Your Ultimate PPC News Roundup: November 2019
The most important PPC news on all the major advertising platforms in November 2019.
PPC News Roundup covers all the major stories that occurred on all the major advertising platforms in November 2019. We cover Amazon, Facebook, Google, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter and a bunch of others.
This is the only news roundup you need to keep up to date with the fast-changing world of PPC. Enjoy.
Using any of these platforms for your advertising? Check out our smart advertising solutions to see how they can help.
Amazon Ads News
Amazon Alexa is about to get more emotional
(28 Nov 2019) - Amazon's Alexa will soon respond to queries with excitement and disappointment, for example if your favorite basketball team is losing and you ask her to check the score. The innovation points to a new direction voice search may be headed in: personalized results based on your feelings.
Can Amazon, Walmart deliver on 1-day delivery promise?
(28 Nov 2019) - Small online retailers are getting pushed out of the market, unable to compete with aggressive delivery times set by Amazon, Walmart and other major online retailers.
Amazon ads are a booming business, but a turnoff for shoppers
(27 Nov 2019) - Amazon's increasing reliance on ads is making it money, but turning away customers. How long can they continue?
SEO, PPC are one in the same on Amazon
(20 Nov 2019) - On Google, search engine optimization and pay-per-click advertising have been separate disciplines. But thatâs not the case on Amazon, where the product page is at the center of both SEO and advertising success.
Amazon makes its music streaming service free with ads
(19 Nov 2019) - The company previously offered free, ad-supported streaming only to customers who owned an Amazon Echo device.
Amazon beefs up its display business
(19 Nov 2019) - Most of Amazon's digital ad revenues still come from search, but it has built up its display network as well. eMarketer believes this is where growth will be fastest in the coming years.
Nike says Amazon is greedy, no longer selling shoes there
(14 Nov 2019) - Nike has turned its back on Amazon to put more emphasis on its own online business, but also says Amazon has failed to get rid of third-party sellers and fakes.
Amazon launches AWS Data Exchange for tracking and sharing data sets
(13 Nov 2019) - To help you securely find, subscribe to, and use third-party data from category-leading brands, Amazon announced the launch of AWS Data Exchange this month.
Suspended Amazon sellers are being stifled by an email glitch as holidays loom
(7 Nov 2019) - Amazon sellers who have been suspended sellers are finding it impossible to get reinstated because of a bug thatâs sending them an error message. The email glitch may be affecting thousands of third-party sellers on Amazonâs marketplace.
As shoppers lose interest in Amazon, brands shift to selling on Walmart
(6 Nov 2019) - A new survey shows that shoppers are abandoning Amazon for better deals on other online retail platforms like Walmart and Ebay.
Is Amazon past its prime?
(5 Nov 2019) - Prime membership rates are dropping, signalling that Amazon is becoming less attractive for shoppers.
Apple Ads News
Apple changes operating system to improve privacy, some say it's bulls***
(26 Nov 2019) - Apple has positioned itself as the champion of privacy, but democratic lawmakers are exploring whether it is all a front to push out competitors from using the device's location-tracking feature.
Facebook Ads News
Facebook, Instagram crash (again) during holiday shopping season
(28 Nov 2019) - Once again, Facebook Instagram and Messenger crashed in many parts of the world during the hottest shopping time of the year, leaving many marketers stranded in the dust.
Why everybody is freaking out about political ads on Facebook
(27 Nov 2019) - Twitter and Google have overhauled their political ads policies. Facebook is under mounting pressure to do the same, but will it?
Facebook is building an Instagram-style Close Friends feature
(25 Nov 2019) - âFavoritesâ sorts your actual friends from your Facebook acquaintances.
Facebook is addressing ad buyer frustration with new ads-status tool
(21 Nov 2019) - Frustrated ad buyers will now have more transparency into whatâs going on with Facebook Ads Manager ahead of Black Friday and Cyber Monday this year. Facebook this week introduced a new ads status page with the aim of keeping buyers updated about issues with the platform.
Facebook Dating now integrates with Instagram and Facebook Stories
(21 Nov 2019) - Facebook Dating, an opt-in feature of the main Facebook app, will begin to tap into the content users are already creating across both Facebook and Instagram to enhance its service. This week, Facebook Dating users will be able to add their Facebook or Instagram Stories to Facebook Dating in order to share their everyday moments with daters.
How Facebook fueled a precious-metal scheme targeting older conservatives
(19 Nov 2019) - An investigation into how Facebook's targeting options were taken advantage of to exploit vulnerable seniors.
Facebook hack lets you access hidden audiences, here's how
(15 Nov 2019) - A user in the group Facebook Ad Hacks shared a way for marketers to access audiences that are not officially available in the Facebook Ads Manager. Here's how:
- Visit Facebook For Developers
- Tap on âAdd an Appâ. You donât really have to add an app, just give it a random display name and add your email address.
- Next, visit the Graph API Explorer, request your access token and save it.
- Paste the access token at the end of this URL. Remember to replace the word [Travel] with the niche you are interested in.
- And there you go. You get a bunch of targetable interests that arenât usually available in the Ads Manager.
Facebook Pay is here: Zuckerberg's new payment system
(12 Nov 2019) - Facebook Pay will connect Messenger, Instagram, Whatsapp and Facebook into a single payment system. It will initially only be available in the United States. In this way, Facebook will gain a huge amount of user data regarding CC details, payment history which will help it compete with Amazon and other marketplaces in the eCommerce game.
Facebook finally let's you banish red dots in navigation bar
(11 Nov 2019) - Are the red notification dots on your Facebook homescreen keeping you from focusing? Facebook is finally letting users get rid of them. A new ShortCut Bar settings feature lets users pick what notifications they want to see and which they don't want to see.
Facebook rebrands to create visual distinction between company, social app
(6 Nov 2019) - Facebook will use the new branding on the services it owns â such as image-sharing app Instagram and messaging service WhatsApp. It will continue to use the lowercase, blue lettering for its social networking app, which was established 15 years ago.
The fight against financial advertisers using Facebook for digital redlining
(1 Nov 2019) - Facebook's lookalike audience targeting options are under increasing scrutiny as class action lawsuits contend discrimination against certain ethnic, gender, race or age groups.
Facebook to limit number of ads Pages can run simultaneously
(1 Nov 2019) - The change is expected to impact a small percentage of advertisers, starting mid-2020.
Google Ads News
Google Shopping Ads have opened up since âŹ2.4bn EU fine, but by how much?
(27 Nov 2019) - Around half of the ads in Google Shopping are now placed via external providers, as opposed to just 30% two years ago since the EU fine was imposed, but this still might not be enough to satisfy the regulator.
Google Will Restrict Sharing of User Data for Google Ads Under EU Privacy Pressure
(25 Nov 2019) - Google is taking yet another step to guarantee that a key revenue generator for the company â its programmatic advertising platform based on Real-Time Bidding (RTB) technology â remains compliant with EU privacy regulations.
Google Ads has fixed a bug that over reported conversions in November
(25 Nov 2019) - The bug mostly concerns advertisers who used non-last click contribution models between November 11-20.
Google Ads overreported conversions due to bug â working on a fix
(22 Nov 2019) - Conversion reporting is affected between November 11 and November 20.
Google Ads to provide more data on the performance of smart bidding
(22 Nov 2019) - In the bid strategy report, advertisers can now view the top bidding signals that are driving the success of their ad campaign.
Google has changed its political ad policies. Now come the really hard questions
(22 Nov 2019) - The problem Google has identified is the ability of political advertisers to finely target vulnerable groups of internet users with misinformation â skewing their view of reality while the rest of us are none the wiser.
Google Ads tests car rental ad unitThe car rental ad unit lets you compare prices from different car (21 Nov 2019) - Rental companies for a specific location through a pricing carousel. You enter the location, car type, and dates and Google will show you pricing options in the ad.
Ad tech industry questions intentions behind Googleâs latest privacy moves
(19 Nov 2019) - Google announced last week that it will strip contextual content categories from the bid requests it sends to buyers via Google Ad Manager beginning February, which left some online advertising execs scratching their heads.
New Google Ads script automates checking for ad disapprovals
(14 Nov 2019) - A new script warns you when your ad has been disapproved so you can quickly fix issues without having to check manually. When the number of disapproved products in your feed exceeds the threshold you set, you get an email alerting you and detailing the problem products, along with this figure as a percentage of your total news feed.
Google expands Local campaigns inventory, BOPIS offers for Shopping campaigns
(12 Nov 2019) - Despite the rise of eCommerce, some 90% of retail sales still happen offline. The new features target this segment, such as store visits, store purchases measurement to local inventory ads to fully automated local campaigns.
Google may add 'badge of shame' for slow-loading websites
(11 Nov 2019) - By looking at historical load times, Google will flag sites that are slow to load. They are testing a progress bar that would be green if your website loads fast or red if it loads slowly. Speeding up website load times by just 100ms has been shown to increase conversions by 1%-2%.
Google Ads Editor adds new campaign types, cross-account features
(7 Nov 2019) - The Ads Editor has been updated with support for Discovery campaigns, including an edit panel, shared negative keyword lists, error search and new campaign support.
Google Ads Editor Gets New Features & Support For New Campaign Types
(7 Nov 2019) - Google Ads Editor has been updated with support for new campaign types as well as several new features, such as shared negative keyword lists, searchable errors, condensed edit pane, image names and maximize conversation value for search campaigns.
Google Weighs Changes to Political Ad Policy
(6 Nov 2019) - Discussions come after Twitter said it would bar most political ads amid spread of misinformation.
'Tossed my Fitbit in the trash': users fear for privacy after Google buys company
(6 Nov 2019) - Fitbit says data of its 28 million users will not be sold or used for Google ads, but there are no guarantees this will not change.
Instagram Ads News
Is Instagram Killing Facebook? What Financial Marketers Need to Know
(26 Nov 2019) - What was once a platform primarily for selfies and pop culture iconography has become the fastest-growing social media platform in the world and a valuable network for banks and credit unions. With only so much money and time to spend on social media, should financial marketers dump Facebook in favor of Instagram?
Instagram Introduces Strict Policies Against Counterfeit Goods and IP violations on their Platforms
(26 Nov 2019) - Along with Facebook, Instagram is taking a strict stance against advertising violations on the platform, as outlined in a new transparency report by Facebook for 2019.
Instagram likes are going: what will the influencers do now?
(24 Nov 2019) - A look at the pros and cons of Instagram's decision to remove likes.
Americans can't get enough of Facebook, Instagram ads
(19 Nov 2019) - Three-quarters of Americans have purchased a holiday gift from a targeted ad they saw on Facebook and Instagram, while close to 3 in 5 shoppers said they turn to social media for inspiration and gift ideas.
How to buy an Instagram following
(20 Nov 2019) - The ability to buy fake followers kills the influencer industry, and there's no solution in sight.
Instagram launches Reels to limit TikTok's rise
(12 Nov 2019) - Just as Instagram copied Snapchat with Stories, now Instagram is doing the same with TikTok by launching Reels. Reels will allow users to make a 15-second video clip set to music to share as Stories, that can then go viral on a new Top Reels section of Explore, just like TikTok.
Instagram finally getting rid of like count in USA
(9 Nov 2019) - Instagram is going to start testing hiding likes in the USA, a move many influencers say will hurt engagement and kill influencer marketing. Others say it will the platform a healthier space for young people. Like counts have fallen in the countries where the test has been tried.
Microsoft Ads News
Microsoftâs holiday ad shows off translation technology for dozens of languages
(26 Nov 2019) - Microsoftâs new holiday ad will promote the companyâs voice language translation technology, highlighting an area where the software giant is going head to head with Amazon and Google.
A new Microsoft Edge feature could put a cramp in Googleâs Ad business
(25 Nov 2019) - Microsoft's new Edge browser will come equipped with a tracking prevention feature come January 2020, and it could pose an indirect threat to Google's main revenue source.
Edge vs. Chrome: Microsoft's Tracking Prevention hits Google the hardest
(22 Nov 2019) - The new Edge browser, built on the same open source code as Google Chrome, contains a new Tracking Prevention feature that blocks third-party trackers and, at the Strict setting, many ads. My tests show that one in four items blocked are from Google.
Redesigned Microsoft Advertising Editor now available
(18 Nov 2019) - The latest version of Microsoft Advertising Editor has an updated look and some new features designed to make it easier to use. The redesign coincides with a new look for the web interface thatâs rolling out.
Microsoft Advertising talks intelligence, UI updates, audience solutions in SMX keynote
(14 Nov 2019) - The Google alternative is working to build better experiences for customers using artificial intelligence and machine learning.
Pinterest Ads News
Pinterest launches Pinterest Shop for small businesses that make and sell products
(25 Nov 2019) - In advance of Small Business Saturday (Nov. 30) and the holiday shopping season, Pinterest has launched Pinterest Shop â a new dashboard curated by Pinterest that showcases the profiles and products of small businesses in an Etsy-style fashion.
Photographer takes on Pinterest over copyright
(22 Nov 2019) - It's not the first time photographers have taken issue with Pinterest. But is a platform really liable for what its users pin?
How To Leverage Pinterest For Your Business's Marketing Plans
(12 Nov 2019) - Forbes breaks down 13 strategies that small businesses can do to leverage the audience on Pinterest, a group that is heavily female-dominated and creates high-ticket purchases.
Snapchat Ads News
Snapchat Lets Advertisers Run Video Ads Up to 3 Minutes in Length
(25 Nov 2019) - The new ad units, called extended play commercials, can still be skipped after six seconds like other Snapchat ads. Extended play commercials will be displayed as mid-roll ads, similar to shorter Snapchat commercials.
Snapchat Usage Projected to Grow Over 14% This Year
(25 Nov 2019) - Research firm eMarketer has upgraded its estimates for Snapchat users for 2019 through 2023, attributing the growth to new features and a rebuilt Android platform.
Snapchat adds extended mid-roll video ad option
(19 Nov 2019) - Snapchat is giving advertisers more room to tell their stories in mid-roll video ads by expanding the time limit for its video ads to three minutes.
Boomers apparently love Snapchat now
(19 Nov 2019) - Snapchat seems to finally be making growth among boomers, the first positive growth that has come since a disastrous redesign of the app in 2018 which saw 1.4% of users forever leave the platform.
Snap CEO Evan Spiegel on why Spectacles are a new kind of camera
(13 Nov 2019) - Spiegel says the Spectacles will open up new advertising opportunities in the AR/VR field.
Twitter Ads News
Twitter begins testing Reddit-style nested conversations
(28 Nov 2019) - Following conversations in the din of Twitter isn't the simplest of tasks, but it's about to get easier. A new conversation tree feature with nested replies is being tested on the platform and is set to roll out in 2020.
Twitter rolls out 'hide replies' feature to users worldwide
(21 Nov 2019) - Twitterâs radical âHide Repliesâ feature, one of the biggest changes to how Twitter works since the invention of the Retweet, is now available to Twitterâs global user base. The company says the feature will roll out to all Twitter users across platforms by today, with only one slight tweak since earlier tests.
You might be able to schedule tweets from Twitterâs web app starting today
(21 Nov 2019) - You used to have to use Tweetdeck, HootSuite or another service. This will make it easier to manage tweets from desktop in the future.
What Ads Are Political? Twitter Struggles With a Definition
(15 Nov 2019) - Twitter has said it will ban all political ads. But what is or isnât a political message is often in the eye of the beholder.
Beware More Closed-Off Conversations on Twitter
(7 Nov 2019) - The features would include 1) Remove me from this conversation, 2) Donât allow RT of this tweet 3) Donât allow people to @mention me without my permission 4) Remove this @mention from this conversation 5) Tweet this only to: hashtag, interest, or these friends
Twitter is rolling out Topics, a way to follow subjects automatically in the timeline
(6 Nov 2019) - You will be able to follow more than 300 âtopicsâ across sports, entertainment, and gaming, just as you are currently able to follow individual accounts. In return, youâll see tweets from accounts that you donât follow that have credibility on these subjects.
Is Twitter being genuine when it bans political ads?
(6 Nov 2019) - Twitter has taken the opposite route of Facebook when banning political ads, but this ignores how politicians use Twitter mostly for organic reach.
YouTube Ads News
YouTube Introduces Shopping Ads To Increase Visual Advertising
(28 Nov 2019) - After falling behind Instagram, Pinterest, and similar social media networks, YouTube has announced that they will start providing visual advertising opportunities on the platform.
YouTube is working to bring advertising to edgier content as demonetization woes grow
(21 Nov 2019) - YouTube is toying with allowing ads on content that was previously considered too extreme to show ads on. This hints at new advertising real estate opening up in the future.
Youtube declares war on Ad Blockers, no more Adblock from December 10
(13 Nov 2019) - From December 10th you will no longer be able to use Adblock on YouTube: the announcement comes from Google itself, which is sending a notification to users who access its service.
Even on YouTube you're not safe from Google Shopping ads
(6 Nov 2019) - With the holidays approaching, YouTube is about to get even more cluttered with advertisements. You'll soon start to see Google Shopping ads in your YouTube search results and homefeed.
Google Rolls Out New Extensions for YouTube Ads
(5 Nov 2019) - Like Googleâs search ad extensions, the extensions for video campaigns invite users to take additional action beyond the traditional ad click. YouTube ad extensions can be used to direct users to a physical store location, submit lead generation forms, and other calls-to-actions. Extensions are displayed directly under the video.
Other Ads News
Wikipedia launches its own social media website
(15 Nov 2019) - Wikipedia is launching Wikitribune as WT:Social, a social-networking site and news sharing platform which they hope will be an alternative to Facebook and Twitter.
The Brave Browser Extends Its Payouts to iOS
(13 Nov 2019) - Nearly four years after Brave proposed paying users to surf the web, that vision is finally coming to the iPhone.
Alibaba Singles Day sales hit $23 billion in first nine hours
(10 Nov 2019) - Alibaba hit $23 billion in sales in the first nine hours of Singles' Day, more than Cyber Monday and Black Friday combined. This is the first Singles Day without Jack Ma as the head of the company, after he unexpectedly resigned to 'start a new life'.
PDFs Worth Reading This Month
Facebook outlines policies against harmful content
(13 Nov 2019) - In its continued war against fake accounts and harmful content, yesterday Facebook shared a report which shares detailed data about the actions they have already taken to make Facebook a better place.
Snap publishes report on how users research and purchase items on platform
(12 Nov 2019) - Snapchat users spend 30 minutes a day on the platform and are omni-channel shoppers bridging the gap between online and offline.
The Pinterest Holiday Shopping Report: Gift inspiration for everyone on your list
(4 Nov 2019) - Pinterest has published a holiday shopping report with an overview of how to use the platform to target customers as the holiday season approaches.
The top trends for November 2019
(4 Nov 2019) - Pinterest also published its top pins in November which indicate search trends among its 300 million user base.
Try Aori
Using any of these platforms for your advertising? Check out our smart advertising solutions to see how they can help you better manage your campaigns.
