Hi. I’m Krista. Baker Street’s newest Assistant Digital Planner and author of a new series called “Digital News with Krista.” The name, like my series, is intended to be direct. (Just the way the kids like it.)
Every other week, I’ll highlight 3 news articles on digital trends and innovations and dissect them into digestible bits. (Just the way the kids like it.)
I welcome any feedback at khubbel@bakerstadvertising.com. Or tweet me @khub55. (You know, the kids).
YouTube Under Fire (Again)
The “Adpocalypse” has struck YouTube once again. Many large brands that advertise on the platform are putting their ads on hold or pulling their investments out completely, due to innocent videos of children (mainly young girls) receiving inappropriate and disturbing comments from pedophiles. Some of these brands include Disney, Epic Games, Nestle, Hasbro, and AT&T. This “wormhole” was initially shared by YouTube creator Matt Watson, who has become the leader of the #wakeupyoutube movement. Advertisers are looking to YouTube to take a more aggressive approach to the regulation of inappropriate content, to ensure brand safety for their ads. In response, YouTube has disabled derogatory comments, deleted numerous accounts, and are reporting all illegal activity to authorities. They have also reported that they will be making updates to their recommendation engine, in addition to making improvements to their AI systems. YouTube has also tightened their strike policy for Creators, which will go into effect today. Additional details can be found here.
Digital Becomes King
The future is digital, according to the latest e-Marketer reports. Digital advertising investment is on the rise and is anticipated to surpass traditional spend in the U.S. this year. We are talking about $130 Billion in total digital ad spend by year end. This is due to a significant decline in print spend as well as TV, which is suspected to dip by 2.2% this year. In the years to come, digital ads are anticipated to make up two-thirds of all ad spending, with mobile ads accounting for more than two-thirds of the digital ad spend. Google and Facebook are expected to remain as the top 2 digital platforms in terms of ad revenue, holding 59% of the market combined. The full article can be found here.
Cadillac Rises Above
Since the Superbowl commercial industry letdown, anticipation has increased for more creative ads. Cadillac rolled out a new advertising campaign called “Rise Above” which debuted nationally during the Oscars. This campaign is tailored to highlight new innovations with their SUV vehicles, and to showcase their updated crest. The models they chose to focus on were the Escalade, XT4 and XT5. Their ads focused on a consistent message around “perseverance.” Additionally, one of the TV spots showed various high-achieving women linked with driving these SUVs. As for their digital ads, Cadillac teamed up with Yalitza Aparicio (actress from “Roma”) to be the face of the ads, along with sharing stories of everyday people breaking barriers and overcoming adversity. You can read more about Cadillac’s new campaign here.