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If July鈥檚 ad spending data is part of a trend鈥攁nd the 15-month streak implies that it is鈥攖hen the rest of 2024 could be a prime time to invest, though flexibility will be needed if the market shifts.

The ability to target specific audiences and then measure specific outcomes tied to the ads viewers see has made CTV a viable channel for those who historically shied away from the TV screen. This includes challenger brands focused on growth, B2B companies, and brands that have dedicated part of their budget to performance marketing channels like paid search and social.

However, the two metrics usually move in tandem, with ecommerce booms heralding ad spending booms, and ecommerce deceleration heralding ad spending deceleration. Worldwide ecommerce sales growth began a two-year decline in 2021 that the global ad industry quickly emulated.

The retail media landscape is growing, making room for new players like financial media networks (FMNs), advertising platforms that leverage financial institutions鈥� (FIs) proprietary data to target personalized ads to customers in FIs鈥� channels. We expect US ad spend on FMNs to more than quadruple over the next two years, growing from $350 million in 2024 to $1.50 billion in 2026.

Amazon is set to release a new generative AI model, code-named Olympus, in an effort to enhance its ecommerce storefront and Alexa voice assistant. Amazon is also testing an AI chatbot feature to enhance its search functionality, aiming to offer personalized product recommendations and comparisons to users.

Pinterest's collaboration with Tastemade on its first streaming show illustrates its commitment to integrating entertainment with shopping, enabling viewers to interact with shoppable pins via QR codes. A key aspect of Pinterest's strategy is its focus on data transparency and precision in advertising.

This partnership, highlighted by Piper Sandler analyst Thomas Champion in a report covered by Benzinga, shows the benefits of synergy between Pinterest's creative platform and Amazon's vast ecommerce ecosystem. Approximately 30% of Pinterest's search term ads now feature Amazon, a figure that increases notably within feed ads.

But that impressions growth (61%) is now outpacing the growth in ad spend (45%). That drove down CPCs by 12% in the most recent quarter. Retail media and social are experiencing similar drops in ad rates. The same directional trends apply across search and social: Spend increased by 12% for both, while impressions for each soared about 30%, causing ad rates to drop into negative territory.

Tinuiti reported that in the second half of the first quarter, Amazon's share of Google Shopping impressions rose an average of 20 points compared with a year earlier, while Walmart鈥檚 share slipped.

Study reveals genAI鈥檚 impact on Google ad placements: SE Rankings demonstrates shopping ads preferentially placed over SGE snippets, altering digital marketing.

Snap launches new brand campaign: Chief creative officer addresses antisocial media stance in the context of Snap鈥檚 creator and content push.

Meta rings in two decades of Facebook: The company has undergone major transformations, and 2024 will bring more changes as AI and regulation shape its trajectory.

As Bing makes inroads into Google鈥檚 lead, it experiments with AI ads: Disney and Roku layoffs and pivots by Twitter and ByteDance dominated headlines this past week.

Paid sharing will cost Netflix viewership in 2023: The streamer must avoid losing the long-term loyalty of Gen Z.

Snapchat sees user bump amid economic headwinds: Company outlines the steps it鈥檚 taking to bolster direct-response ad performance.

Musk says Twitter will share ad revenue with creators: There鈥檚 a catch鈥攖hey have to subscribe to Twitter Blue first.

With features like the "Shop the Look" module, which reports a 70% match in product relevance, Pinterest is effectively bridging inspiration and shopping. User-focused enhancements and the success of Direct Links solidify Pinterest鈥檚 position as a dual-purpose platform, catering to both user experience and advertiser goals.

While any budgets spent on this offering would fall under our social network ad spending forecast, the fact remains that TikTok can now be a viable place for search marketers to consider placing some of their budgets. The new feature could ramp up competition against Google, in particular, which accounts for $57.49 billion of that US search ad spending pie.

That the company would consider allowing other brands to capitalize on its own competitive advantage shows how pressured the retailer is by Temu鈥檚 well-funded rise and Amazon鈥檚 maneuverings to maintain its ecommerce dominance. A supply chain offering could go a long way toward improving Shein鈥檚 margins, which were just 3.5% in 2022鈥攏early three times lower than Inditex鈥檚 in the same period.

Prime Video's ad tier launches amidst skepticism: Amazon's strategic incentives aim to reshape streaming advertising despite market challenges.

TikTok launches Creative Challenge: It鈥檚 a potential win-win for creators and brands seeking innovative advertising content.

As Reels tries to catch up with TikTok, the ByteDance subsidiary isn鈥檛 resting on its laurels, releasing an AI script generator to garner incremental ad spend. The big takeaway: With its enhancements to Reels ads, Meta is trying to lead the charge in providing innovative ad solutions that engage viewers while broadening options for advertisers.

There are few other events that bring together as many of the world鈥檚 top CMOs as Cannes Lions, providing ample opportunity for tech, social, and ecommerce firms to mingle with and pitch their growing (or struggling) ad businesses to the C-Suite. Amazon arrived at Cannes in full force in 2022, and this year will be no different.

Google experiments with chat ads: The tech giant plans to embed its Search and Shopping ads into the AI-powered SGE conversational mode.