In 2020, digital video ad spending exceeded TV ad outlays for the first time in Canada. Digital video gained the most momentum of any format amid the pandemic last year, growing by 10.0% year over year (YoY). This includes both in-stream video formats (e.g., YouTube ads) and those outstream (ads appearing in social media feeds).

In April 2016, WeCom launched as WeChat Work in China, to only moderate success. The pandemic has turbocharged its user growth, however. The app’s integration with WeChat and arsenal of business features will make it a valuable asset for marketers even after offices reopen.

On today's episode, we discuss the highlights from Snapchat's user growth and revenue picture in Q1. We then talk about Snapchat integrating a fashion recommendation company into its app, how social media behaviors have evolved because of the pandemic, and Facebook's latest ad offerings. Tune in to the discussion with eMarketer principal analyst Debra Aho Williamson and forecasting analyst at Insider Intelligence Nazmul Islam.

Connected TV (CTV) advertising was a beneficiary of pandemic trends and remains one of digital advertising’s fastest-growing channels. Last year, linear TV decreased in importance to advertisers, as cord-cutting accelerated and more programmatic CTV inventory became available than ever before.

Older consumers may recall the iconic Bounty TV commercials featuring “Rosie.” But to attract Gen Z, Procter & Gamble is taking its messaging to digital channels. Watch Industry Voices Spotlight on CPG with Janette Yauch, brand vice president of Bounty and Puffs at P&G, to learn how it’s leveraging Twitch and TikTok.

Search had a challenging time during the pandemic. Spend grew just 5.3% to £7.34 billion ($9.41 billion) in 2020, down from 17.7% the previous year and significantly down on our pre-pandemic estimate of 12.2% growth. However, this latest forecast is a reversal on our interim August 2020 estimate, when we expected a decline of 1.7% for the year.

As Americans start planning their safe return to the office, Banana Republic is shifting its marketing messaging to existing and new consumers. Watch Industry Voices, with Jen Mullen, vice president and head of stores at Banana Republic, to learn how the retailer is using mobile couponing and social campaigns to drive traffic back to its physical stores.

Amid the carnage of bankruptcies, store closures, and massive layoffs in 2020, some retail companies actually fared very well. Adjustments to supply chains, product and service bundles, stocking and inventory, and customer service have been the keys to success for big-box retailers like Walmart, Target, and Best Buy. Others, such as Apple, lululemon athletica, Nike, and Starbucks, are focusing on innovating and modifying store experiences through digital integration, frictionless shopping, and atmospherics modified for a “new normal” of social distancing and sanitization.

This report explores the impact the pandemic has had on our latest regional estimates and trends for total media, traditional media, digital, and mobile ad spending in six markets in Latin America: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Peru.

Digital advertising confounded the conditions of the past year or so and will attract more than three-quarters of total media ad spending in 2021—£19.23 billion ($24.66 billion). Video has been the biggest driver of digital spend during this time.

Last year, China was the only market to see overall ad spending growth, although digital ad spending performed well almost everywhere. This year, every country will see growth in almost every category.

TV ad spending in the US reached its highest point ever in 2018, a year that featured the Winter Olympics and a midterm congressional election—except no one realized it was a peak at the time. Linear TV had been stagnating for several years, though in early March 2020, the combo of the Summer Olympics and a big presidential campaign season looked set to generate a record $72.00 billion in US TV ad spending that year.

As Shiseido gets closer to completing its digital transformation, AI will be critical to scale at speed. But the personal care brand still plans to keep people at its center. Watch Industry Voices with Alessio Rossi, executive vice president and head of digital transformation at Shiseido, to learn how it empowers its team with data and technology to relate to consumers with empathy and efficiency. 

For digitally native brands, 2020 was a hard year, especially as the pandemic shifted shopping priorities to essential goods. Even so, collectively, these brands saw increased growth—and more than we expected.

Many mobile app categories saw a boost last year as more consumers spent time with their devices during quarantines. According to our estimates for smartphone app user growth, grocery apps, food delivery apps, and health/fitness apps were the three fastest-growing categories in 2020.

From product-focused creative to augmented reality tools and a proprietary delivery service, furniture seller Article is dedicated to great customer experience every step of the way. Watch Industry Voices with Duncan Blair, vice president of marketing at Article, to learn how its white-glove strategy has introduced consumers to online furniture shopping over the past year.

Traditionally, travel advertisers including online travel agencies are among the biggest search ad spenders on Google. That business tanked last year, but ecommerce-related search advertising outperformed thanks to the supercharged digital retail environment.

On today's episode, we discuss what "going back to the office" may actually mean, the dawn of “tiered-access journalism,” video safe havens for brands, possible surges in travel plans, Facebook's new video speed dating app called Sparked, why the Rubik's Cube was invented, and more. Tune in to listen to the discussion with eMarketer principal analysts Jillian Ryan and Jeremy Goldman, and analyst at Insider Intelligence Blake Droesch.

Ecommerce monetization opportunities for publishers are expanding. Publisher revenues from ecommerce now include commissions and fees generated from affiliate or partner marketing content, curated ecommerce marketplaces, and branded merchandise.