As January marks the beginning of a new year, social media and digital marketing are gearing up for 2019 with many changes. This month, YouTube TV officially went national, creating a stir within the various streaming services offered. Pinterest revamped its marketing tactics, creating several different personas in hopes of attracting more brands to work with the platform, while Google Chrome’s upcoming update will make it harder for users to escape the seemingly endless advertisement promotions. Although Snapchat may be on the decline, its collaboration with researchers has allowed the platform to re-brand itself as the “feel good app.” Finally, the publishing empire, Condé Nast, announced plans to put many of its publications behind a paywall by the end of 2019. Be sure to continue reading to catch up on all the industry news you may have missed this month!
Social Media
Pinterest Develops Personas to Support Targeting for Marketers
With a goal of helping marketers reach their target audience with greater ease, the Pinterest Insights team developed five different content personas. Considering that there are over 250 million active users on Pinterest, this is certainly a demographic that marketers could benefit from. Realizing that marketers need a way to better understand the behavior and attitude of Pinterest users, the five personas can be targeted by keyword searches. Carnival Cruise Line has already utilized Pinterest’s new marketing tool, experiencing a 14% increase in clickthrough rates and upwards of a 71% lower cost-per-click.
Heads Up, Cord Cutters: YouTube TV Goes National
Although YouTube TV may have made its debut nearly two years ago, this month the cable alternative added 95 markets, covering 98% of US households. While YouTube’s rivals, DirecTV Now, SlingTV, Hulu with Live TV, and PlayStation Vue are currently available nationally, YouTube plans to fill in the remaining 2% in the near future. With a price tag of about half the price of cable, YouTube TV officials have said that their services appeal to millennials the most due to its flexibility. The Cable TV alternative offers 60 Networks, making YouTube TV a serious competitor within the numerous streaming services available.
Upcoming Version of Google Chrome Will Make It Harder to Block Ads
With plans to release a new version of Chrome later this year, Google revealed that this update will break a number of ad blockers. Although Google’s main source of revenue is derived from ads, the Internet tycoon claims the change is also necessary to enhance user privacy and control. However, limiting filtering capabilities will only limit the ability of users to determine the content they are exposed to. While users reportedly haven’t responded well to the anticipated change, marketers could see benefits from Google’s new pushback on ad blockers.
Snapchat Makes Users ‘Happy,’ Snap Says
The California-based social media platform, Snapchat, partnered with Murphy Research to analyze the reasons why people choose to utilize certain social platforms. According to the results, 95% of Snapchatters report the app made them feel happy. While Snapchat usage is reportedly on the decline, the top three attributes associated with the app are silly, creative, and attractive. In order to keep advertisers interested in collaborating with the platform, Snapchat is moving towards positioning itself as a “feel good app.”
Industry News
Condé Nast Will Put Every Single Publication Behind a Paywall By Year’s End
Prepare to pay up, readers. Publishing giant, Condé Nast, announced its plan of enforcing a paywall by the end of 2019. Thought of as the next phase of strategy by Condé Nast, this action emphasizes the growing importance of generating revenue beyond advertisements for publishers. The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, and Wired are three of the major Condé Nast publications already behind paywalls. The publishing empire plans to build digital subscription services around many of its other publications.