CDP Institute

Unpack that Sexy Librarian costume: International Fact-Checking Day is April 2 and the party planning is in full swing.  Google is adding to the fun with five new ways to verify search results, including easier ways to learn more about the source and the author, see diverse opinions, and be warned when available information is limited.  They’re also partnering with the Public Library Association, Teen Fact Checking Network, and International Fact-Checking Network to support year-round fact-checking excitement.

True fact: Mark Twain never said “A lie can travel half way around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes.” But, whether it’s true or false, data sloshes around world today as easily as the tides – unless government regulations get in the way.  Data protection vendor Protegrity just launched a “borderless data solution” that helps companies move their data without breaking the rules.

It’s true that messaging platform Klaviyo has a vested interest in promoting email and SMS, but that’s no reason to question their survey finding that email is the most widely used ecommerce marketing channel – if just barely beating organic social, paid social, and SEO.  Email also tops the ROI rankings, although paid search and paid social account for a larger share of marketing budgets.  Klaviyo also reports strong growth for SMS, although it’s in the middle of most of the rankings.

U.S. consumers haven’t shown much interest in buying on social media platforms but they’ll still respond to social media ads so long as they can complete the purchase elsewhere.  Snap seems to have recognized the distinction by partnering with Kargo Commerce, whose specialty is dynamic creative optimization.

Instacart has been building out its marketing solutions for some time now, taking advantage of its direct connection with consumers as they plan their grocery purchases.  The company has added new options for marketing campaigns and loyalty programs, including an option to join a grocer’s new loyalty program from within the Instacart app itself.  It has also added three service tiers, from self-serve to strategic partnerships, to help grocery marketers with different levels of need.

The European Commission has published new rules penalizing companies for false environmental claims, although some critics say the rules are too watered down to matter.  But maybe companies don’t need to make the claims at all: GfK found that more than half of consumers couldn’t name any brand that is working to improve the environment, and that companies with poor records are viewed as favorably as companies with good ones.  Go figure.

I can’t bring myself to lead with yet another generative AI story, so we’ll start instead with this Forrester report for Airtable, which found that organizations have lots of software applications.  The average is 367 in use at large organizations, with teams using an average of 45 daily and individuals using an average of 52 weekly.  No surprise here but a good reminder of why data integration is so important.

Data integration is one of the more promising uses for generative AI, although it doesn’t get as a much attention as search or content creation.  SnapLogic is staking its claim by opening a waitlist for SnapGPT, which will integrate and automate business processes using natural language prompts.  Removing that bottleneck could all sorts of floodgates, including some that might best remain shut.

When it comes to bad ideas, letting ChatGPT loose to read the entire Internet could rank with the worst.  OpenAI has so far avoided that one, but they are offering controlled extensions of the system’s knowledge base by adding third-party plugins for data from selected partners.  Initial sources include Expedia, FiscalNote, Instacart, KAYAK, Klarna, Milo, OpenTable, Shopify, Slack, Speak, Wolfram, and Zapier, which all sound pretty benign although Zapier could be a gateway to pretty much anything.

Deep thinkers in the advertising world recognize that a single ad is rarely the only reason someone makes a purchase. But one-touch attribution is irresistibly simple. Sam’s Club has just announced it will link in-store purchases to online search ads within its retail ad network, giving many marketers what they want even if they know better.

Sam’s Club parent Walmart is expanding its own retail media offerings through a deal with Innovid, which specializes in delivering connected TV ads. Innovid technology will power Walmart DSP, which helps people buy ads on the Walmart Connect retail media network. The deal covers ads targeted at Walmart customers but delivered outside of Walmart’s own website.

It’s not all good news in retail media land. Gap is shutting down its retail media network, according to press reports. The troubled retailer will focus its resources on more pressing issues such as logistics and fulfillment.