The news: Snapchat and McDonald’s have launched a collaboration giving MyMcDonald’s Rewards members a chance to exchange points for a one-month Snapchat+ subscription. The offer marks the first time McDonald’s is offering a digital subscription service as a reward. The program is only available to new Snapchat+ subscribers. Our take: Snapchat’s decision to collaborate with McDonald’s shows its evolving strategy to bolster user monetization through premium subscriptions. Attracting new users to the platform and convincing them to become long-term paid subscribers could help alleviate this issue.

Gen Z defines social winners in Asia-Pacific: Snapchat slows in India while TikTok expands in Indonesia and Singapore.

Gen Zers continue to overtake millennials in several prominent digital activities and platforms, including social commerce, podcasts, and Instagram.

US social ad spend will grow YoY in 2025, even as platforms grapple with tariff-related budget cuts from industries that spend heavily on social channels, like CPG and retail.

Social media usage in Canada continues to grow, but it’s spread across a wider range of networks. Meta’s Facebook and Instagram still lead, but TikTok, Snapchat, Pinterest, and X also command large audiences.

Social platforms vie for attention at NewFronts: Meta, TikTok, and Snap all debuted ad updates designed to remain competitive amid a backdrop of uncertainty.

Despite uncertainty related to the economy and tariffs, US social network ad spending is expected to grow. AI offerings, social commerce, and lower-funnel investments will drive outlays.

Snap earnings paint a grim picture for 2025: While revenues were up, the company pulled its guidance and lost 1 million users.

This is the first installment of our “UK Ad Spending Benchmarks” series, which helps ad buyers and sellers calibrate their spending and revenue mix against the market.​​

Amid dizzying policy unpredictability and a grab bag of unpleasant economic possibilities, precise ad spend forecasting is challenging. A scenarios-based approach can help clarify potential outcomes.

Omnicom expands Creo into a global brand: The agency will unify creator strategy across markets, blending AI tools, media partnerships, and performance goals.

Snap resets its brand story: Grace Kao joins as CMO to lead a creative reinvention, following ad gains and rising interest in immersive media.

This is the Q1 2025 installment of our quarterly “Ad Spending Benchmarks” series, which helps ad buyers and sellers calibrate their spending and revenue mix against the market.​

This is the Q1 2025 installment of our quarterly “Ad Spending Benchmarks” series, which helps ad buyers and sellers calibrate their spending and revenue mix against the market.

The 2024 US presidential election ushered in a new normal in brand safety, with prominent social media companies such as X and Meta shifting the burden of content moderation from internal teams and contractors to users.

Snap study shows the power of positive ads: Consumers reported higher brand recall when seeing ads that sparked "joy."

Snap doubles down on immersive brand tools: AI Lenses, creator events, and AR vending machines highlight its experiential marketing push.

Snapchat reimagines its Partner Program for SMBs: The changes will see the program split into two tiers, with features to help SMBs advertise.

Influencer marketing is maturing and diversifying. While the turmoil at TikTok and the escalating trade war are causing temporary uncertainty, the industry will remain resilient as momentum around influencer marketing grows.

Snapchat unlocks prime film, TV ad potential: A new study found that Snapchatters are highly receptive to brands advertising around this content.