The anti-predictions: Here’s what won’t happen in advertising in 2024

We know it’s that time of the year when everyone starts making predictions. But let’s face it, most of those guesses are either way too cautious or way off the mark. Well, at Digiday, we’re doing something different. Take a look at our take on what’s not in the picture as we welcome in the new year.

For the past year, competitive gaming has been surrounded by a narrative of doom and gloom. As some brands pull away from spending in the space, esports teams’ over-reliance on brand partnerships has become glaringly apparent, making it increasingly urgent for esports companies to carve out more sustainable revenue streams.

In spite of these stumbling blocks, however, the core product of competitive gaming remains incredibly popular. Viewership is continuing to rise, and the esports companies that survive the inevitable consolidation of 2024 could reap the rewards as esports and gaming fandom becomes truly mainstream. — Alexander Lee

Publishers had high hopes that the end of widespread tracking would put them back in the driver’s seat, finally allowing them to profit from their audiences. However, it turns out this isn’t a guaranteed win – at least not yet. There are numerous hurdles to overcome before publishers can truly seize control. Most importantly, the industry needs to agree on what tracking without third-party cookies will actually look like. Right now, it seems like it will involve a variety of identity solutions, not just one. Authenticated IDs, based on user consent within a publisher’s domain, are promising, but their true value in the market remains uncertain. So, while publishers had dreams of immediate gains, they may have to wait a bit longer for the reality to catch up. — Seb Joseph

A U.S. federal privacy law won’t arrive in 2024; the delivery of Privacy Sandbox looks

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Here’s the first peek at the new Google Assistant powered by Bard

Assistant with Bard Presentation at Made by Google Event 2023

C. Scott Brown / Android Authority

TL;DR

  • Lines of code showing Bard’s integration with Google Assistant were found in the Google app.
  • It appears that Google could swap out Assistant’s logo with Bard’s star logo.
  • The onboarding progress appears to bring up a prompt to “Upgrade to the new Assistant powered by Bard.”

During its Pixel event on October 4, Google announced that it would bring Google Assistant and its generative AI chatbot together to create “Assistant with Bard.” Now we’re getting our first look at what this new AI-powered version of Assistant could look like.

The folks over at TheSpAndroid, with help from AssembleDebug, have discovered some code hiding in the beta version of the Google app. It appears beta version 14.41.41.28.arm64 contains a few lines of code related to Bard’s integration with Assistant. The outlet was also able to activate Assistant’s new feature, although it was not fully functional.

Specifically, they were able to launch an introductory screen that has a Get started button and three interactive bubbles that include Explore, Understand, and Create. Tapping on any of these bubbles expands the bubble to provide more context. If you go any further, a pop up shoots out saying that the account isn’t supported.

The publication surmises that the new version of Assistant will come to the Pixel 8 first since it has AI features that are currently reserved for Google’s latest phone at the moment. They also suggest that all the features available in the web version of Bard will be available in the Google app as well.

In addition, it looks like Google will update Assistant’s logo to match the stars it uses for Bard. AssembleDebug was even able to capture the update prompt. This prompt appears at the bottom of the screen with the words

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Marketing enters its Taylor Swift era: Here’s what the numbers say

Taylor Swift’s star has never shined brighter. From her blockbuster Eras Tour to her recent NFL appearances, the pop star has become a beacon of economic success. Even brands not directly associated with her have felt the benefits from the Swift Army, or attempted to get in on the hype.

Notably, her rumored relationship with Kansas City Chief tight end Travis Kelce has raised the profile of advertising campaigns in which he features significantly. For example, two Campbell Soup ads featuring the tight end drove 287% more engagement than ads not featuring Kelce, according to data shared with Marketing Dive by Edo. After Swift attended a game, ad effectiveness went up 4%.

A Pfizer ad featuring Kelce has been 27% more effective at driving engagement than those without him. Those who saw the Pfizer creative on TV, which depicted the football star getting his COVID-19 booster and flu shot at the same time, were 32% more likely to engage with the brand online after Swift’s first game appearance, according to Edo.

“Her massive fan base is incredibly supportive of brand campaigns and TV programs that feature the artist,” said Kevin Krim, CEO of Edo, in a statement to Marketing Dive. “Now we’re also seeing Swift’s association with other talent, like Travis Kelce, also lift the performance of their ads, at least in the context of the relationship such as during an NFL game that she’s attending.”

With the Eras Tour set to end in November of 2024 and a tour film releasing this month, Swift mania is not likely to be going anywhere anytime soon. Just how long the intensity can hold has yet to be seen. 

Rising tides

The rumored relationship between Swift and Kelce brings together two of the biggest forces in American culture: pop music and the

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Google’s New Reading Mode: Here’s How to Use It

Google Reading Mode

Image credit: computerworld

Google’s new Reading Mode has been quite a hot topic, with many people trying them. It’s a part of their accessibility feature, which apparently makes reading seamless for readers. It’s also said to be an effective feature for people with learning disabilities like dyslexia and eye conditions like blindness or low vision.

By using the Reading Mode, readers will be able to read their favorite articles in a distraction-free and straightforward manner. You will also be able to use other features like narration (speed and voice), font size, and color.

How to Enable Reading Mode on Android and Chrome?

First, we will mention the steps to enabling the Reading Mode on Android:

  • On your Android device, download/install the Reading Mode app from the Play Store.
  • Follow the instructions prompting on the screen to go to the Accessibility Settings menu.
  • After that, tap on Reading Mode>Reading Mode shortcut>Allow.

As for other shortcuts, go to Settings>Accessibility>Reading Mode>Reading Mode shortcut. For Volume Keys, you can tap and hold Volume keys. Similarly, for Gestures, you can navigate to More options and select Use button or Gesture. From there, click on Gestures.

Meanwhile, to launch Reading Mode on Chrome, you can follow the below steps:

  • Open Chrome and then navigate to their address bar.
  • Type “chrome://flags” and then press Enter. As the search field launches, type reading mode and press the enter key.
  • Select the Enabled option from the Default listing of Reading mode.
  • Restart Chrome, and your Reading Mode will be launched.

To read your article on Chrome, click on the sidebar located on the top-right side of the window. Select the Reading Mode option. Now, highlight the text that you want to read through the mode, and it will make text easier to read in the sidebar.

For

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Twitter app icon updated to ‘X’? Here’s how to revert back

Here’s the crux of the article in video form:

New updates are being added at the bottom of this story…….

Original story (published on July 28, 2023) follows:

Twitter has completely changed recently and the most noticeable change is the new logo, which is a simple ‘X’.

Some people love the new logo, saying it’s a more modern and minimalist design while the majority hate it, saying it’s boring and lacks personality.

Twitter app icon updated to ‘X’ on Android

Now, Twitter has rolled out an updated app icon, denoted as ‘X,’ for its Android users. However, a substantial number of Twitter Android users expressed their disapproval of the new updated icon ‘X’ (1,2,3,4,5,6,7).

Twitter app icon updated to X
Source

The complaints are primarily centered around the icon being less appealing, characterized as ‘ugly’. For others it doesn’t resonates with the Twitter brand they were accustomed to.

Negative feedback on social media platforms, including Twitter itself, is swift and vocal. Users vented their frustrations, voicing their dissatisfaction and concerns about the new design.

Some users even threatened to uninstall the app if they were forced to adopt the new icon, signaling the emotional attachment that some have towards old logo.

Wake up and trying to figure out when I downloaded a app named “X” lol what the heck is this? 😵‍💫 Had me pressing the icon like 🫣
Source

I woke up this morning, looked at my phone, saw the new “X” app icon and for a moment I wondered where I got malware on my phone. Are we all just going to continue calling this twitter?
Source

The implementation also seems to be a bit inconsistent. Some users are getting the icon but the app is still called Twitter, while

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Tech stocks look strong, but here’s a sign the sector is actually under a lot of stress

Contrary to what Wall Street is saying, another advertising and marketing agency confirmed that the technology sector appears to be having a lot of trouble when it comes to discretionary spending on advertising and marketing.

Shares of Interpublic Group of Companies Inc.
IPG,
-0.45%
plunged 13.3% to close at $32.87 on Friday, enough to lead the S&P 500 index’s
SPX,
+0.99%
losers, after the company missed second-quarter revenue expectations and cut its full-year growth outlook in half, citing weakness in the technology sector. The stock suffered the biggest one-day selloff since it tumbled 15.3% on March 12, 2020.

That comes just two days after fellow ad agency Omnicom Group Inc.’s stock
OMC,
+0.26%
tumbled 10.4% to pace the S&P 500’s decliners, after also missing on revenue and providing a somewhat downbeat outlook, amid a “pause” in tech-sector spending as clients have become “more cautious.”

And the companies also said they saw softness from tech-sector clients in their first-quarter reports.

That might seem counterintuitive to investors, given that the technology sector has been the S&P 500’s strongest this year. The Technology Select Sector SPDR exchange-traded fund
XLK,
+1.36%
has soared 41.5% year to date, while the S&P 500 index
SPX,
+0.99%
has advanced 18.2%.

Interpublic Chief Executive Philippe Krakowsky said Friday on a post-earnings call with analysts that the tech sector is moving through a “challenging period” that has included significant cost and workforce cuts.

“[W]hat we have seen is that the sector is under a lot of stress,” Krakowsky said, according to an AlphaSense transcript.

He said the pressure Interpublic has seen in sector isn’t from smaller tech companies, or those backed by venture capitalists, but a “relatively small group of large companies.”

And given a “modestly more uncertain” macroeconomic environment, Krakowsky said it’s clear that pressure on the tech

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