The Top Three

🏆 THE INDUSTRY’S MOST IMPORTANT STORIES TODAY

🥇 THE BEST TIKTOK VIDEO LENGTH

⏲️ Short-form, but make it longer: New data shows longer videos get more views on TikTok, with consumers now more willing to engage with 3-minute clips rather than 30-second uploads.

Instagram has already followed suit, recently expanding Reels to three minutes, and YouTube also adjusted its Shorts feed to accommodate three minutes. 60-90 second videos used to be the sweet spot, but now, platforms are shifting to slightly longer content to drive engagement. more

• TikTok videos longer than one minute see 64% more watch time than videos in the 30-60 second range.

• Longer videos = higher reach: videos longer than one minute get 43% more reach than videos in the 30-60 second range.

🥈 SMILING DRIVES SALES

😁 Grin to win: New research shows that photos of smiling service providers boost hospitality bookings by up to 20% for platforms like Airbnb and hotels. Consumers tend to find smiling hosts more likable and trustworthy, leading to higher booking rates. more

• According to the study's researchers, consumers seek reassurance about what they can expect.

• Smiling photos provide a visual cue of warmth and competence, reducing uncertainty and increasing the likelihood of a booking.

• This is called a “halo effect”: a single positive trait (a smile) reflects on other traits (the listing) and increases overall trust.

🥉 AI SEARCH IS KILLING SERPS

⚔️ The AI vs. Google showdown begins: AI search is quickly becoming a major traffic driver for retailers. New research from Adobe shows referrals surged by 1,300% during the 2024 holiday season compared to 2023, with Cyber Monday seeing an 1,950% increase. more

• While the rise is expected, given AI search was still emerging last year, the real story lies in the engagement metrics:

  • Users referred from AI search stay on sites 10% longer than those from traditional search (like Google $GOOGL ( ▲ 1.57% ) or Bing $MSFT ( ▲ 1.81% ) ).

  • They browse through different pages 12% more.

  • They're nearly 25% less likely to bounce after visiting a link.

• 🎯 This suggests that AI search tools are directing users to more relevant pages than traditional search.

Today’s Other News

📰 EVERYTHING ELSE THAT MATTERS

Advertising 📣

• $META ( ▲ 1.67% ) is launching a new test for AI-based Advantage+ creative Enhancements starting today: Video Highlights. The feature is designed to help users identify the main selling points in video ads, though it’s still unclear how ads with this enhancement will appear. more

  • You can adjust your enrollment settings for these experiments under Advertising settings > Advantage+ creative.

• Google appears to be testing three rows of Shopping Ads in search results. While two rows have previously appeared on mobile, this marks an expansion on desktop. It's not clear if it's a test or just a glitch. more

• 🏄‍♀️ Moana holds viewers hostage: Over the weekend, some $ROKU ( ▲ 0.23% ) users were greeted not by their homescreen, but by a full-screen Moana 2 trailer... before they could do anything else. While the company relies on ad revenue, this new move — forcing a full-screen ad before users can navigate anywhere — has sparked backlash. Roku began experimenting with more intrusive ads last year, but in a statement, it avoided admitting any misstep. more

Retail Media 🛍️

• eMarkter forecasts U.S. retail media ad spend will increase 88.5% from 2024 to 2028, reaching $98 billion.

  • Retail media ad spend on CTV is also growing quickly, with a 45.5% YoY increase projected in 2025.

  • 9 in 10 marketers plan to promote their creator partnerships via retail media networks in 2025.

• Shoppable CTV ads are gaining traction, using retail media network data to target consumers across CTV platforms. While consumer interest in shopping via TV is growing, only 10% of U.S. adults have made a purchase via CTV. eMarketer has a great rundown about what brands need to know to drive growth, as more than a third of U.S. ad buyers plan to invest more in shoppable ads by 2025, with major RMNs like Amazon $AMZN ( ▲ 1.0% ) and Instacart $CART ( ▲ 0.83% ) expanding CTV formats.

Search & GMC🔍

• Google now updates its Googlebot IP list daily, switching from a weekly update for the googlebot.json file, which contains Googlebot’s IP addresses. Website administrators and SEO professionals who rely on these lists may need to adjust their systems. A Google Analyst advised updating libraries to stay aligned with the new daily changes. more

• In December, Google Merchant Center added a "first order" discount field, and now "First order" labels are appearing in Shopping Ads within search results. While it previously tested "1st order price," this may be the new official label for these discounts. more

Social Media 📱

• U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance, who’s now overseeing the TikTok deal, indicated that the app's future is likely to be secured before the April 4th extension deadline. Vance recently told media that there will "almost certainly" be an agreement that addresses national security concerns while paving the way for a separate American TikTok entity. more

• TikTok is rolling out a new account security dashboard, letting users manage top-level account security settings in one place, like contact info, two-step verification, passkeys, and more. It’s accessible under ‘Settings and privacy’ in the ‘Security & permissions’ section. Once opened, Security Checkup provides a step-by-step guide to security features. more

AI 🤖 

• 📸 RIP Photoshop?: Google’s new AI model now lets users generate or edit images just by asking. The "Gemini 2.0 Flash (Image Generation) Experimental" feature lets users remove watermarks, add or remove objects, modify scenery, adjust lighting, and more. It’s still a work in progress, but it’s a glimpse into the future of image editing. more

  • 🔮 It’s still a work in progress, but it’s a glimpse into the future of image editing.

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