Inside Digital Marketing: June 2024
At a Glance...
Zuora acquires AI firm Sub(x) to enhance paywall solutions and Meta launches GA4 integration.
TikTok launches photo-sharing app ‘Whee’
Released quietly last month by TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, Whee appears to be a more intimate alternative to Instagram.
It focuses on sharing photos with close friends to promote authenticity and private interactions. It appears that this was a soft launch, with neither TikTok nor ByteDance initially commenting on its release.
The app’s Google Play description highlights the purpose of capturing and sharing real-life moments exclusively among friends. Screenshots showcase features such as a photo viewfinder, messaging list, and a feed restricted to friends only.
Currently, Whee is available exclusively on Android in select countries, excluding the US, and there is no iOS version available yet.
This step could well be part of TikTok’s ongoing strategy to broaden its presence in the photo-sharing sphere, following the introduction of TikTok Notes in April.
Will this app gain traction or is it simply an experiment? Will it be a competitor to Instagram? Let’s wait and see!
Zuora acquires AI firm Sub(x) to enhance paywall solutions
Zuora, Inc., a leader in subscription management software announced its acquisition of Sub(x), an AI provider specialising in digital publishing and media. This strategic move will enable Zuora, whose clients have included The Guardian, Zoom and Docusign, to revolutionise paywall solutions by integrating advanced artificial intelligence.
Sub(x) empowers marketing teams by automatically selecting the most effective ads, using sophisticated algorithms instead of trial and error. It replaces traditional A/B testing with its self-learning AI Autopilot, enhancing onsite and in-app marketing campaign performance.
This innovation aims to refine Zuora’s offerings, providing deeper insights into subscriber behaviour and optimising acquisition and retention strategies. By leveraging reinforcement learning, Sub(x) dynamically adjusts content recommendations, significantly reducing operational costs and time.
Zuora’s CEO, Tien Tzuo, emphasised that integrating Sub(x) will introduce cutting-edge AI capabilities, enabling media companies to better adapt to evolving audience preferences.
For businesses and marketers, this acquisition means accessing powerful tools to understand customer preferences better and offer more tailored solutions. Ultimately, this can improve customer satisfaction and drive sustainable revenue growth by delivering personalised experiences that keep subscribers engaged and loyal.
Sub(x) will be integrated into Zuora’s product suite with the acquisition expected to close by Q3 fiscal 2025.
Meta launches GA4 integration
Meta has launched a native Google Analytics 4 (GA4)* integration, enabling advertisers to connect their GA4 to Meta Ads. Currently in beta and available to a limited selection of accounts, the integration will roll out more widely in due course.
This integration will unify measurement across platforms as Meta conversion events will be mapped to GA4, eliminating the risk of mismatched events. It also removes the reliance on UTM tagging, which can be time-consuming and error prone.
Meta prioritises user privacy by giving advertisers control over which traffic sources Meta can access from GA4 data. Advertisers can select specific GA4 properties for analysis, allowing deeper analysis of campaign performance.
Watch this space to test the integration when it becomes available for your accounts!
*Google Analytics 4 (GA4) was officially introduced by Google in October 2020. It was announced as the next generation of Google Analytics, offering significant improvements and new features compared to its predecessor, Universal Analytics (UA).
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