Spotify joins the vertical video trend

Welcome to Wednesday. Do you wish your podcasts came with vertical video content? Well, then does Spotify have a treat for you.

The New Spotify Discovery Feed Uses Vertical Video

Spotify has launched TikTok-esque “discovery” feeds for music and podcasts in its app. No doubt this is due to the metrics surrounding vertical video—“90% of vertical videos have a higher watch completion rate compared to horizontal ones.” Spotify also says it’ll help musicians and podcasters to connect their audio and video content.

This comes after Spotify has integrated Anchor.fm into Spotify for Podcasters to create “one free, all-in-one podcast tool built to help creators of all levels make and manage a podcast.” It’s also in conjunction with the news YouTube Shorts’ ad payouts are actually costing creators money—meaning more creators might shift to Spotify with their vertical video content.

Everyone is copying TikTok’s vertical videos, which is a great thing for marketers wishing to repurpose ads. And the verdict’s still out on how exactly ads will be integrated into Spotify’s discovery feed and what the ad buy will be like.

QuickBooks Shines Spotlight on Small Businesses in This Year's Oscar-Nominated Films

QuickBooks is leveraging social media for a new campaign. It launched an interactive social media campaign titled “Small Business Spotting” to highlight any real small businesses that appeared in 2023 Oscar-nominated films.

Of course, the campaign is timed to the Oscars and plays on the increased popularity of “film tourism”—when film buffs visit the real-life locations from their favorite flicks. In 2022, film tourism was a $66 billion industry. And according to FMI, it’s expected to climb to $128 billion by 2032.

This is a brilliant way to engage the large demographic of movie-lovers and to also entice small businesses to use QuickBooks. After all, small businesses might get some free marketing from future QuickBooks initiatives, and QuickBooks is creating a community for these small businesses’ customers.

Around the Web

• Amazon Prime teamed with Olivia Wilde to embrace body hair.

• CMO Fernando Machado leaves Blizzard for Global Food Tech Unicorn, NotCo.

• Leagues and brands are brainstorming new ways to support women’s sports.

• Aéropostale is entering the metaverse in style.

• Martech and ad-tech startups might lose funding prospects because of the Silicon Valley Bank debacle.

Just Can’t Get Enough

Brendan Fraser. Everyone loved him in The Mummy, and some of us still stand by Monkeybone.

• Plus, his behind-the-scenes stories about classic Fraser flicks are amazing.

• But although Fraser’s a great actor, the fatphobia (in and surrounding) The Whale can’t be ignored.

How do you feel about watching your podcasts? Do you think short-form video ads will take off on Spotify? Reply and let us know your thoughts!

Thanks for joining us, and we’ll see you Friday!