Weekly Marketing Rundown - August 16th, 2024

Weekly Marketing Rundown - October 10th, 2024 Hi everyone, In this week's edition of Kavanah Media's Weekly Marketing Rundown we will discuss Meta's new AI tools, Tiktok's new search ads, Youtube Shorts and more. Meta Introduces AI-Edited Video Ads on Facebook and Instagram: Key Tools for Teams Meta has rolled out new AI-powered tools for video ads on Facebook and Instagram, making content creation more streamlined. These tools include automatic video trimming, scene selection, and format adjustments for different placements. Key features also include a video expansion tool, which resizes videos to fit various formats, an auto music tool that selects background music, and an image animation tool that brings static images to life with simple animations. Truth be told, Kavanah Media team members have seen these tools being quietly rolled out for some time. They have allowed for quicker creation of multiple ad variations, allowing images and videos to be shown in more ad placements. For more on this, click the link below: https://www.theverge.com/2024/10/8/24265065/meta-ai-edited-video-ads-facebook-instagram Google Faces Declining Search Share Amid AI Competition and TikTok's New Ads: Implications for Teams Google's search share is slipping as AI-driven competitors and TikTok's new search ads challenge its dominance. While Google remains the leading search engine, these rising alternatives are attracting users with innovative features that enhance search experiences. For teams, this trend emphasizes the need to diversify digital strategies. As users turn to platforms like TikTok for search, teams should adapt their SEO and content strategies to maintain visibility across various channels.  For more on this, click the link below: https://www.yahoo.com/?err=404&err_url YouTube Expands Shorts Length and Adds Templates: What Teams Should Know In order to compete with TikTok, YouTube is increasing the maximum length of Shorts and adding new video templates. This move allows creators to produce longer short-form content while using templates to streamline video creation. For teams, these updates mean greater flexibility in crafting short videos to engage audiences. With longer content and easy-to-use templates, creating videos should be even easier.  For more on this, click the link below:  https://www.theverge.com/2024/10/3/24260170/youtube-shorts-increased-length-templates-tiktok WhatsApp's New Contact-Saving Feature: What Teams Should Know WhatsApp is testing a feature that lets users save contacts directly within the app without storing them on their phone. If adopted this could simplify contact management for teams and offer some privacy benefits. For teams the advantages include: 1. Privacy: Contacts can be stored within the app, reducing the need to save personal numbers on your phone. 2. Efficiency: Easier access and management of contacts within WhatsApp itself. 3. Clutter-Free: Keep work-related contacts separate from personal ones without filling up your phone directory. This update can streamline communication and improve privacy, especially for teams in sensitive environments. For more on this, click the link below: https://x.com/ahmedghanem/status/1842100577255195049 EU Court Backs Activist in Privacy Dispute with Meta: Key Takeaways for Teams The EU's top court has ruled that Meta must limit its use of personal data for targeted advertising. The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) stated that platforms like Facebook cannot use all personal data without restrictions on time or type, meaning only a small portion of Meta's data pool will be permitted for advertising, even with user consent. Rulings like this are already affecting audience targeting. As data privacy laws tighten, advertisers will likely have less and less access for audience targeting. Teams may need to change their marketing strategies as a result. For more on this, click the link below: https://www.reuters.com/technology/eu-top-court-sides-with-activist-schrems-privacy-dispute-with-meta-2024-10-04/ Intentional - Kavanah Media's Newsletter Subscribe to Intentional, Kavanah’s monthly newsletter, and stay inspired by stories of lives transformed, ministry milestones, and the latest business updates on how we’re intentionally leveraging digital platforms to make God known across the globe. Join us on this journey of purposeful digital engagement and global impact! For more on this, click the link below: https://www.kavanahmedia.com/sign-up  Thanks for reading this edition of Kavanah Media's Weekly Marketing Rundown! For more up-to-date insights in digital marketing, make sure to follow us on Instagram @kavanah_media and stay connected through all our social media channels via the link below. https://linktr.ee/kavanah_media Author: Cody Adams Article Published: Oct. 10th, 2024

Weekly Marketing Rundown - October 10, 2025 Welcome to this week’s edition of Kavanah Media’s Weekly Marketing Rundown! In this issue, we explore Meta's new undersea cable project, problems with budget ad spend, Google's new messaging asset rules, and more. Enjoying the Weekly Marketing Rundown? Support our work and keep it free for missions teams worldwide: https://www.kavanahmedia.com/donatetoKM Facebook’s New Reels Update Makes Videos and Friend Discovery Easier Facebook’s latest update helps users find fresh Reels faster by showing 50% more videos posted the same day. AI now suggests similar content and highlights which videos your friends liked, making it easier to connect and chat. Users can also save favorite Reels more easily, and choose to see less AI-generated content by tapping “Not Interested.” Longer Reels (over 1 minute) are becoming more popular, especially among creators with big followings. For Mission Teams: For teams utilizing unpaid organic campaigns, this opens up more chances to get content seen quickly and find new audiences - granted teams post frequently. It also means marketers should consider making longer Reels and track how AI based content is performing. https://about.fb.com/news/2025/10/finding-sharing-reels-facebook-just-got-easier-more-fun/ Why Meta Might Not Be Spending Your Ad Budget Recently members of the Kavanah Media team have noticed Meta underspending teams' budgets. An article we originally posted in March 2025, addresses this issue. In it the article, Jon Loomer outlines nine common reasons why Meta might not fully spend your ad budget. These include: targeting too small of an audience setting ad set spend limits using strict cost or bid controls choosing low-volume optimization events applying dayparting (ad scheduling) or frequency caps relying on automated rules poor ad performance hitting spending limits making frequent changes that disrupt delivery For Mission Teams: Utilizing original audiences to target specific areas or genders, running ads on a schedule, manually choosing placements, and even not allowing Advantage+ Creative Enhancements can all trigger delivery issues. Teams experiencing underspent budgets should try experimenting with Advantage+ tools to see if that mitigates the issues. https://www.jonloomer.com/why-wont-meta-spend-my-advertising-budget/? Meta Introduces Ad-Free Subscription Option in the UK Meta is testing a new subscription in the UK that lets users pay to use Facebook and Instagram without ads. This move is partly a response to European privacy rules, giving users more control over how their data is used for advertising. The ad-free experience will cost a monthly fee and is expected to roll out in other parts of Europe soon. For Mission Teams: Teams in the UK could see reduced performance on their ads and may need to rethink how they engage audiences through organic content and other non-ad strategies. https://www.jonloomer.com/qvt/ad-free-subscription-uk/? Google’s New Rules for Message Assets Start October 30 Starting October 30, 2025, Google will launch a new help center to explain the rules for message assets—these are short messages used in ads. If an asset doesn’t follow the rules or can’t be verified, it won’t be shown. Full enforcement will roll out over a period of about four weeks. For Mission Teams: Teams hoping to leverage the new message asset feature should ensure their assets are in compliance, or risk restrictions and interruptions. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/google-ads-news-week-40-adriaan-dekker-6ucbe/ WhatsApp and Threads Ad Placements This week a member of the Kavanah Media team began noticing that WhatsApp was listed as a potential ad placement on several ad accounts. WhatsApp's new ads will show under the "Updates" tab within the app. This new placement on Ads Manager implies a seamless integration for teams wanting their ads seen on all of Meta's platforms. For Mission Teams: WhatsApp's nearly 3 billion users make this ad placement particularly enticing. Teams hoping to leverage it can check if it's been rolled out to their ad account at the Ad Set level, under Ad Placements by selecting 'Manual Placements.' Meta Invests in New Undersea Cable to Boost Internet in Asia Meta is putting money into a new undersea cable project to improve internet connections across Asia. The cable will help make online services faster and more reliable in places like Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore. This is part of Meta’s plan to support growing internet use in the region and make sure its platforms work smoothly. For Mission Teams: Better internet means more people can access content quickly and without interruptions. This could lead to stronger engagement in Southeast Asia, especially for video and mobile ads. https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/meta-announces-investment-new-subsea-cable-project-asia/802158/ The Synthetic Scroll Is Changing How We See Content Marketers are starting to worry about AI-generated content flooding social media feeds. These “synthetic scrolls” are filled with posts made by machines, not people, and they’re getting harder to tell apart from real ones. Platforms like TikTok and Instagram are experimenting with AI to keep users engaged longer, but it’s raising questions about what’s real and what’s not. For Mission Teams: This matters because brands could end up competing with AI "Slop" for attention. As algorithms shift to more AI based feeds, users may grow weary. Marketing teams may need to rethink how they create posts that feel authentic and trustworthy. https://digiday.com/marketing/the-synthetic-scroll-has-arrived-marketers-are-watching-nervously/ ​​Stay Equipped for Digital Engagement At Kavanah Media, we’re committed to helping mission teams use digital tools to make God known around the world. Whether you’re looking for inspiration, practical insights, or in-depth strategy, we’ve got resources to help: Kavanah Media Blog – Learn from our experiences serving hundreds of mission teams worldwide. We share practical lessons, real stories, and best practices to help your team avoid mistakes and grow in digital outreach. Subscribe here. YouVersion Reading Plan– Jon Ralls, CEO of Kavanah Media, just launched a powerful 8-day devotional on YouVersion called "Living in Tension." Subscribe here Digital Strategies got you stumped? Reach out anytime—we’re ready to help. Contact Us Thanks for reading this edition of Kavanah Media's Weekly Marketing Rundown! For more up-to-date insights in digital marketing, make sure to follow us on Instagram @kavanah_media and stay connected through all our social media channels via the link below. https://linktr.ee/kavanah_media Authors: Cody A. and Cherry Messimer Article Published: October 10, 2025