Snapchat's Missing Measurement; Google Requires Ad-Supported App Disclosure

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Meh-surement

For the social marketer, it’s easy to set and then confirm certain performance metrics on YouTube, Instagram, Pinterest and so on. Engagement, visibility, views, likes and shares are all among the well-worn data points. But Snapchat has no such features, and since it also doesn’t have an API, there’s essentially no way for brands to confirm a campaign even ran unless the viewer takes a screenshot to send to the marketer. As one Snapchat spender tells The Wall Street Journal’s Mike Shields, “You can have millions of dollars paid out in these campaigns, and they’re basically being run on screenshots and text messages between C-level executives and teenagers.” More.

Google Store, Google Rules

Google has told its developer community that any ad-supported app must be identified as such in the Play Store. The change, which takes effect in January, is an expansion of Google’s “Designed for Families” program, which forces apps to disclose upfront that they feature in-app purchases. That earlier change was essentially born out of parents frustrated by children downloading free apps and then racking up in-app purchases. The news was first reported by Kellen Barranger at Droid Life.

Direct: Ain’t It Grand?

It’s now accepted wisdom that the publisher stack of the future will feature the direct sale front and center. Sonobi, a one-time ad network that has repositioned as a programmatic platform, knows this and has rolled out a “guaranteed” solution called Jetstream. Key players on the buy side include MediaMath and Merkle. “We’ve built an agency suite to make it easier to get access to supply,” product head John Donahue told attendees at the company’s New York event on Thursday. Press release.

Piling On

Yahoo has been taking a beating in the press. The latest ugliness: In a letter sent Thursday, Yahoo stakeholder Starboard Ventures is pushing the company to abandon the attempt to spin off its 15% share of Alibaba, and instead sell the core business. The research firm L2 writes that Yahoo can neither buy nor build its way out of this mess: “Yahoo’s acquisition team showing up at your door can only mean that your company is about to fail – and you’re about to get rich.” The once-vaunted digital player can also look forward to the December edition of Forbes magazine, which will feature a story titled “The Last Days Of Marissa Mayer?” Oof.

But Wait, There’s More!