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.

Advertisers are stepping back from TikTok: CPMs fell significantly YoY, but advertisers should focus on diversification, not total abandonment, for the best results.

While teens retain digital habits from childhood (such as a strong preference for YouTube), their newfound independence and desire to connect with peers has led them to new habits.

Top-line time spent with media will grow very little in the US going forward, making it essential to identify which formats and platforms are winning the newly zero-sum competition for consumer attention.

Snapchat enhances brand safety features: The changes stand in contrast with Meta scaling back its brand safety commitments.

Latin America’s digital revolution is marching full steam ahead, with consumers spending more than a third of their day online. As social commerce and retail media propel the region’s digital economy to new heights, the runway for growth remains long.​

Even if TikTok goes away, short social video is here to stay. Consumption will move to other places, and advertisers need to be ready.

2025 is the year marketers will get serious about the creator economy, according to our analyst Jasmine Enberg.

Snap faces ad revenue headwinds despite solid Q4: AI, AR, and creator investments need to deliver as brands seek better ROI in a tight ad market.

Its text-to-image genAI tool reduces costs by operating on-device, but the company still faces high user acquisition costs and dominating rivals like Meta.

Social platforms agreed to tighten moderation of hate speech in the EU while loosening rules in the US, risking an unpredictable content environment.

Snapchat launches ‘Find Your Favorites’ campaign: Creator-focused strategy aims to grow engagement and revenue amid TikTok's uncertain US future.

The loss of TikTok in the US would cause a ripple effect across the media, marketing, and commerce landscape. Meta and YouTube stand to gain the most, but there is a long list of other winners—and losers.