Weekly Digital Breakdown – 3.29.19
Weekly Digital Breakdown
Mar 29
Streaming Video Exceeds Cable Subscriptions
For the first time, video streaming service subscriptions surpassed cable, jumping up 27% to 613 million subscribers last year. The shift is attributed to the consumers being drawn to services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime for the 24/7 accessibility across devices and original programming. This trend further is likely to continue as more cable subscribers “cut the cord” and rely on digital video for programming.
McDonalds Uses AI to Drive Personalization
In an aggressive move to integrate a more tailored dining experience, McDonalds acquired the personalization company, Dynamic Yield. This technology will be used to create a dynamic menu that will adjust to variables such as weather, time of day or trending menu items. It will also aid in upselling, or suggesting additional items that compliment your selections. They will begin leveraging the technology for drive-thru customers and plan to expand to self-serve kiosks and the mobile app. McDonalds plans to roll out the new technology in the US throughout 2019 to increase customer service and clearly distinguish the company from competitors.
https://techcrunch.com/2019/03/25/mcdonalds-acquires-dynamic-yield/
Big News From Apple
On March 25th, Apple introduced its streaming service, Apple News+ to the public. While some industry insiders remain skeptical about the announcement, publishers are hoping to use the service to expand their audience and drive digital subscriptions. Apple News+ includes over 300 magazines and select newspapers for a monthly fee. Publishers view this as an opportunity to reach and engage a news centric audience, driving their own revenue through advertisements. While the audience is shared across multiple publishers, this approach offers the chance to reach readers who may never interact with some publications and gain loyalty. Publishers are not expecting this to be a magic solution but an added layer to in their efforts to increase readership and expand audiences.
Facebook Amends Targeting to Fight Discrimination
Facebook is refining it’s targeting options as they pertain to employment, housing and credit advertisements as prompted by a recent settlement agreement with leading civil rights organizations. Brands promoting these items can no longer target users based on demographic information such as ethnicity, age, gender, religious affiliation or family status. Based on the previous set-up, targeting could include or exclude these criteria or create look-a-like audiences to target similar users. While Facebook continues to be under right scrutiny for it’s policies, this is just another step they are taking to earn user’s trust and continue focus on data privacy concerns.
