Consumers speak out on brand activism and Intuit finds a novel way to gather Gen Z data: Datacenter Weekly

Welcome to Ad Age Datacenter Weekly, our data-obsessed newsletter for marketing and media professionals. Intuit does AI-powered ‘aura readings’—and captures first-party Gen Z data along the way “Over the past two months, financial software company Intuit has been racking up Gen Z engagement—and first-party data—through generative AI-powered aura readings,” Ad Age’s Asa Hiken reports. The details: “Users submit a selfie, answer a few questions on their attitudes toward money (i.e. ‘What is your spending style?’) and out pops a Pixar-like rendition of the user emanating the colors of their ‘financial aura’—a play on the spiritual belief that a body of energy surrounds one’s physical body,” Hiken notes. “According to Intuit’s interpretations, swirls of orange represent ‘radiant positivity attracting fiscal success,’ while tendrils of purple reflect keen market perspectives.” Essential context: “The readings, along with the AI-generated portraits, created a buzz amongst Gen Z consumers, which accounted for 61% of the total audience, per Movement Strategy, a social media agency that worked on the effort. ... Intuit’s campaign comes as more brands are starting to use AI-powered experiences to draw first-party data from consumers. Doritos recently asked gamers to hand over their names and emails in exchange for a software download that silences the crunchiness of eating chips. Burger King also ran a campaign last month that traded an AI experience for personal information.” Keep reading here. Ad Age World’s Largest Advertisers 2023 Ad spending, rankings and analysis for the top 100 advertisers Click here Macroeconomic news and data in a nutshell • “US applications for jobless benefits inch down, remain at historically healthy levels,” per the Associated Press • “Powell says Fed is ‘not confident’ it has done enough to bring inflation down,” CNBC reports • “The cracks in the housing market are growing larger as sellers slash prices, Redfin says. But beware the all-cash bids,” from Fortune • ICYMI: “US ad employment is now at an all-time high,” from Ad Age DatacenterAlso see: Layoffs and budget cuts—tracking economic moves and news More young consumers want brands to take stands on social, corporate and cultural issues “A majority of Americans say brands should not take stands on social, corporate or cultural issues—but a desire for companies to speak out is rising, especially among younger generations, according to a new report from Morning Consult,” Ad Age’s Erika Wheless reports. The details: “The report is based on a survey of roughly 20,000 U.S. adults between August 2019 and Sept. 2023,” Wheless notes. “In 2023, the survey found that 53% of respondents said corporations should not get involved in political or cultural issues, while almost 30% said corporations should take a stand. In 2019, 61% of respondents said corporations should not get involved while 19% said they should take a stand, according to the survey. (The remaining respondents said they don’t care or don’t know.)” Essential context: “Among millennials and Gen Z, 41% say corporations should use their influence to impact political and corporate issues, up from 27% in 2019,” Wheless adds. “Support among Gen X and baby boomers is also growing but remains well below 50%—just 17% of boomers are supportive, while support among Gen X is at 23%. For marketers speaking to a broad audience, this presents a damned if you do, damned if you don’t scenario.” Keep reading here. Become an All Access subscriber Get access to exclusive resources including Leading National Advertisers, World’s Largest Advertisers, Agency Report, Agency Review Tracker and TV Pricing Report. Click here Gauging the health of TV advertising—linear vs. streaming “This quarter’s financial reports from media giants tell a tale of two worlds: a diminishing linear TV ad model versus opportunities to grow in streaming,” Ad Age’s Parker Herren reports. “Rather than signaling diminishing market health, the diverging revenue streams might help media companies determine how to best capitalize on evolving consumer behaviors in TV.” The details: “Warner Bros. Discovery’s TV network ad revenue declined 13% year over year on a constant currency basis in the third quarter, while its streaming ad revenue for Max and Discovery+ grew 29%,” Herren notes. “At Paramount, ad revenue for its TV media segment declined 14% year over year, while ad revenue for its streaming platforms, including Paramount+ and Pluto TV, grew 18%. ... Disney’s fiscal fourth-quarter earnings showed a similar divide between its linear and streaming assets—linear domestic operating income declined 5% compared to last year’s fourth quarter, which the company attributed to lower impressions on ABC.” Essential context: “Still, TV companies’ linear ad revenues are in total substantially higher than their streaming ad revenues,” Herren notes. Keep reading here. Ad Age Leading National Advertisers 2023 Ad spending, rankings and analysis for the biggest marketers and brands Enter here Just briefly • “Debunking the Myth of ‘Anonymous’ Data,” from the Electronic Frontier Foundation • “OpenAI seeks partnerships to generate AI training data,” Reuters reports • “US population likely to shrink by 2100: Census data,” per The Hill • ICYMI: “What brands are actually willing to pay Instagram influencers”—the Nov. 3 edition of Datacenter Weekly The newsletter is brought to you by Ad Age Datacenter, the industry’s most authoritative source of competitive intel and home to the Ad Age Leading National Advertisers, the Ad Age Agency Report: World’s Biggest Agency Companies and other exclusive data-driven reports. Access or subscribe to Ad Age Datacenter at AdAge.com/Datacenter. Ad Age Datacenter is Kevin Brown, Bradley Johnson and Joy R. Lee. Become an All Access subscriber Get access to exclusive resources including Leading National Advertisers, World’s Largest Advertisers, Agency Report, Agency Review Tracker and TV Pricing Report. Click here

Consumers speak out on brand activism and Intuit finds a novel way to gather Gen Z data: Datacenter Weekly

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