Roku to launch in-house branded content: The streaming-first branded ad studio is Roku’s latest move to ramp up its advertising segment as marketer interest in CTV booms.
Microsoft wants to buy Discord: It’s the tech giant’s third attempt at tapping into a younger user base, but the third time could be the charm—Discord has a lot of synergies with Microsoft’s existing communications and gaming services.
Once relegated to the children’s market, virtual characters are entering the mainstream in China. Fictional as these digitally rendered avatars may be, they hold real jobs, from pop star to influencer, to even news anchor. And they’re becoming increasingly interactive and humanlike, thanks to improvements in technologies such as AI, motion capture, and virtual reality (VR). Recent advancements in augmented reality (AR), in particular, have enabled virtual avatars to step out of social media and make live appearances alongside flesh-and-blood celebrities.
Pandora outpaces Spotify for brand recognition in US
A less global set of Olympic fans: Olympic organizers have banned foreign spectators from attending the games in Japan this summer, and there are two questions marketers should consider in response to this decision.
Never one to miss a wave, Facebook experiments with audio: As expected, the company is working on its own Clubhouse rival as companies double down on social audio.
Twitter opts for community input in dealing with prominent figures: The platform is surveying its users globally for ideas on how to best moderate world leaders in a process reminiscent of Facebook’s development of its Oversight Board.
DoorDash is dominating the digital food fight