Sign Of The Times: NYT Hires Editorial Director Of AI Initiatives

As the hand-wringing around AI and its place in the newsroom continues, The New York Times is taking a giant leap forward with the announcement of its first editorial director of Artificial Intelligence Initiatives.

And while the human filling those shoes is plenty important — in this case, Zach Seward, a former reporter and Quartz founding editor who NYT leaders described as “the rare journalist to also serve as chief product officer, then C.E.O., and finally editor in chief” — it’s the mere existence of shoes to fill that makes this so newsworthy.

 

Cookie Draw-Down: How It Will Affect Advertisers And Publishers

Digital advertisers are facing a looming crisis — the phasing out of third-party cookies. Publishers would be well advised to help them prepare, emphasizing contextual advertising and first-party data. Senior digital marketers are confident that they are ready for the change. But not junior executives, who are in the trenches, according to Navigating the Privacy-First Landscape, a study by Fyllo. 

 

Retail Media Ad Spend Will Reach Over $100b By 2027

US retail media ad spend will more than double between 2023 and 2027, reaching a total of $109.40 billion, according to our forecast.

 

Why Is The Holiday Period So Important For Advertisers?

What makes the ‘golden quarter’ just so golden? And why are advertisers still missing out on key opportunities over the holiday season?

AI Evaluations: The Lessons Readers Are Telling Publishers

ChatGPT turned a whole 1 year old last week, and proud parent OpenAI rounded out that inaugural year in the spotlight with enough boardroom drama to fast-track a Netflix series.

In that first year, study after study has come out revealing how individual businesses and entire industries are either tiptoeing or cannonballing into the AI waters. I’m of the belief that publishers have much to gain from harnessing a wide variety of AI’s current capabilities, and with the launch of Google’s Gemini, I can’t wait to see what 2024 has in store for the technology.

AI within the confines of journalism, however, still seems to be eluding acceptance.

 

Most Readers Want Publishers To Label AI-Generated Articles — But Trust Outlets Less When They Do

An overwhelming majority of readers would like news publishers to tell them when AI has shaped the news coverage they’re seeing. But, new research finds, news outlets pay a price when they disclose using generative AI.

That’s the conundrum at the heart of new research from University of Minnesota’s Benjamin Toff and Oxford Internet Institute’s Felix M. Simon. Their working paper “‘Or they could just not use it?’: The paradox of AI disclosure for audience trust in news” is one of the first experiments to examine audience perceptions of AI-generated news.

 

Marketers Use Affiliate Strategies Across The Purchase Funnel

U.S. marketers are using affiliate strategies throughout the purchase journey, including upper-funnel awareness (56%), mid-funnel consideration (58%), and lower-funnel conversion (50%), per June 2023 Gen3 Marketing data.

 

The B2B Perspective on Multi-Channel Marketing

Today’s top B2B marketers employ a multi-channel strategy to unlock insights, engage customers, and win faster. But how effective is this approach? Where are the biggest opportunities for growth?

ZoomInfo, in collaboration with research firm Ascend2, surveyed 101 B2B marketing professionals about their experiences with multi-channel strategies — the good, the better, and the possible.

Paying Their Dues: Google Agrees To Pay Canadian Publishers For Content

This time of year, they say it’s the thought that counts.

Well, as good as $70+ million a year does sound, it’s as much the thought that Google is even willing to pay for news that’s making publishers worldwide particularly jolly.

Google has agreed to pay Canadian publishers an annual fee of CA$100 million so that the tech giant may keep their news content in its search results. This follows the passing of Canada’s Bill C-18, known as the Online News Act, this summer, which Google responded to by threatening, “when the law takes effect, we unfortunately will have to remove links to Canadian news from our Search, News and Discover products in Canada.”

 

Google Starts Deleting Gmail Accounts That Have Been Inactive For Over Two Years

Any chance there’s a Gmail account that you all made years ago that you have not been using? Well, it may soon be toast, if it is not already. Google began deleting old Gmail accounts yesterday — old meaning inactive for more than two years. It’s not just Gmail though. It’s Google Drive, Google Docs and Google Photos.

 

Wrong Ads Serve To The Wrong Consumer 1 In 3 Times

Agencies report that the wrong ad creative is served to the wrong consumer nearly one in every three times, according to new research. The joint study from Advertiser Perceptions and Claravine fielded in August analyzed the impact of not having a data standards and a strategy in place. It showed how advertisers and agencies struggle with brand safety and in the process, found a connecting line between data standards, brand safety and ad targeting.

 

B2B Buyer Report 2023

Simply going digital won’t cut it anymore. Faced with economic uncertainty, inflation, and increased interest rates, today’s B2B buyers have complex demands, high digital expectations, and strict budgets. A deep understanding of your prospects’, customers’, and clients’ unique needs is critical to success.