ExchangeWire rounds up some of the biggest stories in the European digital advertising space. In this week’s edition: Facebook algorithm change shifts focus away from publisher content; Amazon to open UK data centre despite Brexit; Havas launches global OOH & location network; PopJam reaches 30% of UK 8-12 year-olds; SpotX opens new Swedish office; and Blis unveils location private marketplace.  

Facebook algorithm change to shift focus away from publisher content

Facebook have recently announced that they are planning to make some changes to their newsfeed algorithm, so that content promoted by a user’s friends and family will be promoted more favourably.

These changes will negatively impact publishers, as content posted by them will show up less prominently.

The news, which will clearly have a positive impact on Facebook users, frustrated that their newsfeeds are dominated by content they deem irrelevant to them, will be a blow to publishers who rely on Facebook for the majority of traffic and have focused on the likes of Facebook Instant Articles over traffic to their owns sites.

As The New York Times reports, the algorithm changes are a reminder that publishers rank lower on Facebook’s list of priorities, despite it being vastly more important to the long-term growth of news media companies, such as The New York Times and BuzzFeed.

The changes, expected to go live as soon as this week, will affect all types of content and will see publishers experiencing a drop in reach and referral traffic, where content is primarily posted by the publisher’s official Facebook page. If that content is highly shared and commented on by individual users, the impact will be less, as would be expected.

Amazon to open UK data centre, despite Brexit news

Amazon have announced that, despite the British public’s recent vote to leave the EU in the referendum, they are to open a data centre in the UK in early 2017. According to Advertising Age, local customers will also be given the option to host data in Germany or Ireland.

The Brexit concerns don’t relate to company finances, but instead data laws, now that the UK will be leaving the EU, with questions around how data storage regulations will evolve in the UK and in Europe. If the UK creates its own set of rules around data storage, versus the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which is due to be enforced in 2018, this could cause complications for Amazon and other data businesses alike. With EU data regulations stipulating that EU data must remain housed within the EU, it would mean that Amazon’s data centre could only be of use to UK customers. One to watch, as Amazon will be one of thousands of businesses affected by this decision. 

Havas launches global OOH & geo-location communications network

Havas have had a lot of success with Adcity, their French agency which is a proclaimed data-driven, cross-channel, above-the-line/below-the-line, geo-local expert. In the two years since launch in France, they now have 100 employees spanning across six local offices.

Time has come, then, for the rest of the world to share in its success. Havas is launching Adcity as a new, global network, focussed on connecting brands and consumers across everyday life activities, through both OOH and local cross media communications. Adcity will now deploy operations across 35 offices via 300 local experts across Europe, Asia, North America, and Latin America.

The new global network is to be led by Matthieu Habra, a seasoned outdoor media and creative specialist, who will be responsible for strategy, innovation, and network deployment.

With a clear concern for audiences at the heart of its activity, Adcity applies true consumer understanding to data activation, media convergence, and new technologies and interactions with clients. The agency delivers innovative solutions for brands, including cross media and programmatic, to drive both impact and engagement with consumers on the move.

SuperAwesome’s PopJam reaches over one million 8-12 year-olds in UK  

PopJam, the top kids social content app, owned by SuperAwesome, which has taken over UK playgrounds, has announced that it has smashed through the one million user level, now reaching over 30% of 8-12 year-old kids in the UK. Kids on PopJam are spending over 45min a day engaging with their favourite content, creators and brand channels on the platform, over twice the engagement of Instagram.

A powerful content sharing platform, PopJam is considered the standard safe-social option for brands and content owners seeking an ongoing conversation with the centennial generation. The platform is now used by hundreds of companies including Nintendo, Penguin, Disney Channel, Zeptolab (Cut The Rope), Rovio, and Aardman Animation, as well as startups like Tiniez, Ooks HQ, and Bebods. At the forefront of safe digital kids’ engagement, PopJam has introduced a range of innovative features, including the concept of a daily curfew, which limits activities out of hours. It’s also become increasingly popular with the biggest YouTube stars, such as AmyLee33 and Wizard Keen, as a platform to safely engage with their younger audience.

To capitalise further on its current success, PopJam will shortly be released in US and Canada, with more countries on the way.

SpotX opens a new office in Sweden

In the wake of some major new hires by SpotX this year, as well as recent news of the opening of a new development centre in Belfast, which will create jobs for 20 engineers, the video inventory management platform is announcing further expansion into Sweden.

SpotX have hired Stephen Byrne from ITV as senior business development director, Nordics. Byrne will be based in the new office in Stockholm and tasked with growing SpotX’s existing presence in the Nordics, working closely with publishers, broadcasters and app developers.

EMEA is SpotX’s fastest growing region, with mobile and connected TV advertising showing particularly strong areas of revenue growth for the company. The new office, based in Stockholm, will bolster SpotX’s existing presence in the Nordics and will join other offices in the region, including London, Belfast, Amsterdam and Hamburg.

Blis launches private marketplace for location-based advertising

Blis, the advanced location data technology, have unveiled Blis Prime; which is the world’s largest private marketplace for location-based advertising.

The move comes in response to a buyer need for transparency from the inventory they purchase and where their ads appear. Blis Prime is a customisable marketplace, which guarantees access to high-end publishers, premium data and exclusive ad formats, which aren’t available in the open market.

According to Blis, the new programmatic solution offers access to high-quality and brand-safe inventory, such as News International and Forbes, for instance, combined with powerful location data, that delivers great campaign results, through precise audience targeting and increased efficiencies.

On top of this, Blis have partnered with Moat for ad viewability and attention metrics within their new Prime marketplace.