Most (63%) of global social media users prefer short videos from creators, according to a March impact.com and EMARKETER survey.
This sponsored article by PartnerCentric will explore AI’s impact on affiliate marketing.
Meta withdrew from Media Rating Council (MRC) brand safety audits last week, just months after its accreditation was officially issued, per Adweek. Despite its other brand safety moves, Meta’s step away from the MRC indicates that advertisers are now navigating a digital ad landscape that necessitates investment in platforms without stringent brand safety protocols—requiring marketers to strengthen their own brand safety monitoring and verification processes.
On today’s podcast episode, we discuss how digital has changed in 2025: why the digital ad triopoly (Google, Meta, and Amazon) are losing influence, how YouTube is still under valued, how AI search behavior is changing, and more. Join Senior Director of Podcasts and host, Marcus Johnson, VP of Global Content Operations, Eleni Digalaki, and Principal Analyst, Yory Wurmser. Listen everywhere and watch on YouTube and Spotify.
WhatsApp is tackling spam with a message-capping feature that limits how many messages users and businesses can send without getting a reply from the recipient. When a user nears the limit, which hasn’t been defined yet, they’ll get a pop-up warning to help them avoid being blocked from sending messages, per TechCrunch. Brands need to segment audiences more carefully and measure message quality, not just output volume. To maintain trust, companies should streamline their communication, focus on relevance, and avoid messaging fatigue to talk less and connect more.
Pinterest is giving users control over the flood of genAI content on the platform with a new tuner that allows users to control how much genAI content they see in specific categories, per a Thursday announcement. By giving users control over how much genAI content they see, Pinterest is creating a safer environment for advertisers, reducing the risk for brands by ensuring ads don’t appear alongside content that audiences dislike or want to avoid.
Meta announced updates to its brand safety and suitability capabilities for Threads and Instagram this week as it looks to gain advertiser trust in its platforms amid regulatory scrutiny. The new restrictions are a double-edged sword. On one hand, advertisers will have increased confidence in their ability to appear next to safe content that doesn’t damage brand image. But on the other hand, reaching younger audiences helping drive growth could become more challenging and require nuance.
Netflix is making its first big move into the podcast business in a deal with Spotify that will see the popular streaming platform showcase a selection of Spotify video podcasts in 2026. For creators, the partnership will unlock a distribution channel that grants access to a vast and engaged audience—capitalizing on Netflix’s massive user base and the consistent rise in podcast listeners.
Pharma brands are partnering with Reddit to engage with patients more directly, according to a panel discussion at last week’s Advertising Week New York event. Healthcare and pharma brands need to be on Reddit, where communities actively discuss wellness, medications, and medical services. However, healthcare and pharma marketers must avoid obvious promotions, and instead post information that can help people while conducting their own Q&As hosted by company leaders with medical credentials.
After months of public and regulatory pressure, Instagram announced a sweeping overhaul of how teens experience the platform by applying the same “PG-13” principles used by the film industry. Its goal is to limit exposure to adult or explicit content and curb the backlash over teen well-being. Instagram’s PG-13 turn marks a new phase in platform governance where safety, not scale, defines success, and where brands must earn trust in a shrinking, more sheltered teen arena. Brands now need to create more nuanced campaigns to reach younger users without running afoul of guardrails or further alienating minors.
On today’s podcast episode, we discuss how Gen Zers are trying to limit their social media use, which platforms they are moving to (and away from), and where they are engaging with social creators offline. Join Senior Director of Podcasts and host, Marcus Johnson, Analyst, Paola Florez-Marquez, and Senior Analyst, Minda Smiley. Listen everywhere and watch on YouTube and Spotify.
OpenAI’s Sora iOS app sparked a wave of creative excitement—and an equally fast wave of scams. Exclusive to iOS and the web, Sora quickly climbed to the top of Apple’s download charts last week. But within days, the App Store was swarming with fake “Sora” and “Sora 2” apps, many hastily rebranded to ride the surge in interest. Opportunists exploit the gap between trademark enforcement, app verification, and public awareness—turning brand equity into bait. Brands must act fast to secure trademarks, domains, and search terms tied to new launches or risk losing trust and revenues to copycats.
The biggest banks will spend $6 billion or more on marketing in 2025, or 0.10% of their total asset value, per an analysis of the American Bankers Association Bank Marketers Survey in the ABA Banking Journal. On average, 32% of banks’ marketing budgets were allocated to new customer acquisition—more than any other allocation. Bank marketers are clearly focused on digital advertising, and with greater resources and scale, the largest institutions won’t find it hard to drive awareness, attract new customers digitally, and dominate the conversation. Community banks will need to be scrappy.
YouTube creators are becoming media companies in their own right, argues Nic Paul, co-founder and president of Spotter. In an interview, Paul said top creators now operate like TV networks—producing serialized, appointment-style content that builds audience loyalty and predictable viewership. Spotter’s own data shows 78% of creator watch time now happens on connected TVs, blurring the line between streaming and social. For advertisers, that means treating creator content as premium media, not influencer collateral. “The click is gone,” Paul said. “It’s about engagement, completion, and fandom.” Brands that adapt fastest will win the next era of audience attention.
As AI slop, influencer content, and an abundance of ads push Gen Zers into private messaging spaces, brands have a new channel for contact. The majority (86%) of US social media users are comfortable receiving messages from brands within apps like Snapchat and Facebook Messenger, per a Snap and MAGNA survey. As users retreat into these private digital spaces, the marketing playbook must prepare to meet them there. That may require new efforts, such as rebalancing budgets, building new capabilities, and finding what engagement metrics are key. Start small with a few chat-based campaigns to track what resonates.