Retail media ad spending is booming in Latin America. Brazil and Mexico are leading the charge, with Mercado Libre outpacing in-market rivals. Here are the latest trends you need to know.

TikTok’s 2024 revenues in the UK, Europe, and Latin America surged 38% to $6.3 billion, more than doubling 2022 levels, per filings cited by Forbes. The growth underscores TikTok’s strength outside the US, where a divest-or-ban standoff continues. Yet regulatory scrutiny in Europe looms large, with over $1 billion reserved for fines, ongoing probes across multiple countries, and potential penalties under the EU’s Digital Services Act. TikTok’s UK penetration tops 32%, with ad revenues projected to triple by 2027. Still, layoffs in trust and safety roles and a pivot to AI moderation could test regulators and user trust.

TikTok is laying off hundreds of UK staff as it shifts moderation to AI, with more than 85% of takedowns now automated. The cuts, part of a global restructuring, come as the UK’s Online Safety Act pressures platforms to strengthen oversight. Industry peers are also pivoting—Meta and X have scaled back fact-checking while Reddit, Pinterest, and Snapchat adopt varying models of control. Yet user sentiment runs counter: Most want more human oversight, not less, with strong demand for fact-checkers, privacy, and quality control. The divergence raises brand-safety questions as advertisers weigh cost efficiencies against consumer trust.

The news: Bilt has stealthily been behind the vertical short-form social series Roomies, in a long-term game to broaden its brand recognition across Gen Z and millennial renters. The series has 66,000 and 80,600 followers on TikTok and Instagram. On TikTok, Roomies has passed 906,000 likes across 10 episodes. Our take: With 89.7% of Gen Z spending time on social media platforms, per our forecast, Bilt’s ability to capture the generation’s attention without drawing the “ick” could pay dividends in driving signs up to its upcoming card refresh.

The news: China reiterated that it will not sell TikTok’s algorithm to the US in accordance with Chinese laws as the September 17 sale deadline looms. The announcement comes almost immediately after the White House launched an official TikTok account in a move Chinese officials stated “contradicts the ‘national security threat’ rhetoric.” Our take: With no definitive answer on TikTok’s future in the US, advertisers are in a difficult spot. Divestment risks losing access to audiences motivated to take action—but investing too heavily risks overreliance on a channel that could face major changes.

Accenture Song has acquired Superdigital, a Florida-based social-first and influencer agency with clients including Microsoft, Welch’s, and Nerf. Founded in 2013, Superdigital specializes in TikTok-driven content, community building, and creator-led campaigns, with activations ranging from Welch’s pop-ups to Microsoft’s AI influencer work. The deal reflects a broader wave of M&A as consultancies and holding companies buy into the creator economy. With social and influencer marketing outpacing other formats, the move positions Accenture to win young, digital-first audiences and scale creator-driven growth.

The news: Child safety concerns are mounting as several platforms face heightened scrutiny over lacking moderation capabilities. Google settled a lawsuit on Tuesday over claims that it violated children’s privacy through YouTube by collecting personal data for targeted ads without parental consent, though the company denied wrongdoing in its decision to settle. Our take: Heightened scrutiny over where advertisers spend and what they promote is a must-have amid current concerns over child safety online, and brands must practice caution when implementing strategies that could be perceived as targeting minors.

Generative AI is rapidly moving from novelty to necessity in advertising, collapsing production costs and timelines while expanding creative possibilities. National TV ads that once required six figures and weeks of work can now be made in days for a fraction of the budget, opening broadcast-quality campaigns to smaller advertisers. With nearly 90% of large video advertisers already adopting AI, use cases like personalization, ideation, and versioning are proliferating. Yet consumer skepticism remains strong—especially among older audiences—underscoring that human craft and cultural nuance still matter. The challenge ahead: merging automation’s efficiency with trust and authentic creativity at scale.

The news: TikTok is experiencing massive growth among older generations, with adoption for users 45+ growing 1,200% between 2019 and 2025, per CivicScience—suggesting its stickiness across demographics and emphasizing older consumers’ buying power. Our take: A successful social advertising strategy will strike a balance: Valuing younger demographics for their growing influence while accounting for the enduring importance of older generations for driving digital purchases as social media adoption skyrockets.

The news: ByteDance’s TikTok paid people to lend their likenesses to digital avatars, often paying less than $1,000 per actor, per The New York Times. The avatars, which are free for TikTok advertisers to use, were meant for TikTok alone but have appeared on ByteDance’s video-editing tool CapCut and on platforms like Facebook and YouTube. Our take: AI-based productions are democratizing advertising, allowing even the smallest firms to produce high-quality ads with minimal effort and budgets. Forty-five percent of smaller advertisers will use generative AI (genAI) in their videos by 2026, per IAB’s 2025 Digital Video Ad Spend Report. However, brands must weigh the benefits against the risks, considering 31% of US adults say AI use in ads would make them less likely to buy, per CivicScience.

Consumers in Japan have been slow to embrace digital technology, but they are gradually warming to it. Recent data shows consumers are changing their online shopping and media consumption behavior.

MS NOW rebrand targets broader news reach: MSNBC aims to scale beyond its niche as TV audiences fragment globally.

The news: A recent YouGov study highlighted shifting media consumption habits—and Gen Z is leading the way. Half of Gen Zers make purchases based on social media ads compared with 41% of overall consumers. Gen Z is one of the leaders in time spent with social media, with 28% spending at least 5 hours on social platforms on the average weekday. Our take: As Gen Z proves itself as one of the most valuable demographics for advertisers, brands must tailor strategies to channels and formats that are most likely to connect with these growth drivers.

The news: Microdramas may be the next big thing on mobile, at least that’s what a new Hollywood startup is hoping. MicroCo plans to use AI to help create 1- to 3-minute vertical-video shows meant for the mobile screens. Microdrama seasons would be 30- to 100-episode arcs—think telenovelas in short bursts. Our take: Microdramas are a growing venture and are ideal for the quick-hits crowd occupying social media. MicroCo could come out ahead if it can create and monetize buzzworthy content. While brands have the opportunity to advertise within short videos, they might fare better creating their own microdramas to appease consumers who are tired of ads.

CPM prices are rising YoY on every major social network in the US. But AI-driven ad products are helping advertisers see better outcomes, making it easier for them to justify the higher costs that come with more efficient targeting.

This report compares our 2025 US ad spending and time spent with media forecasts. It identifies incongruities between how marketers are spending ad dollars and where consumers are spending their time.

Some high-engagement platforms are still undermonetized—creating opportunities for advertisers to connect with audiences in less-saturated environments.

The trend: Most consumers are skeptical of the health information they see on social media, according to a new KFF survey. The big takeaway: Even as social media increasingly becomes a health information tool, consumers know there is plenty of medical misinformation and influencer self-promotion flooding the internet. But these survey findings also present an opportunity for healthcare brands and marketers to stand out from the crowd with platform-specific strategies that can help build customer relationships.

As the creator economy continues to expand, consumer attention is further fragmenting across a growing number of creators and platforms. But revenues are increasingly consolidating into top names, squeezing the long tail of creators and other creator economy stakeholders.

The news: Podcast ads are the most effective way to drive action through advertising across media types, per a new study from Sounds Profitable and Signal Hill Insights. 22% of monthly podcast listeners have made an immediate purchase after hearing an ad on a podcast in the past six months, per the study. Podcasts outperformed users of premium TV streaming services like Peacock and Netflix (13%), Instagram (13%), YouTube (12%), and TikTok (5%). Our take: As audiences shift to digital, podcasts demand advertiser investment. Brands that pay attention to the format and take steps to innovate will succeed long-term.