How The Giants are Growing, Walmart and Meta Experiments, New Ad Formats and AI Targeting

Weekly Curated Content from GrowthHackers Community in your inbox!͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ [View in browser]( ­ WHAT'S NEW?  Hey GrowthHackers,  Let's start by diving into some recent growth metrics from the social media giants: Meta, Microsoft (LinkedIn), and Snapchat!  How the Giants are Growing  Meta Merges Metrics, Maintains Momentum. Meta has shifted its reporting strategy, now combining Daily Active Users (DAU) data across all its platforms (Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, etc.) instead of reporting individual app usage. Despite this change, Meta boasts a 7% year-over-year increase in DAUs, indicating continued user growth across its family of apps. They also reported impressive revenue growth of 27% year-over-year, raking in a cool $36.46 billion for the quarter. Want to see a deeper dive into Meta's report? [Have a look at this post](.  Limited LinkedIn Growth Stats from Microsoft. Microsoft's earnings report offered [limited insights into LinkedIn's growth](. While revenue grew by 10% year-over-year, specific user numbers were not disclosed. However, Microsoft did highlight "record engagement" with an 11% increase in sessions, suggesting that LinkedIn users are staying active for longer periods. For more details, including newly released information on MAU in Europe, head off [to this post](.  Snapchat Snaps Up Double-Digit Growth: Snapchat delivered positive news with a 10% increase in Daily Active Users (DAU). This user growth is coupled with impressive revenue growth of 21% year-over-year. Curious about the strategies behind Snap's surge? Here is [a full breakdown](.  Navigating Uncertainties in the Marketing Landscape  The Future of TikTok in the US: The recent  act signed by Biden threw a curveball at TikTok. A potential sale or even a ban could significantly impact social media strategies. Get ready for any scenario! [Head over to this post]( to understand next steps and scenarios, get a timeline, and learn how to prepare.  It Feels Like Deja-Vu - Google Delayed the Cookie Apocalypse (Again): Google has pushed back the third-party cookie deprecation in Chrome to Q1 2025. But don't hit snooze just yet! This delay is a golden opportunity to future-proof your strategy. Learn how to prepare for the cookieless future! [Join the conversation]( in our community post.  The Experimentation Front  Walmart Meets Gen Z Where They Play: Walmart is pushing the boundaries of "meeting your audience where they are" with a new experiment – in-game shopping on Roblox! They've partnered with the popular gaming platform to test if Gen Z gamers will embrace the convenience of buying physical goods directly within the Roblox environment. Intrigued by the future of virtual shopping? [Dive into the discussion](.  The Threads Influencer Incentives Lab: Meta is getting serious about promoting their Threads app. Building on their initial experiment offering small incentives to influencers, they've significantly upped the ante by increasing payouts up to $5,000! [Find out how they are fine-tune their rewards structure](, and how brands can experiment with incentives.  The Acquisition Front  Google 360 Got an AI Boost:  Google 360 for Display and Video is [receiving a powerful AI upgrade, announced at Google NewFront](. Expect smarter audience targeting  suggestions based on personas, expanded streaming partnerships, more granular bidding options, and a dedicated experimentation center to test these new features. Head over to our community to discuss how to leverage AI for precise targeting and optimize campaigns with the new tools.  Reddit New Ads Format for Product Discovery. ReddIt unveiled a [new dynamic product ads format]( to allow you to showcase your offerings directly within relevant subreddits, reaching potential customers actively browsing for recommendations. Intrigued by Reddit's new ad format? Join the discussion in our community post to explore more information, and learn [how you can experiment with new ad formats](.  AI Race Developments  Musk's $6 Billion AI Bet: Elon Musk's 10-month-old AI startup, xAI, is raising a whopping $6 billion at a pre-money valuation of $18 billion, aiming to rival OpenAI (which he co-founded and is suing). This ambitious move leverages Musk's existing ventures (Tesla, SpaceX etc.) for data, potentially fueling self-driving car and robot advancements for his empire. Despite Musk's history of hype, xAI's funding could make it a major force in the AI race. What are your thoughts on this bold play? Let's discuss!  $15 Million and a New Content Deal. The OpenAI Startup Fund, a venture arm investing in early-stage AI companies, has quietly secured $15 million from undisclosed investors. This marks their second round of funding this year using a special purpose vehicle (SPV). They've also struck a new deal with Financial Times UK to licence their content to improve their language model.  Let's Discuss!  Head over to our community forum and dive deeper into these topics with fellow growth hackers. Share your experiences, ask questions, and get inspired by the collective knowledge of our community!  [GO TO COMMUNITY  ➡️]( ­  COMMUNITY FORUM 🗨️ "When considering pricing strategies for a new product, which factor holds the most weight in your decision-making process?" [Reply](  🗨️"What is your preferred method for collecting user feedback during the new user onboarding process?" [Reply](  🗨️ Got a question for community members?[Post a Question](  ­  COMMUNITY POSTS  Snapchat Snaps Back: User Growth, Revenue Rise, and a Focus on Innovation Snap Inc. defied expectations in the first quarter of 2024 results, showcasing a resurgence in user growth, a healthy revenue increase, and strategic investments in the future. Here's a comprehensive analysis of the key highlights from their performance update, focusing on the initiatives driving Snap's growth. [READ MORE]( Walmart Tests In-Game Shopping on Roblox: Lessons for Experimenting with New Acquisition Channels Roblox players loading into Walmart Discovered will now see a new storefront showcasing a small number of virtual items that represent real, physical products. If a user buys one of these digital items, they’ll also be sent the real-world version in the mail via Walmart. Walmart's foray into in-game shopping on Roblox is an intriguing experiment with the potential to disrupt how brands reach Gen Z. What learnings can companies trying to validate new channels can learn from this experiment?  [LEARN MORE]( ­  TEAM PICKS 🤓 To Read: Curious about the future of product development? Look no further than Perplexity! This fast-growing search startup, used daily by millions and valued at over $1 billion, is shaking things up. In[Lenny's Newsletter interview with Johnny Ho](, co-founder and Head of Product, you'll get an exclusive peek behind the curtain at their unique approach. Dive into this must-read for anyone interested in how a small team can achieve explosive growth and disrupt an established industry!  🎥 To Watch: Feeling the weight of expectation from both company leadership and your product teams? You're not alone. Stephanie Leue, former CPO at Doodle, tackles these common challenges head-on in her [Product Talks interview](. Learn how to foster a culture of continuous discovery and empowered  product teams.  🎧 To Listen: Art meets AI in the [No Priors podcast interview with Suhail Doshi](, founder of Playground AI, about generating and editing stunning AI art.  This episode explores the future of AI in creativity - a must-listen for anyone interested in AI's impact on design.  💭 To Reflect: 🤝 Share the Love: Got a hidden gem that's transforming your growth game? Share the love! Drop your top recommendations at GrowthHackers Community to help a fellow community member level up. [CREATE A POST  ➡️]( ­ GrowthHackers 388 Market St, 1300, 94111, San Francisco [Unsubscribe](