Dec 21, 2020

Good morning, Marketer, and here we go again.

How long ago was it that Microsoft was in court facing antitrust charges? 1998, says Google: ironically, because of course I used Google to find the information. Google, after all, has pretty much a monopoly on search.

But wait, monopolies are a bad thing, aren’t they? I do recall that one of Microsoft’s defenses was that its dominance in the OS market was of benefit to consumers (the judge in the first instance did not agree).

My sense is that Google’s dominance in search, and its strength in other areas, is something that doesn’t bother consumers in practice at all (it might bother them in principle). Of course, it bothers the heck out of competitors. As long as Google remains as dominant as it is, the antitrust questions will continue to be asked.

Kim Davis
Editorial Director

Diversity

Brands need to speak out in support of the Black community

HubSpot announced this week that it is committing $20 million to social impact investing, including a $12.5 million investment in the Black Economic Development Fund which supports Black-led financial institutions and other organizations. In a release, HubSpot CEO described the investment as part of HubSpot’s support for dismantling systemic racism through long-term change: “Our goal in investing in the Fund is to support Black communities and foster economic empowerment,” he said.

Many brands, and not just tech brands, spoke out earlier this year in support of Black communities and #BlackLivesMatter. But has that rhetoric been supported by meaningful action? We spoke with Martin Ekechukwu, CEO of Black-founded and wholly Black-owned agency WHTWRKS.

Following the murder of George Floyd, the shooting of Jacob Blake, and other horrific incidents in the spring and summer of 2020, some brand spoke out, but not all. “Brands that recognize they have a strong Black buying population decided to come out and make some really good statements,” said Ekechukwu. “I think GM and Cadillac were some of the better examples, being able to acknowledge that Black people have been driving culture. They understood the value of the Black consumer.

Some brands, on the other hand, were stuck in the middle. “They did not have enough courage to say something that could really move the needle. It’s really unfortunate.” Are these brands worried about losing white consumers? “One thousand percent.”

Measuring marketing attribution

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PPC

Google releases Google Ads Editor v1.5

Google has announced the release of the Google Ads Editor version 1.5. In this release you will find new tools to help you improve your ad strength, support for additional recommendations, and image extensions. We should note, this was released in November but Google did not announce it until just recently. Maybe that’s because last time there was a bug Google had to scramble to fix it.

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The bright 2021 outlook for digital marketing agencies

Sponsored by CallRail

While 2021 still holds economic uncertainty, digital marketing leaders indicate that their agencies have been remarkably resilient, according to CallRail’s fall survey of 167 global marketing leaders who use its services. The findings show that most agencies will finish 2020 with higher annual revenues than in 2019.

Overall, agency leaders reported satisfaction across many different business areas, such as their talent and expertise, customer service and positioning. When asked about their ability to attain key growth metrics — like generating new client leads and closing new business — the majority of agencies also exhibited strong confidence that they can. While CallRail’s 2021 Outlook Report takes a much deeper dive into agency business practices, this article highlights some of the most interesting aspects of the research.

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Analytics

Bing Webmaster Tools adds Microsoft Clarity integration

Microsoft Clarity, the company’s free software to see how your website visitors are using your website, can now be added to your website directly through Bing Webmaster Tools.

Microsoft promises more and more integration between Bing Webmaster Tools and Microsoft Clarity in the future. Because just being able to sign up for Microsoft Clarity in Bing Webmaster Tools really isn’t that much of an integration path.