Persuasion Campaigns
The Trade Desk is upping its competitive position in regard to walled gardens and Amazon.
A new line of B2B marketing, in the form of TV and display ads, highlights that TTD doesn’t own a social media platform, streaming TV content or an ecommerce site. So the DSP buys ads “without any conflicts of interests.”
The ad isn’t “necessarily about walled gardens,” TTD CMO Ian Colley tells Adweek. Nor does the ad ever explicitly name Amazon.
But, c’mon, let’s be real.
In August, TTD took a major stock hit after CEO Jeff Green downplayed the perceived competitive tension with Amazon.
“From a certain point of view, Amazon is not a competitor,” Green said at the time, referring to how small the Amazon DSP is within Amazon’s ad business, let alone Amazon entire.
Amazon is “more of a potential partner, honestly,” he said.
Investors thought he failed to appreciate the monster truck in his rear-view mirror.
So it’s no surprise the DSP has taken a more bellicose stance.
Also, as Adweek notes, Amazon is bringing the heat in a more head-to-head way itself, by offering brands free or discounted media if those advertisers want to test the Amazon DSP vs. any other DSP (but really The Trade Desk) in a bakeoff.
Trial And Error
Meta is dealing with a rash of small-claim lawsuits from creators who are suing as a way to get customer service support tickets seen to, Engadget reports.
Seriously.
Popular Facebook account creators (who aren’t well-known themselves but operate random viral meme pages or make AI-generated videos) were once served by monetization partner reps.
These creator accounts are cynical monetization vehicles, not actual news or valuable content. But, like advertisers, they also get AI customer service , which means nothing works at all.
Meta’s AI tool for flagging content or shady practices is, by all accounts, not fit for purpose. At times, the AI is comically off, as Engadget documents.
Then Meta’s AI customer service bots come into play. This tech has a well-earned reputation for being unable to resolve even the most basic account issues.
So creators are – no joke – fighting AI with AI, using AI-drafted legal documents to get Facebook to remonetize their accounts.
The news brings to mind the gray market of illicit Meta account services that has existed for years. Advertisers paid for these services because they were desperate for someone inside Meta to see to their normal customer service requests.
Another aspect is Meta’s nontransparent and unethical refund practices, which can leave accounts with large losses in a weird limbo – and when advertisers are paid back for misspent budgets, the funds are returned in the form of platform ad credits.
To Merge Or Not To Merge?
Surprise! Despite all claims to the contrary, it seems like every TV broadcaster has a bid in mind for Warner Bros. Discovery.
Reuters reports that Netflix, for example, is actively exploring a deal for WBD’s studio and streaming businesses, somewhat contradicting what was said during the company’s third quarter earnings call last week.
“Historically, we’ve been more builders than buyers,” Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos told investors. He added that the company has no interest in “legacy media networks.”
Similarly, during Comcast’s call on Thursday, co-CEO Mike Cavanagh said the “bar is high” for M&A consideration. But he didn’t rule anything out – leading some onlookers, like Status reporter Oliver Darcy, to assume that Comcast is definitely interested in WBD.
Fox Corp Chairman and CEO Lachlan Murdoch didn’t cite WBD by name during the company’s earnings call on Thursday, but was gung-ho about the broader prospect of big dealmaking. “We think M&A is going to be an important part of our growth going forward,” he said.
Then again, as the Financial Times reported this summer, Fox and WBD already explored merger possibilities last year – but, seriously, nobody could figure out how Fox News and CNN could be in the same company.
But Wait! There’s More!
What do new agentic standards like the AdCP mean for publishers and programmatic? [AdMonsters]
What’s the deal with news publishers launching brand marketing campaigns lately? [Adweek]
Inside the ‘grand bargain’ to reconcile ad tech’s warring middlemen. [Digiday]
Grocers and delivery companies are preparing for a freeze on SNAP benefits. [Axios]
With the rise of personalized or surveillance pricing, consumers are being warned against joining loyalty programs. [Reader’s Digest]
Perplexity strikes a multiyear licensing deal with Getty Images. [TechCrunch]
