New Google Analytics Feature, X’s Super Bowl Performance & Meta Battles Apple Over the App Store

Google Analytics’ crystal ball, Super Bowl bot-gate, and Meta’s Apple-shaped detour, on this week’s Marketing Minute.

Google Analytics Introduces Trend Change Direction

Google Analytics introduced “Trend Change Detection.” which is a handy new tool that uses AI to identify sudden shifts in your traffic, conversions, and engagement. Marketers who use GA4 should familiarize themselves with these new alerts to help spot important trends and avoid panicking over random dips.

X’s Super Bowl Traffic Appears to be Bot Heavy

X’s claimed it received brag-worthy user activity during this year’s Super Bowl, but hold your applause. Cybersecurity firm CHEQ claims a large chunk of that traffic was, shall we say, artificially inflated. It turns out, bots may have been more excited than real people. So if you’re judging your campaigns on X by engagement, impressions or clicks, you may want to think again.

Meta Unhappy Over Apple’s Upcoming Fee on In-App Purchases

Meta’s not happy about Apple’s upcoming 30% fee on in-app purchases. Its solution? Encourage iPhone users to boost posts through its website instead of via the app. Clever? Maybe. Convenient? Not so much. Users are understandably confused, and the whole situation adds fuel to the ongoing battle between tech giants. Stay tuned for the next round!