Delve into the gloomy ad market outlook, where economic trends spark turmoil for advertisers. Discover Apple’s App Tracking Transparency troubles and the rising costs that challenge marketing budgets. Explore the world of digital advertising, focusing on bot traffic and ad placement. Hear how OpenAI enhances contextual ad targeting with innovative tools. Uncover consumer behavior patterns through first-party data, linking kitchen content to teen dating insights. Finally, see how AI and data integration boost engagement strategies.

Sara Jerde, managing editor at Digiday, along with reporters Alexander Lee and Sara Guaglione, dive into the rapidly changing publishing landscape. They discuss the integration of AI in paywalls and innovative strategies for subscriber acquisition. The trio also explores the impact of recent shifts in Google's algorithm on publishers and the economic challenges they face. Additionally, they touch on the uncertain future of TikTok amid acquisition talks, raising questions about advertising dynamics and brand authenticity in a polarized world.

This week's episode of the Digiday Podcast covers recession fears and signals, and their impact on the market, how streaming networks are looking to scoop up YouTube creators for shows and Scope3’s plans to pivot, bringing the ad tech company into the AI era. Also on this episode, Digiday platforms reporter Krystan Scanlon walks through the ever-looming TikTok ban, and how it could impact marketers, users and creators alike.

This week's episode of the Digiday Podcast covers T-Mobile and Publicis Groupe's ad tech acquisitions amidst the "everything's an ad network" narrative, the TikTok ban tug-of-war and YouTube's new subscription service, Premium Lite. Also on this episode, Pinterest's chief revenue officer Bill Watkins walks through the platform's play for more ad dollars this year with AI-powered tools, a focus on performance marketing and balancing more ads with the user experience. 

Puck’s famed journalist-centric publishing model is changing. Sort of.The news outlet debuted in 2021 with its journalists as the company’s audience-facing focal point, not the publication. People would subscribe less so to Puck than to Matthew Belloni’s or Julia Ioffe’s newsletters via Puck. And Puck’s journalists were, in part, compensated directly for the subscribers they attracted. Lately though, Puck’s newsletters have come to resemble publications in their own right.“You almost have sub-brands under Puck that are franchises anchored by core talent versus in probably that first two years, it was a newsletter anchored by core talent,” said Puck CEO Sarah Personette on the latest Digiday Podcast episode.Belloni’s entertainment-oriented “What I’m Hearing” newsletter, for example, has enlisted contributors like legal expert Eriq Gardner and, most recently, former The Hollywood Reporter editor Kim Masters. Similarly, Lauren Sherman’s fashion-centric “Line Sheet” regularly features entries from retail writer Sarah Shapiro and beauty journalist Rachel Strugatz. This development has coincided with Puck’s paid subscriber base growing by 30% in the past year, with Personette expecting the company to become profitable this year.“Putting journalists at the center of our model still exists, but what we are trying to do, as our subscriber base has experienced incredible growth over the last few years, we want to make sure that we’re rounding out the stories and we’re rounding out the coverage by bringing other journalists in,” said Personette.The expanding nature of Puck’s newsletters raises the question of to what extent does Puck’s compensation model also have to change. Puck gained a lot of initial attention for paying bonuses to its journalists for the new subscribers their articles attract as well as for the subscribers they retain. But how’s that work if an article by Masters attracts a subscriber via Belloni’s newsletter?“So [Belloni] is a franchise manager, and there are different benefits to being a franchise manager. And he also is driving a ton of his own subs. And then we also want to make sure that the individuals that are contributing to that franchise also get bonus-ed,” Personette said.

In January, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission finalized an updated version of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act. And for as much attention as the update may have received, it probably merits more.“It is a big deal. And I think because there’s been so much other activity in the news, people haven’t really paid attention to it,” Debbie Reynolds, a privacy expert and founder, CEO and chief data privacy officer at Debbie Reynolds Consulting, said on the latest Digiday Podcast episode.The primary reason the COPPA update warrants attention is that it requires companies to receive verifiable parental consent before they can target ads to children. Clear cut as that requirement may appear to be, complying with it may be more complicated.“Part of the confusion around privacy and the challenge companies will have with the update of COPPA is trying to figure out how to do things like how do you get verifiable quote-unquote parental consent beyond just having someone click a button to say, ’Hey, yeah, my parents said, “Yes,“’” said Reynolds.Case in point: Will ad-supported streaming services start asking for parents to share copies of their driver’s licenses before their families can sit down to watch a show? And will parents be willing to do that?“Anything that you give to these companies, they’re collecting, they’re storing. And then that brings up, do I trust this company enough to give them my ID, especially seeing the rash of data breaches,” Reynolds said. “It’s just going to be challenging going forward to see how companies really try to handle this issue.”

Kirk McDonald, CEO of Sundial Media Group, shares his expert insights on the shifting landscape of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) in media. He discusses the pushback against DEI initiatives and its effects on multicultural brands like Essence and Refinery29. McDonald highlights the complexities of managing DEI budgets amidst societal debates and the impact on ad effectiveness. He also reflects on the rise of YouTube on TVs and the critical need for companies to maintain genuine connections with diverse audiences. A thought-provoking dive into a crucial industry topic!

Rankin Carroll, Global Chief Brand Officer at Mars Snacking, dives into the future of marketing in a cookie-less world. He discusses innovative strategies to leverage first-party data for brands like M&Ms and Snickers. Carroll also highlights the importance of partnerships and the role of AI in enhancing audience engagement. Additionally, he reflects on Mars' eye-catching Super Bowl marketing campaign, emphasizing how adaptability and creativity are crucial in the evolving digital landscape.

Amy Astley, Global Editorial Director at Architectural Digest, discusses the magazine's bold shift in e-commerce strategy. They moved from embedding affiliate links on YouTube to directing viewers to their own site, enhancing the shopping experience. This change led to a remarkable four-times revenue increase from the 'Open Door' series. Astley also teases an upcoming relaunch of AD Shopping, which will showcase curated selections and products, further boosting their commerce revenue.

Anthony Katsur, CEO of IAB Tech Lab, dives into the evolution of digital advertising in the face of the post-cookie era. He discusses the uncertainty surrounding third-party cookies as Google delays their removal. Katsur argues for the continued use of alternative identifiers like IP addresses while emphasizing the importance of privacy-friendly solutions. The conversation highlights a shift toward identity-less solutions and the complex landscape of consumer consent and privacy laws that will shape the future of digital marketing for years to come.