“What will happen next?” That’s the big question marketers have following the signing of a potential TikTok ban into law, according to Liz Cole, chief social officer at VML. While marketers don’t know if parent company ByteDance will sell TikTok, shut the platform down in the US, or find a way to fend off the legislation in court, they can prepare now for what’s to come.

US social media ad spending will ride the momentum platforms built in H2 2023 thanks to AI, social video advertising growth, and a fixation on bottom-funnel outcomes.

Instagram could be the biggest beneficiary of a TikTok ban: Our Industry KPI data found that Instagram has a comparable reach to TikTok among the largest accounts.

Here’s what a TikTok-less America would look like for marketers, users, and creators, based on our latest forecasts.

While TikTok’s fate is in limbo, the sharks circle round: Surveys show strong support for Reels if the app is banned, while China says it doesn’t support a forced sale.

Dramatic shifts are in the works for 2024, as genAI, changing media norms, and innovative commerce redefine the business landscape. Our top nine trends explore what’s in store.

Overly complicated ideas don’t go viral on Reels. “Be brutal in the simplicity of your idea,” Rory McClenaghan, group strategy director at Molson Coors’ internal agency, Volt, said at Advertising Week New York 2023. If you can’t explain the Reels idea in four frames or fewer, it’s probably too complicated.

Facebook and Instagram Reels are growing in popularity, and provide an opportunity for brand marketers to extend their reach and engage with key audiences. With Meta’s new AI-powered brand suitability controls for Reels, marketers will be more empowered to craft suitable environments for their ads.

Despite TikTok’s strong growth, most brands continue to turn first to Instagram for influencer marketing. Instagram remains a must, but there are good reasons for more marketers to commit to TikTok—and YouTube Shorts.

“[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.”

Meta's strategy to bolster Threads: Given Threads' declining user base, Instagram's promotional push could be a double-edged sword in the engagement game.

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.

Reels' next frontier: Instagram's strategic play against TikTok's and YouTube's video offerings, maximizing advertising opportunities.

Daily social network time is reaching a plateau, as the explosive growth in social video is approaching a saturation point. Even growth in time spent with TikTok is slowing, a sign that there’s a limit to how much social video people want to consume daily.

What were the three biggest ad-related takeaways from Meta’s stellar Q2 2023 earnings report? Reels’ revenues, AI ad products, and a return to ad growth in Europe.

With the rise of TikTok and all its copycats, there’s a lot to keep track of in terms of paid advertising. Creators frequent TikTok, Reels, Shorts, and Spotlight in some capacity, but the ad ops on each platform vary. Here’s a quick guide to what’s available on each platform.

Meta’s Q2 points to continued rebound: An 11% revenue increase shows that new products and advertising offerings are helping right the ship.