Holiday Shoppers Bracing for the Overwhelm

Consumer confidence in the U.S. is rising, with half of shoppers feeling good about the economy. This could mean people will spend more on holiday gifts. In fact, 61% of shoppers plan to increase their gift budgets this year compared to last.

Marketing Fatigue

But there's a downside. Two-thirds of consumers in a recent survey by Optimove said they expect to feel overwhelmed by marketing messages by November. This can lead to negative feelings about brands, and appears to be expected sooner than previous years.

How to Break Through

RELATED: Harvard Research: Consumers’ Sustainability Demands Are Rising

Google's Antitrust Loss Sparks Yelp Lawsuit

An American court ruled recently that Google is an illegal monopoly. Now we're seeing the consequences.

Yelp, the popular review website, announced yesterday it is suing Google in federal court. Yelp claims Google used its dominance in search to gain an unfair advantage in local search services. The company is seeking damages and wants Google to stop what it says are anticompetitive practices.

A Longtime Critic

Yelp has long complained about how Google treats other companies in its search results. But this is the first time Yelp has sued Google, despite years of protests to regulators. Yelp's CEO said this is a “watershed moment” to correct past wrongs.

Google's Response

Google says Yelp's claims are not new and were previously thrown out by the Federal Trade Commission. It says it will defend itself against the suit. Google also says it's more valuable to present direct connections to businesses, rather than using an online middle layer like Yelp.

More Lawsuits to Come?

Yelp may not be the last company to sue Google. The judge's ruling provides a legal framework for other companies that claim they've been strong-armed by Google. Yelp's general counsel says the company's arguments are not unique and he expects more cases like this.

Threads Accounts Can Now See Fediverse Replies

Threads, Meta’s Twitter killer, is getting more content without needing more users. The app now shows replies from the fediverse — a network of open social web services like Mastodon — on other people's posts, not just your own.

A Stronger API

As well, posts made through the Threads API will now be shared to the fediverse as well. This API integration is good news for brands and social media marketers who use third-party apps to schedule posts. Companies like Hootsuite and Sprout Social have already integrated Threads into their platforms.

This is in contrast to X, which has limited access to its API to increase revenue.

Not All Rosy

Mastodon is a lot like old-school Twitter, but each server (and there are thousands around the world) is independently operated by a different person or group. Each server has its own rules and tolerance level for misbehaviour.

Some Mastodon server operators have already blocked all content from Threads, worried that Meta will take over the decentralized social network.

Follow us on both!

You can follow us on Threads or Mastodon. Check our links at https://todayindigital.com/social

Social Media to Overtake TV Viewing Soon

US social network users are about to surpass linear TV viewers. By next year, 236 million people will be on social networks each month, more than the 228 million watching traditional TV.

TV Viewership Declines

By share, linear TV will lose 1.5% of its viewers in the US next year. This isn't a huge drop, but it's part of a bigger trend. People continue to turn away from traditional TV.

Ad Dollars May Follow

And marketers are taking note. As people switch from TV to social media and YouTube, ad money follows.

Media buyers closely track where people are spending their time and shift their budgets accordingly.

Instagram Tests Public Comments on Stories

Instagram is testing a new feature that lets users publicly comment on Stories. These comments will be visible to anyone who views the Story. Until now, comments turned into DMs visible only to the original poster.

How It Works

Comments will appear at the bottom of the Story frame. They won't cover up any part of the image or video so that people can read them without them getting in the way.

Why It Matters

Instagram is desperate to its users engaged — and be seen to be engaged.

More and more people are switching to private messages and closed groups instead of posting publicly. This new feature is one way to get people interacting with each other out in the provierbial sunlight again.

What It Means for Creators

Brands and creators can turn off public comments on their Stories if they want. But allowing comments could help increase engagement and reach a bigger audience.

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