Marketers need a vertical video ad strategy for YouTube Shorts to reach the 164.5 million US viewers that will use the platform this year, per our forecast. Much of what works on TikTok will work on Shorts because the platforms are so similar. But because a lot of YouTube creators are used to longform, they may need some guidance. Here are some of YouTube’s own best practices for Shorts ads from its ABCDs of effective video ads guide.

Around $84 billion in digital ad spend was lost to fraud last year, according to Juniper Research. That number will more than double by 2028, reaching $172 billion. Some 22% of US digital media experts consider digital video to be one of the media types most vulnerable to fraud, per a study from Integral Ad Science and YouGov. But connected TV (CTV) has an advantage over other digital ad publishers.

Political ad spend will hit $12.32 billion this year, according to our December 2023 forecast. That’s nearly three times what it was in 2016.

Nearly a third of the US population will be free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) viewers by 2027, accounting for a total of 114.5 million viewers, according to our September 2023 forecast. That large audience base, coupled with the rise of new players and the abundance of ad inventory, is making FASTs increasingly appealing to media planners—especially those on a budget.

On today's podcast episode, we discuss what will influence digital ad spending this year, who's the "dark horse" ad player of 2024, and how the CMO role and marketing departments will change. "In Other News," we talk about what to make of Google's latest AI creation called Gemini and some research explaining how often AI chatbots make things up. Tune in to the discussion with our analyst Yory Wurmser.

Digital ad spend is growing and going increasingly toward programmatic formats. Search ad spend is on the rise as well, as retail media growth remains healthy. And social media is in better shape than previously projected. Here are five recent charts forecasting the future of ad spend.

The best ad practices for Facebook, Snapchat, or even Instagram Reels won’t convert to TikTok, which has its own ad creation tools, bidding process, and attribution metrics. We’ve analyzed TikTok’s new Web Auction Best Practices Guide and pulled out the most important advice for advertisers.

Amazon Prime Video ads launched today, defaulting Amazon’s 163.3 million US viewers into its ad-supported tier unless they pay a premium to opt out. This is good news for Amazon’s $44.26 billion dollar retail US media business. But who could this move hurt?

The “Mad Men” approach of finding the perfect slogan and polished copy isn’t gospel. For some, we’re now in the era of unpolished content, disruptive formatting, and what TotalRetail is calling “weirdvertising.” These ads take the basic idea of memeification found on social media and extend it to other forms of display advertising, including out-of-home (OOH) and print.

On today's podcast episode, our contestants compete in The Great Behind the Numbers Take Off, 2024 advertising trends edition, where they will try and cook up the most interesting predictions for the coming year. They'll discuss how the media will go to war with generative AI (genAI), why the programmatic ad pendulum will swing toward quality, and a perfect digital media storm thats brewing for brands. Tune in to the discussion with our vice president of content Paul Verna and analysts Evelyn Mitchell-Wolf and Max Willens.

On today's podcast episode, our contestants compete in The Great Behind the Numbers Take Off, 2024 mobile trends edition, where they will try and cook up the most interesting predictions for the coming year. They'll discuss how shoppable media will evolve on mobile devices, where mobile ad dollars are moving to, and why foldable phones are here to stay. Tune in to the discussion with our analysts Peter Newman, Andrew Spink, and Yory Wurmser.

Although inflation, a strong job market, and a positive economic outlook are at play, three dominant ad channels are contributing to upward US ad spend. October saw a 3.2% YoY growth for the US ad market, marking the fourth consecutive month of spending increases, according to the Standard Media Index ad market tracker.

On today's podcast episode, we discuss whether Uber's business is actually sustainable, how many Americans use ride-hailing apps, and what the ad opportunity is. "In Other News," we talk about whether there will be more—or fewer—self-checkout options by the end of next year and whether the world is ready to accept humanoid robots used by Amazon. Tune in to the discussion with our analyst Yory Wurmser.

With the rise of digital ad channels like connected TV and retail media, there’s a lot of emphasis on making every ad and consumer touchpoint shoppable. Ad formats with direct calls to action help drive conversions and increase ROI. But brand equity can get left out of the conversation when we focus on performance marketing in isolation. Every ad should perform and provide some sort of measurable impact, but each ad is also vital for telling a brand’s story, even at the bottom of the funnel where marketers are more focused on driving conversions.

On today's podcast episode, we discuss what a completely Walt Disney Co.-owned Hulu will look like, if the entertainment giant has a Marvel problem, and whether Disney+ can ever rival Netflix for the subscriber crown. "In Other News," we talk about why Roku's revenues and streaming hours are doing particularly well and why Warner Bros. Discovery's ad revenues and subscriber growth are not. Tune in to the discussion with our vice president of content Paul Verna.

As ad-supported TV and streaming services become more popular, ad variations are becoming more crucial. Through small, tactical tweaks, a holistic campaign approach, and experimentation with shoppable formats, it doesn’t have to be a costly or daunting endeavor.

56% of US adults think ad breaks on free-ad supported streaming TV (FAST) services should be under 30 seconds, according to an August 2023 ViewNexa survey.

Connected TV (CTV) ad spend will exceed $30 billion in the US next year, according to our forecast. At a growth rate of 22.4% YoY, that makes CTV one of the fastest-growing ad formats we track. But where those ad dollars are coming from isn’t so simple.

Consumer attention is fragmented and getting shorter. At the same time, digital ad spend growth is slowing following a pandemic surge. That means marketers must be agile and strategic with their spending.

Advertising Week New York kicks off next week. Last year, speakers discussed everything from Web3 to connected TV (CTV) to social media. This year, we’ll be watching for updates related to retail media, AI, and social media’s era of transformation.