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Why it鈥檚 happening: Platforms face slowing ad growth, rising tech infrastructure costs, and supporting gigantic agency-facing teams鈥攁s Meta and others do鈥攊s expensive. If platforms鈥� genAI tools can replace agency support functions鈥攍ike campaign setup, asset creation, or reporting鈥攊t could justify reducing headcount in those areas, turning what were once essential roles into potential cost savings.

Its programmatic push could increase its appeal to advertisers as it vies for a bigger share of ad dollars in a crowded landscape. Its latest hire could help evolve Pinterest鈥檚 programmatic capabilities, translating to increased ad spend, lower-funnel growth, and measurable results.

The trend: US consumers trust the pharma companies that advertise the prescription drugs they鈥檙e taking. Our take: Pharma companies can take heart in knowing the people who take their drugs trust them and their advertising. But it鈥檚 also an opportunity for precise data and media targeting to reach new consumers who would be interested in their medication鈥攗ndiagnosed people or competitors鈥� patients鈥攁nd receptive to learning about them.

TikTok has made several moves to prove its economic impact in the US. Beyond generating significant ad revenues鈥擳ikTok will bring in $14.78 million in US ad revenues this year, second only to Meta鈥攖he platform emphasized that millions of US jobs and businesses benefit from TikTok, and highlighted that the app contributed $24.2 billion to the US GDP in 2023 alone.

The shift in spending aligns with viewing habits: Time spent with CTV is increasing, and nearly three-quarters of the US population will be CTV users by 2029, per our forecast. And for the first time this year, time spent with CTV is projected to outpace time spent with traditional TV鈥攊ndicating that CTV provides an increasingly lucrative opportunity for advertisers to reach target audiences.

The news: Linear ad impressions declined 4.25% YoY in Q1, falling from about 92% of impressions in early 2023 to around 86% in March 2025, per iSpot鈥檚 Q1 TV Ad Transparency Report. But despite the decline, linear ad spend grew 4% in Q1, reaching $12.34 billion鈥攊ndicating that while audience preferences are shifting, advertiser interest in linear remains steady. Our take: The most effective ad strategies will strike a balance between sustaining investment in linear to capitalize on its scale and reliability, and steadily increasing investment in streaming to align with evolving viewer behavior and future-proof campaign performance.

Temu and Shein ad impressions dropped to 0% as both retailers effectively cut off Google Shopping ad spend in April.

The news: As the 2025 economy tightens under the pressure of tariffs, AI disruption, and shifting global trade policy, brands are embracing adaptability. Retail growth forecasts have been slashed, inflation-wary consumers are scaling back, and even luxury sentiment is weakening. Our take: Resilient brands are leaning into agile planning, reallocating media spend to ROI-focused channels like search and digital out-of-home, and anchoring value in trust and quality鈥攏ot just price. As emotional volatility shapes consumer decisions, marketers who show relevance and reassurance will lead. The brands that win won鈥檛 wait for stability鈥攖hey鈥檒l build strategies that succeed amid constant change.

This shift positions The Trade Desk to stay ahead as more ad dollars move from the open exchange to curated, data-enriched, high-confidence channels. By addressing the underlying infrastructure, not just the interface, Deal Desk could become an invisible but vital layer of modern programmatic buying.

For us, the bar is something that鈥檚 10 times better than the next best experience, the next best alternative ... which is the smartphone,鈥� Spiegel said. He added that Snap is developing features that smartphones can鈥檛 offer and will work to reduce consumer costs later. Snap said it has spent more than $3 billion on AR research and development over the past 11 years.

The news: Google is launching Offerwall, a new Ad Manager tool that lets users unlock publisher content through ads, surveys, or payments鈥攑art of a broader effort to mend relationships with publishers facing traffic loss from AI Overviews and eroding ad share. Publishers say Google pays less than rivals like PubMatic and Magnite, and AI-driven zero-click searches have dropped site traffic significantly. Our take: With a DOJ remedies trial looming and ChatGPT traffic rising fast, Google鈥檚 publisher outreach isn鈥檛 just damage control鈥攊t鈥檚 existential. If AI is to remain useful and ethical, supporting the content it鈥檚 trained on is a must.

Advertisers should map churn cycles and diversify ad spend to align with viewing habits and consumer behavior while prioritizing media plans that follow content, not just platforms.

The DOJ also found that Google monopolized the US ad market and is pushing Google to sell AdX and DoubleClick for Publishers, claiming it illegally monopolized ad tech and harmed publishers by bundling services. Why it matters: By tying Amazon鈥檚 practices to Google鈥檚 DOJ case, The Trade Desk is actively trying to reframe the regulatory conversation around digital advertising.

The news: T-Mobile, Verizon, and AT&T are in various stages of launching satellite messaging services, extending mobile connectivity into remote areas. Key takeaway: Satellite-cellular convergence opens new paths for targeted ads. As T-Mobile, Verizon, Apple, and others build out skyward networks, marketers gain access to previously unreachable users in creative ways. Marketers should prepare for a world without dead zones. With satellite connectivity becoming widespread, it could unlock new inventory, audiences, and high-intent use cases鈥攅specially for premium segments.

YouTube dominates US streaming viewership and is expected to cross 250 million viewers next year, per our forecast. The platform commands 67% more US viewing time than Netflix.

The news: Brands are increasingly engaging with nano-, micro-, and mid-tier influencers鈥攃reators with up to 10,000, 50,000, 500,000 followers, respectively鈥攁nd shifting away from macro- and mega-influencers with larger followings. Nano-influencers maintain the highest engagement rate across influencer categories on Instagram at 6.23%. On Instagram, there鈥檚 a notable trend of engagement rates decreasing as follower count increases. Our take: Partnering with nano-, micro-, and mid-tier influencers enables brands to tap into deeper authenticity and niche audiences, translating to more meaningful engagement and higher ROI than broader, but less personal, macro-influencer campaigns.

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The news: The Trade Desk has partnered with Rembrand to bring AI-generated in-content product placements to its Kokai platform. Advertisers can now programmatically insert branded elements like packaging or signage into videos across the open internet and connected TV. Rembrand claims these placements increase unaided awareness by 1.5x and boost brand recall by up to 31%. TTD also added three AI creative partners: Nova, Spaceback, and Bunny Studio. Our take: This marks a shift toward immersive, scalable ad formats that don鈥檛 disrupt the viewer experience. The move strengthens TTD鈥檚 AI credentials while giving brands new ways to be seen鈥攚ithout being skipped.

Dive deeper: For more insights on how US social networks are driving up engagement and time spent, read our US Social Network Forecasts 2025.

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The news: Google鈥檚 search dominance is slipping as AI innovations threaten its ad business. Its global web visits declined 1% YoY in April, according to Similarweb data published by AdWeek, compared with 182% growth for OpenAI鈥檚 ChatGPT and 181% for Perplexity. Google鈥檚 searches on Safari also dropped for the first time ever in April. In March, about 77% of all Google searches that triggered an AI Overview garnered zero clicks, which could dissuade advertisers from spending on the platform. Our take: As AI transforms search and keywords become less important, publishers and brands may need to rethink strategies for how their content is discovered and how they attract search users. AI-optimized content will likely become the next battleground for visibility and performance.

Ad spend is tightening due to economic uncertainty, including tariff anxieties. Independent proof of ad performance and potential returns could be a tipping point for broader brand adoption. What鈥檚 next?

Facetune, the photo editing app from Lightricks, has expanded from digital screens into the physical world with its first out-of-home (OOH) ad campaign in the US.

Tools like Smart+ and Content Suite help brands find trending creator content, predict ad success, and target more precisely.

The US House Judiciary Committee also investigated the Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM) for limiting conservative content online. GARM ended its operations in response, lacking resources to fight the case. Why it matters: Advertisers are under pressure to accept a social media landscape that is increasingly filled with controversial or hateful content鈥攐r risk legal pushback.