In place of the monthly retailer rankings, “Behind the Numbers” has launched the Unofficial Monthly Retailer Awards (UMRAs). Each month, the awards will spotlight retailers that stand out in three key categories: Most impactful campaign, best in-real-life initiative, and best under-the-radar move. Analysts will nominate standout brands, and host Suzy Davidkhanian will select the winners based on their cases.
57% of ad buyers will prioritize creator ads in 2026—but success will be driven by repeat partnerships with genuine brand advocates.
Brands can create fast, but slow approvals mean 67% miss viral moments—and competitors win the attention race.
UpScrolled and Skylight gain downloads as TikTok users seek transparent feeds, privacy, and portability.
CEO neutrality carries brand risk; OpenAI and Anthropic leaders’ cautious political responses are an illustration of how hedging on values can erode trust rather than protect it.
Bluesky prioritizes live conversation over scale: The platform is leaning into real-time events to differentiate from X and Threads.
37.2% of US adults say they're most likely to shop via Instagram, making it the top social commerce platform, ahead of TikTok (30.5%), according to a September 2025 survey from Power Digital Marketing.
Meta's Q4 revenues jumped 24%, but massive AI capex made it one of its costliest quarters.
Reels ad impressions on Instagram jumped from 13% to 21% of total impressions YoY, the fastest-growing placement on the platform, according to a July 2025 report from Tinuiti.
TikTok US uninstalls jumped 150% post-takeover--but engagement held, meaning sentiment shifts matter more than uninstall headlines.
Settling their suits pretrial shields execs and data as pressure now concentrates on Meta and YouTube.
Premium subscriptions gate AI, productivity, and creation tools—probing how far users can be monetized beyond ads.
48% of influencer marketing agencies say strategic guidance on AI, automation, or new platforms is the biggest change in client expectations this year, ahead of faster turnaround times (40%) and ROI focus (40%), according to July 2025 data from CreatorIQ and Sapio Research.
TikTok’s US transition brought algorithm resets, upload glitches, and new data tracking—jolting users and scrambling marketers’ reach.
Meta is tightening teen safeguards for its AI companions in a move that could help make future chatbot ads more viable.
TikTok creator Khaby Lame is scaling beyond human limits thanks to his AI twin, expanding his global reach as part of a $900 million deal.
TikTok has finalized a deal to maintain US operations, and its growth now depends on higher ad yields and efficiency as user growth slows.
TV and social ads are most likely to drive purchases, but also are most disruptive to consumers, according to DISQO, emphasizing the importance of: interactive, refreshed, relevant ads.
The traditional marketing funnel model faces unprecedented disruption with generative AI-powered chatbots like ChatGPT and Perplexity now bypassing traditional discovery channels, while younger consumers increasingly treat TikTok and Instagram as search engines.