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🎶 Music to my ears: Spotify drops AI ads, an ad exchange, and smarter tracking
At the Spotify Advance event on April 2, 2025, Spotify introduced “Spotify Gen AI Ads,” a new tool that uses generative AI to help advertisers create high-quality audio ads. The tool allows advertisers in the U.S. and Canada (for now) to generate scripts and voiceovers at no extra cost. Spotify also launched the Spotify Ad Exchange (SAX), giving advertisers access to its ad formats via platforms like Google’s Display & Video 360 and Magnite. To improve campaign performance, Spotify rolled out enhanced measurement tools, including an updated Brand Lift and partnerships with third-party services DoubleVerify and AppsFlyer. These updates aim to make Spotify’s ad solutions more flexible, efficient, and data-driven.
👉 Check out the full announcement in the Spotify Newsroom
📹 LinkedIn tests ‘Video Trends’ feature to boost user engagement
LinkedIn is testing a new “Video Trends” feature in the U.S. to tap into the rising popularity of video content, which has seen a 36% year-over-year increase in watch time. The goal is to deliver timely, relevant videos that encourage more interaction on the platform. This move is part of LinkedIn’s broader strategy to evolve beyond networking and job-hunting, positioning itself as a content-driven platform that rewards quality creators. By leaning into video, LinkedIn aims to attract a wider creator base and stay competitive with platforms like TikTok.
👉 Hopefully, after reading the article on socialmediatoday.com, your watch time jumps by 36% too. Also… why don’t they ever test these features in Europe?
🦙 WhA(I)t will we see from our friends at META?
In a recent Instagram Reel, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced the release of Llama 4, the latest iteration of Meta’s open-source AI models. Llama 4 introduces models like Scout and Maverick, designed to outperform competitors in reasoning and coding tasks. These models are now accessible via Meta AI across platforms like WhatsApp, Messenger, and Instagram Direct. Zuckerberg highlighted Llama 4 as a major milestone for both Meta AI and the open-source community, aiming to make advanced AI tools more widely available.
👉 Check the full reel from Mark Zuckerberg on Instagram.
🎬 YouTube shorts steps up with new features as TikTok faces 75-day ban
YouTube Shorts is rolling out enhanced features to compete with TikTok, including an improved video editor that lets creators adjust clip timing, rearrange or remove clips, add music, and preview content. Creators can now generate custom AI stickers using text prompts and add image stickers directly from their photo galleries. A new auto-sync feature matches video clips to the rhythm of selected songs, making editing smoother and faster. Updated templates also allow users to include photos and effects, making it easier to jump on viral trends.
These upgrades aim to attract creators to YouTube Shorts, especially since TikTok faces an uncertain future in the U.S., with a 75-day extension on the proposed ban announced three days ago. TikTok, TikTok, stop the clock…
👉 Read more on TechCrunch
🕰️ seven39: a nostalgic social media experience with a time limit
seven39 is an experimental social media platform that operates from 7:39 PM to 10:39 PM ET daily, aiming to recreate the communal online experiences of the late ’90s and early 2000s. Users can post updates, share images, and interact with others in a chronological, ad-free feed with a 200-character limit per post. The platform fosters a close-knit community where users engage in casual conversations, share memes, and post pet photos, reminiscent of early internet forums. Created by Mark Lyons, the platform encourages users to be online simultaneously, promoting meaningful interactions and reducing endless scrolling. This approach offers a refreshing alternative to the always-on nature of contemporary social platforms and fits the current discourse around social media platforms and their addictive behaviours, if you ask this screen junkie for an opinion on it.
👉For more details, check out The Verge
🗓️ Newsjacking opportunities
Opportunities to celebrate this week:
- Wed 9 Apr: Poop day (NL) 💩
- Thu 10 Apr: International Day of Awesomeness 🤩
- Fri 11 Apr: Cheese Fondue Day 🫕
- Sat 12 Apr: Space Exploration Day 🚀
- Sun 13 Apr: World Scrabble day 🧩
- Mon 14 Apr: International Moment of Laughter Day 😂
- Tue 15 Apr: World Art Day 🎨
And next…
- Wed 16 Apr – International Voice Day 🗣️
- Thu 17 Apr – High Five Day ✋
- Fri 18 Apr – International Jugglers Day 🤹
- Sat 19 Apr – Banana Day 🍌
- Sun 20 Apr – Easter 🐰
- Mon 21 Apr – World Creativity and Innovation Day 💡
- Tue 22 Apr – Earth Day 🌍
Anything else you would like to discuss and see for next week’s social newsflash? Just share it with me via e-mail or slide in my LinkedIn comments or DM.
And don’t forget to subscribe to our Weekly Social Round Up newsletter so you get this delivered directly into your inbox each week!
Until the next one. XoXo, Erik 👋
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