Snapchat is losing users, and it seems clear the biggest reason is Instagram Stories: that is a win for Facebook, but the pain in advertising may be substantial.
Netflix Earnings, Netflix’s Rising CAC, Content and Marketing
Netflix’s subscriber numbers were disappointing; does the company have a customer acquisition cost problem? Then again, customer acquisition costs should include content, which might not have been good enough.
Google Earnings, Google’s Cost Drivers, Other Bets Versus Google Ventures
Google’s Earnings show rapidly rising expenses, which makes sense as the company seeks to grow outside of its core competency. Plus, why even Google is often better off investing instead of expanding.
Could Spotify Be Netflix?, Calculating Spotify’s LTV and CAC
Spotify is in a much weaker position that Netflix was, because it could not build up a user base before negotiating with its suppliers. However, the company does seem to be acquiring customers efficiently.
Lessons From Spotify
Spotify has a marginal cost problem, but while the cause is unique to Spotify, the challenges are more applicable than it seems.
The Dropbox Comp
Dropbox has filed its S-1, but comparisons with Box, Atlassian, and Slack demonstrate how difficult it is to tell just how good its business is.
Twitter Earnings; The End of TellApart; Direct Versus Brand Marketing, and Size
Twitter’s earnings were both less and more impressive than they appeared; plus, a lesson I have learned about direct versus brand advertising, and what it means for both Twitter and Snap.
Snap Earnings, Fox Signs Deal for Thursday NFL Football, The Sports Linchpin and Snap et al.
Snap had strong results that build on progress made last quarter; the company is looking less like Twitter, at least for now. Then, FOX spends on football, even as the Sports Linchpin weakens.
Fixing the Conclusion, Licensing Amazon Go and Self-Checkout, Netflix Earnings
Fixing the conclusion of Amazon Go and the Future, and why I don’t think Amazon Go’s technology is a primitive. Then, Netflix continues to be an aggregator, and other notes from the company’s earnings.
Google Earnings, TAC and Apple, Google’s Growing Network
Google’s crushed earnings even more than usual, and Network growth may be a big reason why. Plus, why Google continues to pay TAC, plus notes on Google coverage and “innovation” in ads.