Time of change
That’s certainly a fitting way to describe late summer − at least when it comes to the world of digital marketing.
Let’s take a look:
Reddit joins the search engine race, ads are coming to WhatsApp − and Google is making a significant shift in its overall strategy with its new ‘AI mode’.
Get fully up to date with the August edition of Xtracts, your digital news roundup.
Google launches AI Mode
Gemini. AI Overview. Lens. Google’s list of AI-powered features is getting long − and with their latest addition, Google is showing that they are fully committed to the AI race.
Google has now rolled out its ambitious AI Mode: a Large Language Model (similar to ChatGPT) that uses generative intelligence to handle complex Google queries − and respond directly in search results. In other words, AI Mode transforms your search engine into an AI assistant.
The feature is already available for Google One AI Premium subscribers in the US and India − and recently also in the UK via Search Labs. In Denmark, we’ll have to wait a little longer.
Source: BBC News
OpenAI pulls back sharing feature
Earlier this year, OpenAI introduced the option to make ChatGPT conversations visible via search engines. That same feature has now been rolled back after private conversations containing sensitive personal information appeared in people’s search results.
OpenAI states that the feature was intended as an experiment to share useful information, analysis, and insights with the broader community. The feature was meant to be opt-in for individual users, but according to OpenAI, it still allowed for too many unintended shares.
OpenAI is now working to remove the indexing of conversations that were shared − while simultaneously removing the ability to share any further conversations.
Source: Search Engine Journal
Can Reddit compete as a search engine?
While Google is ramping up its AI race, Reddit has positioned itself directly in Google’s usual territory: search. Hundreds of millions of users visit the site weekly for answers, advice, and inspiration, so it’s perhaps no surprise that Reddit wants to head in this direction.
CEO Steve Huffman states that they plan to merge their AI-powered search feature, Reddit Answers, with the regular search function, making it a central part of the user experience. With over 70 million searches per week − 6 million of those via Reddit Answers − this move toward becoming a “go-to” search tool seems well justified.
Reddit’s focus on search can also be seen as a response to declining traffic from Google due to Google’s own tools, such as AI Overview. If users can get answers without clicking a link, fewer people may end their queries with the traditional “reddit” anyway.
Source: The Verge
TikTok launches Pro version focused on charity
TikTok has just rolled out a new version of the app − and beyond the features you’d expect from a Pro edition, this latest initiative stands out in one notable way.
Specifically for the Pro version, the app introduces the “Sunshine Programme”: a system where users earn virtual currency for engaging with charity-related content. This virtual currency can then be used to support a charity, and TikTok makes a real-world donation accordingly.
According to TikTok, the idea behind TikTok Pro is to give users the opportunity to support charitable causes while discovering new and exciting content on the platform. We’ll have to wait a little longer for the app to launch in Denmark.
Sources: TechCrunch
Ads are coming to WhatsApp
For 11 years, Meta’s WhatsApp has been ad-free. That era is now coming to an end.
Meta has begun rolling out advertising on the app, marking a significant shift in its strategy − and a clear departure from the principles that were originally the foundation of WhatsApp. The advertising setup on WhatsApp focuses on three main channels:
- Status Advertisements, placed among status updates from friends and family
- Promoted Channels, where channel admins can pay for increased visibility
- Channel Subscriptions, allowing users to pay a monthly fee for exclusive updates from a channel
All three forms of advertising appear in the app’s Updates tab, which WhatsApp says ensures that users’ personal chats − the app’s core focus − remain undisturbed.
Source: Marketing Tech News