🗝️ Trend Watch: Building Internal Media Teams (or acquiring them)

Hey, Marketers.

In today’s email:

• Why companies are building (and buying) internal content teams

• Last week’s Must-Know headlines.

P.S. On Wednesday I’ll share a new round-up deck. It will contain all the big Marketing updates from June. Easy to share with your team or keep as a recap for yourself to reference later. I hope you find it useful.

Why companies are building (or buying) their own internal media teams. 

Last month Hubspot announced its new YouTube Creator Network; 5 independent Content Creators will produce a series of topical videos for Hubspot’s audience.

Hubspot did something similar with Podcasts. They have 30+ shows on their Podcast Network.

Plus, they bought The Hustle which is a newsletter with 2+ million readers.

Why is this software company investing so heavily in content?

Hubspot wants to earn the attention of current or future potential customers. Instead the usual of paying to insert themselves into other people’s media.

By producing its own media:

• Hubspot reduces its dependence on gatekeeper platforms (like Facebook) for reaching its target customers.

• Hubspot builds trust, and encourages reciprocity, by providing value up-front to its target audience.

• And Hubspot can include its own marketing messages at no additional cost.

Effective paid ads will still be used to build businesses.

But I would bet on the company that can do both ads and media at a high level.

In Hubspot’s words:

ICYMI: Last Week’s Must-Knows

TikTok aims to make ads more interactive with pop-ups, stickers. ‘Interactive Add-Ons’ are now available globally for In-Feed Ads. TikTok claims that people who ‘share, like, or comment on a TikTok brand video are 150% more likely to buy a product or service’. (TikTok ↗️)

LinkedIn is launching a test of AI-generated posts. Users share at least 30 words outlining what they want to say. Then generative AI will create a “first draft” for users to edit and post. (LinkedIn ↗️)

Google ads will stop supporting first-click, linear, time decay, and position-based attribution models from mid-July. That will leave only last-click and data-driven attribution as options. Some users have seen the models already gone from Google Analytics. (Google ↗️)

Meta gave 3 updates on Reels advertising: First, Instagram is offering Reels ads to more advertisers following a successful pilot. Second, Meta is testing an AI-based feature for single-image Reels ads that give advertisers access to a free music library. Meta claimed ads that have both music and voice-over get a 15% higher average positive response. And lastly, App Promotion ads are rolling out to Facebook & Instagram Reels. (Search Engine Journal ↗️)

Plus

Apple redesigns App Store page with new ad format visible without scrolling. The new design will start showing to iPhone users in July.

Shopify will make Shop Pay available to enterprise retailers even if they are not on the Shopify platform.

Reddit suspended some of the protesting moderators of subreddits that changed to the label Not Safe For Work, which prevents ads from showing.

Alibaba is planning to launch a local version of its Chinese e-commerce site, Tmall, in Europe. This version of Tmall will focus on selling local brands to local shoppers, as opposed to AliExpress, which ships goods from China.

Uber is launching video ads for its ride-hailing app, Uber Eats, and Drizly, its alcohol sales platform. Ads will be targeted to users' data and will appear while they wait for drivers to arrive, during trips, after orders are placed, and in search results.

Thanks for reading!

Next edition: Wednesday