Maddie Crawford 📈’s Post

Shifts in the Search Advertising Landscape Google has been the undisputed champion of search advertising for years, but that might be changing. With new competitors like TikTok stepping in and AI reshaping the game, Google’s dominance is under pressure. TikTok is now letting brands target ads based on what users are searching for, making it a real contender. Plus, an AI startup called Perplexity is planning to roll out ads with its AI-generated answers, moving beyond just subscriptions. Research shows that Google’s share of the U.S. search ad market could drop below 50% for the first time in over a decade. Amazon is also grabbing a piece of the pie, as more shoppers start their searches there. This shift is exciting for advertisers who’ve been craving more options. Google is trying to keep up by introducing new ad formats, but the landscape is changing fast. What are your thoughts on these developments? Do you think Google can maintain its lead?

What changes in PPC strategies do you foresee with Google's new generative AI features? As the landscape of digital advertising continues to evolve, this month's updates bring significant shifts that marketers should review. Google now offers real-time shopping trends and AI-powered insights, empowering retailers to adapt quickly as consumer behavior changes. The potential for enhanced local inventory ads also means consumers can find what they need more efficiently. With TikTok's partnership with Amazon for seamless in-app shopping and Perplexity's plans for Q4 advertising, there's a lot to digest. Now more than ever, businesses must balance innovative advertising with ethical considerations, especially regarding younger audiences. What are your thoughts on these changes? Let's discuss! 🚀 #PPC #DigitalMarketing #GoogleAds #AdvertisingTrends #SocialMediaStrategy https://lnkd.in/gcsxqhRe

🤔 How do you feel about being 'Cookied'? Do you even notice it? 👏 As a marketer, I read this article https://lnkd.in/e5e59f5F by Ryan Barwick and was encouraged by Google's decision (which offers the best of both worlds, I guess...) 👉 Third-party cookies - or Re-targeting, isn't going anywhere soon, since Google has changed course from its plan to phase them out in Chrome. Cookies - which are small bits of code that advertisers use to track web visitors across the internet - represent a large percentage of the almost $200 billion ad-tech industry. 💻 However, in order to allow people to make their own choices across their web browsing, Google has an initiative called Privacy Sandbox, which preserves the mechanics of online advertising while protecting user privacy. ☕ To learn more about Google's decision and its impact, read up at Morning Brew. #advertisingtools #retargeting #googlepivots #cookiesstay #blackdogmarcom

This, quite simply put, is nuts. I've read a few articles recently that single out Facebook for providing an awful experience for both brands and users, while Amazon comes under fire for being a terrible experience to sell through. The implication is that they either need to buck up, or people will leave. A global digital advertising oligopoly may even make you wonder if they need to care about user experiences. A lot of online activity has become Pay-To-Play over the last decade, and for most of the brands I've worked with, Meta spend, Google Ads and PPC have just been adopted as a requirement. It also seems that most people are generally OK with the way things are going. I'll admit that there's something about three companies divvying up almost half of a trillion dollar industry that makes me uneasy. Potentially because I still regard each of these three particular brands as providers of a service, which could be fundamentally undermined by the need to retain market share and ever-increasing revenues. It's one that I'll keep watching with interest; maybe the over-concentration on just a few providers will reveal an unknown, cost-effective and hugely undervalued avenue - I guess if I ever post that I'm spending the week working from the Bahamas, you can assume I found it... https://lnkd.in/eKyJhsy3

Keeping your audience’s privacy top of mind? Very demure, very mindful. ✨ With Google's recent announcement empowering users to make informed choices about their online browsing, brands must adopt a privacy-first approach to stay competitive & relevant. Learn how you can also be very respectful, very engaging with your ads: https://hubs.li/Q02HXndz0  #ContextualAdvertising #Cookies #PrivacyFirst #Google #AdTech

🤔 How do you feel about being 'Cookied'? Do you even notice it? 👏 As a marketer, I read this article https://lnkd.in/eDVJHFky by Ryan Barwick and was encouraged by Google's decision (which offers the best of both worlds, I guess...) 👉 Third-party cookies - or Re-targeting, isn't going anywhere soon, since Google has changed course from its plan to phase them out in Chrome. Cookies - which are small bits of code that advertisers use to track web visitors across the internet - represent a large percentage of the almost $200 billion ad-tech industry. 💻 However, in order to allow people to make their own choices across their web browsing, Google has an initiative called Privacy Sandbox, which preserves the mechanics of online advertising while protecting user privacy. ☕ To learn more about Google's decision and its impact, read up at Morning Brew. #advertisingtools #retargeting #googlepivots #cookiesstay #blackdogmarcom

Google’s decision to delay and suddenly enforce its cookie shutdown will have a major impact on digital marketing, causing disruption in holiday campaigns and personalization strategies. It seems that Google’s cookie shutdown in early 2024 may face another potential delay, despite their initial promise to proceed cautiously. Anticipate brands and publishers to once again procrastinate in getting ready for a cookieless future. This is where things could potentially turn unpleasant.

How would you like to have the awesome responsibility of running Google's advertising business, which account for 77% of the company's earnings? No pressure, right? After you read Robert Klara's insightful (and gated) profile of Vidhya Srinivasan for ADWEEK, I think you will agree that she is the right person at the right time (and then some). Robert paints a compelling picture of a successful executive rising in the eye of a storm. She is a driven leader who navigates problems and issues on several levels. As Allan Thygesen, CEO of DocuSign, says, For her to come in from the outside and assume a senior leadership position speaks to how I and everyone at Google experienced her." She also has some challenges on her hands. One of them is improving Google's reputation with advertisers. As I told Robert, "One of Vidhya’s biggest challenges is restoring advertiser trust. Google has alienated advertisers, who have a long list of grievances ranging from a lack of transparency to being strong-armed into adopting AI-powered campaign types.” And Search Engine Roundtable founder Barry Schwartz said, “There’s a lot of mistrust between the advertising community right now and the Google ads platform, and that’s a shame." For her part, she said that building trust is one of her objectives. From the article: "Srinivasan said she’s in touch with advertisers several times a week in an effort to get them to be comfortable with [AI]. In addition, 'we work on making sure the AI models themselves have guardrails in place in terms of what they can and cannot do,' she said. 'We do adversarial testing of these models to find flaws. And on top of that, we want advertisers to remain in control. It’s a process of evolution and getting comfortable. That’s going to take some time.'" She also told Robert, “It’s a privilege to run a business like this. It is also true that it happened in increments." Building trust certainly happens in increments (where her personal relationship building comes into play). Keeping trust, though, must happen at a corporate level, in addition to her own efforts. Google's actions will be the pudding. Trust is a precious commodity. Exactly one year ago today, I wrote an article for HackerNoon asking why anyone should trust OpenAI's Sam Altman as he implored lawmakers to regulate AI. Recent turmoil at the company and a big consent misstep suggest that this question is more relevant than ever. Google's revenues will always be subject to the whims of the economy. Trust, however, is not. How much value will a stronger reputation give to Google in the long run? #Google #LITrendingTopics #TheInsider https://lnkd.in/dRKPuvPB

This is worrying. I like the cookie, I believe they were an elegant solution - and they still will be in the 1PD world. However, as the article rightly points out, once Chrome releases whatever consent mechanism they will deploy, we’re going to see a big or dramatic drop-off in available cookies. Now is not the time to lose focus, now is the time to invest in exploring the new and not so new solutions for both targeting and measurement. Thoughts?

It's not as simple as TikTok vs Google. Search has been evolving for years. Comparison sites, Amazon, and newer competitors like DuckDuckGo challenging for short-term action. At the same time, Reddit, Pinterest, and now TikTok are driving more discovery-led search. This evolving landscape requires a holistic review of your entire search strategy and funnel. These channels can complement each other, creating a journey from discovery to purchase, rather than a simple "TikTok vs. Google" scenario. Understanding how these platforms work together is key to optimising the customer journey and driving incremental sales.