Digital Digest #103
Digital news stories from week commencing 15th July 2024.
YouTube Launches New AI Tools
YouTube's new AI-powered tool for removing claimed audio content offers a significant advantage for smaller advertisers and creators alike.
Launched on July 4th, this updated eraser tool allows creators to remove copyrighted music from their videos without affecting speech, sound effects, or other audio. The AI algorithm specifically targets only the copyrighted music, leaving the rest of the video intact.
This represents a major improvement over previous methods, which often required muting the entire video or risking its removal. YouTube's chief, Neal Mohan, announced the tool's launch, highlighting that it had undergone extensive testing to ensure it could accurately isolate and remove copyrighted tracks.
Additionally, YouTube is advancing AI-driven music licensing. The company is negotiating with major record labels to develop AI music licensing deals, aiming to use AI to create music and offer AI voice imitations of famous artists. This follows the success of YouTube’s AI tool, Dream Track, which allowed users to create music with AI-generated voices of well-known singers. By leveraging AI technology, YouTube enhances user experience and ensures compliance with copyright laws, supporting both creative endeavours and legal requirements.
In the Irish market, this tool provides a significant boost for smaller advertisers who often fall foul of copyright claims due to the use of stock sounds in low-budget ads. The ability to trim, replace, or mute copyrighted audio without re-uploading ensures compliance with copyright regulations while maintaining monetization.
This has the potential to prevent disruptions to advertising campaigns, protecting investments in digital advertising and allowing small businesses to focus on their creative efforts.
The introduction of AI-driven music licensing also opens new possibilities for Irish creators to access and utilize a broader range of music. However, one does wonder if this will put YouTube on a collision course with artists who might see this as a play to remove them from the process altogether. .
Amazon Prime Day Continues To Deliver
Amazon’s Prime Day two-day sale event that gives Amazon Prime members discounts on various products across the e-commerce site ran across July 16th and 17th this week and saw over 200 million items sold globally. This made Prime Day 2024 Amazon’s biggest shopping event to date. The top categories this year were Back to School and Consumer Electronics.
Running since 2015, the initial intention of Prime Day was to prop up a slower sales period during the summertime, but it has grown beyond that to become a staple part of the annual shopping calendar globally
Looking at Google Trends search data for Ireland specifically; we can see that over the past 5 years this event has got bigger and bigger each year. The data shows an increase in search volume for the keyword “Amazon Prime Day”. Over the past 4 years its increased by approximately 20% each year.
In the US, Prime Day extended beyond sales on Amazon. Adobe are reporting that there was over $14.2 billion in sales across all retailers which represents an overall increase of 11% year on year.
With Amazon due to launch their own dedicated Irish site in 2025. There will likely be some added focus on Prime Day here next year. Amazon.ie will see more Irish resellers on the e-commerce site which will bring the added benefit of less custom charges for prime members.
A rising tide lifts all boats. Amazon Prime Day has succeeded in building a sales event where there wasn’t one before. They have also created a buzz and expectation amongst shoppers that all ecommerce retailers can tap into. This has given all retailers, big and small, the opportunity to “Hijack” Prime Day. Where Amazon is exclusive to members, other retailers can and should look to seize on the shoppers who are primed to convert but not Amazon members.
Source: Amazon RTE Amazon.ie Launch
Data Source: Google Trends
Elon Musk Claims X Usage At Record Highs
Elon Musk, owner of X, recently shared his insights on platform usage. In an effort to persuade advertisers back on to the platform, Musk also spoke at Cannes about new features, brand safety and user privacy.
Musk tweeted that on July 14th “X usage hit an all-time high with 417 billion user second globally”, “In the US, user seconds reached 93 Billion, 23% higher than the previous record of 76 Billion”. this would equate to 27.8 minutes per users, at 250 million daily active users.
Since his takeover, X has seen a major drop in advertisers because of his new controversial approach around free speech as well as the uncertainty around X’s focus.
Musk stressed the importance of maintaining a balanced approach that brings user privacy and data security to the fore.
In his address, he underscored the significance of transparency, advocating for user empowerment in data control and usage.
He also highlighted the pivotal role of innovation in shaping the future of platform usage, emphasising the need for continual technological advancement while upholding ethical standards.
In terms of innovation, X has recently released two product updates. They include: “Trend Genius” Ads that help brands tap into trending discussions. X claim that this will help brands align with any hot topics that may arise and “Advance Mode” for Video Viewing. This is currently being tested and would allow users the choice to let one video automatically play after a user has viewed one on their feed. X claim this will enhance user experience as they will no longer need to scroll their feeds in search of video content.
It remains to be seen if this spike in usage on July 14th was a response to the attempted assassination of Donald Trump or not. With election season now in full swing in the US. It is likely that will see an increase in usage on X.
And this is something that we see on our shores too. There are opportunities for brands on X in and around large events such as the upcoming All Ireland Finals or the Olympic Games however, brand suitability is still a major concern. If this can be improved on in the future, and the reported usage spike continues, they may see advertisers cautiously return to the platform.
Source: Social Media Today
