Head In The Cloud
Cloudflare caused a stir in the publishing industry with its announcement last week that it would begin blocking all generative AI bots by default and create an option whereby AI model operators – whose models are primarily based on scraped web data – pay for access.
But Google has an Uno Reverse Card up its sleeve.
Publishers must tolerate the Google AI scraper bot because it comes under the same consent checkbox as Google’s Search crawler. In other words, denying access to Google Gemini and Google’s AI Mode will cause sites to suffer in traditional Google searches.
Cloudflare CEO Matthew Prince tweeted in response to one publisher, “We will get Google to provide ways to block Answer Box and AI Overview, without blocking classic search indexing, as well.”
That’s a bold claim. “I mean, we’ve all been asking Google to give us this level of control,” writes Barry Schwartz at Search Engine Roundtable. And Google’s answer has been a steady “no.”
But Cloudflare appears to have its own card to play.
One SEO agency leader asked Prince on X whether it’s even possible to block Google’s AI scrapers while allowing the search bot.
Prince’s response: “It is. #staytuned.”
Just Dupe It
Some brands are struggling with the new “dupe” culture.
Once the province of people on the street hawking obviously fake handbags, the term “dupe” has been co-opted through the recent trend of quality private-label lines and social media-based manufacturers – not to mention online retailers like Shein – aping pricey products for peanuts, reports Marketing Dive.
Lululemon is suing Costco for producing lookalikes, as well as for backing influencers who refer to the products as “Lulu dupes” and “knockoffs.” In Lululemon’s view, there’s now a private-label shopper mentality, so when people see a knockoff Lululemon product made by Kirkland, Costco’s house brand, they often believe Lululemon is the true manufacturer.
Meanwhile, in the grocery aisle, Mondelēz filed a suit against Aldi last month for blatant knockoffs of Chips Ahoy! and Oreo cookies.
But Mondelēz and other brands must tread carefully. They don’t want to lose their spot on those grocery shelves.
And consumers aren’t helping much. Marketing Dive reports a survey indicating 70% of Americans who make $150,000 or more per year “say they’re more likely to try private label if it’s marketed as a dupe of a high-end product.”
Stuck In Traffic
Publishers are desperate to restore their dwindling traffic rates. But whether their attempts are working is a separate conversation.
As Google AI Overviews continue to grow as a share of search responses and more people use generative AI search engines, publishers are preparing for “the idea of ‘Google Zero,’” GQ’s global editorial director, Will Welch, tells New York Magazine.
As Google search results peter out, it’s becoming more important than ever to “build a relationship with your core readers,” Welch says.
Subscription-based publications, for example, haven’t been hit so hard. The ones feeling deep traffic losses are “outlets that really relied on a much more casual news reader who just sort of popped in and out,” per one senior New York Times editor.
Gaining subscribers and improving app quality are two of the strategies that digital publishers are seizing upon to sustain traffic, along with increasing the amount of video they produce.
“Advertisers want to put their money in areas that already have paying customers,” the Times editor notes, “because that means there’s a path to purchase through you.”
But Wait! There’s More
AI thinks it would be a good idea for people to make cookies out of an overly sweetened pasta sauce. People staunchly disagree. [The Guardian]
Meet the humans who make a living filling in when generative AI content services screw up. [BBC]
Threads is close to reaching X’s daily active user numbers. [TechCrunch]
Perplexity AI’s plan for search ads looks nothing like Google. [Business Insider]
You’re Hired!
Tubi hires two senior Snap execs: Sharon Silverstein as senior VP and head of US industry verticals and Katelyn Kroneman as VP of finance and QSR verticals. [Variety]
