🎁 Nine.

TikTok, Uber, Caffeine, and Google have new ad formats, shifting consumer habits, and more. October 20, 2022 [Read in browser]( [logo] [sponsor]( Good morning. If you’re one of those people who gets nostalgic about the 80s, it’s easy to go back in time. All you have to do is [play this montage of sounds]( from the decade. Ah. Takes us back to simpler days… ADVERTISING TikTok, Uber, Google, and Caffeine to launch new ad tools, formats, and channels [article-image] Sounds like a lot, right? It is. Let’s sip hot beverages and dig in… TikTok is automating the ad process: Smart Performance Campaign is [TikTok’s new machine learning]( and optimizing feature. Basically, it lets you set up campaigns and put them on autopilot. Hmmm… Uber plans to release ads that target passengers [based on where they’ve been and where they plan to go.]( Very interesting. These “journey ads” will also give brands the opportunity to sponsor entire rides, and can be sold on a per-trip basis. And if you’re running or interested in running video ads, check out these updates: - Caffeine is brewing an ad channel. This relatively new streaming platform is about to hit 10M users. It’s [also planning to start offering video ads](. Caffeine plans to test the feature out with a select few creators before rolling it out completely next year. - Google released seasonal video ad templates that allow you to quickly [customize and create video ads using your own assets](. Convenient… and timely. Why we care: Ads, ads everywhere. Major platforms are hunting for revenue streams, which means new placements, new channels, and new opportunities. It could also mean customer fatigue if you’re not careful. Something to keep in mind as you plan your holiday campaigns. E-COMMERCE Holiday spending is balancing out Did you know that last year, shoppers planned to buy 16 gifts on average? This year, the average number of gifts is closer to nine, [according to Deloitte’s holiday retail survey](. Doesn’t mean less spending… just more balanced spending: Deloitte claims low-income shoppers plan to spend 25% more, while higher standing shoppers intend to pull back a little. All consumers plan to be strategic about their shopping, so “flexible retailers that can meet consumers needs” are more likely to profit and build loyalty. Meanwhile, consumer habits continue shifting, with some [interesting tidbits for marketers](: - Younger generations are “embracing new retail formats.” - 38% of respondents said social media will play a larger role in their holiday shopping. - 56% of Gen Z respondents are planning to buy holiday gifts. And if you’re wondering whether you should optimize your retail platforms for mobile, look no further than India: 50% plan to [do their holiday shopping through mobile devices](. Why we care: While holiday surveys aren’t foolproof, they can give you a sense of how shoppers will behave during the season. Most of these reports have a similar theme: If you don’t innovate and embrace new technologies and platforms, and “recalibrate” existing ones, you may miss out on big gains… SPONSORED BY BLACK CROW AI You're one click away from a 30% ROAS boost [article-image]( Imagine this. It’s the first thing in the morning. You check your Facebook Ads dashboard to see how your ads are performing… and see your profitability potential slipping! We’ve all been there. Cotopaxi, a DTC seller of backpacks, clothing, and other gear, was in the same situation. But then they realized they could use machine learning to improve their performance. First, Cotopaxi installed Black Crow AI to make real-time predictions about each site visitor and their likelihood to purchase. Then they created new custom audiences containing only people that were likely to become customers. That’s when their ads started getting insane results. [Cotopaxi boosted ROAS by 30% and Facebook revenue by 80%.]( And the best part? It all took a few clicks to set up. They’re not alone, either—100s of DTC brands are getting similar results using Black Crow AI. Want to learn more about how Black Crow AI has helped over 100 DTC brands? [Join them for an exclusive webinar on Tuesday October 25th at 3:30pm EST to learn more!]( B2B MARKETING What is a “dark funnel” in B2B? And can you use it to track the “untrackable”? [article-image] Marketers loooove performance channels like email or paid advertising for good reason: it’s easier to track and prove ROI. However, [as CXL points out](, buyers—especially B2B buyers—often engage and make decisions outside of these “attributable channels.” For example, many customers do their own research, ask their friends about your product offline, listen to podcasts to understand where it fits in, and so on. Unfortunately for you, that means no trackable data. Your marketing team is left in the dark, hence the name dark funnel. By the time you finally see intent data, the buying process is done. So first, let’s talk about where the dark funnel happens. B2B buyers are researching and evaluating products in traceless channels like: - Communities and groups. Slack, Facebook, Discord, and Reddit. - Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and TikTok. - Content platforms. Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube. - Word-of-mouth interactions. Text messages, DMs, video calls. - Events. Industry conferences, marketing meetups, VC groups. Now, you should start thinking about attribution. In this case, that means focusing less on how buyers click, and more on how they actually find your product. The best way to do that? Communicate with your audience, of course! For example, surveying existing customers to find out how they discovered your product and adding those surveys to your demo request form or landing page will give you significant insight on your dark funnel. Asking the right questions during sales calls can also provide valuable qualitative data. For example, you can learn how buyers self-identify, and what problem they’re solving. And you can implement all that previously invisible data in your visible campaigns. But this is just lighting a match in a dark hallway. Make sure to read the [entire article]( to fully illuminate your knowledge of dark funnels, because they’re becoming increasingly relevant… SPONSORED BY #PAID You can finally track the brand and sales performance of your influencer campaigns [article-image]( If you can’t measure it, you can’t optimize it… or replicate it. #paid knows it’s essential for marketers to pull ROI from every campaign dollar. [That’s why their influencer marketing platform]( shows you the exact content and influencers that are driving brand and sales performance. Royale, Cheerios, IKEA Sephora, and other major brands rely on #paid to launch campaigns and track results. [Track your influencer marketing ROI now.]( THE CREW’S INSIGHTS Want to hire talented people? Organize a competition [article-image] As marketers, we do a lot of hiring: designers, copywriters, performance marketers… you know the drill. Of course, hiring someone is the easy part. The hard part is hiring the person who’s extraordinarily good at their job. So, to increase your odds of hiring someone great, try organizing a competition. Here’s a simple framework you can use: - Decide what kind of person you need to hire. For the sake of this insight, let’s imagine you’re hiring a web designer. - Create a competition for a project you’re working on. In this case, imagine your competition offers a $5K prize in exchange for redesigning your brand’s most important landing page. - Promote your competition. If you already have an audience, promote it there. If not, the easiest way to do this is to promote it on social platforms, like LinkedIn and Twitter. Why this works: People like competition, and people like money. And it’s often difficult to gauge how good someone is, even by looking at their past work. Context plays a huge role. By creating a competition, you get exposure to a large sample of talented people doing their best work for your brand. It’s the best insight you could ask for. For what it’s worth, we’ve never done this at Stacked Marketer. But, when we hire people for writing roles, we offer a test project to top candidates so we can see their skill in action. It’s worked well for us so far. A competition basically takes this principle to the next level. ROUNDING UP THE STACK [MARKETING](: Discover the most profitable emerging markets for affiliate marketing campaigns in this free report. Learn how to create profitable affiliate campaigns, how to choose offers, creatives, verticals, backed by data in markets like Brazil, India, Indonesia, and more. [Download the free report here.](* [SEO:]( Look out… Google has an October 2022 spam algorithm update coming. As usual, they don’t reveal much except that it will roll out in the next several days. Keep an eye out for any unexpected changes! [SOCIAL MEDIA:]( Decentralized social networks without any government and corporate influence? Yep, it’s a thing. Bluesky—a small team of independent developers founded by Jack Dorsey—just announced they’re close to creating such a network. Crazy news. [BUSINESS:]( Buy now, pay later is starting to look a little different. Klarna launched a new platform for creators and brands to collaborate. It also built a set of features that resemble an e-commerce platform with shoppable video content. [INFLUENCER MARKETING:]( High profit margins, devoted fans, and digital “influencers” willing to promote anything. Meet virtual YouTube and Twitch stars. It’s a highly lucrative trend in Japan, and it may break into the US market next. Virtual influencer agencies, anyone? *This is a sponsored post BRAIN TEASER The 22nd and 24th presidents of the United States of America had the same parents but were not brothers. How can this be possible? You can find the [answer here.]( [poolside-logo] POOLSIDE CHAT A “beast” for a president [article-image] If pop stars can run for president, why not YouTube stars? Jimmy Donaldson, better known as Mr. Beast, announced his plan to [run for US president “when he’s mid 40s.”]( His promise? To give away his fortune before being elected. Mr. Beast wants to prove a point… a bold move indeed. And Jimmy isn’t the only YouTuber who announced presidential ambitions. [Logan Paul did the same a few months back!]( Guess it’s fine as long as they don’t settle the elections in a boxing ring… SHARING IS CARING We’re total suckers for the rule of reciprocity. It seriously means a lot to us when you share our newsletter. So when you share Stacked Marketer with other marketers—and they subscribe—we reciprocate instantly with awesome content and merch, like: - Our growing library of The Crew’s Insights (2 referrals) - The Marketer Mug (30 referrals). … And lots more. Hit the link below to get started! [article-image]( [CLICK TO SHARE]( Or copy your referral link: [ [SUBSCRIBE]( | [SM PRO]( | [ADVERTISE]( You are receiving this email because you want to know what is going on in digital marketing. If you aren't thrilled about our emails, reply and let us know why. Or you can unsubscribe from all daily updates by clicking [here.]( Our postal address: Spectrum IT Solutions GmbH, Canettistrasse 1/Top 0107, 1100 Wien, Austria