Influencer marketing is a booming industry. But accessing the opportunity requires navigating a complex web of consumer preferences and platforms, and growing pressure to prove ROI.​

Gen Zers are on a path to take the lead on most platforms, while millennials remain a stable digital population and other generations pick up new habits.

B2B digital ad spending is expected to rebound in 2024. Trends in B2B buying behavior, programmatic advertising, and AI use are contributing to the shift in spending toward display, mobile, social media, and video.

Platforms must brace for regulation of algorithmic content: EU regulators are widening their net, which could restrict advertisers’ ability to target teens.

Last month, JCPenney announced it was partnering with Bazaarvoice Visual Syndication Network to collect and post user-generated content (UGC) on its website’s product display pages. The department store is hardly the first retailer to recognize the value of UGC—over a quarter (28.4%) of ecommerce marketers in North America believe that images/video from real customers (aka UGC) is the type of visual content that impacts purchase decisions the most, according to a May 2023 survey from Nosto.

YouTube’s record label clash echoes TikTok-UMG feud: Major artists are unavailable on YouTube and its music platform as a deal deadline approaches.

Apple, Google, and Meta pull services, isolating Russians and shrinking revenue opportunities for creators and advertisers.

More than a quarter (26%) of marketers worldwide use YouTube for influencer marketing strategies, according to a September 2024 report by the Influencer Marketing Hub. Another 25% uses the platform for organic content marketing.

TikTok, World Health Organization join forces to combat medical misinformation: After being scrutinized for the impact that misinformation on its platform has had on younger users, TikTok is taking a page out of YouTube’s book to fight it.

YouTube is doubling down on social connectivity and AI tools to stay competitive with rivals like TikTok and Meta. The platform’s new suite of features introduced last week include Communities, a fan’s ability to boost creators’ videos, generative AI (genAI) video tools, and gifting. These innovations mimic what’s working on other social media platforms as YouTube seeks to remain social even as it builds out its connected TV business.

A third (33%) of US influencers believe that if TikTok is sold or banned in the US next year, Facebook Reels will become the next major player in short-form video, per August 2024 data by First Insight. Instagram Reels is close, at 32%.

More than double the percentage of marketers worldwide say their primary goals on YouTube are top-of-funnel, driving brand awareness, versus bottom-of-funnel, driving conversions, per August 2024 data by the Influencer Marketing Hub.

Facebook and YouTube dominate, but the rise of unverified stories poses a challenge to credible reporting.

The number of companies that generate more than $1 billion in annual US CTV ad sales grew from two in 2020 to five in 2024

Platforms owners like Meta and Snap face scrutiny over data exploitation and child privacy laws. Regulatory action could disrupt their ad-based profits.

The number of companies generating more than $1 billion in annual US CTV ad sales more than doubled from two in 2020 to five in 2024. With ad dollars spreading out among services, a few streaming platforms stand out because of their heavy usage.

Social shoppers find inspiration for their purchases from many different types of content, but none more so than creator, influencer, or celebrity influencer content.

MrBeast’s season of scandal dampens Prime Video’s game show plans: A class action lawsuit alleges sexual harassment on the set of a game show aimed at young audiences.

YouTube claims 10.4% of daily time spent with TV in the US, according to July 2024 data by Nielsen.

New AI tools promise to boost Shorts content, but a flood of formulaic videos could make creators disappear in the algorithm noise.