📰 Growth Daily - Monday, Feb 27

🍄 HBO is Quietly Infecting Google Search

📰 TL;DR - HBO’s The Last of Us has been gaining in popularity. The show has been the favorite of critics and the internet as memes of the show’s actors have spread across social media. To capitalize on the excitement, their latest marketing stunt includes Google. Simply search “The Last of Us” on Google and you’ll see an ode to the show’s Cordyceps fungal infection plot.

💡 Insight - When we think of marketing stunts, it’s often on a massive, impressive scale. But small scale initiatives can be just as exciting. The Google easter egg is so brilliant because of its simplicity. It’s fun and clever – something we could all remember to flex in our marketing once in awhile.

Heads up: The article below does have some spoilers for The Last of Us, so be warned.

➡️ You can read the article here...

🚌 Is 2023 The Time To Test Out-of-Home Advertising?

📰 TL;DR - AdQuick seamlessly connects advertisers to out-of-home (OOH) media owners anywhere in the U.S. and abroad, and makes it easier than ever to plan, buy, and measure every kind of outdoor advertising — from static billboards to hand-painted murals. If you’ve run online ads you’re used to the speed of deployment and accountability provided via analytics. AdQuick provides the same experience digital marketers are used to to the OOH space.

💡 Insight - With AdQuick, advertisers gain immediate access to over 1,400 premium OOH media owners, can execute OOH buys 10x faster, launch OOH campaigns in as little as 48 hours, and unlock unprecedented measurability.

➡️ Learn more and get started at AdQuick.com

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🔎 TikTok is Becoming Gen Z’s Google

📰 TL;DR - Morning Consult released a report on how Gen Z gets their information and despite Google being the go-to search engine for most U.S. adults, Gen Z prefers TikTok and Instagram more. In fact, 14% of Gen Z reported using TikTok to start researching a major news event. While some news organizations are jumping on the TikTok train, many are noticeably absent which can exacerbate an already struggling news economy.

💡 Insight - Whether you’re a news publisher directly impacted by these findings or a brand that relies heavily on Google for traffic, it’s time to face the powerful tune of TikTok. Especially if you’re looking to attract younger generations. Take a note from TikTok-forward organizations like The Washington Post or NPR’s Planet Money and get creative with how you tell your story.

➡️ You can read the article here...

👀 What Content Are People In The U.S. Looking at on Facebook These Days?

📰 TL;DR - Social Media Expert Matt Navarra did a deep dive of Facebook content analytics from Meta’s most recent Widely Viewed Content Report. This helpful thread includes 2022 Q4 insights on views of content with or without links, where content came from on a typical user’s feed, the most widely viewed Facebook Pages by U.S. users, and more.

💡 Insight - Can you believe that 92.5% of posts in a Facebook user’s feed in 2022 Q4 didn’t have a link?? Give me a moment to cry over conversions & CTAs… okay, we’re back. These insights showcase exactly how challenging it is to convert within Facebook content – so if nothing else, at least let this be a confirmation that it’s hard out here. But take note of the fact that 3 of the top 4 widely viewed domains directs to video content… maybe there’s something there? 🤔

➡️ You can read the thread here...

🚫 How The Anti-Trend Became a Trend

📰 TL;DR - Deinfluencing has been having a moment with more and more TikTokers and Instagrammers rushing to post about the things you don’t have to buy. It’s a change of tune from the usual FOMO-induced overconsumption that influencers typically pushed. Which makes it a brilliant marketing trend in itself.

The trend hinges on building trust with an audience and by ensuring that influencers are only pushing products they “truly believe in,” they're building bonds with their audiences. And when the time is right, their product endorsement is even more powerful than it once was.

💡 Insight - Few things are often accidental in influencer marketing. The most expert influencers have spent years perfecting their image and brand, often jumping on trends. But this trend carries weight. It’s antithetical to all the assumptions and stereotypes of influencer culture. Whatever you think of the trend, one thing remains clear: aligning influencers or affiliates that naturally make sense with your product will always be important. Becoming one of the few products an influencer decides to keep from their “I was influenced” haul? That’s where brands should want to be.

➡️ You can read the article here...

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