IP Theft Common in NFT Markets, But No New Laws Required

A government study finds that while IP theft is commonplace in the world of NFTs, existing laws can be applied to protect U.S. copyright, trademark and patent rights. Those are the findings of a study released this month by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in conjunction with the U.S. Copyright Office. The 112-page report concludes “existing statutory enforcement mechanisms are currently sufficient to address infringement concerns related to NFT applications, and that changes to intellectual property laws,” or to registration and recordation practices, “are not necessary or advisable at this time.” Continue reading IP Theft Common in NFT Markets, But No New Laws Required

Spotify In-House Agency AUX to Connect Brands with Music

Spotify is rolling out AUX, an in-house music advisory agency for brands. “With AUX, we’ll use our deep expertise to counsel brands about how best to use music to enrich their campaigns and connect them with emerging artists to help them reach new audiences,” Spotify announced, joining Meta Platforms, YouTube, Snapchat and others in connecting creatives with brands. AUX aims to provide emerging artists with an avenue to another potential income source, as well as a path to wider exposure, as the idea is to get brands to pay Spotify to access the new service. Continue reading Spotify In-House Agency AUX to Connect Brands with Music

IAB and MRC Join Forces to Develop AR Advertising Guidelines

The global augmented reality market is expected to reach $289 billion by 2030, according to a recent study by Research and Markets, and advertisers have taken notice. While the majority of revenue is generated by software, then hardware, the augmented reality advertising market is projected to generate $1.2 billion in revenue in the U.S. in 2024, according to the Interactive Advertising Bureau. To help foster growth in that nascent sector, the IAB has teamed with the Media Ratings Council to create consistent definitions and measurement guidelines for ads within AR campaigns. Continue reading IAB and MRC Join Forces to Develop AR Advertising Guidelines

TikTok Tests a Feature That Tags Videos with Shopping Details

TikTok is testing a feature designed to make all posts shoppable as it goes all-in on creating what the company hopes will be a multi-billion-dollar U.S. e-commerce business. The new technology uses machine learning to identify objects in a video then prompts viewers to “find similar items on TikTok Shop” using links and in-app search. The ByteDance-owned social platform is also reportedly planning to launch multiple live-streaming studios in cities including Los Angeles where creators can go to stream shopping-themed content. The facilities are expected to be able to host multiple studios servicing dozens of creators per day. Continue reading TikTok Tests a Feature That Tags Videos with Shopping Details

CES: Crafting Effective Brand Stories in Today’s Marketplace

Lindsey Slaby of brand strategy consultancy Sunday Dinner opened a CES panel discussion on storytelling by noting Google’s phase-out of third-party cookies in 2024. Sophie Bambuck, CMO of outdoor performance clothing and gear company The North Face, admitted that she’s “a little scared.” “But it’s getting me excited about what this means for creative work,” she added. “What this most likely means is that we’re going to have to go back to basics to find ways of engaging so people will want to connect to your brand.” Panelists told tales of innovative ways they related organic stories to connect with customers. Continue reading CES: Crafting Effective Brand Stories in Today’s Marketplace

Diesel Vert Watch Debut Powered by Web3 Promo with NFTs

Watch brand Diesel continues its exploration of Web3 and the metaverse with its new Vert line, a collaboration with Fossil dropping November 2. The “narrative-driven brand experience” for Vert centers on a game-like digital adventure called “the Vert Metamorph Experience” that that can be explored online and instore through November 17. The Metamorph virtual world is inspired by Vert design details resulting in an environment both organic and futuristic. There, visitors will try to advance through challenges as an NFT-minted “A:VERT:AR” trying to reactivate time in land where it has stopped. Continue reading Diesel Vert Watch Debut Powered by Web3 Promo with NFTs

Walmart Extends E-Commerce Push, Adds Sponsored Videos

Walmart has doubled the size of its Marketplace platform in the past 18 months, with about 100,000 active sellers. Now, the company — which receives seller applications at the rate of about 20,000 per month, about 10 percent of which get approved — feels it is within striking distance of Amazon. Some say Walmart has been emulating the moves of the Seattle-based e-retail giant, including now adding sponsored video ad units in time for the holiday shopping season. The Walmart+ online brand has been emphasizing convenience, membership, free delivery and even a Paramount+ Essential plan, similar to Amazon’s approach of offering Prime Video. Continue reading Walmart Extends E-Commerce Push, Adds Sponsored Videos

Illinois Law Protecting Child Vloggers Will Take Effect in 2024

Illinois has become the first state in the nation to pass legislation protecting children who are social media influencers. Beginning in July 2024, children under 16 who appear in monetized video content online will have a legal right to compensation for their work, even if that means litigating against their parents. “The rise of social media has given children new opportunities to earn a profit,” Illinois Senator David Koehler said about the bill he sponsored. “Many parents have taken this opportunity to pocket the money, while making their children continue to work in these digital environments. Continue reading Illinois Law Protecting Child Vloggers Will Take Effect in 2024

Twitter Rebrands as ‘X’ in Next Step Toward ‘Everything App’

Elon Musk has begun rebranding Twitter as X with a simple black letter X-ing out the iconic blue bird logo. The reaction has been mixed so far. Some say it conjures cool, as in “X marks the spot,” while others suggest it evokes a corporate industrial “Big Brother” that could negatively impact the successful brand. Whether it will help Musk and CEO Linda Yaccarino monetize the social service remains to be seen, but it definitely marks a clean break from a colorful past. On Monday, at Twitter’s San Francisco headquarters, feathered features like the company logo that once lorded over the cafeteria were removed, and stylized X logos were projected. Continue reading Twitter Rebrands as ‘X’ in Next Step Toward ‘Everything App’

Meta’s Threads Adds Updates, Aims to Suppress Bot Attacks

Threads released an iOS update this week that automates the ability to translate posts into foreign languages. The Instagram spinoff also added a follows tab to the activities feed, where replies and mentions are displayed. Also new to iOS is the ability to access a list of any user’s Instagram followers, to subscribe to “unfollowed” users, and tappable repost labels. While Threads has prompted shock and awe by hitting 100 million downloads within five days of its July 5 launch, and is now at about 150 million, there are reports of dips in user activity. Meanwhile, the new platform has followed Twitter in introducing tighter rate limits. Continue reading Meta’s Threads Adds Updates, Aims to Suppress Bot Attacks

Brands Create Their Own Games to Expand Marketing Reach

Brands are eager to promote their products in front of the estimated 3.7 billion people worldwide who play video games. Now, rather than simply purchasing visibility, more adventuresome advertisers including PepsiCo and L’Oreal are creating games of their own. PepsiCo had a quest developed in collaboration with Y2K Games for Mountain Dew inserted into the latest edition of the publisher’s blockbuster “NBA 2K” series. L’Oréal embedded a mini game in Activision Blizzard’s “Candy Crush Saga” and saw 40,000 samples of the Prada Candy fragrance that was the reward for completing the game claimed on day one of the five-week promotion. Continue reading Brands Create Their Own Games to Expand Marketing Reach

Peacock Introduces New Ad Formats Including ‘Must ShopTV’

NBCUniversal unveiled four new ad formats that brands can use to reach Peacock Premium subscribers, including in-show shopping opportunities that leverage artificial intelligence. At its IAB NewFronts presentation, the company demonstrated Must ShopTV, which lets viewers buy products featured in Peacock content, such as the cookware and utensils featured in “Top Chef.” Peacock is working with KERV Interactive, which uses an algorithm trained to tag shoppable products with an onscreen QR code that viewers can snap on a mobile device to buy items using payment information saved to the Peacock app. Continue reading Peacock Introduces New Ad Formats Including ‘Must ShopTV’

Amazon Offers New Ad Model for Thursday Night NFL Games

Amazon is offering advertisers a unique marketing opportunity within “Thursday Night Football,” inviting them to take advantage of new streaming tech by programming different creative messages within the same 30-second slot. “For the first time in NFL history, fans across the country will no longer view the same national commercials while enjoying live coverage provided by Prime Video on Fire TV devices,” Amazon said at the NewFronts. For example, an automotive brand could promote sports cars to younger adults, SUVs to outdoor enthusiasts and a general spot for everyone else — all in the same 30-second window. Continue reading Amazon Offers New Ad Model for Thursday Night NFL Games

Pinterest Sets Multiyear Deal with Amazon for Third-Party Ads

Image-sharing social platform Pinterest has named Amazon as its first third-party ad partner. The multiyear strategic partnership will see the e-commerce giant marketing various brands and products on Pinterest and porting interested shoppers back to its site to complete the sale for “a seamless on-Amazon buying experience.” The integration will begin later this year and roll out over several quarters. The news was timed to Pinterest’s Q1 results, which saw revenue up by 5 percent year-over-year to $603 million. The number of global monthly active users also increased, by 7 percent to 463 million, a gain of 13 million. Continue reading Pinterest Sets Multiyear Deal with Amazon for Third-Party Ads

YouTube Debuts Ad Tech at Gen Z-Themed NewFronts Event

YouTube is branding itself to advertisers as the “home of Gen Z.” At the streaming platform’s NewFronts event at parent Google’s Pier 57 complex in lower Manhattan, the message was plastered across numerous signs and in videos. The company had creator Jon Youshaei, a former Instagram product marketer, deliver a presentation entitled “What Matters to Gen-Z” at the Monday event. Apparently Gen Z likes quick hits, making them a natural audience for commercials. At the NewFronts presentation, YouTube explained it is expanding its AI-driven video reach campaigns to include YouTube Shorts. Continue reading YouTube Debuts Ad Tech at Gen Z-Themed NewFronts Event