🔊 Have we hit bottom yet?

Plus, Google’s efforts to remove "tens of millions" of COVID-19 related ads. May 01, 2020 Good morning Marketer, what can earnings season tell us? Looking at statements from Facebook, Google, Snap, Microsoft and Twitter during their earnings calls over the past week, there are [signs that the worst could be over for digital advertising](. Put another way: Things are still bad, but we could be past the bottom. Performance advertising helped blunt the severity of the slowdown in March for some. Facebook, Google and Snap each noted the positive impact of direct response revenue on their bottom lines. “Direct response continued to have substantial year-on-year growth throughout the entire quarter,” Ruth Porat, Google and Alphabet CFO said about YouTube. “Brand advertising growth accelerated in the first two months of the quarter, but began to experience a headwind in mid-March.” Brand advertising remains a weak spot as companies continue to pull back on spending that’s harder to measure. This is always the instinct in a downturn, despite [studies]( indicating that brands that stay visible are better positioned to come out stronger when things turn around. In its annual “bad ads” report, Google said it took down or [blocked 2.7 billion bad ads and suspended nearly 1 million ad accounts]( in 2019. The company also said it has removed “tens of millions” of bad COVID-19 related ads. The company formed a dedicated task force to focus on the sudden rise in bad actors aiming to capitalize on the crisis. The team has developed new detection technology and beefed up existing enforcement systems. The effort points to the ongoing battle to try to adapt and stay ahead of bad actors and that the systems are never perfect. Keep reading for a look at how media buyer budget plans for Q2 are shifting and more. Taylor Peterson, Deputy Editor Sage Words What sets us apart “Companies who had good CRM systems that talked to their stuff [and] their data flowed well, are managing this much better than people who are cobbling together systems with everyone now distributed.” That was the takeaway from Brad Geddes, co-founder of AdAlysis, during our PPC for B2B session of Live with Search Engine Land, a video series our sister site has been hosting. One point for martech. [Watch the video »]( Your 5 biggest Google Ads challenges & how to solve them Paid search is more competitive than ever. Search marketers need to be proactive and learn how to get the best out of the right tools to stay on top of their PPC ‘A-game’ (A for automation). Adthena created this guide to address the top challenges and offer solutions that will help you get better results and make your life easier. [Get it now »]( Indicators Search and social ads poised to claw back first In its most recent survey of media buyers, released Thursday,[the IAB]( asked about advertising spending plans for March through June. Budget expectations for the second quarter remain below initial plans, but search and social advertising appear best positioned for a rebound. These budgets are still below plan, but the planned cuts for the quarter have shrunk considerably in the period since the IAB asked this question in March. Couldn't make Discover MarTech? See what you missed! Explore proven strategies for overcoming common marketing challenges, preparing your organization for a post-coronavirus world, and more — all from the comfort of your desk (and all for free). 30+ expert-led sessions are now available for viewing on-demand! [Watch the replay »]( What we're reading We've curated our picks from across the web so you can retire your feed reader [Digital ad market is avoiding coronavirus disaster, say tech giants]( – Reuters [Vimeo gets creative in celebrating small businesses impacted by COVID-19]( – Fast Company [Top brands may lose $400B in value during pandemic]( – Marketing Dive [Zoom retracts statement that it has 300M daily active users]( – TechCruch [A Pinterest Strategy for Growing an Ecommerce Brand]( – Practical Ecommerce [App push notifications hit highest open rate in 4 years, study says]( – Mobile Marketer [As Opportunities Abound In Advanced TV, Marketers Must Proceed With Caution]( – AdExchanger [Marketing Land] []( [Want to advertise?]( This email was sent to {EMAIL}. [Unsubscribe]( [We respect your privacy.]( This email was sent by: Marketing Land - a Third Door Media, Inc. publication with headquarters at 279 Newtown Tpke. Redding, CT 06896 USA © 2006-2020 Third Door Media. All Rights Reserved.