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Weekly HK Digital Newsletter
'First Impression' by HK Digital delivers quick and insightful updates about the digital marketing industry straight to your inbox every Friday.
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5/23/25: DPAs on Reddit & Google Marketing Live
Google Marketing Live
Google is leaning further into... you guessed it... AI! It can almost sound exciting in a buttoned up presentation, but anyone who runs App or PMax campaigns is well aware of the limitations and frustrations.
AI Max for Search is the next testing grounds
Google AI Mode Traffic is Untrackable
Google’s newly launched AI Mode in Search isn’t passing referral data. That means it’s impossible to know how many clicks you got from AI Mode in you

HK Digital
May 23, 20252 min read


5/16/25: RIP Xandr, Peak Point YT Ads & Device Targeting for PMAX
RIP Xandr
Microsoft Advertising is closing its demand-side platform, with the online giant informing clients the ad tech unit no longer aligns with its AI priorities.
YT Tests "Peak Point" Ads
Gemini, Google’s AI, can identify parts of videos where viewer attention is at its highest, such as emotionally impactful moments, and suggest placing an ad after it, just as viewers are the most invested.
This could be a welcome boost to Creators and Advertisers, but le

HK Digital
May 16, 20252 min read


5/9/25: Google, Meta & TikTok News: Legal Landscape Changes for Big Tech
Another Bad Week for Google. In a court filing on Sunday, the DOJ said Google should divest its AdX exchange, where ad inventory is bought and sold. It should also sell its DFP platform, used by publishers to manage and serve ads. The sales would be overseen by a court-appointed trustee, who would find buyers and monitor compliance.
Cozying up to Trump (including a $1M donation to his inauguration fund) has not yet yielded any preferential treatment
TikTok Sale Deadline t

HK Digital
May 9, 20252 min read


5/2/25: Google Ads News & More: Google Ads Transparency & Falling Engagement
Google Engagement is Falling
Users are visiting Google more often but staying less. Total visits are up after AI Overviews launched in May 2024, but Time-on-site is flat or declining.
Google Ads Payment Profile Transparency
Starting today, Google is displaying the payer name – drawn from an advertiser’s payment profile – if it differs from their verified advertiser name. This can cause headaches for agency owned payment profiles that have not yet been updated.
Redd

HK Digital
May 2, 20252 min read


4/25/25: Google Ads & Meta Threads: Big Week for Threads and Search Changes
↕️ Google to Serve Ads in Top and Bottom Positions
Google will now allow relevant Search ads from advertisers who showed amongst top ads to also participate in the bottom ads auction. As a reminder, the definition of top ads changed about a year ago, as Google began mixing ads in various organic positions throughout the search results.
💥 Meta Expanding Ads to Threads
Threads feed will be default on within Advantage+ and Manual Placements for new campaigns leveraging select o

HK Digital
Apr 25, 20252 min read


4/18/25: Marketing to AI Agents & Google Antitrust: Google Paid Media News
4/18/25: Marketing to AI Agents & Google Antitrust

HK Digital
Apr 18, 20252 min read


Featured in USA TODAY: HK DIGITAL
HK Digital’s Direct-to-Expert Model Is Reshaping Digital Marketing
With a team of expert strategists executing campaigns, HK Digital offers a smarter, faster way to drive performance.

HK Digital
Apr 14, 20253 min read


4/11/25: Google Dings AI Content and Expands Discover to Desktop
Google to Punish AI Generated Content, BeReal Launches US Ad Platform, Google Expands Discover to Desktop

HK Digital
Apr 11, 20252 min read


4/4/25: TikTok Ban, Roblox & More: TikTok Ban Extended & Roblox Ads
Advertisers can buy Rewarded Video ads on Roblox via Google Ad Manager

HK Digital
Apr 4, 20251 min read


3/28/25: Meta, Google Ads & More: OG Facebook & Studio Ghibli
Meta Revamps Friends Tab to Bring Back 'OG Facebook'

HK Digital
Mar 28, 20252 min read


3/21/25: TikTok, DoorDash & More: AI Copyright Implications & Longer Ads on TikTok
“TikTok videos that are longer than one minute get 63.8% more watch time than videos in the 30-60 second range.”

HK Digital
Mar 21, 20252 min read


3/14/25: Facebook News & More: Meta Community Notes & Chrome Extension Crackdown
Brace yourself for a new influx of misleading posts on Facebook and IG, with Meta announcing that it’s launching Community Notes next week.

HK Digital
Mar 14, 20251 min read


3/7/25: Google PMAX Updates: AI Domination & PMax Channel Reporting
AI Will Soon Dominate Ad Buying, Whether Marketers Like It or Not
Tech giants want marketers to let go of control & trust their algorithm

HK Digital
Mar 7, 20252 min read


2/28/25: Google, YouTube & Skype: Google Search Losing Utility, Skype is Gone & YouTube Hits a Podcast Milestone
Pour one out for Skype, the internet-based phone and video service that was once the dominant way of staying connected in the mid 2000s will

HK Digital
Feb 28, 20251 min read


2/21/25: Google Ads News: Google RSA Updates & Walmart Forecasts
Google's update enhances ad flexibility, optimizing asset combinations dynamically to improve engagement, relevance, and performance.

HK Digital
Feb 21, 20251 min read


2/14/25: TikTok News: TikTok Reinstated & A Superbowl Win
TikTok reinstated in US app stores after assurance from the attorney general

HK Digital
Feb 14, 20251 min read


2/7/25: Pinterest News: Pinterest Reports Record Usage & The Superbowl
Pinterest reached a new high of 553 million monthly active in Q4, up 16 million on Q3.

HK Digital
Feb 7, 20251 min read


1/31/25: PMAX Google News, PMax Exclusions & DeepSeek
It's the first time OpenAI has brought reasoning capabilities to users of its free ChatGPT service

HK Digital
Jan 31, 20251 min read


1/17/25: Supreme Court Upholds TikTok Ban
Don't count TikTok out yet. The incoming administration appears to support TikTok and there is still the remote possibility of a buyout.

HK Digital
Jan 17, 20251 min read


1/10/25: Meta Ditches Fact-Checking & More Meta Facebook News
Meta is discontinuing its fact-checking program, and moving to an X-style “Community Notes”

HK Digital
Jan 10, 20251 min read
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