Media Monday

Google Ads: Opt-Out of Search Partner Network

By Shihwan Baek , Paid Search Manager

The Google Search Partner Network lets you place your ads on search-related websites and apps, and when users search for terms related to your targeted keywords, your ad can appear alongside relevant search results, maximizing its visibility and reach. This has been a useful tool for advertisers looking to expand their target audience at scale, but recent findings by Adalytics have brought attention to the potential risks associated with the Google Search Partner Network.

The article claims that ads may have been appearing alongside potentially harmful or inappropriate content through the Google Search Partner Network - including sites that were specifically added to the brands’ exclusion lists. This has the potential to damage a brand’s reputation and has a limited potential for audience engagement given the lack of relevance.

Although Google is denying the allegations by Adalytics, the company has acknowledged the need for further improvements within the tool, and the need to ensure customer satisfaction; allowing advertisers to opt-out of Search Partner Network (SPN) from all campaign types including Performance Max and App campaigns.

Spotify Wrapped 2023 for Advertisers

By Lexi Gray , Media Buyer

Each year, Spotify users (and Apple Music users too, I guess…) look forward to the one day where Spotify shows how the last year played out for them, musically. You get to see which artists you listened to the most, the songs you played too much, how many minutes you spent listening to your favorite podcast, etc. The platform decided to change things up a bit this year by providing advertisers their own version of the yearly wrap up. The '2023 Wrapped for Advertisers' plan included their top 10 trends and takeaways. All that is included in the list is beneficial, but two key takeaways are highlighted below.

1. Podcasts continue to grow in popularity for consumers and advertisers. Podcasts have officially become the fastest growing ad product on Spotify. This year, Podcast ads have increased by +40% on Spotify. The platform found that on average, first-time U.S. Podcast advertisers saw a +95% incremental lift in reach when advertising in podcasts on Spotify in 2023. It's safe to say that podcast ads are only going to grow as the amount of inventory continues to increase. The "Celebrity" category specifically, saw an increase in inventory of +60%, the largest category lift YTD. More inventory for the platform means more available space for ads.

2. The most familiar ad type  is the 'audio ad', but audio ads are no longer the only thing catching users attention. The wrap report provided insight as to why a multi-format approach (Video Takeover, Sponsored Sessions and audio ads) served up success. Video content on the platform saw a 48% increase, with Gen Z leading this growth by spending 136% more time with video on the platform from the previous year. Each of the ad formats offered ultimately produced a positive lift in driving brand awareness and ad recall for its advertisers. 

Spotify wrapped day is now a special one for consumers AND marketers. Will advertisers apply these learnings to their 2024 media plans? Are Podcast ads going to continue driving the growth that was shown throughout 2023? Stay tuned to see how these top 10 trends and takeaways impact change in the 2024 wrap.