Social media ad spend to surpass print for first time
Ad spending in 2019 will for the first time see social media topping print, with global spending growth up 20 percent increasing to $84 billion, according to recently-released forecast data from Zenith. Marketing Land

LinkedIn Launches Events to Facilitate Professional Meet-Ups
LinkedIn (client) has released a robust new tool allowing users to create and manage events pages, the culmination of a program first announced late last year, the professional social networking firm revealed this week. Social Media Today

Facebook testing ads in Groups tab
Facebook has begun allowing certain advertisers to utilize new mobile Facebook Groups ads, as part of an Ads Manager test, the social giant recently announced. Should the option eventually be rolling out to all advertisers, digital marketers will be able to target new audiences with mobile group ads. Marketing Land

Twitter Says That it’s Exploring Ephemeral Tweets and the Capability to Share with Selected Audiences
Twitter has considered implementing tweets which eventually disappear, ala the popular stories format most other social platforms have offered for some time, and has looked into other changes for controlling the audience for certain tweets, the firm recently announced — options that could bring new opportunities for digital marketers. Social Media Today

Here’s Why Consumers Unfollow Influencers
The importance of trust in relationships with social influencers has grown according to recently-released study data, showing that a variety of disingenuous activity among influencers has far-reaching consequences among both marketers and consumers. MarketingCharts

Apple, Google and Amazon Remain Top Brands While Facebook Falls
Apple, Google, and Amazon top the recently-released annual Interbrand list of leading global brands, while for the first time in the list’s twenty year history Facebook slipped from the top ten, dropping to 14, as the technology and electronics brand segment represented the majority of the leading 10, and Adweek takes a look. Adweek

Google Ads Introduces 2 New Ways to Target Users in Google Search
Google Ads will launch several new options for digital marketers using target audiences in Google Search, with the forthcoming rollout of an affinity audiences feature which will offer advertisers more ways to target specific audience interests, along with new seasonal holiday targeting methods, the search giant recently announced. Search Engine Journal

Customizable Templates Roll Out for Stories Ads on Facebook, Instagram, Messenger
Recognizing that brands cannot always create unique ad placement assets, Facebook has launched customizable Stories ad templates on all three of its major social platforms, giving digital marketers using Stories ads on Instagram, Facebook, and Messenger the new time-saving options in Ads Manager, the firm has announced. Adweek

Amazon nibbles away at Google’s search advertising dollars
By 2021 Amazon will increase its share of the search advertising market to 16 percent, up from 13 percent this year, according to recently-released forecast data that also predicts Amazon’s 2021 ad revenue will reach $11.7 billion, with leader Google’s share shrinking to some 70 percent. AdAge

These Are the Capabilities CMOs Feel Are Most Vital to Support Their Marketing Strategies
Chief Marketing Officers and other enterprise B2B decision-makers view offering pricing information, self-service functionality, and easy salesperson scheduling as the top three methods B2B firms can use to improve online experiences, according to newly-release study data. Additionally, some 43 percent said that they prefer learning more about businesses via email. MarketingCharts

ON THE LIGHTER SIDE:

A lighthearted look at digital natives by Marketoonist Tom Fishburne — Marketoonist

‘I Built This,’ Whispers Social Media Manager Beholding His Empire Of Successful Fuddruckers Tweets — The Onion

The ‘Magic’ Behind Drawing and Erasing on Etch A Sketch — AdWeek

TOPRANK MARKETING & CLIENTS IN THE NEWS:

• Lee Odden — [eBook] The Complete Guide to Industry & B2B Influencer Marketing — Onalytica
• TopRank Marketing / Lane R. Ellis — 10 Ways to Continue Learning as a Small Business Owner — Small Business Trends
• TopRank Marketing — Forget LinkedIn Ads and Use These Proven LinkedIn SEO Tips Instead — Hot in Social Media

If you’ve found your own favorite B2B content marketing or digital advertising stories from the past week, please let us know in the comments below.

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