Why isn't Google or Facebook threatened by Amazon's projected $8 billion ad business in 2019? Because they will be playing in different playgrounds...
Instagram Is Turning into Facebook and That's Bad
Summary: Instagram is getting transformed into many of the facets its big brother Facebook has: ads are increasing in frequency, seeing recommended content from people you don't know, and even showing when users were last active.
Opinion: This article was the opinion of the author, and I agree with many of the points made. Instagram was built as a different platform from Facebook, and it's why its popularity grew. Morphing it into another version of Facebook will strip away the reason why people use Instagram.
Summary: At a projected $8 billion in revenue by 2019, Amazon's ad business still isn't a threat to Google or Facebook. Why? Because as Google and Facebook are looking to pull dollars from traditional media spending and digital ad budgets, Amazon is focused on the trade promotions arena (think in-store promotions, coupons, and samples).
Opinion: With the mass amount of data Amazon already has on its customers, moving into this new ad world can surge new life into the trade promotions arena by expanding advertisers spends in this area.
Summary: Snapchat has launched a store in its platform, which you can find by searching for it or via Snapcode. You can buy t-shirts, hats, and merchandise with Snap branding on it.
Opinion: I've never been a fan of buying clothing or merchandise that sports a brand's name. I feel like I should be paid to advertise for them instead of the other way around, but, hey, if it's your thing, the Store is waiting for you.
