Weekly Marketing Rundown - September 27th, 2024

Weekly Marketing Rundown - May 1, 2026 Welcome to this week’s edition of Kavanah Media’s Weekly Marketing Rundown! We’re diving into the latest updates you need to know including Türkiye's latest control over social media, major telecom network exploitation, WhatsApp updates and more. Enjoying the Weekly Marketing Rundown? Support our work and keep it free for missions teams worldwide: https://www.kavanahmedia.com/donatetoKM Turkey to Ban Anonymous VPNs and Mandate Social Media ID Checks The Turkish government is planning to ban anonymous VPN services and require all social media users to verify their identities using national ID numbers. These measures aim to eliminate online anonymity, allowing authorities to monitor digital activity and link every social media post to a specific person. For Mission Teams Mandatory identity checks and VPN bans create severe security risks for digital evangelists and seekers by making all online interactions traceable to real-world identities. All of these potential changes make decrease audience sizes and increase risk local teams may have to face https://reclaimthenet.org/turkey-to-ban-anonymous-vpns https://stockholmcf.org/turkey-proposes-mandatory-identity-checks-for-social-media-raising-press-freedom-concerns/ Covert Surveillance Actors Exploiting Global Telecom Networks Sophisticated surveillance groups are exploiting vulnerabilities in global mobile networks to track people's locations without them knowing. These actors use hidden commands and fake identities to turn mobile phones into tracking beacons that stay active for years. For Mission Teams This invisible tracking poses a major security threat to teams with digital evangelists and seekers who are meeting in high-risk areas. Mission teams must prioritize high-security communication apps that bypass standard mobile network protocols to protect their strategic movements and the safety of new disciples. https://citizenlab.ca/research/uncovering-global-telecom-exploitation-by-covert-surveillance-actors/ Windows Security Protection Failure A new vulnerability has been identified in Microsoft Windows that allows attackers to bypass important security protections. CISA has added this flaw to its list of known exploited vulnerabilities and urges immediate patching. For Mission Teams Attackers could use this flaw to gain deeper access to your computers and steal sensitive ministry data. Ensure all team laptops and Windows devices are updated immediately to prevent unauthorized access to your files. https://www.cisa.gov/news-events/alerts/2026/04/28/cisa-adds-two-known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog WhatsApp Support Ending for Older Phones WhatsApp has announced it will stop working on older Android phones running versions 5.0 and 5.1 by September 2026. Users on these devices are already receiving alerts to upgrade their software or hardware to maintain access. For Mission Teams Many seekers in developing regions still use older smartphones and may lose the ability to contact your team via WhatsApp. You should check which devices your local partners use and prepare for a potential shift to other messaging apps in those areas. https://in.mashable.com/tech/109058/whatsapp-support-ending-soon-for-these-older-android-phones-is-your-device-on-the-list Instagram Story Voice-Over Feature Instagram is developing a built-in feature that allows users to record voice-overs directly within the Story builder. This simplifies the process of adding narration to your visual content without using external apps. For Mission Teams Adding a personal voice to your stories can make your ministry feel more authentic and approachable to seekers. This tool allows team members to quickly share a spoken prayer or a short testimony over a photo or video. https://socialbee.com/blog/social-media-news/ Google Video Content Exclusion Settings Google has simplified its campaign settings to allow users to exclude their ads from specific types of video content at the customer level. This ensures that your ads do not appear alongside videos that, while legal, may not align with your ministry's values. For Mission Teams Using these exclusions helps protect your ministry's reputation by keeping your ads away from inappropriate or distracting content. It also ensures your budget is spent on placements that are more likely to reach people in a respectful and open frame of mind. http://ads-developers.googleblog.com/2026/ Meta Transitioning from Dynamic Creative to New Creative Workflow Meta is permanently removing the Dynamic Creative feature and replacing it with a more advanced creative workflow. This new system allows users to upload up to ten media files while providing much better data on how each specific image or video performs. For Mission Teams Members of the Kavanah Media team are already leveraging this new feature. It makes it easier than ever to fully leverage creative diversity without having to use Flexible ad format or building multiple ads per ad set.  https://www.jonloomer.com/meta-ads-evolution-important-changes-for-2025/ Google Ads Updates and Trends for 2026 Google has introduced several updates including advanced AI-driven campaign features and more detailed reporting for Performance Max campaigns. These changes focus on automating ad creation while giving marketers better insights into how their budget is being spent. For Mission Teams Improved AI automation helps small mission teams create more effective ads to reach seekers with minimal manual effort. Better reporting tools allow teams to see exactly which audiences are responding to the gospel, ensuring resources are used strategically and securely. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/google-ads-news-week-17-adriaan-dekker-1hwye/ Google Ads Advisor Launches New AI Safety Features Google is enhancing its Ads Advisor tool with three AI-powered features designed to automate security and policy compliance. These updates include proactive troubleshooting for policy violations, continuous account security monitoring, and instant certifications for regulated industries. For Mission Teams These automated tools could help mission teams to more quickly resolve ad rejections and maintain high security for their accounts without constant manual oversight. Proactive monitoring and instant certifications ensure that vital gospel campaigns stay active and protected against unauthorized access or technical roadblocks. https://blog.google/products/ads-commerce/ads-advisor-google-ads/ Foundations of Digital Engagement Strategy Course May 13-16, 2026 (Pre-EMDC Training) Chiang Mai, Thailand This course is for you. Digital permeates virtually every aspect of people's lives and it should be present in every stage of your mission and ministry strategy. Join Kavanah Media staff during the Pre-EMDC training week for a time of practical training in digital engagement. This course is designed for you to examine your end to end strategy and find ways that digital components can be added or improved whether you are just ready to begin or an experienced practitioner. Follow the link or contact us for more details. https://emdcon.org/ Stay Equipped for Digital Engagement  Looking for ways to use digital tools to grow evangelism and disciple-making? Check out our other resources: 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 4-day devotional on YouVersion called "Love Where You Are." Subscribe here Ad Resource Store- Stumped on what ads to run next? Check out Kavanah Media's Ad Resource Store for ideas, templates and more! Digital Strategies got you stumped? Reach out anytime—we’re ready to help. Contact Us Church GAP Analysis Tool- Uncover hidden risks before they become problems. Use our Free GAP Analysis Tool to evaluate your church or non-profit’s cybersecurity, compliance, and governance today.  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: May 1, 2026

Weekly Marketing Rundown - August 1, 2025 Welcome to this week’s edition of Kavanah Media’s Weekly Marketing Rundown! In this issue, we explore how AI tools are reshaping the internet, introduce Meta’s new Design Check app on Canva, unpack ByteDance’s latest controversy over user data collection, and more. Enjoying the Weekly Marketing Rundown? Support our work and keep it free for missions teams worldwide: https://www.kavanahmedia.com/donatetoKM AI Is Eating the Internet AI is fundamentally reshaping how we discover and interact with information online. Generative AI tools like ChatGPT and Google’s AI Overviews now provide instant answers—often without users clicking through to website links—which has caused organic site traffic to drop by as much as 50% in some cases. Additionally, as AI tools are increasingly used to generate online content, users are beginning to avoid so-called “AI slop” and are returning to trusted sources such as newsletters, private communities like Discord, and Substack. For Mission Teams: This shift means content strategies need a rethink. As website traffic decreases, teams may be forced to explore alternatives like optimizing for AI-powered summaries, engaging private communities, newsletters, or interactive platforms. The focus should move from chasing clicks to creating high-value experiences that inspire trust, human connection, and engagement beyond traditional SEO. https://fika.bar/paoramen/ai-is-eating-the-internet-01K10JG1SHGZQHN61HPGWPXN60   Meta’s Recommended Ad Copy Lengths Meta recommends keeping primary text under 125 characters and headlines under 40 characters to avoid being cut off, especially on mobile. While longer copy can still work, it should be purposeful and high quality. The system will test multiple combinations, so clarity and brevity are key. For Mission Teams: It is recommended that teams strive to keep headlines and primary text concise. If longer copy is necessary, steps should be taken to ensure quality. Additionally, Meta allows up to five headline and primary text variations, so teams can include both shorter and longer options to give the algorithm greater flexibility. https://www.jonloomer.com/qvt/recommended-ad-copy-length/   Meta Ads: What Drives Performance Jon Loomer highlights four key drivers of Meta ad performance that matter most: Performance Goal – Meta’s algorithm optimizes delivery toward that task - literally. Select the correct performance goal for your strategy. For example, if a team desires messages, be sure to select "Maximize the number of conversations" as the performance goal.  Attribution – Proper setup of Meta Pixel and Conversion API is essential so your ads are accurately tracked from website actions. While often less relevant due to Meta's Religious Data Source Limitations, many teams still utilizing landing pages or websites should ensure their Pixel and Conversions API are set up properly. Copy and Creative – Without quality design and messaging, even the right targeting and budget won’t perform well. Budget – While this is particularly relevant for ads using sales objectives—where a sufficient budget is needed to exit the learning phase and generate around 50 conversion events per week—budgets that are too low can hinder optimization and reduce effectiveness across all ad objective types. Although smaller budgets can still drive engagement, poor performance could be a budget issue. https://www.jonloomer.com/meta-ads-performance/   ByteDance’s AI Tool Caught Secretly Collecting User Data Security researchers discovered that ByteDance’s new AI coding tool, Trae, was secretly collecting data from users—even when analytics were turned off. In just seven minutes, the app sent 500+ outbound requests totaling 26MB of data to servers under byteoversea.com. This included detailed hardware specs, OS info, project file paths, and mouse/keyboard activity. For Mission Teams: For mission teams using AI tools in sensitive areas, this highlights the need for caution. Even seemingly mundane apps and sites can quietly collect data that risks your privacy or security. Choose platforms with transparent data policies and the ability to function offline when possible. https://www.techradar.com/pro/security/bytedance-ai-tool-caught-spying-on-users   UK VPN Downloads Surge After Age Checks Begin After Reddit, X, and adult theme sites began enforcing age verification under the UK’s new Online Safety Act, VPN apps have surged to the top of Apple’s App Store. VPNs let users bypass content restrictions by masking their location. One app, Proton VPN, reported an 1,800% spike in UK signups. Half of the top 10 free apps in the UK are now VPNs. For Mission Teams: Mission teams running digital ads or platforms may notice increased traffic from countries they aren’t actively targeting. This could be due to users in restricted areas, like the UK, using VPNs to appear elsewhere. It’s important to factor this into ad reporting and engagement strategies to avoid misinterpreting where interest is truly coming from. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn72ydj70g5o?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss   Meta Expands Threads API with New Features Meta upgraded its Threads API to include polls, location tagging, real-time notifications, click tracking, advanced search, media options, and moderation tools. For Mission Teams: With it's full integration with Ads Manager, continued development and increasing user base, Threads may become a viable platform for digital marketing strategies. https://developers.facebook.com/blog/post/2025/07/25/do-more-with-the-Threads-API/   Meta Partners with Canva to Boost Short-Form Video Ads Meta and Canva have teamed up to help brands create more effective Reels ads, responding to the rise of short-form video content. Creative quality remains a key driver of campaign success, accounting for about half of results since 2017. Reels ads offer a 24% higher brand lift, and influence over 60% of viewers to consider a brand or product. Both companies collaborated to build the new Meta Design Check app on Canva which gives instant feedback on ad quality and compliance. (https://www.canva.com/your-apps/AAF-xrdmb-Q/meta-design-check?q=Meta+Design+Check) For Mission Teams: Optimizing ads for Reels formatting is an effective way to boost engagement rates. The new Meta Design Check app on Canva is a free tool that helps ensure your creatives meet quality and compliance standards. https://technologymagazine.com/news/canva-meta-plot-a-course-for-a-new-era-of-advertising   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: August 1, 2025