#Technology

Google has found itself in hot water this year, and the punches keep coming. Hundreds of entities have lined up to sue the tech giant over the years, but a hit finally landed when a federal judge ruled Google a monopoly in September of this year. Further lawsuits have followed, and advertisers await with baited breath to see what comes of all this. Let’s do a quick check-in on the two major cases the Department of Justice has filed against Google and Alphabet.

Only a few weeks after being officially labeled a monopoly by the U.S. government, Google finds themselves in court once again for more antitrust accusations. The Department of Justice and other States are still the plaintiffs, but instead of focusing on the “search” aspect of Google’s business, they’re now targeting Google’s hold on advertising technology. Let’s break down each side of the case and what advertisers stand to gain (or lose) from the outcome.

Industry staples like display, video, and OTT have been in place for some years, but there’s a looming shadow on the horizon; a massive media powerhouse that has only begun to dip its toes into everything digital advertising has to offer: gaming. No longer a niche medium, video games have gone mainstream and reach a worldwide audience of 3.32 billion players. A recent report from Comscore highlights just how large and diverse the gaming audience has become; it’s not just kids playing games these days.

There’s no question that Google is the 800-pound gorilla in the tech industry that we all have to work around. Many have cried “monopoly”, but Google’s actions have always appeared just pro-competitive enough to escape legal action – that is, until now. Google LLC has now been officially labeled as a monopoly by the United States government; let’s dive into the details and what advertisers need to know. Details on the Four-Year Lawsuit In October 2020, the United States Department of Justice – along with several States – filed several suits against Google for Antitrust behaviors.

Each year in May, television (and now streaming) networks invite the industry to come together and bask in the advertising glory of the year to come. This is the TV Upfront event, where major new shows are revealed, big announcements are made, and advertising deals are struck. It’s a time when all the major outlets are looking to win over programmatic dollars and a timely snapshot into the health of the OTT/CTV medium.

New technologies and a worldwide pandemic have encouraged the advertising industry to cut out middlemen and other costs, leading to many overworked and understaffed internal marketing teams. These teams have adapted through the implementation of fully-managed programmatic platforms, and it’s time for media agencies to make the same jump. Published on AP News and Benzinga, Genius Monkey dives into the context and benefits of adopting a fully-managed programmatic system. If your team needs better ad coverage, hands-on expertise, and simplified workflows, get in touch with the Genius Monkeys and evolve your marketing strategy to the next level!

Netflix Reports Large Increase in Ad-Supported Streamers With former password-sharers still eager for Netflix content, the addition of a cheaper, ad-supported tier seems to be just the right medicine. In January, Netflix announced over 23 million active monthly users on the commercial-driven version of the service. Compare this with the November 2023 report of 15 million; that’s an increase of 8 million active users in two months! Last year, ad-supported customers made up about 5% of Netflix’s total user base; now they represent almost 9%.

First, there came the DSP. Now, a somewhat newer term has emerged following the release of new technology—Meta-DSP. Don’t worry about trying to keep up and understanding it all—we’ll do it for you, right here in this blog. Out of pure ease and the attempt of saving money, many advertisers choose to go with a single DSP, which limits their ad platform to the placements and costs that the DSP is able to provide at the time of the ad placement bid.

How many TV show and movie subscription channels are you paying for right now? From Disney+ to HBO Max and Netflix, you’re probably paying $8-12 per platform each month. That adds up. As subscription costs keep rising, so does the popularity of a different platform: FAST. What is FAST? FAST stands for free ad-supported television. Examples you may know include Roku TV, Pluto TV, and Tubi. You can watch live news or a continuous loop of your favorite TV show.

At this time of year, most people like the tricks and the treats. But when it comes to your business and the customer experience, you want to avoid anything ghastly. That’s why we’ve put together the top things you may be doing that could be scaring off your customers. They may be avoiding you like the plague if you are making these grave mistakes or if you don’t offer them the best experience possible.