A while back — OK, a long while back — a subscriber asked us to look into sponsored content. What were the trends? What was more common, one-offs or comprehensive packages? Are agencies increasingly “owning” sponsored content for their clients?
Sponsored content can be a very daunting investment (at least it was to me when I first learned about its cost) but offering target audiences a controlled message with a massive credibility boost presents a significant opportunity.
Sponsored content is a tool in the toolbox. Considering the expense, it’s smart to know exactly what one hopes to accomplish with it, and that it’s the right tool for the job. To that end, our sponsored content deep-dive spotted five prominent themes/purposes in 2021.
YOUR ACCOUNT
FRIDGE NOTES
Here’s how Mike Isaac presents himself. A single perfunctory paragraph doesn’t cut it anymore in a world of disinformation and synthetic, AI-generated content where no one really knows the agenda. The NYT wants to get out in front of that, especially before the 2024 elections heat up. Read the background behind this in Vanity Fair.
Legendary journalist Louise Story reveals how the smartest edit shops are using AI. Here come the flexicles.
Sara Fischer of Axios nails another scoop: Time is merging its Time Ideas section into a new one, called Time100 Voices. It doesn’t promise big opportunity for tech PR — it aims so high that only the Benioffs and Nadellas stand a chance.
Recent research from Semrush, a data partner of ours, reveals the most searched societal issues based on average monthly Google searches between January 2019 and June 2023, and how they rank across 35 countries. Searches related to mental health are skyrocketing.
It is now called AI Time To Impact, and if you care about what’s real in AI and when we need to care about it, AI Time To impact is a must-read.
Says Digiday today: 40 percent of Gen Z uses TikTok or Instagram when searching for lunch recommendations. The younger you go, the tighter the grip held by platforms. Musk’s calculation that few will ever leave X might not be too far off in the long run.
