Google won its appeal against a €1.5bn EU antitrust fine, as the EU General Court annulled the 2019 penalty.
Although the court agreed with most of the European Commission's claims about Google's anti-competitive practices, it ruled the EC didn't fully assess the duration of the unfair clauses.
Marketers should note that Google’s influence in digital advertising remains strong, but ongoing legal scrutiny could lead to future changes in ad practices.
🎧 Spotify’s global ad revenue expected to reach $2.1bn in 2024, WARC says
This forecast marks a 13% YoY rise in revenue growth, expected to rise further to $2.6bn by 2026. The world’s most popular audio streaming service now has >$626m users, with the Middle East, Africa, and Asia driving growth.
What’s next?
Spotify is now turning its focus to profitability, which means content formats beyond just audio and introducing new video advertising features.
Spotify claims that combining video + audio ads boosts incremental sales by 66% and produces 27% higher purchase intent – offering marketers a unique opportunity for targeted advertising.
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TikTok's lo-fi content style, native tools, and creator collaborations help brands connect authentically.
Embrace subtle storytelling and integrate product placement naturally to avoid "ad fatigue."
Key metrics to focus on: purchase intent, brand awareness, and community building.
🗞️ HEADLINES YOU CAN'T MISS 🗞️
👻 Fospha attends Snap's Annual Partner Summit Fospha attended Snap's Annual Partner event this week in LA - where a host of new updates were announced. The UI changes include Instagram-like Stories and AI-driven content recommendations. Snap introduced a "Snap Star Collab Studio" to facilitate brand-influencer partnerships, providing creators with tools to share engagement data with advertisers. New AR creation tools set the scene for an interactive future.
🎄32% of US consumers will start Christmas shopping before November
According to a new study by Gartner, 1/3 of US shoppers started their holiday shopping as early as July, while 29% will start in November. 64% of shoppers aim to spend just as much as last year, while 14% will spend more. This marks a perfect opportunity to launch strategic promotions to capture attention early, and drive more sales.
📈 Leverage Amazon’s upcoming discount period to boost sales
Amazon's Prime Big Deal Days will run on Oct. 8-9, offering discounts across 35 categories. This event targets early holiday shoppers ahead of BFCM. For marketers, it's a chance to leverage Amazon's 200 million Prime members, especially with new deals dropping every five minutes.
🎵 Young Americans increasingly use TikTok for news
TikTok is now a key news source for 17% of US adults, up from 3% in 2020, with 39% of adults under 30 relying on the platform. TikTok clearly has an expanding influence, offering marketers a unique avenue to reach younger audiences.
🔙 eCom orders may be harder to return this holiday season
eCom platforms like Amazon and Flipkart might be tightening their return policies to reduce logistics costs and maintain margins. This could impact consumer behavior, potentially reducing impulse purchases. However, completely eliminating easy returns could significantly drop sales – so it’s important to take a balanced approach.
🆕 Google’s new AI-led features in Google Ads aim to enhance campaign management
👉 Expanded language support for AI-generated content in search campaigns 👉 Better image editing tools in Performance Max 👉 Centralized reporting
Advertisers can now buy demand-generation ads directly through Display & Video 360 and block keywords at the campaign level.
These features respond to advertiser feedback for more transparency in AI-driven campaigns.
This helps reinforce AI’s potential – but marketers are still wary about potential risks – e.g. ads appearing alongside inappropriate content.
Watch this space as Google addresses these concerns👀
💖Gen Z really loves YouTube
A recent survey shows YouTube (93%) and Instagram (78%) lead usage among U.S. adults aged 18-29, followed by Facebook (67%) and Snapchat (65%).
Notably, video platforms like TikTok (62%) are also rising in popularity, with many Gen Z users favoring them for information over traditional search engines.
This demographic spends over ❗4 hours ❗daily on social media - so engaging, visual content is key to keeping Gen Z entertained.
✍️ This writer posted on Threads for a month – here are her takeaways for success
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