As if Facebook wasn't in enough hot water already...
The Guardian reports that Facebook is being criticised for hiding an advertising product that claims to be able to predict users’ future behaviours and target messages at them in an attempt to alter those behaviours.
The product, named “loyalty prediction” by Facebook, is part of a suite of capabilities enabled by a machine learning-powered tool called FBLearner Flow. That tool was publicly introduced in 2016, but the advertising techniques it enables were only recently revealed in a leaked document.
Read more here...
Google My Business expands menu editor to support service menus
Google has expanded the ability for more businesses to add their services to their menus. This includes not just restaurant owners, which they added a few months ago, but more service businesses, from plumbers to florists to health and beauty, and even web developers.
To access this, log in to your Google My Business listing, click on the info tab and select the add or edit services icon.
Outstream: AdWords video ads that go beyond YouTube
Launched last week, Outstream is a new AdWords video ad format that only shows on Google video partner sites or apps. Ads are shown only on mobiles and tablet, and are muted unless the viewer activates sound with a tap.
Advertisers pay on a vCPM (viewable cost-per-thousand impressions) basis. Ads are considered viewable when 50% of the ad screen space is visible for two seconds or longer of continuous video play.
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Who’s using Amazon Echo, Google Home and Apple HomePod?
According to a recent report, 21% of American households now own a smart speaker. But that’s not the answer we’re looking for.
Publicis Media has researched smart speaker usage in the UK and US, finding that parents and families lead early adoption of the technology. Why? Parents say they help them manage daily routines, and streamline “the problem-solving process, enabling them to be more responsive and effective in answering the complex demands of children.”
So, Alexa: Where do babies come from? [And are there more leaves in the world than blades of grass?]
Read more...
What we’ve been reading this week
- 1Researchers develop device that can ‘hear’ your internal voice
- 2'Dear Mark, this is why I hate you.' An open letter to Zuckerberg
- 3Facebook is in real trouble: What it could mean for marketers
- 4Even if you clear your history, Google has a record of all of your search activity — here's how to delete it
- 5Facebook facial recognition faces class-action suit
- 6Five Trends Shaping the Future of Marketing
