Several platforms have recently announced developments which provide further opportunities for advertisers to reach new audiences.
YouTube podcast and audio ads
Podcast targeting is now available globally, so brands and businesses can advertise to podcast listeners. In its announcement, Google cited data from Edison Research reporting that YouTube is the 2nd most used service for listening to podcasts in the US, behind Spotify.
Advertisers can now align ads with podcast content globally. Just create an audio or video campaign and select “Podcast” as a placement.
Google also announced that audio ads are now available globally in Google Ads and Display & Video 360.
YouTube launches “Moment Blast”
YouTube’s new Moment Blast is designed to reach people during key moments, such as major sporting events, movie releases or product launches.
Moment Blast gives advertisers prime positioning on YouTube Select content on connected TVs (CTV) and other devices, plus a Branded Title Card and optional Masthead placement.”
Google’s trim video tool for bumper ads now available globally
Google’s trim video tool turns a long video into a short 6-second video, which can be used for bumper ads on YouTube. The tool is powered by a machine learning model which identifies key scenes and brand elements from the original video and adapts them for shorter formats. It’s a self-service tool which can help advertisers create bumper ads quickly.
The tool was introduced in 2019 in beta as Bumper Machine. The trim tool improves on the original with an enhanced machine learning model and more intuitive editing capabilities. It’s available in the Asset Library in Google Ads.
Pinterest expands Trends tool, rolls out API for Conversions
Pinterest has expanded its tools for advertisers with new ways to uncover emerging trends, and also to measure campaign success. The Trends tool is expanded from US, UK and CA to a further 30 countries and 22 languages. It offers a way for advertisers to gain insights into what is trending with their audiences, and so inform campaigns.
Features include:
- Trends your audience loves
- Trends by demographics
- Seasonal trends
Image: Pinterest
Pinterest's new API for Conversions is available globally, offering audiences a comprehensive view of their campaign performance and of the actions their audience took on their site. It will be integrated in the coming weeks with commerce partner Shopify and tag management partner Google Tag Manager.
Read more about these features on Pinterest's blog post.
Reddit building Ads API
Reddit is continuing to develop its Ads API and has announced the first four “alpha partners for the initiative”. They are:. VidMob, Sprinklr, adMixt, and PMG.
The platform says its Ads API is the first step towards its wider marketing API ecosystem and will allow advertisers to scale and streamline spend in a more seamless process.
Uber plans to start showing ads
Uber has announced plans to start showing ads to passengers before and during their trip.
The initiative comes from Uber’s newly formed advertising division and is already raising concerns about privacy issues. The company holds huge amounts of customer data, both through consumer rides and Uber Eats.
Washington Post quotes Columbia Business School’s Leonard Sherman as saying: “More concerning for riders, though, should be Uber’s alleged history of mishandling customer data and its intimate knowledge of how much we’re willing to pay for stuff.”
