Here’s today’s AdExchanger.com news round-up… Want it by email? Sign up here.
Hey, Big Spender
Amazon may be raking in billions from its ad business, but it’s also spending a ton on programmatic advertising. The ecommerce giant was the biggest programmatic spender during the first quarter of this year, according to a report from MediaRadar. Amazon spent 150% more than Microsoft, the second-largest programmatic advertiser, and accounted for 10% of spend by the largest 50 advertisers. Other top programmatic spenders in the quarter include Wayfair, TaxAct, Charles Schwab, Weight Watchers, Sprint, Coors Light, Geico and Dell, writes Marketing Dive. More.
Asserting Influence
Google’s acquisition of the influencer marketing platform FameBit almost two years ago is starting to pay off. On Alphabet’s Q2 earnings call last month, CEO Sundar Pichai credited FameBit for doubling creators’ revenue on YouTube – of which the platform gets a 10% cut. Google was slow to broker influencer deals, usually the territory of talent firms and PR or social agencies, but now it’s pitching its influencer business as part of large ad packages, reports Mike Shields for Business Insider. Influencer campaign spenders are eager for YouTube’s distribution and ability to measure video impact across other properties. “One of the most exciting pieces is the measurement side,” said Beau Avril, a YouTube vet and FameBit’s global head of business operations. “We can show brands what happens in search when creators talk about their products.” More.
Uphill Climb
It’s been a tough year for MDC Partners. The holding company reported Q2 earnings Thursday with a 2.8% YoY dip in revenue to roughly $380 million. Organic growth was down 1.7% for the quarter and 0.5% for the first half of the year. MDC has been hit hard by clients cutting back on agency costs, especially CPGs, CEO Scott Kauffman said on the earnings call. In July, MDC cut its corporate staff by 15% to save $4 million in annualized staff costs. MDC will continue to evaluate its portfolio for cost savings throughout the year but is maintaining its guidance for 1% to 3% organic growth for 2018. “We continue to see great demand for our agencies,” Kauffman said. “There’s a lot of activity right now. You hear a lot of CMOs talking openly about shifting needs.”
But Wait, There’s More!
- Instagram CEO Kevin Systrom On Winning The Stories War – The Verge
- Facebook Gives Local Newspapers Tips To Boost Subscriptions – WSJ
- Why Customer Data Platforms Are Hot Right Now – eMarketer
- How Bots Amplify Hoaxes And Propaganda On Social Media – Recode
- Why Learn To Use Gadgets When They Can Learn To Help Us? – Digital Trends
- Facing Losses, Condé Nast Plans To Sell Three Of Its Magazines – NYT
- Go90 Or Bust: How AwesomenessTV’s Fate Was Tied To Verizon – Digiday
You’re Hired!
Correction: This story previously said MDC Partners will save $40 million in annualized staff costs in 2018. The correct number is $4 million.
