Martech news roundup: Changes at Facebook, new Google Ads and Twitter tools, Facebook replacing relevance score
Roundup of top news in martech from the week of Mar 11-Mar 18, 2019.
In our roundup of last week’s martech news, we highlight:
- Changes at Facebook: Chief Product Officer Chris Cox and WhatsApp Vice President Chris Daniels both leaving
- Google Ads rolling out Budget Planner forecasting tool
- Twitter launches new Stories-like camera tools
- Facebook to replace relevance score with 3 new metrics in April
Top stories in marketing technology last week:
Changes at Facebook: Chief product officer Chris Cox and WhatsApp Vice President Chris Daniels both leaving
What it is
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced last Thursday that both Chris Cox, Facebook’s chief product officer, and Chris Daniels, Vice President of WhatsApp, are stepping down. To fill in these new gaps, Will Cathcart, who previously oversaw the Facebook app, will now handle WhatsApp, and Fidji Simo, who led Facebook’s video production, will now lead the Facebook app.
About Cox’s resignation, Zuckerberg wrote, “He [Cox] is one of the most talented people I know and he has the potential to do anything he wants. But after 2016, we both realized we had too much important work to do to improve our products for society, and he stayed to help us work through these issues and help us chart a course for our family of apps going forward.”
Why it matters
While the exact reasons for the resignations of two upper-level executives is unclear, this announcement brings attention to a time of major change and tumult within Facebook.
Google Ads rolling out Budget Planner forecasting tool
What it is
Google is releasing a new Budget Planner tool for Google Ads campaigns, allowing advertisers to create a budget plan based on clicks, conversions, or a target spend amount.
After inputting the numbers, Google will present advertisers with a draft budget plan to give an idea of how campaigns are expected to perform, including how spending changes will most likely impact the campaign goal and metric.
Why it matters
This new feature can provide advertisers with insights about how spending changes might affect campaign performance. It’s important to note that the tool requires data to work properly, so campaigns without enough history may not be eligible for it.
Twitter launches new Stories-like camera tools
What it is
Twitter is launching a new camera tool that will enable users to capture videos, photos, and live streams directly from the app. When using the Twitter app, users can now swipe left to be presented with the camera, giving the option to capture an image or video up to two minutes in length or switch to a live stream that will appear directly on their Twitter feed.
Why it matters
While not exactly a “Story” feature in the Instagram, Facebook, or Snapchat sense, this new feature will allow users to post and engage more within the channel, no longer needing to rely on outside apps like Periscope.
Facebook to replace relevance score with 3 new metrics in April
What it is
Last Wednesday, Facebook announced that it will be replacing its ad relevance score with three “more granular” metrics and replacing six other ad metrics with “more actionable” measurements by April 30. The relevance score told advertisers how relevant a particular ad might be to a specific audience.
Moving forward, the three new metrics taking place of the current single ad score will be quality ranking, engagement rate ranking, and conversion rate ranking.
Why it matters
These new metrics should offer advertisers more specific and nuanced insights into their ad and campaign performances.
Before you go
- According to Twitter’s 2018 Inclusion and Diversity Report, the company plans to intentionally include more Blacks, Latinos, and women to their workforce.
- Fast-growing social video app Firework officially launches short-form video storytelling app, backed by Lightspeed.
- Digital knowledge management platform Yext has partnered with Adobe to drive website discovery.
- Supply chain mobility solution platform Intellinum Flexi LogiPro has integrated with Oracle Cloud.
- TapClicks has announced a partnership with Snap, Inc. to integrate data from the Snapchat Ads Manager into TapClicks’ analytics and reporting solution.
- ABM platform Demandbase announced its release of Cross-Campaign Analytics.
See something we missed? Leave us a comment below!
