Marketer’s guide to understanding Google, Microsoft, and Spotify’s quarterly earnings

It’s that time of year again when we eagerly anticipate the latest quarterly earnings reports from tech giants Google, Microsoft, and Spotify. These reports provide valuable insights into the performance of these companies and can help marketers make informed decisions about where to allocate their advertising budgets.

Let’s start with Google. According to their latest earnings report, search revenues increased by 2%, while YouTube revenues dropped by nearly 3%. This plateau in growth, coupled with staff layoffs and pressure from Microsoft, has raised concerns about Google’s future. The company must make the right moves to maintain search volume and revenue or risk losing ground to its competitor.

However, the news isn’t all bad for Google. YouTube Shorts, a new feature that allows users to create and share short-form videos, has seen a significant increase in daily views. In fact, Shorts are now receiving 50 billion daily views compared to the 30 billion views this time last year. This presents a potential opportunity for marketers looking to expand their reach on the platform.

If you’re running search ads or YouTube Shorts content, there’s no need to panic just yet. However, it’s still worth paying close attention to Google’s performance and any future developments.

On the other hand, Microsoft is celebrating a successful quarter. Search and ad revenues are up by 3.4%, and LinkedIn revenue has increased by 7.6%. Microsoft’s acquisition of Xandr, an ad-buying platform previously owned by AT&T, has also helped the company increase its search volume. Additionally, Bing has 100 million daily users and has seen a bump in downloads since adding AI features.

For marketers, Microsoft’s success presents an opportunity to reach a different audience and expand their advertising efforts. Are you running Microsoft ads yet? If not, it may be worth considering.

Finally, let’s take a look at Spotify’s latest earnings report. The music streaming platform saw a 22% year-over-year growth in monthly active users, reaching 515 million listeners by the end of the last month. Ad revenue also grew by 17% year-over-year, although it dropped by 27% compared to the previous quarter. The number of paying subscribers also decreased to 40%.

Despite these drops, there is still reason for marketers to be optimistic about advertising on Spotify. With an ever-growing listener base, there is a clear opportunity to reach a wider audience. Additionally, podcast ads and self-serve ads on the platform provide new avenues for marketers to explore. With podcasts growing in popularity and 46% of listeners tuning in at least once a week, this is a particularly exciting area for advertisers.

To sum up, Google’s performance is steady but with concerns about the future, while Microsoft is experiencing growth and presents a new opportunity for advertisers. Spotify’s listener base continues to expand, and the platform offers exciting new avenues for marketers to explore. By keeping a close eye on these quarterly earnings reports, marketers can make informed decisions about where to allocate their advertising budgets and stay ahead of the competition.