Weekly Digital Breakdown – 4.25.19
Weekly Digital Breakdown
Apr 25
Twitter Encourages Reporting of Voter Misinformation
As many notable elections ramp up globally, social media platforms are putting measures in place to prevent the spread of fake news and inaccurate polling and candidate information. Twitter in particular is increasing it’s efforts with an added reporting option to help filter out the spread of misinformation. This could include incorrect polling station dates and locations or false details on ID requirements necessary to vote. The added option will first be available for the Indian Lok Sabha elections starting on April 25, 2019, followed by the EU parliament elections in May. This feature will remain available for a week following voting. While there are plans to eventually utilize this globally, Twitter has not released the official roll-out strategy or if/when it will be available in the US.
Twitter fully expects some user reports will be incorrect and have trained teams on handling the situation as well as improved the appeals process. The addition of this option comes in response to the voluntary sign up for a Code of Practice on disinformation by major tech and ad platforms. The code vows companies will take action to disrupt ad revenue for those intending to mislead voters. In addition to combating user manipulation on the platform, this change will also provide Twitter with clear data on how it’s leveraged for election purposes and will allow further modifications to tackle the ongoing problem.
https://techcrunch.com/2019/04/24/twitter-to-offer-report-option-for-misleading-election-tweets/
Facebook Stock Rises In Wake of Looming FTC Fines
As Facebook sees Q1 growth in a variety of areas including; revenue, mobile ad dollars, Stories Ads across platforms (Facebook, Instagram and Messenger), and overall users, the company is also preparing for some major losses. With the ongoing discussion around Facebook’s data privacy policies, the company is anticipating hefty FTC fines upward of $5 billion. Although a record-setting fine in the US for a tech company, the company can take the financial hit without much difficulty as it’s on track to reach $70 billion in 2019 alone. Specifics on the exact dollar amount of the fine and what the penalty would address are still uncertain. However, it appears investors are unaffected as Facebook stock actually increased 9% following the Q1 report.
In response to the looming fine, the company continues to tighten it’s privacy policies. One such measure is encrypted messaging to protect users. This, however, may reduce ad targeting but the company expects minimal impact on revenue as a result.Despite ongoing scrutiny of the company, Facebook continues to dominate the social space.
https://www.mobilemarketer.com/news/facebook-sees-26-revenue-growth-as-5b-ftc-fine-looms/553413/
Advanced TV Advertising Gets a New Player
Linear and digital video just got more competitive. Fox, NBCUniversal and Viacom announced a new digital marketplace, OpenAP 2.0, this week for linear and long-form digital platforms. Developed in conjunction with Accenture and Comcast’s Freewheel, product testing will begin in June with a planned roll-out scheduled for fall 2019.
The new automated marketplace will allow for the purchase of national linear and digital video inventory with access to consistent audience bases across various publishers. It will also centralize buying to a single marketplace, increasing the ease of use and further appealing to marketers. Members of the OpenAP market will open all their inventory in this centralized marketplace, creating an unprecedented scale of available audience segments.
The ability for digital campaigns to optimize in real time and de-duplicate reach, maximizing ad dollars enhancing the offering. The release boasts the advanced scale and high quality TV content available, further differentiating them in the space.
