July's Leading Marketing Trends Analysis and a Preview of August's Marketing Horizon
Top Performance Marketing Trends for Q3 2023
As we move into the heart of the year, performance marketing strategies are evolving to capitalise on the unique opportunities presented by various platforms. Here's a roundup of the key trends and strategies that are shaping the landscape for Meta, TikTok, Google, YouTube, Pinterest, and more.
Meta
Meta remains a powerhouse in the world of performance marketing, with 99% of its revenue coming from advertising. To stand out, marketers should introduce new ideas or products to browsing audiences with inspirational or entertaining creatives, leveraging Meta's rapidly growing ad revenue and advanced targeting options. With a reach of 2.36 billion people worldwide, Meta is essential for brand awareness and direct response efforts.
TikTok
TikTok's rapid user growth and high engagement make it a top platform for performance marketing. Brands are increasingly investing in TikTok’s ad platform, with sophisticated targeting options such as age, gender, location, interests, and purchase intent. Short-form video ads and large-scale user-generated content (UGC) campaigns are highly effective, as demonstrated by Petco’s UGC campaign which reached 67 million people.
Google excels at capturing high-intent search traffic and is best used when the audience is actively searching for solutions. Google's diversified business model provides resilience, but for performance marketing, it's the direct response capability on Google Search and YouTube that matters most. Advertisers should be direct and goal-oriented with messaging on Google.
YouTube
YouTube likely has the largest active audience globally, making it crucial for video ads and audience targeting. Brands saw their CPVs drop by up to 40% YoY on YouTube Shorts in July, making it an attractive option for lead generation.
Pinterest appeals to specific demographics, making it valuable for brands targeting lifestyle, shopping, and visual inspiration markets. Its performance marketing is driven by visual search and shoppable pins, blending discovery with action. Pinterest also made quiet but meaningful moves in July, rolling out new catalogue-powered ad formats and enhanced audience segmentation tools for e-commerce.
Key Strategies
- Data-Driven Decision Making: Utilize real-time performance data from platforms like Google Ads and Meta Ads to optimize campaigns on the fly.
- Platform-Specific Content: Use inspirational, entertaining content on Meta and TikTok versus direct, solution-based messaging on Google.
- Focus Budgets: Concentrate spend initially on the platform best matching customer intent and optimize before expanding budgets.
- Leverage Video and UGC: Prioritize short-form videos (TikTok, YouTube) and user-generated content campaigns to boost engagement and reach.
- AI and Automation: Emerging trends in 2025 strongly emphasize generative AI for content creation and campaign optimization, accelerating performance marketing efficiency.
Other Platforms
Snapchat, Reddit, and Amazon DSP are worth watching as platforms with new features that make them easier to test into. LinkedIn's CPCs are painful but retargeting flows built from high-intent channels are delivering excellent ROI in the B2B and SaaS industry. SMS acquisition is outperforming email for calendar-based activations in the food and drink industry.
Special Dates
August 15 is National Relaxation Day, suitable for self-care, beauty, wellness, supplements, or "slow living" themes. August 19 is World Photography Day, a chance to spotlight UGC, creator content, or behind-the-scenes visuals. August 25-31 is the Back to School Activation Window, a big opportunity for planners, productivity tools, kid-focused brands, or home organization products. August 26 is the Summer Bank Holiday (UK), suitable for bundle promos, content refreshes, or "long weekend" CTAs. August 8 is International Cat Day, perfect for pet brands, lifestyle creators, and playful tone-of-voice moments.
In periods of fluctuating paid performance, retention channels should be highlighted. Brands are shifting focus towards first-party data and creative CRM journeys to increase repeat purchases and build loyal advocacy. The use of AI for insight generation, creative production, and testing and learning loops can accelerate strategic work.
Overall, Q3 2023’s top performance marketing approach is to align creative and ad strategies precisely with platform-specific user behaviors and intents while exploiting advanced targeting and AI-powered insights to maximize ROI.
- In the realm of performance marketing, leveraging technology's advancements for creative AI content generation and campaign optimization could significantly boost returns for both TikTok and Meta's inspirational, entertaining content, as well as solve-oriented messaging on Google.
- As we consider lifestyle trends, Pinterest, with its focus on visual search and shoppable pins, aligns well with technology's evolution to blend discovery with action, offering a unique opportunity for brands catering to shopping, lifestyle, and visual inspiration markets.
