Hot 100 Hack
Freecash, a rewards-based “get-paid-to” app, shot up the App Store and Google Play charts faster than a Taylor Swift single.
The app was marketed heavily on TikTok as an easy way to earn money by playing games and completing surveys. It hit the No. 2 spot in the US App Store after a string of viral ads.
But much like stan Twitter calls out artists for using Payola, which artificially boosts streams to game the charts, TechCrunch reports that Freecash used underhanded tactics.
A report from Cybersecurity firm Malwarebytes alleges that Freecash wasn’t just rewarding engagement but quietly extracting highly sensitive consumer data, such as a user’s health status, sexual orientation, race, religion and other personal details.
If true, that would make the app less of a rewards platform and more like a data broker that connects advertisers with high-intent mobile gamers.
Freecash pushed back on the accusations, of course. “Our apps are fully compliant with the Apple App Store and Google Play store policies,” a spokesperson from the Berlin-based company that owns Freecash told TechCrunch in an email. They added that some of the ads in question were created by third-party affiliates.
Apple pulled Freecash from its App Store, and Google says it’s still reviewing the situation.
The Ad Store
This week, Apple launched Apple Business, which bundles a suite of business-focused tools, including advertising, into a single platform, Business Insider reports.
Most of Apple’s ad revenue comes from app developers that buy ads in its App Store. But Apple’s recent advertising tactics signal that it wants a bigger piece of the ad market, especially from small and medium-size businesses.
A few weeks ago, we wrote about how Apple plans to introduce ads into Apple Maps, possibly as soon as this summer. This would give brands the opportunity to pay for premium search placements.
Matthew Bailey, an analyst with tech advisory Omdia, tells BI that bringing ads to Apple Maps could be a big revenue booster, although it should be noted that Apple doesn’t have the search advertising ecosystem that underpins Google Maps.
As Apple continues to test new advertising updates, the real test will be whether it can scale its ads business while sticking to all the privacy pronouncements the company has made over the past few years.
Silence, Brand!
The mid-2010s was a magical time for marketers to inject personality into their social media messages. Who can forget the Great Wendy’s Twitter Roast or the infamous Penguin Random House/Melville House Fight of 2015?
Ten years later, though, these tactics – clapping back at commenters, reacting to viral posts, acting like people instead of companies, etc. – have gotten old. And yet, Digiday reports, brands really don’t know how to quit them.
The current trend is to post something well-timed and relatable in the comments or replies of existing social content. Not only is it free, but many social media algorithms now reward interactions more favorably than status posts.
Plus, users are now hanging out in those comments, too. As Dude Wipes CMO and Co-Founder Ryan Meegan points out, “people scroll straight to replies looking for something entertaining.”
Unfortunately, seeing other users respond with anti-marketing rhetoric like “Silence, brand!” often serves as that entertainment. But if the brand still gets its message in front of users – and, more importantly, if that messaging correlates to a lift in brand awareness or even sales – then maybe it’s still worth the metaphorical brow-beating.
For now.
But Wait! There’s More!
How social traffic has declined for publishers, in three charts. [Nieman Labs]
Viant acquires TV measurement provider TVision for $40 million. [release]
Snapchat is cutting 1,000 jobs, or 16% of its workforce. [TechCrunch]
The EU is threatening Meta with an interim ban on policies that block rival AI companies from operating on WhatsApp. [Bloomberg]
AI slop is making the internet sound happier than it actually is. [Wired]
YouTube megastar MrBeast is on the hunt for his first ever CMO. [Business Insider]
More live sports for Netflix: The network signed a four-year deal with Concacaf to secure the Mexican market streaming rights for the Nations League finals and the Concacaf Gold Cup tournaments starting in 2027. [The Hollywood Reporter]
You’re Hired!
Abbey Klaassen is leaving Dentsu Creative for Tinuiti. [Ad Age]
Go-to-market firm Marketbridge appoints Fiona McKenzie as president of its European operations. [release]
Crossover Media Group hires John Murphy as VP of strategic partnerships. [Podcast News Daily]
