Tag: advertising
Tesla will ‘try a little advertising,’ Elon Musk says
Tesla might be getting into advertising, Elon Musk announced in a shareholder meeting on Tuesday. Tesla has long been a holdout on traditional advertising, and has found extensive growth over the years through mostly word of mouth. But now Musk has seemingly discovered the importance of the advertising business now that he owns Twitter.
“Twitter is highly dependent on advertising, so, here I am, never used advertising really before, and now have a company that’s highly dependent on advertising. So, I guess I should say advertising is awesome, everyone should do it!” Musk said on stage. Musk also pointed out that Tesla could benefit from advertising by shedding light on features people may not know about, Musk said. “We’ll try a little…
Elon Musk says Tesla will ‘try a little advertising’
Tesla, a company that has long eschewed conventional advertising, is going to “try” out the scheme, CEO Elon Musk said Tuesday during the automaker’s 2023 annual meeting of shareholders. Tesla doesn’t pay for traditional advertising like other automakers. And it hasn’t really needed to. The company has become incredibly popular through other methods of marketing, like […]
Elon Musk says Tesla will ‘try a little advertising’ by Rebecca Bellan originally published on TechCrunch
TikTok promotes mental health outreach with $2 million advertising fund
TikTok users might begin noticing more direct mental health awareness outreach in their feeds, as the platform launches a new fund for mental health organizations in honor of May’s Mental Health Awareness Month.
The Mental Health Media Education Fund will provide $2 million in app advertising credits to seven mental health organizations posting and advertising resources on the app, in a bid to support the mental well-being of its users — and make it easier for nonprofits to reach their communities on TikTok.
The organizations collaborating with the platform include:
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The National Alliance for Eating Disorders (@alliancefored), a nonprofit providing education, referrals, and support to people living with eating disorders through its free help line and referral app. The organization also offers direct training and services, including national support groups.
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American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (@afspnational), a national volunteer health organization working to “save lives and bring hope to those affected by suicide and loss.”
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Crisis Text Line (@crisistextline), a free, 24/7 mental health support line.
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The Made of Millions Foundation (@madeofmillions), a global advocacy nonprofit working to end public mental health stigma through art, media, and digital technology.
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National Alliance on Mental Illness (@nami), a grassroots-built national alliance of more than 600 affiliated organizations and 49 state organizations working to provide mental health support and education.
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National Eating Disorders Association (@neda), a nonprofit providing resources to individuals and families affected by eating disorders, including screenings, support groups, research studies, and a free help line.
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Peer Health Exchange (@peerhealthexchange), a youth-oriented health organization that fosters community building through direct engagement in high schools and its own app, selfsea.
“NEDA and TikTok are committed to working together to continue to raise awareness and provide resources for individuals and families,” wrote Sarah Chase, vice president of communication for the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) in the fund’s announcement. “Eating disorders can be isolating and stigmatizing for many people and TikTok is a globally accessible platform, which makes it an important place for raising awareness and understanding of eating disorders from a variety of perspectives.”
TikTok took a similar route to address public health in 2020, donating $100 million of ad credits to small and mid-size businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic, and another $25 million to nongovernmental organizations providing health education. Other social platforms have used this kind of advertising perk to support monthly cause-focused programming, as well. In 2021, Pinterest announced it was donating ad credits to the National Eating Disorders Association in honor of National Eating Disorder Awareness Week. It did the same for the nonprofit mental health advocacy #HalfTheStory campaign during Mental Health Awareness Month in 2021.
To expand on the Mental Health Media Education Fund advertising efforts, TikTok says it will provide training sessions for organizations supported through the fund to help them better utilize and expand their reach on the app.
And for all users, the platform announced a new #MentalHealthAwareness hub available on the #MentalHealthAwareness hashtag page. The hub features relevant educational videos, organization shoutouts, and mental health and wellness creator highlights, and will continue to be updated throughout May.
As part of that app-wide education effort, TikTok also released its #MentalHealthAwareness Creator Spotlight, which features 10 creators who are fighting to end mental health stigma, sharing educational content about mental health and other related subjects, and connecting with the larger TikTok community to “foster open, honest, and authentic conversations.” The spotlight includes:
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Certified meditation teacher, mindfulness coach, and musician Joel Cross (@asoulcalledjoel)
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Psychotherapist, actor, comedian, and writer Dr. Kojo Sarfo (@dr.kojosarfo)
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Registered dietitian, certified eating disorder dietitian, and board-certified sports nutrition specialist Elaina Efird (@elainaefird)
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Writer and comedian Elyse Myers (@elysemyers)
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Medical student Joel Bervell (@joelbervell)
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Licensed therapist and private practice owner Lindsay Fleming (@lindsay.fleminglpc)
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Registered dietitian Kylie Sakaida (@nutritionbykylie)
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Board-certified psychiatrist Dr. Sasha Hamdani (@thepsychdoctormd)
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Counselor Jeff Guenther (@therapyjeff)
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Mental health advocate and podcast host Victoria Garrick Browne (@victoriabrowne)
“Through continued collaboration with mental health organizations, content creators, and our TikTok community, we continue to raise awareness and foster a space where everyone can feel heard and supported — during #MentalHealthAwareness Month and beyond,” TikTok wrote in its announcement. “We believe that everyone deserves access to resources and support for their mental well-being, and we are dedicated to continuously learning, evolving, and making a difference.”
If you’re feeling suicidal or experiencing a mental health crisis, please talk to somebody. You can reach the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988; the Trans Lifeline at 877-565-8860; or the Trevor Project at 866-488-7386. Text “START” to Crisis Text Line at 741-741. Contact the NAMI HelpLine at 1-800-950-NAMI, Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m. ET, or email info@nami.org. If you don’t like the phone, consider using the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline Chat at crisischat.org. Here is a list of international resources.
If you feel like you’d like to talk to someone about your eating behavior, call the National Eating Disorder Association’s helpline at 800-931-2237. You can also text “NEDA” to 741-741 to be connected with a trained volunteer at the Crisis Text Line or visit the nonprofit’s website for more information.
Microsoft drops Twitter from its advertising platform
Twitter is being removed from yet another big B2B platform. And this time it’s one of the biggest companies in the tech industry.
Microsoft is going to drop Twitter from its Microsoft Advertising plan next week, according to the company.
“Starting on April 25, 2023, Smart Campaigns with Multi-platform will no longer support Twitter,” Microsoft said. A similar email has begun to go out to Microsoft Advertising users stating that “Digital Marketing Center (DMC) will no longer support Twitter starting on April 25, 2023.”
From that date, users will no longer be able to access their Twitter account through its Digital Marketing Center’s social media management tool, according to Microsoft. Users will also no longer be able to schedule, create, or manage tweets or tweet drafts. In addition, users won’t be able to view their past tweets and engagement on the Microsoft Advertising platform.
Microsoft’s announcement comes just one day after Twitter owner Elon Musk appeared at a major marketing and advertising conference. At the event, Musk attempted to lure brands back to the platform after Twitter lost half of its biggest advertisers following his takeover of the company.
The Microsoft Advertising feature previously allowed advertisers to manage their social media accounts on various platforms in one place. Users could respond to tweets and DMs along with messages received on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
While Microsoft’s social media service was provided for free to advertisers, it was prominently featured in Microsoft Advertising’s Digital Marketing Center dashboard. It worked alongside the platform’s social and search paid advertising tools, which helped businesses run and manage their paid ad campaigns on platforms like Google Ads, Facebook and Instagram, and Microsoft’s search advertising.
Companies that use Microsoft Advertising will still be able to manage and create content for Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn through the platform, just as they were able to before.
Microsoft made more than $12 billion in digital advertising revenue last year from ads that would be created, managed, and run through its Advertising platform.
Credit: Mashable screenshot
The company added the notice on a user support page for its Smart Campaigns multi-platform social media management feature, which is one of two main features in its Digital Marketing Center dashboard. As previously mentioned, emails have also begun to go out informing users of the change.
Mashable reached out to Microsoft for comment. A representative said that the company had nothing further to share at this time.
Twitter’s pricey new API plan continues to alienate the company
The removal of Twitter integrations from its Microsoft Advertising platform comes just days before Elon Musk’s Twitter plans to shutdown its old API platform. According to Twitter, it is fully transitioning to its new paid Twitter API subscription plans on April 29.
Twitter’s new Enterprise plans for API access have a starting cost of $42,000 per month.
Since Twitter announced its exorbitantly high API access pricing, many indie developers have had to close down their Twitter-based applications. However, just like Microsoft, other larger companies and organizations have also made the decision to pass on paying Twitter too.
Intercom, a leader in the online customer service space, announced it was dropping Twitter integrations from its platform last week due to the new API pricing. The National Weather Service (NWS), a federal U.S. government agency, told Mashable yesterday that Twitter users should no longer depend on its emergency alert tweets after it loses Twitter API access.
The odd thing about Twitter’s stance here is that all of these companies, organizations, and applications created or helped facilitate the creation of content for Twitter’s platform. In turn, they all drove more eyeballs and traffic and encouraged more use of Twitter.
However, when forced to make business decisions regarding Twitter, it appears some companies are coming to the same conclusion as Sweden public radio. The country’s public broadcaster, Sveriges Radio, announced its decision on Tuesday to “completely stop being active” Twitter, citing continued changes to the platform and Twitter becoming “less important” to the outlet and its audience.
The hidden dangers of generative advertising
Tim Sweeney Says He “Hates Advertising In Games”
Epic Games boss Tim Sweeney said he’s not a big fan of traditional advertising and prefers for marketing in Fortnite to take the form of brand collaborations like themed cosmetics and branded concerts.
Speaking to Digiday, Sweeney said, “The best moments in Fortnite have been other brands entering the world of Fortnite–fashion companies, the Ferrari dropping into the world, Marvel and Star Wars crossovers.”
“I think brand presence is a much healthier way for companies to get involved in the metaverse than advertising. Playing an ad is just annoying. Players hate it and they aren’t very engaged with that content–whereas, give them a drivable Ferrari or a cool shirt they can wear, and they love it,” he concluded.
Google faces new multi-billion advertising lawsuit
Twitter opens its advertising platform to cannabis companies
Twitter is loosening its advertising policies to allow cannabis companies to promote their brands on the service. The changes makes Twitter the first major social media platform to welcome cannabis ads within the United States.
“Going forward, Twitter is allowing advertisers to promote brand preference and informational cannabis-related content for CBD, THC, and cannabis-related products and services,” the company announced in a blog post.
While the change will allow companies that sell cannabis products to advertise their businesses, there will still be some restrictions on what can appear in the advertisements. As Axios points out, the ads can’t directly “promote or offer the sale of cannabis” with the exception of certain CBD products. There are also age and location-related restrictions that limit who can be targeted with cannabis-related ads.
The change is the latest way that Twitter has shaken up its rules under Elon Musk’s leadership in order to allow content that was once barred. The policy update also comes at a time when many advertisers have either fled the platform or significantly reduced how much they’re spending. By opening up to cannabis companies, which until now have had extremely limited options to reach people on social media platforms, Twitter has the opportunity to bring in a fresh set of advertisers.
In its announcement, Twitter suggested that cannabis companies could reach a large audience on the platform, noting that cannabis-related conversation “is larger than the conversation around topics such as pets, cooking, and golf, as well as food and beverage categories including fast food, coffee, and liquor.”
From 404 to 420: Twitter Now Allows Weed Advertising
Twitter’s ad revenue may have gone up in smoke recently, but the company isn’t letting that get it down. Instead, it’s taking the high road and adjusting for headwinds.