YouTube advertises to advertisers
YouTube is running its first ad campaign aimed at marketers as it looks to convince them up spend more money with the video platform. The campaign, which is running across digital channels including Twitter and LinkedIn, features YouTube influencers and aims to showcase the types of audiences found on YouTube, including sports fans, gamers and young parents.

The campaign is set to run for six weeks, according to Ad Age, which means it will be airing during Ad Week New York. The decision to run a campaign aimed at advertisers comes after a number of marketers pulled ads from YouTube after the brand safety scandal, which saw brands’ ads appearing next to unsavoury content.

While most advertisers are now back advertising, there are still some, including Marks & Spencer, which are waiting for more safeguards before returning to the site.

Apple suffers major leak ahead of latest iPhone launch
Apple has suffered a major leak, with details of the new iPhone, which is set to be unveiled tomorrow (12 September), revealed. The documents reference the iPhone X, a further sign that Apple intends to unveil a high-end model that could cost more than £1,000. More incremental updates for the iPhone 7 range are also expected.

There are also suggestions the phone could include Face ID and ‘Animoji’ – animated emojis including monkeys and robots that mirror a user’s facial expression.

Apple hopes that by launching a top range model it can help boost growth in the smartphone market, which has plateaued as markets such as Europe and the US near saturation. Dixons Carphone recently issued a profit warning, saying smartphone owners are now keeping their phones for longer than they used to.

New formats to drive digital display above search spend for the first time
Social media in-feed ads, online video and other digital formats such as paid content and native advertising will drive growth in the global ad industry over the next few years. According to Zenith Optimedia, they will drive 14% annual growth in display advertising between 2016 and 2019, with total display spend to be $126bn in 2019. It will then account for 50.4% of internet ad spend, the first time it has overtaken search.

However, it is a different story in the UK, where search will continue to dominate. Display has an unusually low share of the digital ad market in the UK because ecommerce rates are so high.

Overall, Zenith estimates the global ad market will grow 4.0% to $558bn by the end of 2017, down fractionally from a previous forecast of 4.2%. The UK is expected to see a sharp slowdown, with growth estimated at just 0.7% this year compared to 7.3% in 2016.

Marmite launches biggest ever campaign to attract new generation

Marmite is launching its biggest marketing campaign to-date that aims to challenge consumers to ‘Just Try It’. The £3m campaign went live over the weekend on TV and is running online and on social media.

It follows a piece of “ground-breaking” research that found there are genetic reasons why some people love Marmite and others hate it. The brand is offering Marmite DNA kits so people can discover if they were born to love or hate the brand, while a facial recognition app will measure their facial expressions as they taste the product.

Philippa Atkinson, Marmite brand manager at Unilever UK, says: “We want to encourage families across Britain to try Marmite with our biggest-ever campaign. For the first time, we are able to understand the role of genetics in influencing consumer taste preference for Marmite and retailers can really benefit from the greater sales opportunities presented with The Marmite Gene Project.”

Samsung Note sales soar despite recall scandal
Pre-sales of the new Samsung Note 8 are soaring, suggesting the brand is in rude health despite its predecessor, the Note 7, being hit by a recall scandal after some of the devices were found to catch fire or explode. The company says more US customers have pre-ordered the Note 8 than any of the previous devices.

The Note 8 has a hefty $930 price tag, but Samsung has looked to lure customers with deals such as a free Gear 360 camera or wireless charging bundle. Owners of the Note 7 were also offered big discounts if they traded in their old device.