TRENDING NORTH: JUNE ‘21
A monthly look at the marketing and advertising industry from NORTH’s point of view.
Cookie Jar
A monthly series focusing on a world without third-party cookies and the “privacy sandbox”
Nicole Bell, Media Director
When companies like Amazon, Facebook, or Google make changes to their policies and rules, we kind of all have to just accept and adjust to the changes. That’s what all ad tech companies did when Google announced the phasing out of third-party cookies by the end of 2021.
Last week, Google announced that third-party cookies will be around for a few more years, and they hope to phase them out by 2023. There was a sigh of relief heard around the world in the advertising industry. Why the delay? Google needs more time to build and test the technology that will replace cookies on the Chrome Browser, also known as FLoCs.
I, for one, am relieved because now Google and all ad tech companies have a lot more time to get the technology right. For our clients at North, we can keep business as usual (yay!). But sadly, my monthly Cookie Jar series is coming to an end until the industry has some movement again on third-party cookies.
TikTok Partners with Kantar for Brand Lift Studies
Madelyn Engel, Sr. Performance Marketing Strategist
TikTok announced it is adding new Brand Lift Study options for advertisers to help them measure the impact of their ads. TikTok is partnering with Kantar for third-party verification measurement to provide an extra level of data assurance. Brand study questions will appear in a user’s For You feed and they will be asked to answer one of four questions.
Pinterest Supports Small Businesses
Madelyn Engel, Sr. Performance Marketing Strategist
Pinterest users are future planners, and Pinterest is taking notes on two emerging trends: users getting ready for life after COVID and wanting to support small businesses. Over the last year, searches for “how to support small businesses” increased by 50%. In response, Pinterest has teamed up with American Express to highlight 20+ small businesses in The Pinterest Shop’s newest round up to help get users ready to “re-emerge” post-pandemic. Highlighted items include skin care products and fashion accessories, or even home decor goods for users getting ready to host again. Furthermore, majority of these businesses are women or BIPOC owned.
How Brands Celebrated Pride Month
Stephen Lawrence, Media Planner
As Pride Month comes to a close, it’s always an interesting time to look back at the past month and see how some of the nation’s favorite brands participated in the celebration of the LGBTQIA+ community. Many brands take to social media to show their support, while others change their packaging in support of Pride, including Skittles, who altered their packaging and candy to grey to support “the only rainbow that matters.” Just like most years, there are good and bad choices being made, but CNBC took a deep dive into the right approach for brands — including 365-day plans for LGBTQ inclusion, educating stakeholders, and supporting LGTBQ legislation — showcasing the many ways that brands still need to work to truly celebrate Pride.
Facebook Launches Live Audio
Stephen Lawrence, Media Planner
As we continue to see the rise of podcasts, it comes as no surprise that Facebook has joined the conversation. On Monday, June 21st, Facebook announced their upcoming “Live Audio Rooms” and podcast extension. Starting in June, many public figures will be granted access to “Live Audio Rooms,” allowing them to speak live on Facebook in a podcast-like format. To kick off the release, Facebook has partnered with artist TOKiMONSTA, Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, and producer and independent journalist Rosa Clemente, to showcase the new feature, with plans to expand to all users in the future. One benefit that Facebook sees is that the audio can be played directly from the app, even if the app is being used in the background — making the user journey seamless as they scroll Facebook.
Adult Swim and TikTok
Stephen Lawrence, Media Planner
Adult Swim, the late night older sibling of Cartoon Network, is reaping the benefits of Gen Z’s love for TikTok trends. Adult Swim has always been known for their quick marketing bumps, which typically include a random scenario with the iconic [adult swim] hidden within frame. However, at the beginning of June, one TikTok user used the [as] logo as a tattoo piece, ultimately receiving more than 8M views. From there, the Adult Swim hashtag now has over 2.5 billion views on the app, with many different users utilizing the [as] logo in their own fun and creative ways, including comedian Phoebe Robinson, animators and more.
