蘑菇AV

Social search is gaining ground. Roughly two-thirds of US consumers search on at least one social platform in ways that can influence every part of the consumer journey.

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

Tens of millions of Americans will use weight loss drugs in the coming years. Here鈥檚 what pharma, food and beverage, wellness, and fitness brands and marketers need to know about GLP-1 patients鈥� changing behaviors alongside their medication use.

This is the first installment of our annual 鈥淏razil Ad Spending Benchmarks鈥� series, which helps ad buyers and sellers calibrate their spending and revenue mix against the market.

The news: YouTube Shorts now average 200 billion daily views, a 186% increase from 70 billion in 2024. The platform also sees 1 billion daily TV watch hours, leading Nielsen鈥檚 streaming rankings with 12.5% of total TV viewership, surpassing Netflix, Disney+, and Prime Video. Our take: As audiences increasingly favor quick, viral videos, marketers have the opportunity to explore partnering with rising creators and scaling campaigns across mobile and CTV to maximize reach and impact.

Reddit鈥檚 user base and ad revenues are growing rapidly, as is its prominence in search engines like Google. Here鈥檚 how marketers are showing up on the platform in ways that resonate with users.

The runaway popularity of TikTok鈥攁nd its competitors鈥� efforts to copy it鈥攈as helped make short-form video an integral component of social media usage. Now, creators, brands, advertisers, and publishers are all leaning into short-form video shopping content. Brands have been using different types of content on social media, particularly Facebook, to drive purchases for years.

After advertisers spent Q1 2025 reacting to the threat of tariffs, they shifted their focus back to the business of figuring out how social platforms鈥� automated offerings complement more established methods of investment.

The news: A Snapchat, WPP Media, and Lumen study unveiled key insights on the growth of attention-based metrics as key indicators of ad success. Even 5% more attention can double brand perception. Attention was 8 times more effective than view-through rates for predicting brand recall and 4 times more effective at determining brand favorability. Our take: Snap is looking to be a leader in a metric that advertisers are increasingly paying attention to鈥攂ut on the back of a lukewarm quarter, can Snap鈥檚 emphasis on attention help it bounce back?

US consumers will spend 8.6 hours daily with digital media in 2025. How they divide that time across devices is evolving as video content drives strong growth in connected TV usage.

Social network ad spending is still high relative to time spent on them, a disconnect primarily driven by Meta. As time spent with social networks plateaus, platforms are trying to break into CTV to capture the time spent (and ad dollars) in streaming.

Consumer trust in the US healthcare system and its key players has eroded. Brands now face patients who distrust traditional guidance鈥攐ften due to political polarization鈥攁nd seek answers from unverified sources. Here鈥檚 how brands and marketers can win back patient trust and rebuild deteriorating reputations.

The news: A recent YouGov study highlighted shifting media consumption habits鈥攁nd Gen Z is leading the way. Half of Gen Zers make purchases based on social media ads compared with 41% of overall consumers. Gen Z is one of the leaders in time spent with social media, with 28% spending at least 5 hours on social platforms on the average weekday. Our take: As Gen Z proves itself as one of the most valuable demographics for advertisers, brands must tailor strategies to channels and formats that are most likely to connect with these growth drivers.

Instagram launched a feature that allows college students to display their class schedule on their profiles in a bid to make inroads with young consumers鈥攄ays after TikTok released a similar tool. By cherry picking successful formats on other social platforms like messaging, music sharing, stories, short-form video, and more, Instagram has established itself as a crucial social tool and entertainment platform for young users. Its college schedule launch could help cement influence with yet another generation of students.

Snap posted 9% YoY revenue growth in Q2 2025, reaching $1.35 billion, but fell short of expectations due to a technical ad platform error that temporarily underpriced inventory. DAUs rose 9% to 469 million and Spotlight engagement surged, yet global ARPU remained flat and margins tightened. Snap鈥檚 performance contrasted sharply with stronger ad results from Meta, Google, and Reddit, raising concerns about its ability to monetize growing usage鈥攅specially in fast-expanding but low-yield regions. Snap did see promising gains in subscription revenue and AI-driven commerce ads, but must execute better on monetization to remain competitive in a rebounding ad market.

France鈥檚 digital landscape is evolving fast, driven by shifting consumer and media habits and increasing ecommerce adoption. Recent data reveals the trends shaping digital spending, retail sales, and more.

Germany鈥檚 digital landscape is evolving fast, driven by shifting consumer behaviors, increasing ecommerce adoption, and changing media habits. Recent data reveals the trends shaping digital spending, retail sales, and more.

Total media time is decreasing in all three countries. The decline is slightly less pronounced in France and Germany, where relatively strong traditional media usage and steady growth in digital time help balance the drop.

Latin America鈥檚 ad market will surpass $40 billion this year as it continues to defy economic uncertainty. Rebounds in Argentina and Chile, along with double-digit growth in retail and social media spending, will fuel momentum. Here are the latest trends you need to know.

On today鈥檚 podcast episode, we discuss the biggest discrepancy by device with regards to where we spend our time versus how many ad dollars are aimed there, why social players want to take a page from YouTube鈥檚 CTV playbook, and why sub OTT鈥檚 unusual path to advertising has created major misalignments. Join Senior Director of Podcasts and host, Marcus Johnson, Principal Forecasting Writer, Ethan Cramer-Flood, and Senior Analyst, Minda Smiley. Listen everywhere and watch on YouTube and Spotify.

The news: China reiterated that it will not sell TikTok鈥檚 algorithm to the US in accordance with Chinese laws as the September 17 sale deadline looms. The announcement comes almost immediately after the White House launched an official TikTok account in a move Chinese officials stated 鈥渃ontradicts the 鈥榥ational security threat鈥� rhetoric.鈥� Our take: With no definitive answer on TikTok鈥檚 future in the US, advertisers are in a difficult spot. Divestment risks losing access to audiences motivated to take action鈥攂ut investing too heavily risks overreliance on a channel that could face major changes.

Quick-service chains like Starbucks, Taco Bell, and Potbelly are leaning into secret menus as a low-risk, high-reward strategy to spark buzz, drive app engagement, and crowdsource product innovation. 鈥淪ecret鈥� is one of the most powerful words in the marketing playbook鈥攊t signals exclusivity, discovery, and insider access. For QSRs, secret menus turn that intrigue into action, gamifying loyalty, testing new flavors, and tapping into cultural trends鈥攁ll without disrupting operations. By inviting fans to co-create, brands get viral traction and fresh product ideas, often using ingredients already in stock. It鈥檚 a low-lift, scalable strategy to boost visits and stay relevant in a crowded, fast-moving category.