Midweek Media Breakdown #12

💾  Google announces an end to Universal Analytics

 This week Google announced that Google Analytics 4 will officially take over Universal Analytics from 1 July 2023. New hits won’t be processed by Universal Analytics after this, but you’ll still have access to previously processed data for at least six months. So what does this mean for your #GoogleAds campaigns? If your Universal Analytics property and Google Ads accounts are linked, data will stop flowing to Google Ads after July 1, 2023. This is definitely something to note if you’re reliant on Universal Analytics in your campaigns… While the official change won’t happen for quite some time, it’s a nice reminder to export your historical data! 

📌  Pinterest goes multiplatform 

In an effort to highlight creators on Pinterest (a.k.a Pinners) the photo and idea-sharing platform now allows you to share watermarked original content via other social media sites, including Instagram and Facebook. Idea Pins can be downloaded as watermarked videos that end on a Tiktok-esque frame, displaying the creator’s name and username. 

Is Pinterest simply jumping on the short-form video bandwagon? Perhaps not… Pinterest said the concept behind this update was to create “actionable engagement” rather than celebrating “vanity metrics” and to make ideas “discoverable, instead of disappearing in a chronological feed.” Taking a slightly different approach to giants like Tiktok and Instagram, Pinterest is committed to building its smaller, yet highly engaged community of users.

😤  Meta launches lawsuit against fake reviews

Meta has taken legal action against individuals creating fraudulent Facebook Customer Feedback Scores. Chad Taylor Cowan, owner of CFS Solutions, is facing a lawsuit for allegedly selling fake customer reviews to Facebook advertisers looking to artificially increase their Customer Feedback Scores. 

Businesses that receive negative feedback in these scores can face penalties from Meta, including ad restrictions, disabling accounts or financial penalties. Gamification of this review process is clearly a violation of Meta’s terms, yet Cowan saw this as an opportunity to employ a “hack” in which a “network of active Facebook users leave feedback on your ads, allowing our clients to continue marketing stress-free,” as brazenly stated on the CFS Solutions Website. Yikes. Remember to read the Ts and Cs people.

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