Digital Marketing News: Facial Recognition Tool Allows Dogs to Shop Online

Every week we’re collecting a host of links, videos, and assorted analysis on the ever-changing world of digital marketing. We invite you to skim, share, analyze, argue, and refute – just so long as you don’t get embarrassed at the water cooler again. Here are the latest digital marketing news and trends for the week of May 3, 2019.

Google to Let Users Automatically Delete Location and Activity Data

Google introduced on Wednesday settings that allow users to automatically delete location and activity data. Product managers David Monsees and Marlo McGriff published a post on the Google blog announcing the new controls, a response to users’ privacy concerns.

“We work to keep your data private and secure, and we’ve heard your feedback that we need to provide simpler ways for you to manage or delete it,” the duo says in the post.

The new feature allows users to automatically delete location and activity data after a certain period of time. Any data recorded after this set time is automatically deleted from their account.

This feature is a moral victory for users, but how Google and other data collectors balance user privacy concerns with advertising profits will continue to be an interesting battle.

Spotify Testing Voice-Enabled Ads

Spotify announced Thursday that it’s testing ads that allow users to interact through voice commands. These ads are served to non-premium users in the form of a suggested playlist. If users respond by saying “play now”, the user is taken to a branded playlist where more ads can be served. If the user doesn’t respond, their music or podcast resumes as usual.

Interrupting a music or podcast experience with an ad is a difficult tactic to execute, but this experiment shows Spotify is dedicated to providing a unique experience in its ad-supported streaming service. This could be valuable to advertisers who are looking for all available avenues to grab the attention of consumers.

Facial Recognition Tool Allows Dogs to Shop Online

A pet shop chain in Brazil says it has developed a facial recognition tool that will let dogs browse for new toys online, just like their owners. Petz has come up with Pet-Commerce, which combines artificial intelligence with facial recognition to identify pet reactions to specific products.

The tool requires a a device to be held in front of the dog’s face, which analyzes the pet’s reaction based on how they hold their head, among other factors. Products labeled in red indicate a toy the dog isn’t interested in. Products in green indicate a toy that captures their attention. Based on the facial analysis, each item is rated on a scale of one to five bones. Just don’t let your good boy get carried away.