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As the year 2023 draws to a close and anticipation for 2024 is high, it's important to reflect back on significant trends and digital marketing news that have made this year a memorable one for the industry.

From the rise of artificial intelligence, major updates to beloved apps, and a significant rebranding that’s raised the stakes, here is a comprehensive rundown of the digital marketing news that has captivated our attention throughout 2023. 

The rise of ChatGPT

ChatGPT has undoubtedly emerged as one of the biggest news stories to conquer the digital marketing world. Initially introduced as an experimental AI project back in November 2022, it has now been the main subject of every digital marketing discussion and news story over the last year.

ChatGPT, which stands for Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer, is basically a generative language model-based chatbot that gives you lengthy, complete, and structured sentences to answer your queries. It's such a groundbreaking tool that everyone is now onboard with it, even the biggest digital marketing players. 

ChatGPT, which stands for Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer, is basically a generative language model-based chatbot that gives you lengthy, complete, and structured sentences to answer your queries. It's a groundbreaking tool that everyone is now onboard with, even the biggest digital marketing players. 

• The plugins 

To amplify its capabilities and generate better results, AI specialists have integrated plugins for ChatGPT. These plugins range from content creation aids, coding and computer programming, data analytics, and even hyper-realistic image generation. 

• Skepticism

Although it has become indispensable to most, some experts remain skeptical of its accuracy, a concern openly acknowledged by OpenAI, the brains behind this marvelous AI platform. Consequently, they have updated the chatbot's functionalities and accuracy, as shown in its recent GPT-4 rollout. 

• AI domination season

AI continues to remain at the forefront of our digital marketing news throwback. ChatGPT’s impact has been so profound that numerous well-established search engines have started harnessing its immense potential in 2023. 

Microsoft Bing and ChatGPT partnership

Microsoft’s lesser-known search engine, Bing has been staging a notable comeback, which could potentially be the biggest partnership of the year, making it a worthy topic in digital marketing news this 2023. 

In February 2023, it partnered with OpenAI to deliver comprehensive search results to its users. In short, when you input your search query on Bing, the results are generated in a conversational manner, simulating a human-like interaction. Just envision the wonderful possibilities this integration can offer. 

Google Bard, a response to AI dominance

Of course, Google also joined in on the fun. Just a month after Microsoft, Google introduced Bard, a generative AI chatbot that also works like ChatGPT. It's just one of the many projects developed by the search engine's AI arm, Google AI. 

Furthermore, Google has also created Labs, a division dedicated to conceiving AI-based innovations and integrations to Google's native apps. Are you familiar with Google Docs and Sheets? These are a few applications that now implement AI features that automate task creation.

From the competitive world of AI and search, let's delve into the world of social media, where a lot of digital marketing news has made a considerable impact this year.

Out with Twitter, in with X

Since Elon Musk acquired Twitter in October 2022, the social media platform has been making headlines in digital marketing news. This has culminated in a full rebranding of the long-existing social media platform into X which launched in July 2023, setting its old image of the beloved blue bird free. 

This initiative granted Twitter Blue subscribers the opportunity to secure the coveted blue check mark on their Twitter profiles, along with exclusive access to special features. It also provided creators with a way to amplify their content as well as monetize it. 

Instagram's updates and Threads

In response to X’s disarrayed attempt to shift towards being a more socially-driven app, Instagram introduced Threads on July 5, a text-based social media platform. It was an immediate success that became a threading topic in all digital marketing-related conversations. 

Just days after it was launched in 100 countries worldwide, the so-called ‘Twitter Killer’ has gained 100 million users in only 5 days, the fastest ever for an app. It became the trending story for a moment, and everyone was on the Threads bandwagon. However, its rapid ascent to popularity was halted just a month after it's launch. The number of daily users quickly dropped due to the app's limited features.

Despite its premature launch, Instagram has facilitated interactions with its Broadcast Channels in February this year. This feature enables creators to send direct messages and updates to their followers, with each channel accommodating up to a thousand people.

YouTube Monetising Shorts

YouTube also captured attention in the realm of digital marketing news in 2023, marking a significant breakthrough for creators on the platform.

YouTube is now monetising its TikTok-inspired Shorts, a move they made in February 2023. This innovative approach to ad revenue sharing differs from traditional YouTube videos, with advertisements appearing at the video's beginning or midway. The revenue will be pooled among each monetising creator based on their share of total views in each country.

It's now a step closer to competing with TikTok in terms of inviting more content creators to their platform, as short-form content continues to delight a larger audience.

Welcome, GA4! 

They say goodbyes come with new beginnings. That was the case for Google Analytics, also referred to as Universal Analytics, which we sadly bid adieu to in July 2023. However, it was succeeded by the all-new Google Analytics 4, more commonly known as GA4.

So what does it bring to the table for businesses?

Google Analytics 4 has proven itself to be a terrific update to Google's endeavor to make analytics work for businesses. With its data-driven possibilities and deeper understanding of what user interactions, page visits, engagement, and conversions mean to them, businesses can develop growth strategies moving forward! 

These digital marketing news stories sure changed the digital landscape!

Looking forward to 2024!

And there you have it—the most noteworthy digital marketing news that has left a significant mark on the industry in 2023! These updates have certainly made 2023 a memorable year, and we already can't wait for what 2024 has in store!

But for your business to welcome the upcoming year with a bang, you need expert digital marketing help from us at Elephant in the Boardroom! We'll prepare you for another year full of digital marketing opportunities!