Google's latest EU regulator fine, Facebook removing millions of videos showing New Zealand terrorist attack, NZ advertisers pulling Google and Facebook following shooting, Instagram's in-app checkout launches in the US and LinkedIn's new advertising features
Read more about some of the biggest and most important stories in the marketing and advertising industries with our latest news roundup.
This week, we look at Google's latest fine from the European Commission, the backlash following videos of the shooting in New Zealand being uploaded to Facebook and other platforms, Instagram's latest shopping feature and how LinkedIn is aiming to make life easier for advertisers on the platform.
Google hit by €1.49 billion AdSense fine
Google has been fined €1.5 billion by European regulators for blocking other online search advertisers. The European Commission (EC) accused Google of stopping the placement of rival’s ads in certain spots, effectively breaking EU…
Facebook's latest outage affects billions, Google removed billions of ads in 2018, advertisers concerned over Brexit uncertainty, WHO calls for stricter junk food digital ad regulations, UK government seeks digital competition review and Facebook removes fake account network
This week saw Facebook's family apps get into trouble, leaving billions of people across the world unable to access accounts or upload content.
Google has announced that it removed billions of "bad ads" in 2018, although figures were down on 2017.
Advertisers have shared concerns about the possible effects of Brexit in the wake of continued uncertainty.
WHO is seeking to protect children's health after its report found that more junk food advertising is now taking place online following the introduction of stricter regulations across traditional media.
An independent review has led to the UK government to call on the CMA to look at competition in digital media.
Finally, Facebook has removed a network of around 100 fake…
Millions are 5G-ready, Facebook disagrees with ACCC recommendations, YouTube will never be "100% safe" for brands, Facebook to improve messaging privacy and new interracial couple emojis announced
This week's news roundup sees concerns raised about privacy when 5G is rolled out, with the Information Commissioner's Office raising concerns about personal data on a faster network.
Facebook has also responded to the ACCC's initial recommendations, disagreeing with the suggested extra regulations.
Google has admitted that there is very little chance YouTube will ever be totally brand-safe, although it is making changes to its advertising program to try and protect brands' reputations.
Mark Zuckerberg has announced controversial changes to messanger apps, with auto-encryption set to be rolled out.
Finally, it has been announced that interracial couple emojis will be available this year following a petition by Tinder.
Find out more about each of these stories below.
Millions ready for 5G but is privacy an issue?
Up to 15 million UK…
In the world of startups and small businesses, there is a lot of misinformation and confusion about social media handles
We understand that when it comes to business, entrepreneurs want to make the right choice. They are careful about every step of the branding process, even social media handles, so it is no surprise that some people are hesitant to take a business name if the social media handles are taken.
In the world of startups and small businesses, there is a lot of misinformation and confusion about social media handles. Many people don’t realize that, like a domain, a social media handle is a way that potential customers can find your business online. However, like domains, you do not always need an exact match social media handle.
[si_guide_block id="82119" title="Download our Free Resource – 10 common social media marketing mistakes" description="Avoid the pitfalls that limit engagement with your…
Facebook called "digital gangsters" by UK government, Google rolling out click share for Search campaigns, big brands pull out of YouTube advertising, Marketing skills gap increasing and Ikea announces new sustainable store opening with water-cleaning bath boats
A new parliamentary report has found that Facebook has broken regulations and has called on the UK government to do more to bring it and similar sights under regulatory control.
Google has started rolling out click share for Search campaigns, giving you more insights into the success of your text ads.
A number of big brands have reportedly pulled out of advertising deals with YouTube after concerns were raised that paedophiles are using the platform to create communities.
The marketing skills gap seems to be increasing, despite investment in training.
Ikea is advertising the launch of its new sustainable Greenwich store with life-size bath boats that are helping to clean up London's waterways.
Find out more about these stories…
Chart of the Week: More than 1.12 billion accounts spread across Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp now watch or create Stories every day
When it comes to social media marketing trends, Stories is the big one you need to watch. More than 1.12 billion accounts spread across Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp now watch or create Stories every day, representing a 987% increase since the start of 2016.
It isn’t just individual users that are causing Stories to grow hugely in popularity, more brands, companies and marketers are making the most of them. Buffer’s State of Social 2019 report has found that 57% of brands have found that Stories have been an "effective" part of their social media strategy.
The effectiveness of…
Most valuable brands across the globe showcased in a new infographic, Facebook has been blocked from using data from other sources in Germany, China stops beauty products making medical claims in advertising and Amazon posts positive fourth-quarter ad revenue results
A new infographic has showcased the most valuable brands in many of the countries across the world, showcasing some stark differences in overall value between different countries.
This week, Germany has also made a landmark ruling that will limit the types of data that Facebook can collect and assign to indvidual users, which has got the platform up in arms.
China is bringing its beauty advertising more in-line with the rest of the world by banning brands from making medical claims when it comes to their cosmetic products.
Amazon has reported some seriously strong growth in terms of ad revenue, taking some of the market away from Google.
Find out more on each of these…
Facebook sees ad revenues increase year-on-year, Google has new GDPR complaint lodged against it, Facebook "blocks" third-party apps from monitoring political advertisements and Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp set to join forces with combined chat functions
This week's news roundup is fairly Facebook-heavy as the social media platform has been fairly busy. While its ad revenues may have increased in the final quarter of 2018, it has also come under fire some recent changes that blog third-parties from monitoring political ads.
Other than Facebook, Google is now in more hot water with yet another GDPR complaint lodged against it. It has been accused of using sensitive information to target ads at users, something that it is denying.
Take a look at these stories in a bit more detail below.
Facebook reports strong ad revenue growth
Facebook may have had a particularly touch 2018 in…
Mobile ad spend set to overtake TV this year, Google fined £44 million for GDPR failures, Facebook cracking down on pages and group that break community standards and LinkedIn details skills most needed by companies in 2019
As mobile use is on the rise, so is ad spend across mobile devices. In fact, if ad spending stays on course, it's likely that mobile ad spend will overtake TV, putting it top of the list in 2019.
It has been announced that Google has been fined £44 million for failing to meet GDPR regulations after two complaints were lodged against the company. Google is currently looking into the fine to decide its next steps.
This week has also seen Facebook change its tactics on dealing with pages and groups that post content that is against community standards, meaning affiliated pages and groups could also be shut down.
Finally, LinkedIn has released a list of the…
High user volume caused Alexa to crash on Christmas Day, Google is testing new search with importance placed on streaming, Instagram launches new features for Stories and Facebook is testing 'dark mode' for its Messenger app
We may have switched off for the holidays and New Year, but it's now time to take a look at what news stories in the marketing, tech and social media worlds were missed over the last couple of weeks.
First up is the news that Amazon's smart speaker was such a popular item this festive season that Alexa crashed on Christmas Day across many parts of Europe. It just goes to show that the idea of a smart home is becoming increasingly appealing for many.
It also looks like Google is just about ready to admit the importance of streaming services, as it seems to be testing a new design for search that puts streaming higher up…
