This week in martech

Tumblr announces new advocacy program to support marginalized groups

Social platform Tumblr has launched a new social program called LOUDR, that pledges 10% of its top advertising unit to promote non-profit advocacy organizations. The focus will be on supporting BIPOC, LGBTQ and mental health advocacy groups. 

The initiative was launched in conjunction with two national nonprofits, Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation and National Alliance for Media Literacy Education. LOUDR will also focus on emerging non-profit organizations to give them a major platform and national resources. 

Why we care.  Tumblr sets a good example by taking a concrete action to promote voices of diversity and inclusion.

Amazon dominated Black Friday with nearly 20% market share

According to Numerator, a data and tech research company, for the first time Amazon had the highest share of spend over Thanksgiving/Black Friday weekend, from Thursday to Sunday, with nearly a 20% market share. Amazon had a market share increase of 7.4% to 19% of total spend compared to 11.7% in 2019.

Brick and mortar store spending decreased to 62% from 75% in 2019, while major online retailers like Walmart, Target and Costco all had less than one percent increase in online spending. Millennials were the leading online buyers at 47% of spend. 

Find out more about the growth in holiday online shopping. 

Why we care. As Amazon gobbles up market share, brand marketers need to enhance their D2C strategies if they’re not just going to go along for the ride. 

Spiceworks Ziff Davis announces acquisition of Aberdeen

B2B technology marketplace Spiceworks Ziff Davis has announced an agreement to acquire Aberdeen, a firm that offers intent-targeted media, independent industry research and demand generation programs. 

Spiceworks Ziff Davis has a monthly reach of over 70 million into the IT purchasing community, and this acquisition will match that audience with Aberdeen’s highly scaled intent data. In the short-term Spiceworks Ziff Davis has assigned Aberdeen to operate as a wholly-owned independent subsidiary. 

Why we care. The B2B marketing of technology ought to be high-tech in itself. This acquisition should help identify accounts which are truly in market for platforms and solutions.

Avantia announces results from new proprietary machine learning tool

Technology-based insurance provider Avantia has recently announced that their new proprietary machine learning tool MarPod, which is designed to forecast customer value, has been able to increase Google Ad spend ROI by 40 percent since it was launched six months ago. It has also increased Avantia’s conversion rate by 12 percent. 

MarPod gives real-time data for individual customers so marketers can customize discount codes and offers based on segmentation. It also has the capability to customize messaging to website visitors that originate from aggregators. 

Why we care. Technologies which enable customized messaging to prospects, and demonstrate an increase in conversions (or other desired outcomes) as a result, will be increasingly important as digital marketers seek to be heard above the noise.

New social media network launched for BIPOC community

Jefferi K. Lee, former VP of BET Networks, is set to launch a new social media app at the beginning of 2021. RepItSocial is targeted at individuals in the Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) community. With annual spending power well over $13 trillion, One of Lee’s, D’Oyen Fraser, said in a statement: “This social media network embodies the fresh mindset, voice, and energy of this new generation.“ 

“BIPOC is not just a group of people, it is a movement, an awakening across the globe that we are more powerful together,” Lee said. “The timing is ripe for a new kind of social network—one that acknowledges the shared experiences, lifestyle and culture of BIPOC.” It’s also a community which spends some $13 trillion on products and services annually. 

Why we care. RepItSocial has the potential to become an important new channel for reaching an important audience. 

About The Author

Kim Davis

Kim Davis is the Editorial Director of MarTech Today. Born in London, but a New Yorker for over two decades, Kim started covering enterprise software ten years ago. His experience encompasses SaaS for the enterprise, digital- ad data-driven urban planning, and applications of SaaS, digital technology, and data in the marketing space. He first wrote about marketing technology as editor of Haymarket’s The Hub, a dedicated marketing tech website, which subsequently became a channel on the established direct marketing brand DMN. Kim joined DMN proper in 2016, as a senior editor, becoming Executive Editor, then Editor-in-Chief a position he held until January 2020. Prior to working in tech journalism, Kim was Associate Editor at a New York Times hyper-local news site, The Local: East Village, and has previously worked as an editor of an academic publication, and as a music journalist. He has written hundreds of New York restaurant reviews for a personal blog, and has been an occasional guest contributor to Eater.