Digital Marketing News & Trends: April 17, 2025

AI Developments 🤖

Do you leverage AI in your business? Here are the latest news and trends in the artificial intelligence realm:

• Meta’s AI training – how does it happen? Apparently, not without accessing pirated information from books written by authors from all over the world.
  
  Supposedly, Meta had been accessing this information without asking for permission or even notifying the original authors. They are now facing a lawsuit from multiple authors.
  
  
• ChatGPT now has an improved memory feature that allows the AI to reference past chats, as well as the users’ preferences and interests, to better personalize the experience. The feature is available for Plus and Pro users.
  
  According to OpenAI, the responses will feel noticeably more relevant and useful. Users will also have the option to opt out of referencing past chats and memories altogether.
  
  
• ChatGPT announced that, effective April 30, GPT-4 will retire and be replaced with GPT-4o. GPT-4o surpasses GPT-4 in writing, coding, STEM, and more.
  
  
• OpenAI launched three new models in the API: GPT-4.1, GPT-4.1 mini, and GPT-4.1 nano. The models outperform GPT-4o and have larger context windows. 
  
  
• ChatGPT trend: Create an image of yourself that looks like an action figure or doll with accessories that match your personality and interests.
  
  
• Google has created DolphinGemma – an AI model that understands dolphin talk and helps scientists study how dolphins communicate and potentially find out what they are saying, too. 🐬😨
  
  
• Google’s Gemini has made Veo 2 available to Gemini Advanced users. These users can generate videos using text-based prompts. Veo 2 will also be available through Whisk.
  
  
• Amazon launched a new AI feature called Buy For Me, which allows people to buy items from third-party sites without leaving the Amazon app.
  
  

The Latest In E-Commerce 💲

Are you in the Ecom business? Here is what’s happening in the e-commerce world today:

• Temu has completely stopped its Google Shopping Ads in the U.S. on April 9th. This caused Temu’s app ranking to drop from the top 5 position to 58th.
  
  The company relied heavily on Google Ads for paid acquisition. Once the ads were turned off, Temu’s visibility crashed almost overnight.
  
  
• EBay has simplified and streamlined the mobile listing experience for users. They can now upload their images and use AI to help fill out the item specs. This feature is now available for private sellers in the U.S., U.K., and Germany.
  
  
• De Minimis shipping from China and Hong Kong will end on May 2. The POTUS has signed an Executive Order eliminating duty-free de minimis treatment for low-value imports (under $800).
  
  Goods that would previously qualify for the de minimis exemption will now be subject to all applicable duties. The White House plans to enforce this on other countries in the future.
  
  
• Amazon’s CEO, Andy Jassy, emphasized how important it is to move quickly in business. Read his full letter to shareholders here.
  
  
• Shopify recently shared how trust became its biggest defense against security threats. Considering the number of users and the amount of money circulating on the platform, Shopify is rewriting the playbook of safety online. 
  
  

Social Media Features and Trends 👨🏻‍💻

Here are some new social media updates, features, and trends you should be aware of:

• YouTube is updating its Course requirements. Effective April 30, content featured in a YouTube course must have an intent to teach, at least 3 non-repeating videos from the Course owner’s channel, and contain no age-restricted content. 
  
  
• YouTube is updating mid-roll ads to give creators more revenue opportunities. Starting May 12, YouTube will add automatic ad slots to existing videos. 
  
  
• Meta has made it possible for advertisers to edit attribution settings for value optimization. There is now a 1-day view option.
  
  
• Meta Ads Manager has a new feature: Conditional Formatting. This feature allows advertisers to format ads from within the platform instead of using the “Ads Reporting” tool and helps them quickly identify high- and low-performing ads. Advertisers can now create rules based on Cost Per Result and Purchase ROAS.
  
  
• Meta introduced frequency control, which allows users to set the frequency at which ads are shown to people each week. This feature is for campaigns that last 7 days or longer without bid control.
  
  
• Google introduced Server Guided Ad Insertion – a way to integrate ads into video content. It supports new innovative ad formats, gives advertisers more control over ad break scheduling, simplifies operations, and is cost-efficient.
  
  
• Google’s Performance Max will bring more goals and image controls for users. It will also introduce new customer lifecycle goals and reporting, image enhancements, and improved search controls to steer AI.
  
  
• TikTok Trend: for the month of April, the “God Forbid” and “Probably Needed a Hug” trends seem to be all over the platform.
  
  
• Instagram is testing a new locked post format that asks users to enter a secret code from the app to view the content. Here is what it looks like.
  
  
• LinkedIn launched Create-On-LinkedIn. The site offers a variety of best practices, posting tips, examples, and more to help creators produce content that engages the right audience more successfully.
  
  
• Apple announced that Apple Search Ads is now Apple Ads. According to Apple, its ad offerings have grown beyond search. This opens many more doors and opportunities for advertisers and marketers within Apple’s platforms.
  
  

Social Media Tea ☕

Got a taste for drama? Here is some recent news about today’s social media giants:

• Meta’s antitrust trial regarding the acquisition of Instagram and WhatsApp began on April 14th. The FTC stated that Meta had built a monopoly by purchasing startups that were in its way.
  
  Meta released a statement stating that the FTC is ignoring reality and that there are more social media platforms than those owned by Meta, like TikTok, YouTube, X, and more.
  
  In addition, the FTC approved the purchases of IG and WA over 10 years ago, so it’s not like they were acquired in secret.
  
  
• Meta announced that, despite privacy concerns, it will begin training its AI models on public content (Instagram and Facebook posts and comments) in the European Union.
  
  Meta stated that EU people can object to their data being used for AI training purposes.
  
  
• YouTube stated that it supports the NO FAKES Act of 2025 to protect the creators and viewers in the age of AI.
  
  
• Google launched a campaign against the California Assembly Bill 566, related to privacy and opt-out preference signals.
  
  Surprisingly, Google is now facing criticism from those who would actually benefit from this campaign. Instead of participating, multiple advertisers are advocating for stronger privacy protections.
  
  
• TikTok seems to be redirecting its focus on the EU and the UK (according to their latest update and news publications), which suggests that the platform is likely to soon become obsolete in the U.S.
  
  However, many things can happen in the near future. What are your thoughts?
  
  
• TikTok introduced its first-ever SME Council to stand up and speak up for TikTok-focused small businesses in the UK.
  
  The goal is to reach policymakers and help them shape policies that boost growth. (If TikTok sells by the deadline, it would be cool to see something like that for the U.S. side of the platform.)
  
  

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