AI detection and watermarking could improve the user experience but deter brands and creators from experimenting with the technology.

Amid dizzying policy unpredictability and a grab bag of unpleasant economic possibilities, precise ad spend forecasting is challenging. A scenarios-based approach can help clarify potential outcomes.

This is the Q1 2025 installment of our quarterly “Ad Spending Benchmarks” series, which helps ad buyers and sellers calibrate their spending and revenue mix against the market.​

This is the Q1 2025 installment of our quarterly “Ad Spending Benchmarks” series, which helps ad buyers and sellers calibrate their spending and revenue mix against the market.

The 2024 US presidential election ushered in a new normal in brand safety, with prominent social media companies such as X and Meta shifting the burden of content moderation from internal teams and contractors to users.

Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs landed harder than expected. Uncertainty remains, given the pause on reciprocal tariffs for countries willing to negotiate with the US—along with an escalating trade war with China. Which markets will take the greatest hits? And how might our US forecasts change?

If ad dollars shrink, Meta and others may need to ditch risky side projects and focus on scalable, affordable services to survive the slowdown

A nearly $1 trillion loss in a day signals market panic. Apple leads the fall, with ripple effects threatening AI growth, ad revenue, and cloud service pricing.

Positivity pays on Pinterest: A new study determined that platforms deemed “positive” can significantly boost ad performance.

Advertisers are stepping back from TikTok: CPMs fell significantly YoY, but advertisers should focus on diversification, not total abandonment, for the best results.

Threads tests feature allowing users to select interests: The move could help the platform address its retention problem and draw creators.

The creator economy asserts itself at SXSW: Panels with creator platforms underscored their crucial place in the marketing ecosystem

Retail media networks (RMNs) are eyeing the open web as an opportunity for scaled growth, but successfully integrating retailer data off-platform won’t happen overnight.

Pinterest will start labeling AI-generated images: The change is likely an attempt to maintain the platform’s user base without sacrificing the lucrative potential of AI.

Over half of Gen Zers discover products primarily on TikTok and Instagram: Google’s relevance is fading as social search takes over.

In our exclusive survey with ESW, data from shoppers in 18 countries reveals new twists in the path to purchase, the rising momentum of marketplaces, and the resilience of age-old fundamentals.

Shoppable ads will be a focus for brands in 2025 as they test new formats offered by retail media networks and their media partners.

Latin America’s digital revolution is marching full steam ahead, with consumers spending more than a third of their day online. As social commerce and retail media propel the region’s digital economy to new heights, the runway for growth remains long.​

Even if TikTok goes away, short social video is here to stay. Consumption will move to other places, and advertisers need to be ready.