What makes Meta a marketing mammoth; Amazon’s best year yet for ads

Plus: 4 more retail predictions for 2024 [Insider Intelligence]( [Emarketer Daily]( Daily]( Charts. News. Analysis FEBRUARY 6, 2024 “Once upon a time, you had to press a button to see portable computers in the dark,” reports[The Verge](. Gone are the days of waking up in the middle of the night, looking at your wrist, and pushing the button that would reveal in an eerie green light what the time is. So what happened to Indiglo? Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up [here](. TOP STORY [Guide to Meta: A transformation from burgeoning social network to media behemoth and AI innovator]( Silicon Valley tech giant Meta is one of the most influential companies in the world. The parent company of Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and more might be best known as the catalyst that helped spur the growth of social networking—from its beginnings as a small app that connected college students to becoming a global powerhouse with billions of users. Meta’s name changed from Facebook in 2021, which signaled its evolution to become more than a social platform. The choice of Meta as its name was meant to emphasize its metaverse and Web3 focus on VR and AR technology. But the wave of momentum around artificial applications has overshadowed its metaverse ambitions, and as of 2024, some of its most impactful innovations have been related to generative AI. In this guide, we take a look at how Meta has evolved, and explore the ins and outs of how advertisers and marketers are interacting with its platforms. [Read our new guide]( NEWS AND VIEWS [Retail media and Prime Video fueled Amazon’s best year for advertising yet]( Our view: Amazon’s ad business saw another quarter of exceptional growth, continuing its encroachment on Google and Meta’s ad duopoly. [Meta calls for industry effort to label AI-generated content]( Our view: Meta wants to be a leader in AI innovation, which also means being a leader in AI-related policies and labeling AI-generated photos. The company may also be safeguarding itself against future issues related to misinformation. [Spotify crosses the 600M monthly active users mark]( Our view: Spotify said its Wrapped campaign with end-of-year insights drew more than 225 million users. Wrapped is a good lesson for marketers in the potential benefits of a shareable feature. ANALYSIS [4 more retail predictions for 2024]( Our analysts have already made their big predictions for the year ahead, but the newsletter team has a few more to add to the list. As Amazon hits the gas on grocery, it may use its Amazon Fresh stores for fulfillment. Plus, we think beauty will get personal, Amazon could give digitally native brands a helping hand, and a healing economy could spell trouble for discount stores. [Keep reading]( THINGS TO KNOW 👎 [TikTok’s fallout with Universal Music Group is ruining viral trends and thirsty fancams]( 💙 [Social network Bluesky opens up to everyone]( 💸 [Super Bowl price soars 11% to $6.47M per 30 seconds]( 🍪 [Amazon strikes landmark deal in response to Google’s third-party cookie deprecation]( 🗺️ [YouTube says a Vision Pro app is ‘on the roadmap’]( PODCAST [Behind the Numbers: The Daily]( How Google's Q4 influences its 2024, YouTube's turnaround, and the trials that could change everything. Tune in on [Apple Podcasts]( [Spotify]( [YouTube]( or wherever you listen to podcasts. [Follow us on Instagram.]( “Behind the Numbers” is made possible by StackAdapt. [Listen in]( THE BIG QUESTION You are what you stream: YouTube is testing thematic video feeds based on what? A) Video length B) Color C) Volume D) Topic [Get the answer]( Email sent to: {EMAIL} If you cannot view the HTML newsletter, [please read it in your browser here](. [Become a Premium Subscriber]( | [Advertise with us]( [Manage your email preferences]( | [Unsubscribe]( | [Terms of Use]( | [Privacy Policy]( ©2024 Insider Intelligence, One Liberty Plaza 9th Floor, New York, NY 10006 [LiveIntent Logo]( [AdChoices Logo](