The Top Three

🏆 THE INDUSTRY’S MOST IMPORTANT STORIES TODAY

🥇 PINTEREST FOR GOOD?

Pinterest ($PINS ( 0.0% ) ) says its focus on positivity helps ads perform better. A study it funded found users spent more time with ads on "positive" platforms, were more likely to trust and like those ads, and were more willing to buy. Pinterest hopes this image sets it apart from rivals like TikTok. more

• Pinterest’s ad revenue is growing, especially as TikTok faces uncertainty in the U.S.

• Ad revenues are expected to reach $3.86 billion in the US by 2027

🥈 GOOGLE SETTLES AD CLICK CASE

Google ($GOOG ( ▲ 1.7% ) ) will pay $100 million to settle a lawsuit that claimed it charged advertisers for ad clicks outside their chosen locations. The case, which began in 2011, focused on older features of Google Ads. The settlement still needs court approval.

• It comes as Google faces larger antitrust cases, including one that might force it to sell its Chrome browser. more

🥉 FEWER PINGS, FEWER VIEWS?

YouTube is testing a change that could stop your brand’s channel push notifications from reaching users who follow you. The company says from now on, if users have turned on “all” alerts but don’t often open them, YouTube might stop sending them to their phone—though they’ll still show up in the app. The test targets frequent uploaders and aims to cut down on ignored alerts, but users might not know if notifications are being held back. more

Today’s Other News

📰 EVERYTHING ELSE THAT MATTERS

Advertising 📣

• Substack, once firm on being ad-free, is now open to the idea of advertising. The company says ads might come later, but only if they support writers and don’t hurt user trust. Substack faces pressure to grow beyond subscriptions and compete with platforms like Beehiiv. If ads are added, they’ll likely focus on Substack content, not on turning it into a scrolling ad-heavy feed. more

• Content publishers like news sites say the start of 2025 has been rough in terms of ad revenue. Traffic is down, advertisers are cautious, and ad spending has slowed—especially for custom content. Ad prices are dropping, with some connected TV deals going as low as $10 CPMs. The open ad market is also down about 20%. more

• Auto marketers are watching Trump’s proposed 25% vehicle tariffs closely, but most haven’t cut ad spending yet. Brands like Acura are sticking with planned campaigns, including a big push during March Madness. While rising costs and economic uncertainty worry many, most marketers are holding steady for now—though mid-funnel ad spend may take a hit if things worsen. more

• Starting April 14, Google will officially allow businesses to show multiple ads for the same product or page—if they appear in different ad locations on a search results page. This marks a big shift in Google's long-standing ad policy. Critics say it may favor bigger advertisers, while others are waiting to see how it affects ad performance in the next quarter. more

Social Media 📱

• X claims Gen Z use of its platform is rising in Europe, saying it has 30 million Gen Z users—up 37% since 2022—and 119 million total EU users. That conflicts with its own public data, which shows user numbers dropped to 106 million in late 2024. X highlights Gen Z’s interest in topics like tech, sports, gaming, and fashion, but doubts remain about the accuracy of its numbers and how useful they are to advertisers. more

Commerce 🛒 

• Amazon ($AMZN ( ▲ 1.0% ) ) has introduced a new AI model called Nova Act that can do tasks like online shopping or searching the w-eb directly in a browser. For now, it's only available to developers. It can follow detailed instructions, like skipping extra charges during checkout. Nova Act is part of Amazon’s Nova AI model lineup and is designed to be cheaper than competitors. Amazon also launched a new site for easier access to these models. more

Ad Tech 🛠️

• European ad tech firm Utiq has teamed up with Adobe’s ($ADBE ( ▼ 0.09% ) ) Real-Time CDP to offer privacy-focused audience targeting without using third-party cookies. A test campaign with Iq Digital and GroupM for an auto brand showed strong results—especially in non-Chrome browsers—with better reach, targeting accuracy, and ad frequency control. The move highlights how brands are preparing for a cookieless future using first-party data and clean-room tech. more

The Ticker

📈 HOW DIGITAL MARKETING STOCKS ARE DOING

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