Hey there, Digital Darlings,
As we waltz through January, are you still riding the wave of those ambitious New Year's resolutions, or are we surfing the reality of 'just another manic Monday'? While you debate between a kale smoothie and the temptation of a double-shot espresso, let me serve you the piping hot, freshly brewed digital marketing tea, no sugar-coating included. Starting with some trendy Gen Z news…
TikTok is the hot new search engine.
A study by Adobe revealed that 10% of Gen Z chooses TikTok as their go-to search engine… above Google. This has me a little worried about the future of information like you can truly say anything on TikTok. Surely the non-filtered, non-SEO optimized element of TikTok is why young adults choose it as their main source of information. Especially when the topics they’re researching are recipes, music and fashion advice… sounds like they have their priorities straight! TikTok is surely a goldmine if you’re a marketer in the food, music, or fashion industries. Now for some obligatory AI news…
Last week I mentioned the release of OpenAI’s new GPT store, which was exciting for me as a daily ChatGPT user. But it also foretells the future of search engines and the way that GPTs will be monetized. It seems like…
OpenAI is trying to build an ‘Everything Engine’.
AKA - one text box where you can ask any question, and it’ll find the best solution - no scrolling required. Allen Pike predicts that eventually, we’ll be able to ask ChatGPT any question, and it’ll route us to the best GPT chatbot for the topic. If this happens, the new “Everything Engine” will be the most compelling advertising opportunity since the SERP. The ad-supported ChatGPT is coming… Advertisers - keep your eye on this one. ChatGPT could be the next great ad-serving platform of our lifetimes. But for now, Google is trying to keep up…
Google announced new ways to search in 2024.
These include ‘Circle to Search’ and ‘An AI-powered multisearch experience’. Circle to Search enables Android users to circle, highlight or tap images, text, or videos and immediately Google them. The AI-powered multisearch experience allows users to point their camera at an object, ask a question about it, and get an AI-powered answer. They say they’re trying to “make AI helpful for everyone, not just early adopters.” Aww, how sweet of them. They definitely don’t want to prevent OpenAI from stealing their ad business or anything… Also… these features are cool and all, but they’re Android-only and I, like most, have an iPhone. Nice try, though. Now, lets dive further into the world of paid media…
Search Engine Land published a great checklist for Paid Media success in 2024.
Some of the points are more high-level, like “lock-in business goals for the year” or “ensure you’re testing meaningful things”... I truly hope all paid media marketers already do these things, but hey, it’s good to have a reminder. That said, there are some great, more actionable tips as you work down the list, so I definitely recommend reviewing it. And in paid search news…
Stacked Marketer called out one thing paid search marketers should definitely NOT be doing - segmenting Performance Max campaigns.
Please resist the urge to run brand and non-brand PMAX campaigns side by side. I know you’ve probably been segmenting brand and non-brand for years, but PMAX is designed to do that for you. And retargeting is already built in. In fact, many marketers find that the majority of PMAX traffic comes from retargeting. So no, you do not need a brand campaign. In fact, running two PMAX campaigns side by side will make both campaigns less effective - they may even cannibalize each other. You hate to see it!
And that's the buzz in our digital hive, sweet trendsetters. Let's rendezvous here next week for another round of indispensable insights and irresistible industry intrigue. Till then, keep conquering the digital domain.
You know you love me.
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