversational prompts) to the platforms they use (traditional engines, social search, AI agents), the game has changed.
- CEO, Paul Hewett’s latest article, digs into how these shifts impact marketers and businesses. A few highlights:
- Fragmented user behaviour: Search journeys are no longer linear, and understanding platform nuances is critical.
- Zero-click results: AI-powered answers challenge traditional visibility models for brands.
- Paid search disruption: Siloed data and automation are rewriting ad delivery, targeting, and measurement.
- This isn’t just an evolution; it’s a total rethink of how search works. The marketers who adapt now will lead the pack.
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AI in digital
Platforms
Perplexity AI makes bid for TikTok
- Perplexity has officially made a play for TikTok.
- With a 90-day reprieve of the ban, TikTok must find a buyer or risk shutting down in the US.
- On Saturday Perplexity made a play for TikTok submitting a bid to its parent company, ByteDance, to create a new merged entity combining Perplexity, TikTok U.S. and new capital partners.
- According to CNBC: “The new structure would allow for most of ByteDance’s existing investors to retain their equity stakes and would bring more video to Perplexity, according to a source familiar with the situation, who asked to remain anonymous due to the confidential nature of the potential deal.”
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Platforms
Travel by numbers
Tripadvisor unveils 2025 Travelers’ Choice Awards
- Tripadvisor has unveiled its 2025 Travelers' Choice Awards, highlighting the top destinations globally, based on millions of traveller reviews. Key insights include:
- London has clinched the top spot as the world's leading destination, celebrated for its rich history, vibrant arts scene, and exceptional culinary offerings.
- In the United States, New York City leads as the premier destination, renowned for its iconic landmarks, diverse cultural experiences, and dynamic dining scene.
- Osaka, Japan, has emerged as the top Trending Destination, attracting travellers with its renowned food culture, shopping districts, and lively nightlife.
- For those seeking romantic getaways, Mauritius is recognised as the leading Honeymoon Destination, offering pristine beaches and luxurious resorts.
- Seoul, South Korea, is highlighted as the top Solo Travel Destination, praised for its safety, public transport, and vibrant urban experiences.
- These rankings are determined by the quality and quantity of reviews for accommodations, restaurants, and attractions, reflecting genuine traveller experiences over the past year.
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Help desk
Platforms
Broken Google Business Profiles in Google Maps
- There have been reports of Google Business Profile listings appearing broken on Google Maps. Issues include flickering screens, missing business names, and incomplete information displays.
- Some listings show photos and reviews but lack essential details like name, phone number, and address. The screen may also flicker when viewing these profiles.
- The problem seems to affect a number of listings without a clear pattern, and it's uncertain if Google is aware of or addressing the issue.
- Marketers should monitor their Google Business Profiles to ensure information is displaying correctly and consider reaching out to Google support if issues arise.
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Platforms
Budget reallocation experiments for PMax campaigns
- Google Ads has introduced a feature that allows advertisers to run controlled experiments, reallocating budgets from Dynamic Search Ads (DSA) or Display campaigns to Performance Max (PMax) campaigns.
- This enables marketers to assess the impact of budget shifts and optimise ad spend for better performance.
- To set up an experiment, navigate to the Campaigns section in your Google Ads account, select Experiments, and choose "Test vs. Search or Display campaign." From there, you can configure the control and treatment groups, define traffic splits, and schedule the experiment.
- This data-driven approach leverages Google's AI to dynamically serve ads across various properties, enhancing efficiency and potentially improving Return on Ad Spend (ROAS).
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AI in digital
Platforms
Retail Ad Service by Amazon enables retailers to display ads on their own websites
- Amazon has launched the Retail Ad Service, allowing other retailers to use its advanced advertising technology to display contextually relevant ads on their own websites.
- This move enables retailers to tap into Amazon's machine learning models, trained on extensive shopping data, to enhance ad relevance and effectiveness.
- Early adopters of the service include online Asian supermarket Weee!, party supplies seller Oriental Trading Company, and wellness retailer iHerb.
- By integrating with Amazon's advertising network, retailers can offer brands the opportunity to place ads on third-party sites, potentially increasing their revenue streams.
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Platforms
New advertising solutions by Microsoft Ads
- Microsoft Advertising has introduced "Curate for Commerce" and "Sponsored Promotions by Brands (SPB)" to help brands and retailers boost revenue through targeted advertising solutions.
- Curate for Commerce allows retailers to monetise first-party data, attract non-endemic advertisers, and simplify operations via a centralised platform.
- Sponsored Promotions by Brands (SPB) enables cost-per-sale ad placements across Microsoft Edge, Bing, and retail sites, connecting brands with high-value customers efficiently.
- Both tools enhance shopper experiences with relevant, data-driven campaigns with a focus on personalisation.
- Curate is in pilot mode, and SPB will roll out later in 2025.
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Data privacy
Platforms
More regulations for businesses in the UK
- The UK’s Competition Markets Authority (CMA) will launch probes this month into three types of digital platforms under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act (DMCCA).
- This month, the CMA will designate certain platforms or companies as having “strategic market status” (SMS), which would allow regulators to impose restrictions on their business.
- Platforms with the SMS designation may be prevented from promoting their products over competitors and using customer data to gain unfair advantage.
- The CMA will start designating businesses in January and conclude in about 9 months.
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Platforms
Google December 2024 spam update has finished rolling out
- Google has completed its December 2024 spam update, which rolled out from December 19 to December 26.
- This global update targets websites violating Google's spam policies, aiming to enhance search result quality.
- Many site owners reported significant impacts, including deindexing and ranking drops, during the rollout.
- The update's timing, coinciding with the holiday season, added challenges. Google advises sites experiencing ranking changes to review and comply with its spam policies, noting that recovery may take several months.
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AI in digital
Platforms
Google outperforms ChatGPT across 62 search queries
- A recent analysis compared ChatGPT search and Google across 62 queries to evaluate their performance.
- Overall Performance: Google outperformed ChatGPT search, scoring 65% compared to ChatGPT's 55%.
- AI Overviews: Google's AI Overviews, when present, enhanced its performance, achieving a 70% score.
- Query Types: ChatGPT search excelled in content-related queries, while Google led in local searches and fact-checking.
- Accuracy and Reliability: Both platforms had inaccuracies, but Google's results were generally more reliable.
- User Experience: Google's integration of AI Overviews provided a more seamless user experience.
- This analysis highlights the strengths and weaknesses of both search platforms, offering valuable insights for marketers aiming to optimise their strategies.
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Platforms
Google has relaxed language rules in Google Merchant Center
- Google has updated its language policy in Google Merchant Center, allowing for some discrepancies between the product feed language and the website language.
- Starting December 2024, product information such as titles, descriptions, and variant details can be in a different language, provided that most of the product data aligns with the feed language.
- However, this may lead to reduced performance on Google Shopping, as the information may not match user search terms.
- It's also mandatory for checkout elements to be in the same language as the product feed.
- This policy change aims to provide more flexibility for merchants operating in multilingual markets.
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AI in digital
Platforms
Top 10 generative AI services in 2024
- Cloudflare has unveiled the top 10 generative AI services for 2024.
- The top 10 are (in order): ChatGPT (OpenAI), Character.AI, Codeium, QuillBot, Claude (Anthropic), Perplexity, GitHub Copilot, Wordtune, Poe, Tabnine.
- “Claude, the AI chatbot from Anthropic, rose in the rankings, particularly after March 4, when the new model, Claude 3, was introduced, and again later in May when it became available in Europe. It reached #5 in June. Perplexity, an AI-driven search and Q&A platform, started the year outside the Top 10 but ended close to Claude. It surpassed Claude for the first time on November 6, 2024, the day after the U.S. elections, reaching #6.”
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AI in digital
Platforms
ChatGPT Search can be manipulated by web pages
- A recent report from The Guardian has revealed that ChatGPT's search function can be manipulated using hidden text on web pages.
- By embedding invisible text (e.g., white text on a white background) with specific instructions on a webpage, researchers tricked ChatGPT into generating responses influenced by this concealed content.
- This technique, known as prompt injection, allows third parties to insert hidden directives that alter the AI's output, potentially leading to misleading or biased information.
- The findings highlight concerns about the reliability of AI-generated search results, emphasising the need for developers to address such vulnerabilities to maintain user trust.
- Experts recommend that users exercise caution when relying on AI-generated summaries and encourage developers to implement safeguards against such manipulative tactics.
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Platforms
Google Ads has introduced a new brand report
- Google Ads has quiety introduced a new brand report.
- The brand report "is a dedicated brand advertiser experience that provides you with deduplicated reach and frequency metrics across your campaigns.”
- ”The Brand Report streamlines reporting by consolidating data across multiple tools, making it easier for you to measure key performance indicators (KPIs), understand performance drivers, and identify insights to maximize return on investment (ROI).”
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Platforms
Another Google core update is rolling out now
- Google has initiated its fourth core update of 2024, the December 2024 core update, which began rolling out on December 12 and is expected to take about two weeks to complete.
- This update follows closely on the heels of the November 2024 core update, which concluded on December 5, indicating Google's ongoing efforts to enhance search result quality.
- Google wrote: “The Dec. 2024 core update is rolling out, and we expect it will complete in two weeks. If you’re wondering why there’s a core update this month after one last month, we have different core systems we’re always improving.”
- As with previous core updates, significant fluctuations in search rankings are anticipated.
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AI in digital
Platforms
Google DeepMind unveils new products
- Google DeepMind has unveiled a new suite of AI tools, including an updated Project Astra and Gemini 2.0.
- Gemini 2.0 has been updated around the ability to control agents.
- Astra uses Gemini 2.0’s built-in agent framework to answer questions and carry out tasks via text, speech, image, and video, using existing Google apps like Search, Maps, and Lens.
- Gemini 2.0 and Astra are joined by Mariner, a new agent built on top of Gemini that can browse the web for you; Jules, a new Gemini-powered coding assistant; and Gemini for Games, an experimental assistant that you can chat to and ask for tips as you play video games.
- Last week DeepMind also introduced Veo, a new video generation model; Imagen 3, a new version of its image generation model; and Willow, a new kind of chip for quantum computers.
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Platforms
TikTok seeks emergency pause to US ban for Jan 2025
- TikTok is seeking an emergency injunction to prevent a potential US ban scheduled for 19 January 2025, following a law requiring its sale or prohibition due to alleged links to the Chinese government, which TikTok denies.
- The company plans to appeal to the Supreme Court after losing its initial appeal against the law. TikTok argues that a ban would cause "irreparable injury" by silencing both the platform and its 170 million American users, leading to significant revenue and user losses.
- The situation remains dynamic, with potential implications for marketers relying on TikTok's extensive US user base.
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Platforms
Google Search Console launches ‘24 hours’ view
- Google has announced that Search Console now provides more recent data, with a typical delay of only a few hours, enhancing the ability to monitor site performance almost in real-time.
- This improvement allows marketers to swiftly identify and respond to emerging trends, issues, or opportunities, facilitating more agile and informed decision-making.
- The fresher data can be particularly beneficial during time-sensitive campaigns or events, enabling prompt adjustments to optimise outcomes.
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Marketing by numbers
Global advertising market to surpass $1 trillion
- The global advertising market is set to surpass $1 trillion in revenue for the first time in 2024, with tech giants like Google, Meta, ByteDance, Amazon, and Alibaba projected to capture more than half of this total.
- Digital advertising continues to dominate, with digital ads (including streaming, online news, and magazines) expected to comprise 82% of total revenue by 2025
- The U.S. remains the largest ad market globally, anticipated to reach $379 billion in revenue by 2025, while China's ad market is forecasted to grow by 13.5% in 2024, hitting $204.5 billion.
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AI in digital
Platforms
“Search will profoundly change in 2025”
- According to Google CEO Sundar Pichai “search will profoundly change in 2025”.
- Interviewed during the New York Times DealBook Summit, Pichai stated: “Search itself will continue to change profoundly in [2025]. I think we are going to be able to tackle more complex questions than ever before. I think you’ll be surprised even early in [2025] the kind of newer things search can do compared to where it is today.”
- “If you look at the last couple of years, we have, with AI overviews, Gemini is being used by over a billion users in search alone. I just feel like we are getting started.”
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Marketing by numbers
Platforms
148 keywords make up 15% of all Google searches
- A mere 148 keywords account for 15% of all Google searches, with most being navigational queries like "YouTube," "Gmail," and "Amazon."
- Branded searches make up 44% of Google queries, while 51% are informational, 33% navigational, 14.5% commercial, and just 0.69% transactional.
- The 'long tail' of unique queries (those with fewer than 11 searches per month) represents only 3.6% of search demand, indicating a concentration towards popular terms.
- This trend suggests that organic search traffic is increasingly directed towards fewer websites, making it more challenging for smaller brands to gain visibility.
- Marketers are encouraged to diversify their strategies beyond traditional SEO and PPC, exploring platforms like YouTube, TikTok, podcasts, and LinkedIn to capture audience attention.
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Platforms
TikTok and Nielsen partner up
- TikTok and Nielsen have partnered up to provide cross-platform ad performance tracking.
- The partnership will enable advertisers to measure and compare ad performance across digital, connected TV, and linear TV platforms.
- The partnership helps validate TikTok's evolution into a mainstream advertising platform, bringing its measurement capabilities in line with established players like YouTube and Roku.
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Marketing by numbers
China’s digital ad sector grows 12.1%
- Despite broader economic struggles, China’s digital ad sector is expected to grow 12.1% this year, accounting for 85% of the country’s total media spend.
- This will push total media expenditure up just over 10%, more than in the US.
- This growth is expected to slow in the coming years.
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Platforms
Personalisation toggle in Google Search
- Google now lets users easily toggle between personalised and non-personalised search results via a new button at the bottom of search pages.
- This feature aims to improve clarity on how search results are tailored and provides flexibility to users.
- This update accompanies other changes, such as removing personalisation details from the "About this result" section.
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Data privacy
Data privacy in travel
Platforms
Platforms in travel
Google going back to blue links for hotel searches in EU
- To comply with the EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA), Google is trialling a "blue link" format for hotel searches in Belgium, Estonia, and Germany, mimicking its earlier search styles.
- Google reports that DMA-driven changes have reduced direct clicks to airlines, hotels, and small businesses by approximately 30%, causing tension with travel aggregators.
- The changes will enable clearer formatting in search results, offering equal visibility for comparison sites, direct suppliers, and other competitors in various verticals, including travel and retail.
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AI in digital
Data privacy
Platforms
New privacy measures and email updates for Apple
- Apple's December release includes new privacy measures that limit email tracking, affecting metrics like open and click rates for marketers.
- Emails will feature AI-created content summaries in place of traditional pre-headers, requiring engaging and clear messaging.
- Apple Mail will sort emails into categories (e.g., Primary, Promotions), similar to Gmail, impacting email visibility and engagement strategies.
- Building direct relationships and consent-driven data collection are key to counteracting tracking limitations.
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