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☆ Microsoft just laid out the $2 billion reason why it's going all in on ChatGPT
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Lara O'Reilly | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Microsoft said it can add $2 billion in revenue for every 1 percentage point of search share it gains. Microsoft's ad business already grew to $18 billion in the last 12 months. And search advertising is such a lucrative section of the roughly $500 billion digital ad market that it almost doesn't matter if Microsoft barely dents Google's dominance. Even growing its share of search users by a couple of percentage points could grow its revenue by billions of dollars. "The moneymaker for search advertisers is short-tail, transactional terms," Goodwin said.

☆ Super Bowl LVII won't have any crypto ads because firms pulled out of deals following FTX's bankruptcy
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

But this year's Super Bowl will have no crypto ads after FTX's collapse. The Super Bowl ad landscape will look much different this year, Insider previously reported. But a lot has changed since then, to the extent that there will be zero crypto ads at Super Bowl LVII on Sunday. The crypto exchange cofounded by Sam Bankman-Fried filed for bankruptcy in November, nine months after the Super Bowl, following mass customer withdrawals. The advertising landscape at this year's Super Bowl is likely to be much different to 2022, thanks to rising economic uncertainty.

Buying a Super Bowl can be a big risk because it's a big investment months ahead of the game. Diageo CEO Ivan Menezes said during the company's January earnings call that its brand Crown Royal will run its first Super Bowl ad this year. Anheuser-Busch's move is an indication that the sky-high price of running a Super Bowl ad is getting harder for companies to justify. Bookings typically happen in May, said one ad agency exec who's purchased many Super Bowl ads for clients, including this year. Super Bowl ad slots sold briskly for both Fox this year and NBC last year.

☆ Reddit employees who lost their jobs are livid that the company is painting them as low performers: 'A cruel and dishonest way to kick a person when they're down'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Dan Whateley | Sydney Bradley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

A Reddit spokesperson declined to share the number of employees the company had let go so far, or planned to in total. In total, 10 former Reddit staffers who lost their jobs in January told Insider they did not consider themselves low performers based on their past feedback from the company. One current staffer told Insider they felt they may have been on the chopping block in January and narrowly avoided a termination. Some moved from business development jobs to work on creator services within its community-management and product teams, the Reddit spokesperson previously told Insider. Reddit also informed employees about a cut to some benefits late last year, eight current and former staffers told Insider.

☆ Twitter's ailing ad business offered a glimmer of hope as it lures big Super Bowl advertisers to platform on gameday weekend
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Lara O'Reilly | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The Super Bowl could be the most lucrative day for Twitter's ad business since Elon Musk's takeover. A handful of Super Bowl advertisers are poised to spend on Twitter on gameday weekend later this month, handing the beleaguered social media giant's ad business a much-needed boost, according to industry sources. A promoted trend costs $700,000 during the Super Bowl, compared to $100,000 on an ordinary day, Ad Age first reported. Upfront Super Bowl bookings on Twitter are still lower than in previous years, according to people familiar with the matter. To be sure, many big Super Bowl advertisers have no plans to appear on Twitter this time around.

☆ Snap was once the hottest app. Now it's getting crushed.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Hasan Chowdhury | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Snap's ads business is cratering, partly because of privacy changes by Apple. Apple has made it easier for users to opt out of ad-tracking, hurting revenue for firms like Snap. It isn't just the deteriorating economy, but the lasting effects of Apple's privacy changes in 2021. In the months running up to Apple's ad changes, Snap's stock hit a high of $83. Meta, of course, has been hurt significantly by Apple's changes (Mark Zuckerberg said the changes could cost his company around $10 billion in 2022).

☆ Volunteers who used digital ads to counter Russian propaganda about Ukraine plan to fight misinformation in countries like Syria and Iran
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( Lara O'Reilly | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

A group of volunteer 'spammers' who used ads to counter Russian propaganda about Ukraine plans to expand the campaign. Rob Blackie, organizer of the Breaking Putin's Censorship campaign. Earlier this month, the Kremlin said that anyone found simply posting a link to the banned independent Russian news site Meduza could face a six-year prison sentence. An example of one of the Breaking Putin's Censorship ads, which reads, "Why have 141 countries condemned Russians invasion of Ukraine? Breaking Putin's CensorshipThe group, which has now grown to around 60 volunteers, is already structured similarly to an ad agency.

Here are Insider's 2023 rising stars of brand marketing. These marketers adapted to a tough economy, explored new media channels, and grew brand awareness. They come from established companies like Procter & Gamble and newer startups like Instacart. They hail from established companies like Coca-Cola and General Mills and newer startups like Uber and Instacart, and all show the potential to be the industry leaders of the future. Scroll on to see the 26 rising stars of brand marketing, listed alphabetically.

The digital ad industry is scrambling as consumer anti-tracking policies from big tech companies like Google and Apple and privacy regulations across the world have already started to wipe out ad revenue. By one estimate, Apple's 2021 app tracking privacy change alone was expected to erase $16 billion in revenue from the world's biggest digital ad companies last year. "As every year progresses, it's much more of an existential issue for the ad industry than the year prior," said Anthony Katsur, CEO of IAB Tech Lab, an ad industry trade group. These companies were selected based on Insider's own reporting, input from ad industry experts, and data from Sincera, an analytics company that tracks which adtech companies are most used in the industry. This list does not include the big tech companies like Google and Amazon.

Layoffs have been hitting the ad industry as marketers trim spending amid a softening economy. Insider is tracking which ad and marketing companies have laid off staffers, and how many. Layoffs have been hitting the ad industry since early this year as marketers reined in their spending over growing economic concerns. Marketing is typically the first expense companies cut in downturns and times of uncertainty, and the industry's biggest trend forecasters have revised down their estimates for global ad revenue growth next year. Insider is tracking which companies across the ad industry are cutting staff and how many.

☆ Apple is looking for a top sales executive to spearhead a giant advertising push in sports and streaming. Here are 16 execs who could score the job.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Claire Atkinson | Lucia Moses | Lara O'Reilly | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +15 min

Netflix also conducted a search before hiring two Snap executives, Jeremi Gorman and Peter Naylor, to lead its new ads business. XandrLesser, a longtime digital ad executive, has extensive experience working on issues around the future of digital marketing. McDonald has a ton of other digital ad sales and publishing experience. She helped launch Modi Media, ad buying giant GroupM's addressable TV business, before joining TV adtech startup Cadent. UnivisionValentino runs Disney's digital ad business as EVP, client and brand solutions.

☆ The company Walgreens uses to target shoppers with ads on digital cooler doors is expanding its screens to more in-store locations
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( Lara O'Reilly | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Cooler Screens, which provides in-store ad screens on cooler doors, has detailed expansion plans. Cooler Screens, the company that provides "smart" digital advertising screens on refrigerator doors in Kroger, Walgreens, and Circle K locations, said Tuesday that plans are underway to extend its network to more screens at different areas inside stores. Cooler Screens currently offers a digital merchandising platform that brightly displays the products that sit inside a retailer's cooler units and additional advertising space. A slide from a Cooler Screens ad sales pitch deck, showcasing its plans for additional in-store billboards. Cooler Screens has raised more than $100 million in funding from investors including Verizon Ventures, Microsoft's M12 venture fund, and GreatPoint Ventures.

☆ One of Google's big plans to replace third-party cookies just hit a huge setback that it might not recover from
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( Lara O'Reilly | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Google's plan to replace third-party tracking cookies with new tech has hit another snag. A W3C group has rejected Google's Topics API proposal, saying it won't adequately preserve user privacy. The W3C rebuke marks the latest in a series of snags in Google's effort to kill off third-party cookies. However, other browsers like Apple's Safari and Mozilla's Firefox already block third-party cookies as privacy features. The company has its own commercial priorities and the commitment to the CMA that it can't remove third-party cookies until new features provide an adequate replacement.

☆ Meta's ad business is making a comeback thanks to its AI-powered improvements — but core Facebook is still struggling to get spend
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Lauren Johnson | Lara O'Reilly | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

They're now seeing improvements in performance, and are planning to devote bigger budgets to the platform this year. Those capabilities are finally showing up in Meta's ad offering. Another example is a recently-released feature called Advantage+ that uses Meta's AI to find relevant audiences for ads. Analysts at Arete research forecast a 6% decline in Facebook's annual ad revenue to $72.4 billion this year, though they also expect Instagram ad revenue will grow by 2% to $36 billion. Besides TikTok, Meta is now going head-to-head with Apple, and a host of new retail media and streaming TV ad businesses.

☆ Political advertisers are excited to return to Twitter as Elon Musk lifts the platform's 3-year-old ban on political ads
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Lara O'Reilly | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Twitter has said it plans to unwind a 3-year hiatus of political ads on the platform. Political ad experts have mostly cheered the news. Political ad buyers on both sides of the aisle are keen to return to Twitter after the company said it planned to reverse its ban on political advertising appearing on the platform. The company generated under $3 million in political ad spend for the 2018 US midterms, according to its former chief financial officer. Some political ad experts said they remained wary about advising clients to advertise on Twitter, given Musk's hasty leadership style.

☆ Experts say these 9 European digital-marketing companies could be top acquisition targets in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( Lara O'Reilly | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Insider spoke to experts who identified nine European adtech companies ripe for acquisition. Private-equity firm Mayfair Equity Partners took a majority stake in UK-based adtech firm LoopMe in January. Given the strength of the dollar versus the euro and the pound, European companies may now be more affordable than in prior years. These characteristics make European companies attractive acquisition targets for US firms. Insider spoke to six experts — a mix of bankers, adtech insiders, VCs, and M&A advisors — who identified nine European digital marketing and adtech companies that are on the market or would be attractive targets.

☆ From the digital ad crash to Elon Musk buying Twitter — these were the ad industry's 5 biggest shocks of 2022, and what it means for 2023
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( Ryan Joe | Lara O'Reilly | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The ad industry is crossing its fingers that Twitter is a safe place to advertise. 2022 was a volatile year for the advertising industry. DeGroote believes the 2023 ad market growth forecasts from major ad buyers like GroupM (5.9% growth), and Magna (5% growth to $822 billion) are too optimistic. Meta, has also seen its ad revenue decline, and has dumped $4 billion so far into building a so-called Metaverse, which hasn't driven any revenue yet. Elon Musk acquires TwitterMusk's acquisition of Twitter — and subsequent decimation of its employee ranks, including its revenue-driving advertising operations — shook the ad industry.

☆ From Amazon to The Trade Desk, experts predict these companies will be the most active acquirers of advertising businesses next year
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( Lara O'Reilly | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

There's a strong interest from acquirers in hot trends like commerce media and data consultancy. Experts predicted the companies most likely to be acquirers of advertising businesses in 2023. Many industry observers expect advertising industry M&A deal volume and value to be down next year due to volatile macroeconomic conditions. Experts across the advertising industry — from consultants, to agency executives, analysts, investors, and adtech leaders — named the companies likely to be active in the advertising M&A market in 2023 and why. Apple could make an under-the-radar adtech acquisition for its sleeping giant advertising businessIndustry insiders predict Apple has big plans for its $5 billion-and-growing advertising business next year.

☆ 6 predictions for Apple's growing ad business in 2023 — from ads on Apple TV+ to building and buying adtech
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( Lara O'Reilly | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Its App Store search ad business is growing at a clip and Apple has begun pitching advertisers Major League Soccer ad packages. Here's what experts think Apple might have in store for its advertising business next year, from TV ads to further privacy interventions. Prediction 2: Ads will be placed on Apple TV+Apple's 10-year, $250 million-a-season deal to broadcast Major League Soccer on Apple TV will air its first game in February 2023. It could become the key entry point for advertisers looking to reach Apple users across its portfolio of apps and services. "Apple is about to find out how difficult it is to serve TV ads," he added, referring to its MLS telecasts.

☆ From ads in video games, retail media, and cookieless tracking — experts predict these surging areas will drive ad industry M&A in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Lara O'Reilly | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Despite an economic downturn, experts predict there will be plenty of advertising M&A in 2023. While that could include some and firesales, deals are expected in hot areas like retail media and CTV. Insider spoke to more than a dozen industry experts who dished on the trends that will drive advertising M&A next year. Companies in hot areas like performance marketing, retail media and CTV will buy others to build out their offeringsPerformance marketing, retail media, and the growth of connected TV advertising have been among the hottest trends for advertising companies and agencies in recent years. Areas like retail media and ad-supported streaming are on fire.

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☆ Check out the pitch deck Twitter's former social media chief is using to raise $1.3 million for a Twitter alternative called Spill
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( Lara O'Reilly | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A team of former Twitter employees are launching a new social platform called Spill. Spill aims to spotlight culture and compensate creators for their content, using blockchain tech. Check out the pitch deck Spill is using to help raise a $1.3 million pre-seed funding round. Spill is focusing its early community building efforts onboarding creators from communities that are often "underrecognized" on big social platforms, despite having a huge impact on their growth. Check out the 14-page pitch deck Spill is using to court potential investors below.

Here are the 12 hottest adtech companies of 2022. Marketers reined in digital ad spend, and adtech companies felt the blow, leading to industry-wide layoffs. Adtech companies with solid businesses that solved problems in hot areas like retail media and streaming TV stood out this year. And retailers like Walmart and Kroger signed new deals with adtech companies to expand their advertising businesses. Here are the 12 hottest adtech companies of 2022.

☆ Digital ad firm Viant plans to lay off 13% of its staff
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-13 | by ( Lara O'Reilly | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Viant, a publicly traded adtech company, disclosed plans to lay off 46 employees, or 13% of its staff. It becomes the latest in a line of adtech companies to reduce their workforces in recent months. Digital ad firm Viant said it plans to lay off 13% of its workforce, or about 46 employees, becoming the latest in a line of adtech companies trimming headcount in the face of an advertising downturn. Advertising-funded technology companies from Meta to Google have suffered a decline in ad sales in recent months and major advertising forecasting firms have revised down their estimates for the industry's growth in 2023. Adtech companies including Integral Ad Science, Taboola, and Meta have announced plans to trim their workforces in recent months amid the softening economy.

☆ Crypto advertising is under fire after the FTX implosion, but firms like Binance, Grayscale, and OKX are pouring money into marketing to win back consumer trust
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Lara O'Reilly | Reed Alexander | Lauren Johnson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The bitcoin crash and FTX implosion massively dented the crypto advertising boom. But fewer crypto advertisers can also create an advantage for those still trying to get their messages to consumers. And Dinu added that crypto companies' efforts to advertise to restore trust could persist "well beyond" the next six months. Some crypto companies are still launching splashy campaigns, similar to crypto ad campaigns from the beginning of the year. "Crypto companies have to stop talking about themselves and start talking about how cryptocurrency or blockchain fits into normal people's lives."

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