According to Marketing Drive, Amazon’s video generator serves as an affordable top-of-funnel channel for small and medium-sized businesses.

Video Generation Process

Amazon says that marketers on the Sponsored Brands platform have to submit product pages to access the video generator. Once the page is submitted, marketers have to select the AI-generated video option on the drop-down menu.

The tool generates and displays several video options for marketers to choose and edit based on their needs. Amazon showcased the video generator at work during the Accelerate Event.
Using a pre-recorded demo, the e-commerce company displayed a lavender-scented lotion image being placed in the video generator.

The tool generated ads with sprawling flower fields and text to highlight the qualities of the product was added to the video. Amazon said that availability of video generator tools is restricted at this time. Its live image capabilities are also limited. However, the company is committed to fine-tuning the AI technology using user feedback.

Journey to Generative AI

Amazon’s journey to develop generative AI solutions for advertisers started last fall when it unveiled its AI image generator. The tool was used by Appliance manufacturer, Whirlpool in its holiday marketing campaign in 2023. The company reported significant results from the campaign, including over 2 million impressions and a 2% click-through rate.

By extending the idea to video generation, Amazon is looking to maximize advertising spend for businesses by boosting their top-of-funnel results. Big tech companies like Meta, have also entered the generative AI space in recent years. On September 23, Google Ads rolled out a video enhancement feature to boost video ad performance even as its advertising technology remains the focus of its ongoing antitrust trial.

With its new AI-powered video generator, Amazon is looking to boost revenue performance for its ad segment. In its quarter two results, the e-commerce reported a 20% revenue growth in this segment but still fell below Wall Street’s estimates.

A Tested Solution

The video generator produces fairly basic videos using available product images. However, Amazon anticipates that the single click aspect that leverages the Sponsored Brands platform and comes at no cost will attract businesses.

French skincare company, Gellé Frères has been testing the new solution as part of its Amazon AI powered holiday marketing campaign. A spokesperson from the company has termed Amazon’s AI-powered video generator as effective in reducing the time that businesses spend producing video ads.

The company also said that the new tool has paved the way for it to advertise more of its products.

The post Amazon Unveils AI-Powered Video Ad Generator to Boost Ad Segment Revenue appeared first on Tech Research Online.

Google’s win in the EU antitrust fight comes when the tech giant is undergoing an antitrust trial in the US.

According to CNBC, the fine imposed on Google by the European Commission was a result of a 2019 case where Google was accused of abusing its market dominance through its product, AdSense for Search. Website owners use AdSense for Search to place ads on their web pages. The product allows users to optimize their websites for Google searches and ads to generate more revenue.

Restrictive Clauses

Google argued that it is an intermediary that lets advertisers place search ads on third-party websites.

The Commission had accused the search giant of abusing market dominance by imposing several clauses in its contracts with third-party websites. These clauses kept Google’s competitors from placing search ads on third-party websites.

The Commission fined Google $1.7 billion based on these claims, and the search giant filed an appeal against this ruling at the EU General Court.

Court Reasoning

On Wednesday, September 18, the EU General Court said that it upheld most of the findings that formed the basis of the ruling by the Commission. However, the court annulled the decision to impose the $1.7 billion fine on Google saying the Commission’s decision did not consider all relevant circumstances in assessing the contract clauses that it claimed were abusive.

“The Commission has also not demonstrated that the clauses in question had, first, possibly deterred innovation, next, helped Google to maintain and strengthen its dominant position on the national markets for online search advertising at issue and, last, that they had possibly harmed consumers,” Judges said.

Google expressed satisfaction with the ruling issued by EU’s second-highest court and said it will review it fully.

“This case concerns a very narrow subset of text-only search ads placed on a limited number of publishers’ websites. We made changes to our contracts in 2016 to remove the relevant provisions, even before the Commission’s decision. We are pleased that the court has recognized errors in the original decision and annulled the fine,” Google’s spokesperson said.

Possible Appeal

The EU Commission may decide to appeal the court’s ruling at the European Court of Justice. Several cases involving big tech companies in Europe and in the U.S. have concluded.

On September 10, Europe’s highest court upheld the $2.65 billion fine that the EU Commission imposed on Google for favoring its shopping comparison service. Review website Yelp has also sued Google over illegal monopoly in local search. Google’s ad technology is on the spot in an antitrust trial that commenced on September 9 in the US.

Last month, the tech giant faced a huge setback after a US court ruled that it is an illegal monopoly.

The post Relief as Google Wins EU Antitrust Fight Over Ads appeared first on Tech Research Online.

According to Reuters, the US antitrust trial is part of the US government’s efforts to rein in large technology companies through antitrust laws. The case comes barely a month after the DoJ secured a groundbreaking ruling after a federal Judge found Google guilty of running an illegal monopoly.

Google’s Ad Technology

Initially, the US antitrust trial on Google focused on the company’s universal search engine. In the upcoming trial, Google’s digital ad business will be targeted. The focus will be on Google’s advertising tools, specifically the technology it uses to connect websites, publishers, and advertisers.

In the trial, the DoJ will be seeking to demonstrate that Google broke the law in its digital ad business.

“Google is far and away the largest seller of advertising on earth. They touch every part of the industry, if not directly, then indirectly. Everyone has an interest in Google one way or another,” Financial Analyst and Advertising Consultant, Brian Wieser said.

A win for DoJ in the trial will set the stage for the state to ask the District Judge to order Google’s breakup. Last year, advertising tools earned the search giant over 75% of the $307.4 billion revenue it generated through advertising.

Market Dominance

US regulators have accused Google of market dominance due to the technology it uses to power website ads.

The DoJ alleges that the search giant has 91% control of the ad server market where publishers sell ad space. The regulator also alleges that Google controls 50% of the ad exchange market and 85% of the ad networks marketers which advertisers rely on to place ads.

But Google says it only controls 30% or less of these markets when advertising on streaming TV, apps, and social media is included. The company argues that DoJ’s focus on web ads obscures the stiff competition it faces as other categories grow.

The tech giant has also been accused of lumping advertisers and publishers together, placing itself in a privileged middleman position. Last week, review website Yelp sued Google for monopolizing local search. Yelp accused Google of prioritizing its reviews over those of competitors in search rankings.

Google argues that it’s not required to share its tech advantage with competitors. It also says that its tech products are interoperable with those that its competitors use.

Impact on News Outlets

The upcoming Google antitrust trial will also focus on the impact of Google’s ad technology on news companies.

Speaking at an event back in June, DoJ’s Antitrust Chief, Jonathan Kanter said, “Journalism is under threat in large part due to consolidation in the advertising market.”

The DoJ has lined up several news outlets to testify in the trial. They include executives from the Daily Mail, News Corp, and Gannett.

Google plans to call some of the publishers and small businesses it focuses on to testify in the trial. The company says a breakup will increase advertising fees, slow innovation, and make it difficult for small businesses to grow.

The post Google Advertising Technology on the Spot in New Antitrust Trial appeared first on Tech Research Online.

According to CNBC, the company will start selling ads while generating AI-assisted search results for users.

AI-Assisted Search

Perplexity specializes in providing AI-supported search. This strategy allows it to increase usage and promotes the app to increase reach. In April this year, the AI startup raised funds that doubled its valuation to over $1 billion.

According to Perplexity, the AI search app has been downloaded over 2 million times. It responds to more than 230 million queries each month. In the past year, queries from US users have increased eight times.

Content Concerns

Perplexity’s popularity has raised concerns about how it searches and presents content from other sources. In June this year, Forbes reported that Perplexity had plagiarized its content.

Forbes said it found one of its stories on the app with no reference except a tiny ‘F’ logo at the end of the page. A few weeks later, Wired raised a similar concern. The media outlet said it had evidence that Perplexity was plagiarizing its stories.

Following the allegations, Perplexity adjusted the way it cites sources and made updates to ensure responses cite media outlets directly in generated content.

Revenue Program

Perplexity introduced a revenue-sharing model last month. This model allows publishers to earn money when they use its search engine. The company says every time a user asks a question on its app, and Perplexity gets AI-assisted search ad revenue for citing articles in its answer, a percentage of that revenue will be shared with the publisher.

Content platforms and media outlets like Entrepreneur, Fortune, Der Spiegel, The Texas Tribune, and Time were among the first to sign up for Perplexity’s Publishers Program. Back in July, Perplexity’s Chief Business Officer Dmitry Shevelenko said publishers would receive triple the revenue share if three of their articles appeared in a single answer.

The company’s goal is to enroll at least 30 publishers by the end of 2024.

Perplexity AI ads will leverage the cost per thousand impressions (CPM) model with prices surpassing the $50 mark. In its pitch deck, Perplexity plans to focus on a range of ad categories. These include health, tech, art, finance, pharmaceuticals, entertainment, and food and beverage.

Advertisers can sponsor related queries below the search responses and purchase display ads. Perplexity says 80% of its users have undergraduate degrees, 65% are high-income professionals, and 30% hold senior leadership positions.

The post AI Startup Perplexity Unveils Plans to Sell Ads appeared first on Tech Research Online.

Reuters reported that earlier this year, Meta committed to restricting its use of ad customer data to keep it from gaining an unfair advantage.

Wide Consultation

For the Competition and Markets Authority, the decision to accept Meta’s UK ad data rules change wasn’t a direct one. The competition watchdog said it consulted interested parties on the proposals before making the decision.

“Having consulted advertisers and Facebook Marketplace users on the proposals, the CMA has concluded that the revisions go above and beyond the original commitments and would not leave any advertisers worse off. As a result, the CMA has accepted the proposed variation,” the watchdog said.

According to the Competition and Markets Authority, Meta has committed to allow advertisers to post ads on its Facebook marketplace. Meta will also allow advertisers to click an ‘opt out’ button on its platform if they don’t want the company to use it’s their data to improve its social platforms.

Opt-Out Option

The authority first launched investigations into Meta’s customer data usage in 2021. In its investigation, the CMA was checking whether Meat was having an unfair advantage over its competitors because of the way it collects and uses customer data.

In the proposed Meta ad data rules changes, the big tech has ensured that advertiser data from its Facebook platform will not be used without customer consent.

“The CMA has concluded that the revisions go above and beyond the original commitments and would not leave any advertisers worse off. As a result, the CMA has accepted the proposed variation,” the Authority added.

Meta isn’t the only big tech company that has committed not to use marketplace data from competitors. In 2023, Amazon.com committed to do the same to ensure a level playing field for its customers.

Multiple Lawsuits

Meta has been contending with data privacy lawsuits for several years now. Last month, a Court instructed the social media giant to make a $1.4 billion settlement in the Meta facial recognition lawsuit. Meta had been accused of capturing and using biometric data from millions of Texas residents without consent.

Meta has also been sued in 11 European countries following claims that the tech company will use personal data to train AI under its new privacy policy.

The post UK Regulator Validates Meta’s Ad Data Proposals appeared first on Tech Research Online.

Bloomberg reported that following the Google monopoly ruling, attorneys in the Justice Department are now considering several options to propose to the court in the coming month.

Multiple Remedies

The remedies being considered by the DoJ include an outright breakup of Google. If adopted, this option will force the giant tech company to make its search engine data accessible to competitors. Another proposal involves terminating agreements that make Google search engine a default on internet browsers and mobile devices.

“I think it’s going to be more complicated coming up with injunctive relief than it was finding the liability,” Antitrust Attorney Carl Hittinger said.

Google and the DoJ must submit proposed options or any other changes to Judge Amit Mehta, who ruled on the Google antitrust case, by September 4, two days before the scheduled hearing of the next steps.

Google’s Appeal

Legal experts suggest that the remedies prosecutors propose will either alter the online search market or have minimal impact depending on what happens in the coming months.

Google plans to appeal Judge Mehta’s ruling at the District of Columbia’s Circuit Court of Appeals. On September 4, Google’s defense attorneys could ask the Judge to suspend any orders as it appeals the ruling.

“We’ve passed a key milestone, but there’s still a lot of history to be written,” a spokesman for DuckDuckGo said in a statement.

If the Court Appeal rules that Google hasn’t broken the law, Judge Mehta will lose the right to impose remedies. But if Google is found guilty and an order to adjust its behavior is issued, the judge could adjust his orders to restore competition.

Impact of A Google Split

A decision to split the tech giant after the Google monopoly lawsuit would reverberate across the tech universe, including the divestitures of its Chrome browser, the Android operating system, and the AdWords platform that steer users into Google search.

Changes to any of these solutions would affect Google’s revenue stream and deny it the data that fuels its broad advertising and search ecosystem. Legal experts say it’s highly unlikely the Judge will opt for this option, he must pick a remedy that serves the interest of the public.

“You can’t just yank the rug out from under the American public that’s been using Google’s service, now ingrained in our culture, without a substitute. Unless other competitors have a platform that is the same or better than Google, what’s the public supposed to use in the meantime?” Hittinger said.

Possible Scenarios

Hittinger expects Judge Mehta to craft a remedy comparable to Xerox’s when it dominated the office copier market in 1975. The courts compelled Xerox to open its ecosystem and allow third- party components like ink cartridge suppliers to run on its machines.

But former attorney general at DoJ’s antitrust division, Bill Baer holds a different view. He sees Judge Mehta asking Google to divest Chrome or Android.

“The judge, in order to make this remedy meaningful, is going to have to do something that allows competition to flourish. Because they’re a monopolist, they charge the advertisers, who in turn charge us, a whole lot more than if the market were competitive,” he said.

Google’s rival, DuckDuckGo hopes Judge Mahta will compel Google to make search data accessible to competitors and allow users to pick their preferred search engine. Search engines rely on search data to keep tabs on what users search and how they navigate websites.

Google continues to monitor user activities after it dropped plans to drop third-party cookies last month. Accessing search data will enable DuckDuckGo and other search engines to compete against Google.

The post What’s Next for Google After Monopoly Ruling? appeared first on Tech Research Online.

The New York Times reported that X sued the advertisers for conspiring to boycott the platform unlawfully, leading to revenue losses. The X advertisers boycott lawsuit was filed in a federal court in Texas’ Northern District.

Conservatives who file lawsuits to block policies advanced by the Biden administration prefer to do so in this District. The respondents in the case include the World Federation of Advertisers, the Mars group, and Orsted, Unilever, and CVS Health.

Revenue Losses

In the lawsuit, X claims that through the Global Alliance for Responsible Media, the World Federation of Advertisers withheld revenue amounting to billions of dollars from X.

The social media platform claims the advertisers acted on their own economic self-interests and that their conspiracy violates the U.S. antitrust law.

In a statement released on Tuesday, Linda Yaccarino, Chief Executive at X said, “People are hurt when the marketplace of ideas is constricted.”

X experienced a slump in ad revenue for several months after Elon Musk acquired the company in 2022. Some advertisers became wary of spending on ads under MusK because they feared their brands would be featured near harmful content, which under previous owners, was a ground for removal.

High Threshold

The Global Alliance for Responsible Media was launched in 2019 to help advertisers overcome the challenge of harmful or illegal content on digital media platforms.

According to University of Bufallo Professor and Antitrust Expert, Christine Bartholomew, the burden of proof in advertising boycott lawsuits that allege unlawful actions is very high. X must prove that there was a real agreement to boycott its platform that each advertiser was party to.

Meeting this requirement can be challenging when such an agreement is not explicit. Additionally, X cannot force advertisers to spend on its platform even if it succeeded in the current lawsuit.

In the lawsuit, X claims that it applies brand-safety standards similar to those that its competitors use and that are in line with the measures that the Global Alliance for Responsible Media specified. Besides X, the World Federation of Advertisers was also sued by Rumber, the video sharing company.

Financial Challenges

The World Federation of Advertisers denied that the Global Alliance for Responsible Media violated the U.S. antitrust law. However, it said the organization lacked financial resources to sustain operations as it battles the X lawsuit.

“I am confident that the outcome will demonstrate our full adherence to competition rules in all our activities,” Word Federation of Advertisers Chief Executive, Stephan Loerke said in an email.

News of the Global Alliance for Responsible Media closure was celebrated at X.

“No small group should be able to monopolize what gets monetized. This is an important acknowledgment and a necessary step in the right direction. I am hopeful that it means ecosystem-wide reform is coming,” Yaccarino said in a post.

The Global Alliance for Responsible Media closed operations immediately. However, the World Federation of Advertisers will maintain operations.

The post Global Advertiser Group Shuts Down After X Ad Boycott Lawsuit appeared first on Tech Research Online.

According to Yahoo Finance, the judgment came close to a year after the trial that pitted the U.S. Department of Justice against Google.

A Ten Week Trial

Google’s internet search monopoly trial took 10 weeks. It involved an intensive review of huge volumes of evidence and testimonies from top big tech executives including Apple, Microsoft, and Google. Judge Mehta made a ruling three months after closing submissions by both sides.

“After having carefully considered and weighed the witness testimony and evidence, the court reaches the following conclusion: Google is a monopolist, and it has acted as one to maintain its monopoly,” Mehta wrote in his ruling.

The Judge also said Google’s dominance in the search market is evidence of its monopoly.

“Google enjoys an 89.2% share of the market for general search services, which increases to 94.9% on mobile devices,” the Judge added.

Second Time Guilty

This is the second time a judge or jury has declared Google an illegal monopoly. The first time this happened was in a case that focused on how Google runs the Android app store.

According to the Google antitrust case ruling, the search giant spent billions of dollars to establish an illegal monopoly and became the world’s default search engine. The ruling is the first huge win for federal agencies taking on market dominance by Big Techs.

The ruling is a major setback for the tech giant and its parent company, Alphabet. Google’s Global Affairs President, Kent Walker said the company will be appealing the ruling.

“This decision recognizes that Google offers the best search engine, but concludes that we shouldn’t be allowed to make it easily available,” Walker said.

The ruling vindicates US antitrust regulators at the Department of Justice. The DoJ filed the lawsuit about four years ago and has been escalating it in a bid to rein in Big Tech.

“This victory against Google is a historic win for the American people. No company, no matter how large or influential, is above the law. The Justice Department will continue to vigorously enforce our antitrust laws,” said Attorney General Merrick Garland.

Impact on Advertising

With this ruling out of the way, the next step is to imagine a future where Google isn’t the way we know. This will involve evaluating legal fixes to undo Google’s behavior. A second trial to determine potential fixes will be coming up.

The ruling did not provide remedies. These will be decided separately after the appeal. One of the remedies could mean the loss of the ability to strike device deals by Google. Device deals helped the search engine become universal.

“There are no fines or monetary penalties in these types of cases, but the court will have to decide whether Google should be broken up in some way. More likely, it will order Google to eliminate the exclusive contracts and licensing restrictions that have reinforced its monopoly position for years,” Spencer Weber Waller, Law Professor at Loyola University Chicago said.

The other possible remedy is a split of Google’s parent company, Alphabet. Should this happen, it will alter the digital advertising landscape that Google has dominated for years.

The post What Google’s Antitrust Ruling Means for Digital Advertising appeared first on Tech Research Online.

BBC reported that the data privacy watchdog in the UK expressed disappointment at Google’s decision to backtrack on these plans. Google’s plan was to replace cookies with Privacy Sandbox. This proposal raised fears that this move would leave less space for rivals in the digital ad industry.

The Alternative

Google said it will use a different approach to allow users an informed choice across browsers. The tech giant is engaging regulators on its next steps. This means Google isn’t letting go of its alternative ads approach, but it’ll allow a third-party cookie system to run parallel. This means people will continue to see pop-ups requesting them to turn cookies on or off.

“It has been our view that blocking third-party cookies would be a positive step for consumers. The new plan set out by Google is a significant change and we will reflect on this new course of action when more detail is available,” Stephen Bonner from the Information Commissioner Office said.

A Controversial Move

Google Chrome third-party cookies have been an important part of digital advertising. These small files from websites that people visit remain in their computer, allowing advertisers to monitor user behavior across websites and profile consumers based on their interests.

As a key player in digital advertising, Google’s plan to replace cookies proved to be a controversial move. Online ad companies and rivals were against this move. In 2021, UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) raised concerns about Google’s plan saying it could lead to more advertisers using the search engine’s systems. In 2022, Google committed to allay these fears.

“We will need to carefully consider Google’s new approach to Privacy Sandbox, working closely with the ICO in this regard, and welcome views on Google’s revised approach – including possible implications for consumers and market outcomes,” the CMA said.

Mixed Reactions

The tech giant’s decision to go back on its Google Chrome cookies plan has been met with mixed reaction. Trade Desk’s Head of Advertising, John Green welcomed the idea.

“I have been saying for years now to our industry, to Google, and even to Wall Street that I think it is a strategic mistake for Google to get rid of third-party cookies. Google seems to finally acknowledge that the best option for them is to give consumers the choice,” he said.

Outbrain’s Global Marketing VP, Katie Secret holds a different view. She said Google’s decision comes at a time when there is widespread change towards data privacy.

“Users are becoming increasingly aware of the usage of their data, and expect respect and privacy,” she said.

Regulator Interest

Omnicom Media’s Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer, Katie Eyton says regulators will be focused on how Google gives Chrome users choice over cookies.

“In line with the GDPR requirement for informed, unambiguous consent, choices will need to be presented in a neutral way. People will need to understand what they’re being asked to consent to and the potential consequences of their decision,” she said.

Google Chrome is the world’s leading web browser. Most browsers, including Microsoft Edge, are built using Google’s Chromium technology. Google first announced plans to block cookies in 2020. The tech company delayed the decision to implement this plan for two more years in 2022. Google cited the need for additional time to develop Privacy Sandbox as reason for the delay.

The post Google Drops Plans to Block Cookies on Chrome Browser appeared first on Tech Research Online.

According to Marketing Dive, big advertising agencies are leveraging AI technologies more than small agencies.

Current Disruption Trends

The Forrester generative AI marketing report shows that AI will disrupt businesses forever. Currently, technology is disrupting creative ad agencies more compared to other agencies. 69% of respondents working in creative agencies said they use the technology. This is 12% more than media agencies that currently use generative AI.

The percentage of creative agencies using AI is likely to increase in the coming years. This will happen as creative teams identify new ways to leverage the innovation, insights, and speed that AI technology provides.

Generative AI Application

The US Ad Agencies Generative AI report identified key ad tech areas where generative AI will have a significant impact. Most respondents (over 70%) reported the technology will impact their content creation processes and marketplace. More than 60% of respondents said that generative AI will impact their interactions with consumers and the kind of content they produce for their audiences.

The Forrester generative AI marketing report shows that ad agency executives are looking to leverage generative AI to improve productivity. The majority of executives reported that they are either using the technology or exploring its use in speeding up and improving the quality of creative ideation and ad production.

74% of respondents said their agencies currently use AI technology for brainstorming and creative ideation. Additionally, 49% of them said asset generation for creative optimization remains a priority.

Performance Tracking

Besides ad creation, the Forrester generative AI report shows that ad agencies use the technology to gather insights from their target audiences. 59% of respondents said they use AI tools to summarize audience insights and organize consumer data sets.

49% of them also use the tool to analyze marketing performance results. Most ad agencies use AI to improve productivity and augment workflows. These include generating consumer personas and profiles, competitor analysis, transcribing calls, and summarizing presentations.

Adoption Barriers

Even with the widespread use of AI in the advertising sector, several challenges hinder its full adoption. Ad agencies exploring generative AI have legal concerns about the technology. These concerns include attribution, IP ownership, liability delineation, and copyright infringement. Employee resistance is also emerging as a significant AI adoption barrier.

“This human obstacle stands apart from the others because employee concerns exist entirely within the agency but are irrationally unpredictable and pertain to employees’ emotional safety. Employee resistance or lack of AI expertise stands ready to undermine agencies’ value, product, and technology investments as well as a decade of agency business model transformation,” the report states.

Additionally, the Forrester ad agencies generative AI report shows that businesses are also concerned about AI’s reliability, data security, privacy, accuracy, governance, and bias.

Forrester’s ‘State of Generative AI Inside U.S. Agencies 2024’ report was derived from a survey conducted between April and May. The survey was conducted jointly by Forrester and the American Association of Advertising Agencies. Respondents of the survey were individuals holding vice president titles or above in U.S. ad agencies.

The post How US Ad Agencies Use Generative AI for Creative Ideation appeared first on Tech Research Online.

HUMAN Security is a company that guards the integrity of organizations. The company does so by altering bot attacks, digital abuse, and fraud. HUMAN Security leverages modern-day defense to alter cybercrime economics. It does this by increasing cybercriminal costs while cutting back collective defense costs.

LinkedIn Integrity

HUMAN’s security solution will increase confidence in the ad traffic quality on LinkedIn. The cybersecurity company combines hacker intelligence and advanced detention techniques to boost ad traffic quality protection LinkedIn. It also utilizes unprecedented visibility throughout the programmatic ecosystem to achieve this goal.

Jay Benach, General Manager of Media Security at HUMAN Security said, “HUMAN is thrilled to partner with LinkedIn to support their mission of connecting the world’s professionals to make them more productive and successful. As the largest professional networking site, LinkedIn’s partnership with HUMAN Security will support overall platform integrity, help marketers better reach their intended business decision-makers, and ultimately improve ad performance.”

Data for Quality Standards

HUMAN Security will leverage its telemetry and visibility data to improve and uphold quality standards in ad campaigns. The company will filter invalid pre-bid traffic on LinkedIn. It will also identify post-bid traffic on the network and its publishers.

Human Security integrated LinkedIn in the month of May. Since then, the cybersecurity company has found less than 1% of impressions on desktop ads invalid traffic across the network, its publishers, and across different kinds of devices.

“Our professional community of more than one billion members provides B2B marketers unique opportunities to reach and engage decision makers. Our work with HUMAN furthers our goal to continue providing advertisers with a safe and trusted ecosystem to run their campaigns,” LinkedIn Marketing Solutions VP, Abhishek Shrivastava said.

Currently, HUMAN Security verifies the integrity of over 20 trillion online interactions each week. The company does this for clients in sectors like marketing, advertising, e-commerce, education, enterprise security, and government. This strategy places the company in a position to outdo cybercriminals.

The post HUMAN Security Set to Boost Ad Traffic Quality for LinkedIn appeared first on Tech Research Online.

“In Q4, we decided to exit the advertising business, which had declined to about $300 million in revenue in fiscal year ’24,” Safra Catz, Oracle CEO said.

These results represent a massive drop from the $2 billion that the company made from advertising in 2022. In the same year, Oracle executed widespread layoffs to boost operational efficiency.

The Data Challenge

A range of challenges led to the Oracle ads business shutdown. The company had been operating in the ad tech sector for years. It succeeded in growing its ad business through acquisitions. In 2014, the software company paid $1.2 billion to acquire DataLogix. In 2017, the company acquired Moat for $850 million.

But things took a turn in 2018, following data access challenges. This year, the Cambridge Analytica scandal brought an end to third-party data access. Since Meta was at the heart of the scandal, it stopped sharing data with third-parties like Oracle. This reduced Oracle’s ability to collect user data. Its cloud business suffered a devastating blow.

The software giant exits the ad tech business having spent up to $4 billion in acquisitions.

Legal Hiccups

Another factor that may have contributed to Oracle’s advertising business shutdown is Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). This data privacy law affected Oracle’s ability to provide third-party data targeting services to European customers.

The company stopped providing third-party data services in Europe in 2020. This was after a GDPR lawsuit. In 2022, Oracle shut down its publisher platform called AddThis. The company publisher had acquired the platform in 2016 for $200 million. In the U.S., a lawsuit was filed against Oracle in 2022 over its data-sharing practices.
Oracle’s advertising shutdown marks the end of an unprofitable venture for the company.

Exit Process

The tech giant has told its clients that six ad tech products will be unavailable after September 30th. These products include Oracle Contextual Intelligence, Moat Analytics, and Oracle Cloud Data Management Platform. Others are Data Enrichment and Optimization, Data Append, and Digital Audiences.

The company said it will complete existing orders for these products. It will do so until the termination date. However, it will not enter into new contracts on the products. Customers who are still using Oracle data will continue to pay. The company will remove customer data from its system upon meeting all obligations.

Oracle will also end its work with data providers. However, it will pay those that have active contracts.

Focus on AI

The software giant is actively finalizing the Oracle advertising shutdown process. But, its eyes are set on artificial intelligence.

“Throughout fiscal year 2025, I expect continued strong AI demand to push Oracle sales and RPO even higher – and result in double-digit revenue growth this fiscal year,” Catz said.

The company will be moving its headquarters to Nashville, Tennessee. This move brings it closer to the healthcare sector that’s currently undergoing an AI revolution.

The post Data Privacy and Legal Issues Lead to Oracle’s Advertising Shutdown appeared first on Tech Research Online.