Here’s today’s AdExchanger.com news round-up… Want it by email? Sign up here.
No Hate
Twitch and Reddit have joined Twitter and other social platforms in cracking down on President Trump for hate speech. Twitch temporarily banned Trump’s account for violating its hateful conduct policy. The first incident was via a re-broadcasted clip from 2016 in which Trump referred to Mexican people as “rapists,” and the second was an excerpt from Trump’s recent rally in Tulsa, where he talked about a “very tough hombre” breaking into a woman’s house at night, per Bloomberg. Meanwhile, Reddit banned the r/The_Donald subreddit, which has more than 790,000 users, for hate speech violations, TechCrunch reports. “All communities on Reddit must abide by our content policy in good faith,” the company said in a statement. “We banned r/The_Donald because it has not done so, despite every opportunity.”
Free And Clear
In April, Google Shopping switched out sponsored product ads for free listings, betting that more retailers and merchants would join Google Merchant Center, even if they weren’t search advertisers. Now, Google will extend free listings to the main search page. It’s a win for smaller sellers, who are boxed out of Google by big retailers that dominate search terms. Adding companies to the Google Merchant Center has knock-on benefits for YouTube, which is investing more in shoppable ad formats. The policy change also shows how preferencing sponsored listings can obstruct shoppers. “We already see that these changes will help generate billions of dollars in sales for retailers and brands in the US, on an annual basis,” writes Bill Ready, president of Google’s commerce business, in a blog post.
The Time Has Come
The New York Times is ditching Apple News because the service doesn’t create direct relationships with readers, the publication reported Monday. The Times is focused on growing subscriptions, and Apple News offers little ability to directly engage with readers. When Apple News launched in 2015, publishers considered it a potential lifeline because it worked with trusted news sources and offered human editorial controls, compared to other news aggregators or social media. But despite reaching 125 million monthly readers, Apple offers little by way of monetization, and it takes a 30% cut of new subscriptions. Apple News Plus, a $9.99 bundle of premium news sources, has also underwhelmed. Leaving Apple News is not expected to have “a material impact” on The Times’ revenue, said COO Meredith Kopit Levien.
But Wait, There’s More!
- Why Advertisers Are Boycotting Facebook – NYT
- How App Makers Break Their Apps To Avoid Paying Apple – WSJ
- The IBM Differential Privacy Library – blog
- Facebook Stock Falls On Boycotts, Long-Term Risk Considered Low – Bloomberg
- Knight Foundation Announces $1.7M Grants For Online Governance Research – release
- Where Brands Are Redirecting Their Facebook Dollars – Ad Age
- Verizon And Cooler Screens Launch In-Store DOOH Media Product – release
- Google To Make Shopping Listings Free Atop Search Pages – The Information
