Is your short week feeling like a long one? You know, when you are doing 5 days’ worth of work in 4 days? That’s assuming you’re off Friday…seems like so many of us are this year.

Here are the items the DBE team surfaced this week that we want to share with you:

• Oh No! Charlie Bit My Finger is exiting YouTube to become an NFT.

• We all know Google leverages AI and machine learning to optimize Google Ad Campaigns. Well, they’re working on other AI applications and their blog this week includes an article called “11 Ways We’re Innovating with AI.” Some unexpected advances include a Google Maps enhancement to reduce “hard-braking moments” when you drive and a dermatology assist tool that leverages your camera phone to help identify skin issues from its database of 288 conditions.

• Think With Google has created a consumer trends presentation of 4 insights to help retailers prepare for the post-Covid future. While the insights are retail-oriented, we think they directionally apply to purchasing behavior for other industries as well. For example, consider the trend toward “supportive spending” where consumers shop their values. Google reports “Searches for ‘ethical online shopping’ have grown globally by over 600% YOY.” Find out more here.

• Google announced that they are expanding on new features to help reach app users and enhance in-app event tracking. Up until recently, app campaigns were eligible to serve ads on mobile devices only. However, now ads will be eligible to serve on desktops as well. Desktop clicks on app ads will connect directly to the Google Play store website where they can install the app directly onto their device. Google also extended event creation and modification for apps to be managed within Google Analytics, without requiring code or updates as previously needed. It’s a lot, and it’s all here.

• The Nielson Annual Marketing Report synthesizes a very unique year in marketing. Not really surprised that customer acquisition are the #1 goals of large and small businesses alike and that ad dollars keep getting redirected to digital formats, but we like the section on “Recommendations for Marketers” based on budget size a lot. That’s smart. Read more and download the report here.

• Virtual meetings and interactions are going to new levels as Google launches it’s “Hyper-realistic” videoconferencing tool.

Do Good Spotlight on: Maya’s Mission

We recently learned about Maya’s Mission and wanted to share this with you… The world suddenly lost an amazing girl last year at the age of 13, and to continue the work she started, her family created Maya’s Mission. This not-for-profit’s goal is to ensure marginalized children and young adults across the world are exposed to STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, math) to create a path forward for themselves and others.

To honor Maya’s birthday on April 27, Maya’s Mission is partnering with Adaptive Sports Foundation to provide micro-grants for adaptive athletes to learn to ski or snowboard. Grants applications are being accepted until June 4, 2021. Find out more here, consider donating as we did, and pass it along!

Thanks for your time. We hope this issue was a good read. Let’s all remember on Monday to honor those who gave their lives in military service; there are many Americans who are still grieving those losses. Please keep that in mind as you enjoy the weekend that starts our summer fun. Gratitude is a good goal that takes it all in.