LinkedIn debuts campaign-creation tool powered by generative AI: Platform is out to address unique challenges in reaching B2B decision-makers.

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.

What’s happening? Active user figures are falling on both X (the platform formerly known as Twitter) and Meta’s Threads, which started strong but has stumbled recently, with more than 80% of users logging off. Their loss could be LinkedIn’s gain, as both Gen Z use of the platform and B2B ad spend there increase.

Social media is the most effective B2B channel for driving revenues in 2023, according to 60% of US B2B marketers, per Wpromote and Ascend2.

The US ad market grew for the first time in 11 months this May, according to Standard Media’s US Ad Market Tracker. Now the question is if expansion can continue. June and the start of July brought a host of ad updates that could help continued growth, including ad tools enhancements from Google and Microsoft, retail media opportunities from Roku and Uber, and more. Here’s a breakdown of what’s new.

LinkedIn is the social platform most commonly used by B2B marketers and their clients worldwide, according to a LinkedIn survey conducted by Ipsos. YouTube takes second place, followed by Facebook and Instagram.

The B2B buyer is younger, digital-first, and dominates the share of voice online. They’re demanding, but they’re also more engaged in the buying process. And they look to social content for education, inspiration, and solutions. As the number of young decision-makers only increases, social media’s importance in B2B marketing strategies is growing too.

The B2B social media landscape is rapidly evolving thanks to younger buyers and AI. To adapt, marketers need to lean into influencer marketing, have a multichannel approach, and embrace generative AI.

On today's episode, we discuss real-world examples of how generative AI can humanize messaging, increase engagement, and turn customers into brand advocates. "In Other News," we talk about why LinkedIn is betting on trust and some promising use cases for generative AI in content marketing. Tune in to the discussion with our analyst Kelsey Voss.

AI enhances B2B advertising: LinkedIn’s latest feature levers OpenAI models to improve ad creation efficiency.

One-fourth of creators said they go live to their followers via YouTube, making it the most popular livestreaming app ahead of TikTok (18.7%), Facebook (17.4%), and Instagram (14.0%), per an April 2023 survey by The Influencer Marketing Factory.

Ad spending is looking shaky for many of the legacy formats across digital and traditional. New channels have arrived, however, and there are bright spots. This year could be rough, but 2024 is looking better.

Microsoft and Google report solid quarterly results amid slow economy: With AI transforming the future of search, is Microsoft gaining a perceived edge in innovation?

Musk gave advertisers a reason to leave Twitter. He exacerbated long-standing issues and created new ones. Six months into Musk-era Twitter, most brands aren’t ready to resume spending, largely because they don’t trust the man in charge.

Nearly three-quarters of US TikTok users will also use Instagram this year, making it the most popular alternative to the social video app, per our forecast. That’s good news for Instagram Reels, which is positioning itself as a viable successor in the event of a US TikTok ban.

Big Tech layoffs in 2023 have already blown past 2022’s total—indicating that job cuts are expected to continue and that they’re now spreading to peripheral industries.

Amid privacy changes and macroeconomic headwinds, social media will be the channel hurt most by the digital advertising downturn. For 2023, we have reduced our US social network ad spending forecast by $16.21 billion.

Of Microsoft’s $198 billion in revenues last year, only about 6% came from advertising. Could a revamped Bing help build out this revenue stream? It’s hard to imagine, but not impossible. Here are five charts that look at Microsoft’s latest ad moves.

Tech layoffs hit Twilio, LinkedIn, Ford, and Yahoo: We could be facing a secondary wave of cost-cutting in the tech field. The good news is opportunities are open in other industries.