蘑菇AV

TikTok shifts away from free traffic for US merchants: The change will require businesses to pay for ads for visibility, but TikTok remains a critical touchpoint.

The news: Podcasts are becoming a popular way for brands to reach engaged audiences, with viewership mounting and new platforms throwing their hats in the ring. Podcast viewership is thriving, reaching over 140 million US listeners in 2025, according to our forecast. Listeners will surpass 150 million by 2027. Our take: Podcasts are shaping up to become a strong contender in media consumption, with nearly 70% of US adults ages 18 to 24 listening at least one per month, per our forecast. As platforms battle to be the leading home for podcasts, advertisers need to pay attention and tailor strategies.

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 news: Pharma advertisers spent more than $10 billion on prescription drug ads last year, with the top 10 drug brands accounting for $3.3 billion last year, per Fierce Pharma鈥檚 report based on MediaRadar data. Our take: As pharma marketers shift drug ad budgets from TV to more digital channels, they鈥檒l have to shift thinking from spendy brand awareness to more nuanced messaging. Social media edutainment, paid AI search ads, and partnering with doctor and patient influencers can reach more relevant consumers and deliver higher ROI.

Podcast ad spending growth remains strong, increasing 11% YoY in the US in 2025 to reach $2.51 billion, per our forecast. Worldwide, podcast ad spend is growing nearly 8% YoY, exceeding $5 billion. Podcast listeners are surging, reaching 41% of the US population in 2025, while listenership is expected to surpass 150 million US consumers by 2027, according to our forecast.

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.

Prescription drug ads have accounted for around 13% of all linear TV ad dollars in the US so far in 2025, according to a May Digiday report citing iSpot data. Pharma brands still want to reach consumers ages 65+ who spend about 4.5 hours per day watching linear TV鈥攏early an hour more than the second-highest age group, per our estimates.

The trend: At Cannes Lions 2025, Meta, TikTok, Google, and others made clear that AI-powered ad automation is no longer an experiment鈥攊t鈥檚 the plan. The news: Meta and TikTok each emphasized agency relationships, but both platforms expanded generative AI tools that let brands generate and manage campaigns without intermediaries. Amazon, Comcast, and Google are doing the same, pushing toward platform-native, self-serve ad models. Our take: As automation replaces traditional support services, agencies face existential pressure. To stay relevant, holding companies will need to prove they offer value that AI can鈥檛 replace鈥攆ast.

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.

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.

Follow us on Instagram. Episode Transcript:.

Kennedy thinks pharma ad rules are too lax, and have caused an overreliance on prescription medications in the US. He also believes media companies don鈥檛 fairly cover the drug industry since they heavily rely on its ad dollars.

Reddit captures only 1% of US social ad revenues, and many brands still consider it an experimental platform where it鈥檚 difficult to understand what works and what doesn鈥檛. Brands also remain concerned with the platform鈥檚 limited reach, which makes it difficult to scale paid advertising and deters those looking for broader audience exposure.

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.

Impact of Tariffs on US Businesses (蘑菇AV subscription required). Impact of Tariffs on Digital Advertising (蘑菇AV subscription required). Note: Data was provided to 蘑菇AV by Tinuiti. This data is being featured as part of our special coverage of the impact of tariffs. Methodology: Data is from an April 2025 Tinuiti report. Data is based on anonymized performance data on Google Shopping.