Digital Innovations Awesome List: Amazon, Pinterest, and YouTube Improvements

At Centro, we know that keeping up with the trade pubs and latest trends can be tough and time consuming. To make that easier, we’ve compiled all the articles, reports, and other bits of awesomeness you may have missed, but should definitely read. Enjoy our latest list below!

More Agency Reviews Expected This Year

A study finds that 58% of marketers plan to review their agency in the next year, citing ongoing pressure to cut costs, the need to keep up with digital change, and transparency concerns.

Facebook Tweaks Algorithm…Again

This move seems to be Facebook’s annual reminder that they are the keepers of the kingdom. It’s a tweak that will likely have the most impact on content publishers, such as the New York Times, Mashable, and Wall Street Journal. Time will tell how, or if, this will affect a paid strategy. One thing is clear: brands and publishers will need to pay the piper to get their content distributed to audiences on the platform.

Data, CRM and Native Adverting Drivers in LinkedIn, Microsoft Marriage

Here are some considerations for what’s behind the $26 billion purchase of the B-to-B social platform. One important thing to note is this will mean more native ads for a platform that has previously struggled in the space. “When a content platform meets a CRM service, that’s where the route to market can really scale in a confined, manageable ecosystem.”

Amazon Beats Google as Starting Point for Product Searches

More people are starting their product searches on Amazon instead Google, or the brand and retail sites. The variety of products, free shipping options, deals and pricing, and the large amount of customer reviews are driving Amazon’s growth. One thing to note: nearly half of the users who started on Google ultimately clicked on an Amazon link.

Pinterest v. Amazon?

Pinterest doesn’t want to be called a social network anymore. They’re a “shopping network.” Statements like that and recent product updates suggest the platform may be less concerned with competing with Facebook and more with Amazon and Google.

Snapchat is Slashing Its Ad prices for Brands

Hooray for brands who are looking to get into the Snapchat game but have been off-put by the hefty price tag. While advertisers still need to plunk down six figures for a Snapchat program, the $100,000 minimum is an easier access point compared to their first minimum of $500,000.

Digital Courting TV Ad Dollars: an Epic Timeline

An interesting look at some key moves and innovations by the top digital media players — like Google, Facebook, and Twitter — that helped propel the industry forward and increase interest and investment from heavy TV advertisers.

Screen Size Matters: Nielsen-Backed Study Finds Higher Ad Recall for Shows Viewed on TV vs. Other Screens

For those pushing Advanced TV, a new Nielsen study shares a solid selling point on not just buying the video format but buying it to run on a television.

YouTube is Beefing Up Its Live Video Game to Compete with Facebook and Periscope

Not to be left out of the party, Google, during this year’s VidCon, announced an improved version of YouTube’s live-streaming product within its mobile app.

InMobi’s Illegal Location Tracking Debacle is Just the Tip Of the Iceberg and Regulators are Chomping at the Bit

Digital advertising regulators are finally getting their first wake-up call on the realities of being caught in the act of illegally obtaining users’ mobile location data, with the FTC formally fining mobile ad network InMobi nearly $1 million for wrongfully collecting location information on millions of smartphone users, including children.

Mobile Ad Spend Nears $100 Billion

Zenith’s new Advertising Expenditure Forecast found that mobile ad spend continues to rise rapidly and has been outpacing expected growth forecasts. Worldwide mobile spending is expected to reach upwards of $100 billion in total spending, widening its lead over desktop, which is expected to reach $97 billion in 2017.