The store is no longer the only place where consumers can discover and shop for consumer packaged goods (CPG) products. Younger generations are finding products via search and social media, while Amazon Prime Day offers shoppers the opportunity to stock up on essentials for less.

Just over 80% of US Gen Zers ages 15 to 26 use YouTube monthly, and almost the same percentage use Instagram or TikTok, per our July 2023 survey. More than half still visit Facebook. And though BeReal was the trendy app last year, only 15.1% of Gen Z respondents use it.

Which platforms are Gen Z’s top choice for key social media activities? Our proprietary survey sheds light on how they spend their social media time.

By 2025, US adults will spend more time on TikTok than on Facebook, according to our June forecast. This marks a major milestone for TikTok, which is on track to become the largest social platform in total daily minutes by the same year.

Influencer marketing once referred to an Instagram power user featuring products in posts resulting in native promotional content. It was a cheaper and more authentic-feeling alternative to celebrity endorsements and paid social ads.

Streaming video and music top Gen Z adults’ media activities, but their digital lives aren't just about entertainment. The multitasking, multidevice cohort treats the intersection of media and technology as a lifeline for socializing and staying informed.

The old form of social networking may be dying. But our forecast shows people spend more time on social platforms, so marketers need to be aware of what the new era of social media looks like. Gen Z and TikTok certainly dominate social media headlines, but Meta maintains a stronghold, even as it struggles to make new endeavors like Threads take off.

US Influencer marketing spending will pass $2 billion on Instagram in 2024, while spending on TikTok, YouTube, and Facebook will each pass $1 billion, per our forecast.

Our forecast data reveals a mismatch between marketers who have been quick to transition to digital platforms, and consumers who are still spending time on traditional media like TV, newspapers, and radio. This year, 74.6% of all US ad spending will go toward digital media, while US adults will only spend 62.1% of their daily media time with digital, according to our forecast.

Key stat: 82% of US creators will earn income from sponsored content this year, down from 91% in 2021, according to Mavrck.

Spending on sponsored content will rise 3.5 times faster than social ad spending will this year. Social ad spending, including YouTube, still dwarfs influencer marketing spending, at $83.72 billion versus $5.14 billion in 2023, per our forecasts. But the different spending patterns are a clear indication that creators aren’t tied to social media. The trend holds true on every platform, as marketers continue to shift more budget into influencer marketing, particularly video.

“[Meta] has become more profitable for sure, but it is a leaner, meaner, and hopefully more efficient company,” our analyst Debra Aho Williamson said on a recent episode of “Behind the Numbers.” The company’s 21,000 jobs cuts certainly helped boost its margins. “I think that this sets Meta up for a much better second half of this year.”

Social networks are ramping up ad loads to rally their stock prices and as they continue to wrestle with AppTrackingTransparency.

On today's podcast episode, we discuss whether YouTube Shorts are cannibalizing long-form content, Instagram and Facebook users potentially being able to pay to avoid ads in Europe, how Netflix's password crackdown is getting on, whether serving multiple ads at once is a good idea, the impact of the Digital Services Act's arrival, how long it would take you to drive around every road in the US, and more. Tune in to the discussion with our forecasting writer Ethan Cramer-Flood, analyst Bill Fisher, and forecasting analyst Zach Goldner.

Retail’s resilience and its outsized role in digital ad spending will help offset the impact of a broader slowdown in growth in the US digital advertising market.

Meta mulls over ad-free options in Europe: Marketers need to brace for potential changes in audience targeting and ad costs.

Is social media dead? Not exactly. But it has become “less social and more media,” as Insider reported.

The Hollywood strikes are revealing the full power of creators. They’re accelerating the diversification of platforms and revenue streams, and they will lead to more TV-like content and creator-owned media. Here’s how marketers, social platforms, and media companies should respond.

B2B digital ad spending will continue to grow at a slower pace across key industries in 2023. More B2B buyers are millennials and Gen Zers, shifting ad buys from search to display, from Google to social media, and from desktop to mobile.