Report: Google mislead advertisers 💵

Hey there,

July already? Hopefully your Q3 is already heating up! ☀️ 😎

In this month's newsletter, I'm covering:

• Google's (alleged) billion-dollar ad mishap 🙈
• Meta's surprise Twitter clone 🐑🐑
• TikTok's latest crack at creator monetization 💰
• Viral TikTok creator of the month ✨

1. Did Google Make Multi-Billion Dollar Ad Mistake? 💸

Marketers understand the importance of staying on Google's good side.

But what happens when Google violates their own guidelines?

We might find out soon enough thanks to a bombshell report from analytics firm Adalytics. The report suggests that Google misled advertisers about video ad performance and placements. 

This isn't a small "oopsie," either: billions of digital ad dollars could be at stake.

The controversy stems from Google's "TrueView" ads on YouTube and other sites. Google hypes up TrueView as can't-miss videos with guaranteed performance.

The hook? Advertisers only pay for actual 30-second ad views, not impressions. These promises attract only the biggest spenders to run TrueView ads.

But those brands may not be getting what they paid for. 

Photo Credit: Twitter

Adalytics' report alleges TrueView ads violate Google's own standards, citing: 👇

• Ads served in small, muted players (not prior to video content as advertised)
• Ads looping with no viewer interaction (and no "skip" option)
• Inflated ad competition rates (which are inaccurate for 80% of TrueView ads)

Sounds wild, right? Google's response only raised more red flags. Critics noted that Google failed to refute Adalytics' claims and may have revealed new ad violations.

Check out the full story here.

Whether Google faces any reckoning remains to be seen. Either way, this scandal is going to create even more trust issues between the search giant and brands.

The lesson here? Be wary of going all-in on one channel. Spend your ad dollars on other video placements where you know your audience lives. Placements on TikTok and Reels can serve your whole funnel – particularly ads featuring influencers.

2. Meta Challenges Twitter with the Rollout of Threads 🏮 

Twitter has been getting a lot of backlash.

Recent controversies like extended outages and tweet view limits have crippled the app. Disillusioned Twitter diehards have been searching for a new place to flock to.

And so maybe Meta picked the perfect time to introduce their new Threads app. 

In Meta's own words, the mission of Threads is "to take what Instagram does best and expand that to text."

Translation? Meta made a Twitter clone. Here's what we know so far: 👇

• Threads is a (primarily) text-based, conversation-focused app (like Twitter)
• Posts can be up to 500 characters (with links, photos and videos <5 minutes)
• Accounts are linked to your Instagram — ex: you can carry over profile details (including who you follow) and share posts from Threads to your IG Stories

Photo Credit: Meta

While apps like Bluesky and Mastadon were poised to be "the next Twitter," Threads skipped the line by attracting 30 million users on its first day.

The ability to seamlessly transfer your IG profile is a huge point in Threads' favor. No inputting details, no tedious sign-up process. Given Instagram's 1.35 billion users, the app has the potential to cement itself as a legit Twitter alternative.

Then again, plenty of social media copycat features and apps that fail to live up to their hype. Bereal, Twitter Fleets and TikTok Stories all come to mind.

Whether Threads will gain IG or Twitter-level traction remains to be seen. I'll be watching, regardless!

Learn everything your brand needs to know about Threads in my latest blog post.

3. There's a New TikTok Monetization Feature in Town 🤠

TikTok has been hammering home its creator monetization features lately.

And right on queue, the TikTok Creative Challenge has arrived.

The concept is...interesting.

Brands issue "challenges" to creators to submit videos to run as ads. These ads are dark posts that are only published by brands. Here's how it works: 👇

• Creators access an exclusive feed to find potential challenges to accept
• Before accepting a challenge, creators can review a creative brief with instructions, requirements and key talking points
• Creators receive performance-based compensation from a "reward pool" if their video is accepted

Creators can also see which videos have been accepted within the challenge and how much those creators have been paid. 

Photo Credit: TikTok

This new feature is similar to the new Open Application process available through the Creator Marketplace. The key difference is that the Creative Challenge is open to a broader pool of creators (minimum 50,000 followers).

My take? Maybe this has potential for brands but feels like a raw deal for creators.

TikTok's has a poor track record when it comes to creator compensation. The Creator Fund infamously paid pocket change to creators earning tens of millions of views. What will those "performance-based" payouts actually look like?

Also, TikTok touting the Creative Challenge explicitly as a "way to make lots of money" in its promo video feels a bit spammy.

Don't get me wrong: I love TikTok and its creator community! That said, this all seems like a roundabout way to ask creators to work for free. 

4. Life-Changing Face Cream Takes TikTok by Storm 🧴

Photo Credit: @santamykah

TikToker @santamykah earned 1.4 million views, 400,000+ likes, and 4,000+ shares with a passionate review of her new favorite face cream.

Fair warning — some of the language here is NSFW! Pick an appropriate time and place to watch it.

The creator kicks things off by asking if we want in on her "little skincare secret." Her delivery builds up so much anticipation that I can't stop listening. 

Santa then reveals that she has "one ingredient, just one" that magically gets rid of stubborn acne overnight. Tepezcohuite Collagen Cream is eventually revealed to be the product that will "change your life."

She then encourages viewers to go try the cream for themselves but playfully warns that her viewers better not drive up the cost of the product due to high demand.

Spoilers: commenters later revealed that the price did increase after Santa's review.

Why I ❤️ this:

• The creator is effortlessly genuine. Authenticity is what makes creator content so compelling. Santa's big personality and sense of humor give this review an even greater sense of realness.
• The video is 100% gimmick-free. This video embodies the "Make TikToks, not ads" mantra. 
• The video highlights the power of low-edit content. Not every video needs to have loud music and intense edits to sell a product. The raw, no-frills vibe this video brings is exactly what the TikTok community craves.

You can watch the full video here.

5. Brought to You By MarketerHire 💰

You probably already know Nik Sharma.

He’s widely known as “The DTC Guy” on Twitter, Forbes 30 Under 30 member, AdWeek’s Young & Influential, and a go-to for investors, founders, and marketers in the consumer brand space.

He’s so in demand it was hard to squeeze him for stuff no one else had, but look no further. 

Here’s what you’ll learn:

• How to approach social media strategy for different types of clients including Twitter strategy for celebrities like Pitbull, and DTC brands
• The impact of generative AI on social media channels
• The MarTech tools that he can’t live without

You can watch the full video here.

6. How Brands Can Scale Results with TikTok + Reels 🎥

There’s no shortage of brands crushing it with both TikToks and Instagram Reels

That said, many brands still struggle to leverage short-form video. Trust me: you can get so much marketing mileage out of social video with the right tactics.

Get expert advice, actionable strategies and real brand examples during my next live webinar. 

Register to learn:

• Current trends + brand and influencer content ideas to inspire your strategy
• Tips and tactics for creating videos optimized for engagement
• Key platform features, algorithm differences and best practices for videos

Seats are filling up fast! Reserve yours below! 👇

Register Now

Snack-Sized Social News 🥨

Social news moves fast! Here are a few headlines to keep you in the loop:

• TikTok says goodbye to "TikTok Now," the app's BeReal clone 👋
• Meta sheds new light on how their AI and recommendation algorithm works 🤖
• Marketers speculate that TikTok's long-awaited ecommerce store could be here this month 🛍️
• A new survey says marketers are most worried about scalability in a post-cookie world 🍪
• Meta just announced an expansion of their "Ads on Reels" pilot 📹

ICYMI

Check out these resources from Statusphere that you might have missed:

• Instagram Threads App: Everything Brands Need to Know Right Now
• Instagram Reels vs In-Feed Posts: Do They Have the Same Reach?
• 3 Creator Outreach Email Templates to Help Brands Collect UGC
• TikTok Micro-Influencers: Why Smaller Creators are Best for Brands

I'll be back next month with more tips to enhance your digital marketing strategy!

Best,