Weekly Marketing Rundown - May 16, 2025

Weekly Marketing Rundown - August 21, 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 changes to Google Search Ad Language targeting, Youtube Picture ads, new data privacy laws and more. Enjoying the Weekly Marketing Rundown? Support our work and keep it free for missions teams worldwide: https://www.kavanahmedia.com/donatetoKM Google Ads Retires Campaign-Level Language Targeting Google is updating its search ads by removing the setting that lets advertisers manually choose specific languages. Instead, Google's automated systems will now match people to ads based on the languages they already read and speak. For Mission Teams Mission teams leveraging Search Campaigns must ensure their digital ad text and landing pages are perfectly translated into their target audience's exact language. Because automated delivery could expose outreach campaigns to unintended or hostile groups, ministries must closely monitor their search traffic to protect their security and digital engagement strategies. https://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-is-removing-language-targeting-from-search-campaigns/585592/ OpenAI Introduces Carousel Ads to ChatGPT OpenAI is now letting companies show a scrolling list of products in their ChatGPT ads. This new format helps businesses display multiple items side-by-side to catch the attention of users chatting with the AI. For Mission Teams Mission teams could use these scrolling ads to share a variety of outreach resources, like scripture links and videos, in one engaging placement. https://digiday.com/marketing/openai-brings-product-carousels-to-chatgpt-ads/ New AI Disclosure Laws Reshape Digital Marketing New laws in Europe and California now require businesses to clearly label any pictures, videos, or sounds created by artificial intelligence. This means marketers must use special digital tags so that people always know when online content is computer-generated. For Mission Teams To safely find seekers and make disciples, mission teams operating in these jurisdictions must follow these new transparency rules whenever using artificial intelligence to create media for their digital evangelism campaigns. By honestly labeling their outreach content, ministries can build vital trust with cautious audiences while protecting their operational security from legal penalties or platform bans. https://www.thedrum.com/news/ai-disclosure-laws-arrive-in-the-eu-and-california-what-do-they-mean-for-marketers YouTube Mobile Tests New Overlay Picture Ads YouTube is testing new picture ads that pop up over the screen while people watch videos sideways on their phones. These still images appear every few minutes without stopping the video, giving advertisers a new way to show their messages. For Mission Teams Mission teams can use these new picture ads to add even more creative diversity to their add strategies on YouTube. https://ppcnewsfeed.com/ppc-news/2026-08/youtube-tests-image-ads-horizontal-mobile-playback/ New WhatsApp Security Warning System for Unverified Messages WhatsApp is testing a warning system to alert users when receiving messages from unverified contacts. The alert helps users identify potential scams before replying to unfamiliar accounts. For Mission Teams This new safety alert helps protect field workers from falling for phishing attempts on WhatsApp. However, new seekers contacting your ministry account for the first time may also see this security prompt. https://engineering.fb.com/2026/08/12/security/how-were-building-scam-alert-whatsapp/ Apple Issues Critical Spyware Threat Notifications Apple is alerting targeted iPhone users about sophisticated spyware attacks that could compromise their devices. These push notifications serve as critical warnings that hackers are actively attempting to steal personal information from specific individuals. For Mission Teams Particularly important for teams operating in sensitive fields with a high risk of nation-state interference, Apple’s security alerts should be taken seriously to protect digital networks and sensitive contacts. By securing devices immediately when warned, ministries can help prevent hostile actors from accessing their outreach campaigns and compromising their disciple-making efforts. https://techcrunch.com/2026/08/13/if-apple-sends-you-a-push-notification-alerting-you-to-a-spyware-attack-take-it-seriously/ Rise of Relatability Trends in Social Video Marketing Recent social media trends show that unpolished, relatable video content is outperforming high-budget advertisements. Audiences favor simple personal stories over formal corporate promotions. For Mission Teams Authentic videos recorded on a phone by real believers will likely connect better than expensive studio videos. Simple, honest video testimony builds trust faster with seekers browsing social media. https://bluehaloagency.com/news/social-media-trends-august-2026/ WhatsApp Introduces Usernames for Private Messaging WhatsApp is updating its app to let people save and use usernames instead of phone numbers. This change will soon allow users to chat with new contacts without sharing their personal phone details. For Mission Teams This is just the latest update related to WhatsApps' shift to usernames. Mission teams can use these new usernames to safely connect with seekers without revealing their real phone numbers. This update improves operational security while making it easier to share the gospel and disciple people in hostile areas. https://wabetainfo.com/whatsapp-launches-a-username-field-for-new-contacts/ YouTube Transforms Search with Conversational AI Chatbot YouTube is releasing a new tool across all devices that lets users ask questions and get helpful answers instead of just a list of videos. This smart chat feature remembers what you are talking about and acts more like a personal assistant than a regular search bar. For Mission Teams Ministries should closely monitor how their videos are tagged to ensure that artificial intelligence correctly identifies and recommends their biblical resources as potential seekers use the new integrated AI search feature. https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/youtube-expands-access-to-its-in-app-ai-chatbot/827757/ Understanding Video View Counts Across Different Platforms Social media apps have very different rules for what they count as a video view. While some apps count a view the second a video starts, others require someone to watch for several seconds before it counts. Here are some examples: Facebook Reels: organic views count after just 1+ millisecond. Instagram Reels: organic views count as soon as a video starts or replays. YouTube: from 24 August, public views count from the first frame. YouTube Shorts: public views count immediately, including replays. TikTok: views count as soon as the video starts. YouTube ads: many only count after 30 seconds or an interaction. For Mission Teams Mission teams must understand these different rules so they can accurately track how many seekers are actually watching their digital evangelism videos. See the full list put together by Axios below: https://www.axios.com/media-trends-membership/2026/08/18/youtube-video-views Google Data Studio Adds New Reporting and Design Tools Google Data Studio updated its platform to make creating and viewing reports much easier. Users can now expand charts to full screen, copy visuals as pictures, and customize their report designs. For Mission Teams These design upgrades help ministry teams clearly track and evaluate how seekers engage with their online evangelism campaigns. Better visual reports allow leaders more options when reporting metrics. https://docs.cloud.google.com/data-studio/release-notes Polite Replies to Unknown Texts Can Cost You Replying to a text message from a stranger confirms that your phone number is active and monitored. Criminal syndicates use these polite responses to profile targets and sell verified numbers for higher prices on the dark web. For Mission Teams Workers should avoid responding to unexpected texts from unknown numbers while conducting online ministry. Maintaining strict boundary practices on mobile channels protects team members from targeted social engineering tactics and prevents ministry phone numbers from being further attacked and exploited. https://www.malwarebytes.com/blog/threat-intel/2026/08/your-polite-reply-to-that-text-is-worth-2-on-the-dark-web Mission Media U Practitioner Fellowship We live in a digital world.  But our discipling mandate hasn't changed.  Join our partners at Mission Media U for a two-month practitioner fellowship from 24-September to 19-November-2026 with a focus on Personal Digital Disciple-Making.  Limited seats available.  Submit your application today.   Learn more here: https://www.missionmediau.org/fellowship/ 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. Jon Ralls' new book–  Check out Jon Ralls' new book The Reluctant Whisper on Amazon, where he talks of evangelism from a sales pitch into an authentic act of presence—sharing faith through story, not scripts! Check it out 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.  Kavanah Analytics- How is your digital content truly impacting lives? We created Kavanah Analytics to help churches and mission teams answer that question. Learn More 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: Jon Ralls, Cody A. and Cherry Messimer Article Published: August 21, 2026

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