The total digital advertising expenditure expanded by 11% to £29.6 billion in 2023, as reported by IAB and PwC.

By how much has spending increased in 2023?

The ad industry has bucked the trend against the UK economy as it grew strongly in the last 12 months. The economy has grown by only 0.1% however the growth in markets such as podcasting and connected TV (CTV) has helped to strengthen the market. The media spend in retail increased by 12% in 2023 with brands trying to gather first-party data with the degradation of cookies occurring this year. Group M has predicted that there will be further growth of 8.4% this year.

Why has spending increased?

Investment in podcast advertising has led the way with the increase. This form of advertising hit double digits in terms of growth (23%) whilst CTV rose by 21% and digital out-of-home advertising went up by 12%.

Paid Social advertising continued to be a key source of marketing for brands. Advertisers spent across Meta and TikTok aggressively and consequently the budgets rose by 20%. As society grows more and more reliant on technology and new forms of social engagement, advertisers are attempting to capitalise on social media.

In consequence, mobile advertising also made gains with a rise of 15% in 2023 – which equates to around £16.7 billion and a 10% increase on the 4% growth in 2022. Growth is likely to be driven by more and more young and old people adopting online shopping and spending more time on their devices.

Given the forthcoming (but delayed!) phase-out of third-party cookies, the landscape of digital advertising is changing significantly and industry analysis anticipates that this will continue to cause dramatic changes and growth in the ad ecosystem.

Harnessing the features of Instagram is essential when creating a well-rounded business presence. In this article, we explore all the features you can use to enhance the quality of your business’s social presence.

Link in Bio & Link trees

Including a link within your bio is a great way to provide upfront access to your website or affiliate websites. Displaying a link or using a link tree can help your audience reach the product or service with ease, making it simpler for creators and brands to promote consistently across platforms.

Link trees make it possible for creators and brands to display all their relevant links in one place. Audiences have easy access to the pages they want in just as little as two clicks. 

Connect your store

Both Instagram and Facebook allow businesses to connect their stores to the platforms, tag products, connect ads to the store, and have direct access to the store via the business’s profile. Businesses must make use of connecting their store to Metas platforms, so their customer’s journey to the products or services is simplified.

Connecting your store offers so many benefits to your social media marketing. Keeping your social media marketing campaigns cohesive across all platforms is likely to optimise the potential audiences and customers seeing and connecting with the brand. This creates opportunity where otherwise there would not be.

Instagram offers great insight into how to set up your shop.

Reels

Reels offer up to 90 seconds per video, ideal for short-form content surrounding campaigns, ads, and recycled content. On public accounts, reels have a large reach that encompasses non-followers of the brand too.

Creators can produce videos to trending audio, this feature is especially practical for brands when producing relevant and engaging content. Remixing allows creators to produce reactive content, displaying as a split screen. Creating content that is responsive to events or trends is made simple, duetting the content will also enable the brand/creators to reach the other creators’ audiences.   

Live streams

Live streaming is a fantastic way to reach newer audiences and can even be done in collaboration with other accounts to connect different audiences. Additionally, live streaming offers audiences real-time insight into how a brand chooses to present itself, showing personality can be represented authentically and naturally with the use of going live.

Livestreaming also gives audiences the capability to respond to content in real-time, giving clear insight into their engagement and responsiveness. Being able to see feedback from customers as it is happening will allow brands to tailor content to the audience’s wants and needs.

Collaborative posts

Though the feature is not yet available on desktops, those controlling their accounts from mobile apps will find they can create collaborative posts. Collaborative posts are displayed across any accounts that have collaborated.

To enable this post feature, you will need to navigate to the ‘tag people’ section and then locate the ‘invite collaborator’ button.

Collaborating allows brands to share audiences, leading to greater exposure and brand awareness. Collaborate enables brands to explore topics that may not be relevant through just the perspective of their stand-alone brand. Brands displaying, they have built a rapport with other brands and creators demonstrate the connective power of the collaborate feature. 

Instagram stories

Stories give insight into the daily on-goings of brands or creators as it is happening, making it one of the most useful features of the app. The live updates can be especially great when trying to bring personality to a brand’s reputation.

Public story threads also known as ‘add yours’ stickers are small stickers that can be added to a story to publish it to a public story. The feature allows brands to hop onto trends, showing real-time responsiveness to the current internet cultures adopted by many users on Instagram. The feature works like a chain, and as such, enables non-following users to access and respond to the content.

Stories also offer a brilliant feature which allows creators to retrospectively mention other users after the story has already gone live. This can be done by clicking on the three dots, locating ‘more’ and then selecting ‘add mention’. This feature is especially handy when accidentally forgetting to tag other users.

We’d love to know, do you use Instagram or any of these features already? Feel free to contact us if you’re looking to expand your business’s social media presence or are interested in growing your brand’s online presence.

Google has once again delayed its plan to phase out third-party cookies on Chrome, now pushing the timeline to possibly as late as 2025. This decision marks the third postponement, indicating significant challenges that still need addressing before third-party cookies can be deprecated.

Understanding Third-Party Cookies

Third-party cookies are small pieces of code created by websites other than the one you are directly visiting. These are primarily used for cross-site tracking, advertising, and creating a personalized browsing experience. Google’s decision to phase them out stems from increasing privacy concerns among consumers and regulators. This shift intends to promote a more private browsing experience while still enabling advertisers to effectively reach their audiences.

Extended Timeline: What It Means for Businesses

With Google’s latest announcement, brands and marketers gain additional time to adapt their strategies. The discontinuation of third-party cookies is a pivotal change, as these cookies have been instrumental for marketers in targeting advertisements, measuring campaign performance, and improving user experience through personalized ads.

The extension allows businesses to further explore and implement alternative tracking technologies as the reliance on third-party cookies diminishes. Although this is another delay, the eventual discontinuation of third-party cookies is inevitable, emphasizing the need for the industry to prepare for a significant shift in digital advertising practices.

Behind Google’s Decision

In a recent statement from Privacy Sandbox News, Google highlighted the complex nature of transitioning away from third-party cookies. The tech giant acknowledged the varied feedback from multiple sectors, including industry leaders, regulators, and developers, all of which contribute to the ongoing challenges:

• Google is committed to engaging with the entire ecosystem to navigate the varied opinions and technical challenges.
• The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) requires additional time to review all evidence, including results from recent industry tests, which must be submitted by the end of June.
• Given these complexities, Google will not proceed with cookie deprecation in the second half of this year as previously planned.

Looking Ahead

Despite the setback, Google remains hopeful to complete the phase-out by 2025. This timeline, however, is not set in stone as the company continues to navigate regulatory scrutiny and industry feedback. The extended deadline should serve as a reminder for businesses to accelerate their transition plans and innovate in how they collect and utilize data in a privacy-first world.

Google has recently announced some new advertising plans which will enable brands to make the most of YouTube shorts, the company’s fast-growing short-form video offering. YouTube Shorts has now reached over two billion monthly logged-in users and over 70 billion views each day across the globe. A new blog post has announced that there would be a new curated content selection, from which brands could place short ads next to popular videos.

What are YouTube Select short ads and how can they help brands?

The YouTube Select Shorts is the new platform for ads. Google has curated a platform that allows brands to choose popular and trending short-form content to place their ads against.

YouTube Select Shorts is a new advertising platform curated by Google that allows brands to place their YouTube Shorts ads alongside popular and trending short-form videos. This initiative benefits brands by providing audience targeting which will allow users to reach the right users who are more likely to engage. Additionally, there will be greater exposure across devices, with TVs showcasing YouTube Shorts with an increase of 100% by 2023 for YouTube Shorts viewership. Finally, this new initiative will provide brands with the opportunity to be present on a platform that has billions of monthly users.

How will the ABCD Framework support Short Ads?

Google has expanded the ABCD framework for Short Ads to improve the chances of success for advertisers. This includes format guidance so that marketers can properly elevate their strategy. A recent study by Kantar has found that by implementing the ABCD principles brands can expect to increase their short-term sales by up to 30%.

The framework has four key tenets: Attention, Branding, Connection and Direction.

• Attention: Googler recommends that brands install creative messaging, audio and imagery to engage customers.
• Branding: Maintain a strong brand message and raise awareness by using integrated branding from the start.
• Connection: With clear messages and emotional storytelling (whether that be humour or love for example) you should create a connection with the user.
• Direction: Point your audience in the right direction with smart CTAs and voiceovers.

Producing copy for a blog can be quite straightforward once the process is in place. In this article, we’ll break down the key stages of writing copy and provide some tips to ensure that the content you release is of the highest quality.

Research 

Research is fundamental in the step towards producing a blog/article. Research allows for information to be compiled, it deepens our understanding of topics and often enhances the quality of the work with the inclusion of relevant knowledge. 

Research can help you identify the key points in your discussion, allowing you to break down each section or topic. Once you can identify the sections of your discussion, you can undertake research it the more niche subject matters of your discussion. When writing content, it’s essential to break it down into digestible, concise sections. This will ensure that the readers can follow along with ease and select the relevant sections to their inquiry. 

Research is super important; you need to have a great understanding of the topics you are discussing. Google and respective search engines will trawl the information you have given and provide the ranking based on the quality, usefulness and how SEO friendly it is. 

Starting to write

When starting to write your copy it’s important to identify the structure of the content, outlining a title and sub-headings is a great way to gauge the layout, the number of words per section and how to tie each section together. 

When developing a title for your work, consider two things: the first is to convey the overarching topic or themes of discussion. The second is to make it enticing, consider how to frame the title. Can you phrase it to make it sound useful for the reader? Consider framing it as a question, that way when searchers are inquiring through Google, your content is identified as addressing that query. 

An alternative to framing the title as a question is to grab the attention of the user. Using highly descriptive language, allows the user to understand the topic whilst keeping it short and simple. A great example of this would be when you see an article about a celebrity, and it reads ‘So and so stuns on the BAFTA red carpet’. Keeping it short and snappy will typically create curiosity within the reader, encouraging them to read. 

Subheadings should signpost the different points of discussion. This allows the audience to navigate your article much more easily. Aim to keep the sub-headings super simple, them being easy to find and quick to read will enhance the quality and ease of the reader’s experience. 

Keywords 

Keywords are a huge part of SEO (search engine optimisation) so it’s super important to outline what words you will need to incorporate into the copy. This will ensure the language used is relevant to the topic, as you will need to make sure the word you use is flagged when people search for your topic or other relevant queries. 

Keywords can be found using analytical tools such as Google Search Console, SEMrush and SE Ranking.

Long-tail keywords are search terms with 3 words or more, it is the whole query rather than a single word. 

Short-tail keywords are short search terms, typically one or two words at most. 

Review & Edit

Once you have written your first or second draft, review the content and make the necessary adjustments. Then the final draft can be written, the final draft should tidy up any sections which need re-structuring, and rephrasing and spelling checks should also be undertaken. 

Proofread your copy, not just once or twice, but aim to check roughly three to four times before uploading it. This may be a little bit tedious to do but ultimately it will ensure professionalism and quality are at the highest it can be. 

Ensure any facts, data or case studies are checked, identified, and accredited in your article as this will be flagged as problematic to Google if not identified. 

Publishing 

When publishing your content ensure everything is in the right place, read through one last time to make sure everything is looking and reading as correct. When saving the work, check that it is labelled in a way that is clear and easy to locate. 

Here at Intelligency, we label as follows: 

Year/month/date – Name of client – Title of work – Any additional title or information. 

Make sure your name and the date of publication are on there, this shows the reader who you are and when the copy was published. This provides them with two pieces of important information, the first being who you are, they can then go on to find more of your work. Accrediting your work can only be done when your work is clearly labelled as yours, this will also help prevent others from plagiarising. 

The last check that should be done is once the article or blog has been launched, checking to see how it looks on the website. This will help you flag any major issues with displays or the content itself. This will ultimately prevent your audience from seeing any errors, which will help maintain your professionalism and the way the content is initially perceived. 

If you think this article was useful, please let us know, and, if you have any questions or other ‘how to’ articles you’d benefit from. We are keen to support you in your endeavour to create a copy!

Google has launched innovative generative image tools specifically designed for Demand Gen advertisers around the globe. This new feature allows advertisers to quickly create high-quality, original image assets with just a few clicks, streamlining the process of campaign asset creation.

Streamlined creation process

The new AI-powered tools are capable of producing high-quality images efficiently, significantly reducing the time and effort required from advertisers. Additionally, Google introduced the “Generate more like this” feature. This function enables advertisers to create variations of existing images that have proven effective, ensuring that successful themes or styles can be consistently utilized in their campaigns.

Maintaining control over image selection
Advertisers maintain full control over their campaign images:

• Full Autonomy: Advertisers decide which AI-generated images to use, not Google’s automated systems.
• Tailored Content: The ability to choose ensures that all content is specifically tailored to fit the brand’s unique needs and appeal directly to their target audience.

Originality in every image

A key feature of these tools is their ability to ensure originality. Google’s AI guarantees that no two images are the same, providing unique and distinct visual content for every campaign. This not only enhances the visual appeal of the advertisements but also supports the creation of genuinely distinctive marketing materials.

Ideal users and benefits

The generative image tools are particularly useful for:

• Small to Medium Enterprises (SMEs): SMEs can leverage these tools to produce professional-grade marketing assets without the need for large marketing budgets or in-house graphic designers.
• Digital Marketers and Agencies: These tools allow for quick creation and iteration of campaign images, making it easier to meet client demands and campaign deadlines.
• E-commerce Businesses: With the need for continuous visual content on product listings and promotions, e-commerce platforms can benefit greatly from the ability to rapidly produce and test different visual assets.

Why this matters

Utilizing AI in this manner can save advertisers significant time, money, and resources. It simplifies the creation of tailored, appealing visual content, making campaign management more efficient and effective. With these tools, Google is paving the way for a more streamlined, creative approach to digital advertising.

The innovative collaboration suggests that Google’s robots may soon start producing advertisements for globally renowned brands such as Coca-Cola. WWP, one of the world’s biggest advertising groups has announced a new collaboration with Google, who will use Gemini (their AI tool) to help create ads.

How will WPP utilize Gemini AI?

Initially, there are a few ways in which Gemini will assist WPP brands. This includes Ad narration such as voice over for video creative, the generation of scripts for ad voiceovers and the creation of product images. For example, with regards to AI narration, the system will create bespoke and customizable scripts for voiceovers, which are then sent to Eleven Labs, a London-based start-up to create the voice. Whilst the product images will be created through Gemini 1.5 Pro and Universal Scene Description 3D file forms. This will make 3D images that can be cross-referenced against brand guidelines.  This landmark deal could mean that an AI will create ad campaigns for some of the biggest brands in the world such as Nestle. 

Why have WPP done this now?

WPP has an estimated 114,000 staff around the world and the UK ad revenue equates to approximately $18.9 billion. The company claims that this collaboration will improve their market efficiency and effectiveness. The company will integrate Gemini and merge Google’s expert knowledge of generative AI, data analytics and cyber security. The Google Cloud will combine with WPP’s patented marketing and advertising data. This incorporation will allow WPP’s clients to generate product-explicit content using gen AI. This should also allow WPP’s clients to get a better and more detailed understanding of their target audiences.

Should we be worried about this deal?

The deal reflects the growing importance of AI in the marketing world and it is certainly something that can help people manage their time and potentially make companies such as WPP far more effective and efficient. However, it is worth noting that with AI becoming more capable of replicating roles traditionally done by humans, it could lead to a drop in the reliance on physical staff. 

YouTube launches updates for creators using Studio analytics. The update provides clear insight to the audience’s impression and includes both those who are new and those who have come back. This will allow for a deeper understanding of an audience’s responsiveness to content. 

The update is available in YouTube Studio analytics in advanced mode. To navigate and access impressions users will need to select the ‘Analytics’ tab. Under the ‘reach’ section users will be able to locate all of the impression’s metrics. 

Analytic insight will be available for new and older content, enabling creators to undertake comparative analysis and use the data to inform their content strategy. Allowing creators to identify where viewers are being retained and where new audiences are attracted will help identify successful content. 

HDR Live streaming

Creators will be able to live stream in HDR (High Dynamic Range). HDR allows for a greater amount of information to be fed into displays, this is demonstrated in the scope of contrast in both colours and brightness. The richness in hues and luminosity contributes to a higher quality of content that is capable of capturing a considerable amount of detail. It is worth noting, that the monitor the stream is coming from must support the HDR format. 

This is a significant update for streamers striving for high-quality content. One of the main examples of channels this update will benefit is gaming streamers. The intensified colour and light fields vastly improve the gaming experience by creating immersive and life-like visuals. Typically displaying at around 60fps, improving motions and making it look smooth and realistic.

Live stream analytics

Live streamers gain access to audience reaction analytics. The function updates based on current user activity and is presented as a clear breakdown by emoji and the volume of users. The feature is accessible to both mobile and Studio web users, which proves to be convenient for those streaming through their mobile and checking the analytics on a desktop and vice versa. 

It can be found by clicking ‘Content’ and then the ‘Overview’ tabs and can then be found under ‘chat messages and ‘reactions’. 

This will be particularly useful for creators when identifying topics that their audiences are reactive to. Conversely, seeing what content receives the least engagement is a great piece of insight for creators to base content strategies on. Resulting in creators producing content that better meets their audience’s preference.  This applies to the chat message insight too, although it does not provide any qualitative data, this will also improve creators’ understanding of how receptive audiences are to specific subjects. 

In the fast-paced world of digital marketing, keeping up with the most effective strategies on platforms like LinkedIn is crucial for maximizing visibility and engagement. A comprehensive analysis conducted by Socialinsider sheds light on the best practices for posting on LinkedIn, based on data collected from active accounts between January 2022 and December 2023. Here’s a distilled guide to what works best on LinkedIn, according to their findings.

The power of images and videos

• Multi-Image Magic: If you’re aiming for engagement, stacking your posts with multiple images is the way to go. This approach has been pinpointed as the most engaging format on LinkedIn. While carousel posts are no longer an option, you can mimic this effect by sharing PDFs where each page is a captivating image that tells part of your story.
• Video Victories: For boosting your brand’s shareability, video content is your best ally. This format has emerged as the top performer in terms of being shared across LinkedIn, making it a key asset for any brand looking to increase its visibility.

Engage and understand your audience

• Polls for Pulses: Want to know what your audience thinks? Polls not only engage but also leave a significant impression, offering a simple yet effective way for your followers to voice their opinions.
• Short and Sweet: When it comes to captions, less is more. A succinct caption paired with your images can enhance engagement significantly. It’s all about making your content easily digestible for your audience.
• Personal Touch: Encouraging your team to actively participate on LinkedIn, by curating their personal profiles and sharing company messages, can amplify your brand’s reach and authenticity.
• Data-Driven Decisions: Utilize LinkedIn’s page analytics to get to know your audience better. Tailoring your content to different segments based on this data can significantly boost your engagement rates.

A rising tide of engagement

LinkedIn engagement has seen a notable uptick, soaring by 44% year-on-year. This increase is not just a result of the platform’s growing popularity but also due to brands posting more frequently. This shift signifies a strategic move away from other platforms, highlighting LinkedIn’s growing importance in the digital marketing landscape.

Why this matters

Leveraging these insights can revolutionize your LinkedIn strategy. Although there’s no universal solution for success on this platform, applying these data-backed recommendations can guide your content creation towards more meaningful interactions and greater visibility.

Navigating External Links: It’s been observed that posts with external links generally see less engagement. A clever workaround? Share your links in the first comment of your posts to keep your audience engaged without leaving the platform.

By integrating these strategies into your LinkedIn playbook, you can enhance your brand’s presence, foster deeper connections with your audience, and drive your engagement metrics to new heights.

What is the trending topics section? 

Trending topics encompass all mass-discussed news and subjects, and the trending topics can be in the ‘for you’ feed as well as the search page. The algorithm used to identify said trending topics will assess and collate topics which users are engaging with most and then content specialist review and compile 5 trending topics, to be displayed to users.

Introducing a trending topics section allows users to connect and discuss worldwide trending subjects. The update brought to US users was released on the 19th of March and came after many users stated the feature was highly desirable.

A trending topic section allows users to explore relevant, current subject matter. As a result, users will be exposed to topics they may have otherwise been unaware of. As well as improving navigation to find topics alongside the ability and ease to engage with them as a result. 

Threads versus X

The trending topics section is a feature that will be familiar to X users (formerly Twitter). Threads being X’s biggest competition offers users 500 characters, whilst X only provides 280, this alone gives users a platform to have in-depth discussions, and less of a need for the continuation of topics into comments. This is not the only difference in offerings, Threads also allows users to upload longer video content, as much as up to five minutes. In contrast to X’s two minutes and twenty-second cap.

Features utilised by both apps:

• Desktop compatible 
• Cross-platform sharing 
• Hashtags
• GIFs, videos, and photos
• Trending section

Utilising ‘trending topics’ within your marketing strategy

Crafting campaigns with the awareness of current trending subjects is an essential part of marketing. Of course, not every topic will have relevance or provide marketers with an opportunity to promote, engage and capitalize off current events. However, when the subject is relevant, it can improve audience visibility, aid in forming attitudes around subjects and can be used to educate both the brand and customers. 

To utilise the feature in an appropriate manner, brands will need to monitor trending topics and select relevant topics to engage with. This has been seen to work well in sectors such as fashion and sports, when events like London Fashion Week occur, fashion brands are able to join the conversation and capitalise by providing content or displaying products that users are likely to respond to. 

Trending topics are beneficial for brands as they can also help gain insight into audiences’ responsiveness to specific topics and events. This will allow brands to analyse what content is most successful for their target audience. Through analysis brands can then determine the format of content that works best for the audience, then apply their content findings in future strategies.