About that potential supply shock from the Suez:

Freight prices are set to jump Monday, while longer transit times around Africa are disrupting and delaying deliveries of products.

“The rerouting of vessels is leading to longer transit times and increased costs,” Jon Gold, vice president of supply chain at the National Retail Federation, told CNBC. “Unfortunately, the longer the disruptions occur, the more challenges will arise in ensuring supply chain reliability and efficiency.”

via CNBC

I’ve seen this idea proved out in client accounts.

UGC-like ads see up to a 29% increase in web conversions (AdWeek).

UGC content generates 4x higher click-through rates and a 50% drop in cost-per-click (AdWeek).

The overly polished Instagram aesthetic is dead. The age of “authenticity” is upon us.

via Buyology

This is interesting:

Netflix is seeing strong growth of its advertising-based plan, having recently eclipsed 23 million global monthly active users
…
The new 23 million-plus figure comes after Netflix a little over two months ago said its ad-supported tier had over 15 million monthly active users

Kash’s garden

She doesn’t grow plants.

The plants grow themselves.

Her job is to create conditions for the plants to grow.

The soil, the water, the light, the weeds… these are the conditions.

As marketers, we can’t always dictate the core conditions—the product, pricing, processes, customer care.

But we can create conditions that maximize the potential for growth and success.

You might not have picked the plants, but you can give them the best conditions to grow.

The arc of clarity bends toward simplicity.

-Rohan Rajiv

Hike Picasso’s Hill

Write like you’re human

Be comfortable with “I don’t know”

This: US credit card balances hit a new record as delinquencies rise in the background
+
The potential for more Fed rate hikes (could overconfidence in coming cuts actually cause the need for hikes?)
+
An election year

Could be a formula for economic performance based on vibes

A still-in-progress big list of digital ad specs to maximize your creative’s usefulness, minimize your work.

Or; how to repurpose your ad assets across digital platforms without having to resize.

Customer service is a choice

It’s either part of your strategy or you’re paying for your mistake.

Great customer service is expensive, but it’s also free. It’s free because delighting a customer who has an issue is the single cheapest way to not only keep that customer, but also have them spread the word.

Everything is customer service

As AI continues to takeover many of the tasks that marketers thought made up their "secret sauce," our creative increasingly becomes our most impactful lever for success (remember, a computer vision breakthrough sparked the current AI wave).

Problem is, every platform has their own aspect ratios, recommendations, and minimum sizes. But! That doesn't mean assets can't be used across platforms.

Here is a list of the sizes you'll get the most cross-platform mileage from.

Note: this post is a work-in-progress. It will be expanded with more platforms and recommendations over time.

IMAGES

1200x1200

• Google Ads
• Meta
• Pinterest Shopping Collection pin hero
• Spotify

1080x1350

• Google

1200x628

• Google Ads
• Meta - search and right column placements

900x1600

• Google Ads
• Meta - any messaging/context must be included in the asset (Story placements do not display any text fields from Ads Manager if the asset is fullscreen)

960x1200

• Google Ads

1000x1500

• Pinterest - with CTA and any messaging/context included in the asset (direct link clicks mean users will not see any of the Pin text)

300x60

• Companion banner asset for YouTube ads

VIDEOS

1200x1200

• Meta (can be gif or video file format. An animated gif uploaded as an image won't animate.)
• Pinterest max width video

1080x1920

• YouTube Shorts
• Meta vertical placements
• Pinterest
• TikTok
• Spotify Video Takeover