Mar 13 2017
Ryan Manchee

DIAL: Digital Innovations Awesome List (March)

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At Centro, we know that keeping up with the trade pubs and latest trends can be tough and time consuming. To make that easier, we've compiled all the articles, reports, and other bits of awesomeness you may have missed, but should definitely read. Enjoy our latest list below!

Programmatic Native Ads Are Growing, But Banner Habits Are Hard to Break
In the programmatic ad buying world, native ads are becoming a much larger part of the volume being traded on ad exchanges. But, so far, programmatic native ads remain a tiny slice of the overall advertising market, while widely derided banner ads continue to reign supreme. If native ads promise a better consumer experience, why have publishers and marketers been so slow to adapt?

Facebook Gives Advertisers Guarantees for Ads with Sound and More
In response to advertiser demand, Facebook has started offering new verification metrics for video ads, including the ability to only count views when the volume is on, measurement of MRC viewability standards, and the option to buy completed views (not just their previous 10 second version of a “completed" view).

Facebook is Giving All Advertisers Cross-Platform Stats in Its Latest Push for Transparency
Just when we thought the sun had set on Atlas, it appears again. This time, it's being added directly into Facebook's dash. TBD on whether this access to “advanced measurement" will give brands a clearer picture on how Facebook fits into the holistic attribution mix.

Facebook Debuts Video App for Apple TV and Amazon Fire TV
In February, Facebook announced they'd be rolling out their TV app for Apple, Chrome, Fire, and Samsung devices. It seems as though the roll out has already begun. Apple TV owners can now download the Facebook Video app. With Connected TV device ownership on the rise, it's no surprise Facebook is looking to capitalize on this trend by building new video apps for streaming. Social and TV continue to head straight for each other on a collision course.

Broadband Pay-TV (BPTV) is For Real
Though Google received lots of press about their recent YouTube TV announcement, it's certainly not the first skinny bundle service offering designed to appeal to the growing cord-cutter generation, and it definitely won't be the last.

The One Chart That Should Scare Snapchat Investors
The dancing ghost officially went public. There was much fanfare and an opening price of $24. However, there is one pesky problem. Since the launch of the clone product in Instagram, user growth on Snapchat has dropped pretty significantly. Signs point to 2017 being a bumpy year for Snap.

The Future of AI in Fashion
Read how fashion brands and retailers are leaving their old methods behind and embracing artificial intelligence and machine learning to track customer behavior and high and low-performing products to predict what new categories and pieces will sell.

Amazon Alexa Has 10,000 Skills, But That Growth Creates Challenges
Just 18 months after launch, Alexa has seen tremendous growth in its voice-controlled Skills topping the 10,000 mark. Yes, you heard that right. Many brands have been part of this rush, but Amazon is still quiet on where there may be paid media opportunities.

Netflix's Interactive Storylines Will Destroy Actors – and Relationships
The streaming service has announced that it will give viewers control of how stories unfold – the principle of the 80s choose-your-own-adventure books applied to the small screen. Netflix will launch the interactive storylines trial later this year, starting with a children's show.

March's DIAL is also available as a PDF. Download here!