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Getting the perspectives of industry experts on the latest digital marketing headlines is something you can count on from the EDGE every week in our news roundup segment. The latest features host Erin Sparks and Creative Studio Producer Jacob Mann along with special guest Michael King, Managing Director of iPullRank. Here’s the bonus news roundup from Episode 361 of the award-winning EDGE of the Web podcast: 00:01:31 Spotify is testing interactive podcast ads so you never have to remember a promo code again From Ashley Carman on The Verge we learn that Spotify is testing interactive podcast ads so you never have to remember a promo code again. Spotify wants to ensure you never forget a podcast advertiser’s promo code again. The company announced today that it’s testing a new feature called “In-App Offers” that give podcasts the ability to keep an embedded link on their episode pages that, when tapped, leads to an advertiser’s webpage. That webpage will automatically load with the promo code inserted. This way, people don’t have to remember podcast ads’ promo codes or go out of their way to find an advertiser’s website. Erin Sparks: Gee, it’s almost as if the podcasting industry is beginning to mature. Michael King: This is a good move because so many people are getting into podcasting now and looking for how they can monetize it. So we’re going to see more of this as we go. Erin Sparks: This technology is only available for Spotify shows. So it could give them an edge on getting advertisers to spend on their shows over other platforms. It’s the aggregator platforms that have to do the insert ad technology. And then what could happen is a loss of audience on legacy platforms like iTunes that simply aren’t going to get into these more interactive ad technologies. 00:04:08 Correction: Apple Safari Will Not Block Google Analytics Tracking According to Matt Southern on Search Engine Journal, a Correction: Apple Safari Will Not Block Google Analytics Tracking. Apple’s next version of the Safari web browser, available in macOS Big Sur, will reportedly not block Google Analytics as was previously thought. Reports from several reputable developers indicate that Google Analytics will load and run on Safari 14 the same way it does on current versions of the browser. That means marketers will not be losing a whole segment of Google Analytics data from Safari users. Erin Sparks: Who in the world thought it would be a good idea to have a web browser that blocked Google Analytics? Michael King: I written a couple different articles about these kinds of moves. This sort of thing is going to happen. We’ve already seen how third party cookies are going to be blocked, right? The companies behind the browsers are getting on board with these developments, and it’s going to result in data monopolies in these big companies. These companies are the ones that have the first party data we all need, and by making these kinds of moves, it solidifies the rest of them being dependent on the data they hold. This particular move maybe has been rolled back by Safari, but make no mistakes it’s going to happen and it’s up to us to develop our own first-party data capabilities now. Erin Sparks: Could it get to the point where we have to pay these data monopolies to access our own first-party data that they hold? Michael King: Absolutely. And it may not come in the form of having to pay a fee to Google for Google Analytics. It’s more that if you want to have any understanding of your customers, you have to buy ads through these channels with these targeting vectors so you know who you’re actually capturing, otherwise you’re just not going to know what you need to know. Erin Sparks: And you won’t even know what you don’t know if it’s this whole patchwork of data from different entities you have to figure out how to tap into. Michael King: It’s going to be very fragmented by persona and campaign even within each platform. 00:10:37 Google launches Keen—a new app to help you spend more time doing what you love On IMPACT, John Becker reports on Google launches Keen—a new app to help you spend more time doing what you love. A new Google app called Keen, which sounds like a blend of Facebook Groups and Pinterest, purports to make it easier for you to learn more about what you love and connect with others who share your passions. Erin Sparks: Is this like some kind of attempt at a Google+ reboot? Michael King: It definitely feels like Google+ Circles again. The curation aspect is appealing. But personally speaking I can’t imagine myself ever using this. Erin Sparks: It feels like this was built and rolled out very quickly, maybe as a kind of response to so many people spending so much more time at home because of the pandemic. Like, “Let’s give them something to twiddle their thumbs with.” Michael King: It’s just not something that feels like it has legs or is going to last, so unless a real use case emerges, it’s not something I’m going to use. Connect with Michael King and iPullRank Twitter: @ipullrank (https://twitter.com/ipullrank) LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelkingphilly Website: https://ipullrank.com COVID-19 Marketing eBook: https://ipullrank.com/covid-19-marketing-resources/ Stay Up-To-Date with the EDGE Newsletter If you would benefit from our EDGE newsletter to stay on top of digital marketing news headlines, all you have to do is go to EDGEofthewebradio.com and you’ll see the subscribe box at the very top of the page. It’s FREE, and we will never use your email for anything except sending you the newsletter. You can also sign up by texting the word “EDGETalk” to 22828, but not while you’re driving! Enjoy these digital nuggets of gold from the EDGE – your source for digital marketing news.