Influencer marketing is no longer optional—it’s a performance-driven growth engine. As consumer trust and expectations reshape engagement, brands must adapt their strategies to sustain returns in a fast-moving yet maturing channel.

Meta withdrew from Media Rating Council (MRC) brand safety audits last week, just months after its accreditation was officially issued, per Adweek. Despite its other brand safety moves, Meta’s step away from the MRC indicates that advertisers are now navigating a digital ad landscape that necessitates investment in platforms without stringent brand safety protocols—requiring marketers to strengthen their own brand safety monitoring and verification processes.

Meta announced updates to its brand safety and suitability capabilities for Threads and Instagram this week as it looks to gain advertiser trust in its platforms amid regulatory scrutiny. The new restrictions are a double-edged sword. On one hand, advertisers will have increased confidence in their ability to appear next to safe content that doesn’t damage brand image. But on the other hand, reaching younger audiences helping drive growth could become more challenging and require nuance.

After months of public and regulatory pressure, Instagram announced a sweeping overhaul of how teens experience the platform by applying the same “PG-13” principles used by the film industry. Its goal is to limit exposure to adult or explicit content and curb the backlash over teen well-being. Instagram’s PG-13 turn marks a new phase in platform governance where safety, not scale, defines success, and where brands must earn trust in a shrinking, more sheltered teen arena. Brands now need to create more nuanced campaigns to reach younger users without running afoul of guardrails or further alienating minors.

Gen Zers are avid personal care and beauty shoppers, and their habits often diverge from those of older consumers. While they shop in-store as much as non-Gen Zers, they're more likely to turn to digital channels for research and purchases. This report contrasts Gen Z behaviors with those of non-Gen Z shoppers across the personal care and beauty landscape.

OpenAI introduced a wide swath of app integrations for ChatGPT, pushing the generative AI (genAI) chatbot toward super app status. Spotify, Booking.com, Zillow, Canva, Figma, and Expedia are now all part of the ChatGPT experience. Brands should start treating ChatGPT like a search engine, app store, and marketplace all in one. Marketers should create and tag their content so it can surface naturally in ChatGPT responses. Generative engine optimization (GEO) strategies include structuring content and product copy with mini headlines and using concrete language over abstract phrasing to boost appearances in output.

Video is now core to B2B marketing. This report shows how trust-building through creators, as well as increased AI use, are supporting video’s rise—and how to link performance to pipeline despite rising costs and resource gaps.

Instagram is experimenting with its user interface in India, testing a feature where users open the app directly to a Reels feed instead of the traditional photo-first interface, the company confirmed. The brands that stay competitive in the crowded social media landscape will be those who take advantage of short-form’s potential and build ad strategies tailored to the format.

Meta will begin using conversations with its AI assistant to personalize ads and feeds across Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp starting December 16. The change represents Meta’s most aggressive AI monetization effort to date, moving beyond likes and follows to conversational intent—a richer, real-time signal of consumer interest. Regulators are already raising alarms about surveillance and privacy. With 98% of Meta’s revenues tied to ads, even small gains could shift billions.

Adobe introduced a full version of its Premiere video-editing app for iPhone users, offering new opportunities for on-the-go content creation. Premiere on iPhone includes features like sound effects, auto-generated captions, and multi-track timelines for video, audio, and text. It’s free for general editing, and generative AI (genAI) features are available on a pay-per-credit model. Brands that work with influencers should package assets so they’re easier for creators to use on the go and be flexible with formats and publishing schedules to support workflows for more timely, high-impact campaigns.

B2B digital ad spending is rising as marketers lean into formats that build visibility and engagement. Video and display are growing faster than search, reshaping strategies to reach decision-makers.

Meta is planning on offering UK users paid, ad-free versions of Instagram and Facebook in the coming weeks. Privacy transforming into a priced option implies a growing consumer awareness of data use. Advertisers who make privacy a positive part of their brand messaging will better match emerging consumer mindsets.

Digital markets are being reshaped by genAI search and shifting platform and monetization dynamics. These 10 charts reveal the forces that will define 2025 and beyond.

Consumers are increasingly receptive toward digital ads and generative AI in marketing, per Kantar’s Media Reactions 2025 report. While consumers increasingly see digital ads as the norm, advertisers must work harder than ever to cut through the clutter and deliver relevant, memorable experiences that drive action.

YouTube is an effective channel for reaching Gen Zers as use and creators influence expand, per our 2025 Gen Z Social Media Usage report. Over half (56%) of Gen Z social media users are spending more time on YouTube than they did a year ago, per YouGov. YouTube’s momentum with Gen Z shows its evolution from an entertainment hub to a discovery and shopping engine. Brands need to not only show up, but also design for searchability, optimize creator partnerships, and explore cross-screen viewing and messaging outreach.

Condé Nast-owned magazine Wired is promoting an out-of-home (OOH) campaign for its upcoming politics issue in a massive brand marketing effort spanning cities including New York, Los Angeles, Austin, and Washington, DC. Wired’s omnichannel approach highlights how combining trust, talent visibility, and multi-format reach drives stronger engagement and brand outcomes.

Gen Z’s expected holiday spend in 2025 is $1,357, down 22.5% from 2024, according to July data from PwC.

While social media drives discovery, it serves primarily as a path to purchase—not as the final destination. Over three-quarters (78%) of US consumers say their purchases are influenced by brands on social media, per Clutch’s From Scroll to Sale report. However, only 15% use social media platforms or apps to make direct purchases. The opportunity in social media commerce lies not just in driving discovery, but closing the gap between interest and action. Brands can earn trust by setting up mechanics like secure checkout to promote cybersecurity and maintaining consistency between marketing voice and website appearance to avoid confusing customers.

Social media is intertwined into Gen Zers’ day-to-day lives, used for everything from entertainment to messaging to searching. But they’re posting less than older generations and want to spend less time on it, though that’s easier said than done.

Meta is back in licensing talks with publishers like Axel Springer, Fox Corp., and News Corp., marking a reversal from its 2022 exit from news payments. The move comes as AI tools like Google’s AI Overviews cut publisher traffic, pushing outlets to secure compensation. Meanwhile, Reddit is pressing Google for richer terms, citing undervaluation of its human-authored content under existing $203 million contracts. For publishers, licensing deals provide revenue but risk cementing dependence on platforms that control discovery. For marketers, the shift highlights how AI-driven answers—rather than search results or feeds—are becoming the gateways to consumer attention and content discovery.