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The CEO of Google reveals how Search could look in ten years, how media engagement is changing, and more. April 11, 2023 [Read in browser]( [logo] [sponsor]( Good morning. Yesterday we asked you what social media platform you’d use if you could have only one. The verdict is in: readers overwhelmingly voted in favor of Instagram because it’s a good mix of videos, social, and chat. So there you go. Feel free to post about this on Instagram if you want… and tag our Instagram handle if you do! GOOGLE CEO reveals what Google Search could look like in a decade [article-image] Sundar Pichai, Google’s CEO, pulled out the crystal ball recently. And although Sundar finds the future difficult to predict, he was still able to shed some light in a [recent Wall Street interview]( about how things might change. Friends, not enemies: Sundar believes that as AI chatbots evolve, they will be able to answer follow-up questions. However, he doesn’t believe that AI will replace search. Instead, Bard and Google Search will likely live in harmony. Sundar also clarified that Bard isn’t a Search product – it’s a “companion” to Search. Not so blue: In ten years, Search may not look like a page of blue links. But it may not look like Bard, either. Instead, Sundar believes Search will be “ambiently available to help users in radically different ways,” more personalized, deeper, and meaningful. So, no details yet, but different. Got it. … And what about ads? When it comes to monetization, Sundar implied that as users engage in conversation with Google’s language learning model, it could list relevant promoted products or services, similar to what’s happening with Bing chat. Why we care: It seems Google Search is transforming right before our eyes. If Search transitions from keywords to conversations, the current ways of optimizing content and advertising will likely change as well. And if Google’s most important executive is saying this, get ready for the shift… STREAMING Screen time is changing. Should ad-supported media worry? Good news: People seem to be ditching screens and reconnecting with the outside world. Bad news: That means less media engagement and less revenue for ad-supported streaming platforms. [Ad supported media made up 53.7% of screen time in 2022]( – a drop of almost 5% since 2017. Slow poke: Growth is predicted to be within single digits for the first time in years, and the reasons are multiple… - Media engagement grew rapidly in 2020 as the pandemic started and then saw a rapid decline in 2021 when lockdown measures loosened. - The ongoing economic crisis forced people to cut back on unessential spending, with media platforms being at the top of many people’s lists. - Smartphone adoption is reaching saturation, slowing growth and consequently consumption. But there’s still hope: Netflix’s ad-supported tier reached one million users, which shows it’s still gaining momentum – a positive sign after a bumpy start. Also, numbers in 2022 were a bit higher than expected, boosted by big events like the FIFA World Cup and US midterm elections. Meanwhile, film and home video saw the fastest growth rates – meaning people still want to consume media. Why we care: If you’re thinking about running such ads, make sure you’re aware of the slower growth this year and plan your campaigns accordingly. And if your results just aren’t what they used to be, well, it may not be entirely your fault. SPONSORED BY ITERABLE Last chance to connect with thousands of the world’s best marketers at this free event! [article-image]( There’s less than a week left! This is your last chance to get a ticket to [the event designed for marketers like you and us](. - It’s hybrid, so you can attend it from the comfort of your office, home, local café, or even the beach. - It’s about marketing with a focus on AI, personalization, efficiency, and productivity. - Marketers like Adriana Gil Miner (CMO at Iterable), Ukonwa Ojo Kuzi-Orizu (Founder/CEO of Zaia Ventures and former Global CMO of Amazon Prime Video & Studiosl), Aaron Cort (VP of Operations at ClickUp), and more are speaking. If [last year’s sessions]( are anything to go by, this is a must-attend! And if you register now, you get a chance to be one of the three winners who will receive a $1,000 Airbnb gift card. And hey, you might even virtually run into some of The Crew members there. [Register for a free virtual pass and your chance to win a $1,000 Airbnb gift card here.]( ADVERTISING The game theory that can help you improve your Meta Ads performance [article-image] Game theory and advertising? Is this a joke? Nope, not at all. In fact, [Mathias Schrøder argues]( that Meta ads run on the principle of Vickrey-Clarke-Groves (VCG) auction system – where bidders submit bids to multiple items without knowing how other bidders value the same item. And [according to this game theory](, Mathias believes the optimal way to run Meta Ads is to: - Use bid caps. - Set the bid cap to your breakeven CPA after costs of goods, services, shipping, etc. Mathias applied this game theory to his own ads—and claims it contributed to his best post-Covid sales month. Let’s see how we can apply his approach to your ads… The account structure: Mathias says you should run all sales campaigns in one budget optimization campaign with multiple ad sets – with each representing a single product or offer. Make sure each set is dialed in with a bid cap adjusted to each product. Furthermore, you need to be brave enough to commit to a “crazy high budget.” You want to maximize your spend on the good days when you’re winning auctions below your bids. And by setting a bid cap, you’ll ensure you’re not spending much during off days. Now, it’s not a perfect system. Mathias says that if you’re low on inventory or selling more than you can restock, maximizing your contribution margin on every auction is futile. When that happens, you should probably look to fix the inventory, instead of Meta Ads. But there’s a lot of logic here. The only question is – does it work every time? There’s no other way to know than to test it. If you decide to give it a try, let us know how it goes! SPONSORED BY INBOX MAILERS You can get up to 60–70% open rates with this new email tool [article-image]( When customers have 12,762+ unread emails in their inboxes on average, how do your messages get opened, read, and clicked? [This new tech can help increase your open rates by up to 300%.]( How? It senses when your subscriber is in their inbox and sends your email at that moment. And four times more opens potentially means four times more sales. If that sounds like magic… [This free guide shows you how it works for real.]( THE CREW’S INSIGHTS How to learn your customers’ biggest pain points in 10 seconds [article-image] Selling stuff is a lot easier when you know why someone wants your product in the first place—and what pain your product is solving for them. It’s not as easy as it sounds, though. When you’re not actually the target audience, it can be tough to figure out what’s frustrating for people, and what messaging will persuade them to buy. So, as part of our [AI deep dive](, we asked ChatGPT to research pain points for us. Here’s the prompt we used for a baby socks brand: What do parents & caregivers complain the most about when it comes to baby socks? ChatGPT then gave us a long list of things parents complain about… all pain points you could target with your copy. You don’t have to stop there. Try asking ChatGPT more specific questions, like: “What would convince a parent to buy more expensive baby socks for their child?” Now, you’re not always going to get great advice. But, as a research tool, ChatGPT can be useful to get a head start on your customers’ pain points and the value propositions you could use in your marketing. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. [Sign up to Stacked Marketer Pro]( and read our report on leveraging AI in your marketing. You’ll learn how to use AI to write copy, generate landing pages, come up with new ideas, and lots more. ROUNDING UP THE STACK [COPYWRITING:]( Imagine getting ready-to-publish copy on time, every time. No more staring at blank Google Docs. No more wasting your brain power editing mediocre work. That’s what you get with the copywriter who’s written for brands like Stacked Marketer and Huel. [Hire Joe.](* [E-COMMERCE](: What’s on online retailers’ minds? AI, Retail Media Networks, and a pinch of optimism despite all the economy, apparently. Worth taking a look at the takeaways from Meta’s ShopTalk 2023, if you’re in e-commerce… [TWITTER:]( That was quick. Twitter stopped restricting user interaction with posts that drive traffic to Substack amid online backlash. Users can now retweet, post, or reply to posts that link to the popular newsletter and social platform. Whew. [AI MARKETING:]( Whoa, we’re halfway there. Nearly 40% of US adults have used generative AI tools like ChatGPT. And while there are plenty of marketers among them, a more general adoption seems to be happening quickly. Let’s see how the numbers look in a few months… *This is a sponsored post BRAIN TEASER If you were running a race, and you passed the person in second place, what place would you be in now? You can find [the answer here.]( [poolside-logo] POOLSIDE CHAT Yummy portraits [article-image] Ever seen a portrait so beautiful you wanted to eat it? Hope you’re hungry then – because [this artist uses whatever he has in his fridge to make art.]( Sounds sweet. Or salty. Or hot? Guess it depends on the “materials.” Some of the art pieces he makes are certainly a feast for the eyes: - Jeniffer Coolidge’s character Tanya from White Lotus with spaghetti hair. - A wasp made of eggplant. - A Beyonce made of… well, you tell us? Apparently the artist enjoys using food as a medium because it's “so universal and global.” [Can’t argue with that](! SHARING IS CARING Hold up. You’ve got great rewards waiting for you… Exclusive content and awesome merch are just a few referrals away. When you share our newsletter with other smart marketers—and they subscribe—you can earn access to premium content, like: - Two of our Stacked Marketer Pro reports (8 and 15 referrals), which are normally worth $99 each. - The Marketer Mug (30 referrals). … And more. Hit the link below to get started! [article-image]( [CLICK TO SHARE]( Or copy your referral link: [ [SUBSCRIBE]( | [SM PRO]( | [ADVERTISE]( You are receiving this email because you want to know what is going on in digital marketing. If you aren't thrilled about our emails, reply and let us know why. Or you can unsubscribe from all daily updates by clicking [here.]( Our postal address: Spectrum IT Solutions GmbH, Canettistrasse 1/Top 0107, 1100 Wien, Austria