Pinterest’s AI-driven ad strategy and shopping expansion drive Q4 growth: Revenue surges 18% YoY as Gen Z engagement and ad performance improve.

The platform warns that shifting search algorithms and mixed DEI expectations could hurt user growth and brand perception.

A series of major milestones are on tap for total media and digital media ad spending around the world in 2025, although growth will be uneven across countries and regions.

TikTok Shop’s demise could benefit Amazon, Etsy, and Temu: All three retailers are poised to scoop up spending in the event of a TikTok ban.

The loss of TikTok in the US would cause a ripple effect across the media, marketing, and commerce landscape. Meta and YouTube stand to gain the most, but there is a long list of other winners—and losers.

2025 vision: Social platforms expect creators, Gen Z, and older users to wield more influence as a TikTok ban looms.

Automated ad systems, boosted video ad spending, and platforms leaning into their unique qualities led to a bounce-back year in 2024 for social networks overall.

As social media strengthens its grip on consumers’ digital lives in 2025, political polarization, regulation, and a desire for deeper personalization will shake up the landscape.

TikTok is driving social commerce sales and buyer growth: The platform’s popularity and influence with Gen Zers contributed to its 2024 successes. We look at how that could change in 2025.

This year, most buyer and sales growth will be driven by TikTok Shop, which will convert over 40% of TikTok users into buyers. Social commerce and retail media will converge as Amazon’s ad partnerships with the social platforms start to pack a punch.

The average age of new mothers was 27.4 in 2022, meaning they are digitally native, per the CDC. They are more familiar with the internet and digital devices than previous generations. They’ve embraced these tools to help navigate motherhood.

Google and Meta landed slightly below expectations in Q3, allowing a collection of hungry competitors to inch ahead. But overall, the ad industry remains healthy. Sports events drove streaming and CTV to record gains, and retail media continues to be the sector’s fastest-growing ad channel.

New mothers are increasingly digitally native. But their digital habits are defined more by their children’s life stage than by their own generational cohort.

Pinterest gets an Amazon bump, but the holiday is gray: A lower- than- expected Q4 forecast and heavy spending sent its stock tumbling.

Gen Z leads in digital usage by most proportional measures. However, social network use cuts across categories, influencing video viewing and digital buying.

Millennials outpace Gen Z on eight of the 12 digital platforms EMARKETER tracks.

As the path to purchase becomes more fragmented, brands must be everywhere the customer is—and retail media partnerships are stepping up. “There really isn't [one] common flow, and so you really have to make sure you're present in any place the consumer is thinking about your brand's products,” Eric Tarnowski, senior vice president, connected commerce at Kenvue, said during Advertising Week New York. “Every conversion point is a brand-building opportunity.”

Pinterest launches AI-powered tools: Advertisers can now create engaging visuals and reduce costs, aligning with industry-wide shifts toward generative AI solutions.

YouTube is doubling down on social connectivity and AI tools to stay competitive with rivals like TikTok and Meta. The platform’s new suite of features introduced last week include Communities, a fan’s ability to boost creators’ videos, generative AI (genAI) video tools, and gifting. These innovations mimic what’s working on other social media platforms as YouTube seeks to remain social even as it builds out its connected TV business.

A third (33%) of US influencers believe that if TikTok is sold or banned in the US next year, Facebook Reels will become the next major player in short-form video, per August 2024 data by First Insight. Instagram Reels is close, at 32%.