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The news: TikTok is experiencing massive growth among older generations, with adoption for users 45+ growing 1,200% between 2019 and 2025, per CivicScience鈥攕uggesting its stickiness across demographics and emphasizing older consumers鈥� buying power. Our take: A successful social advertising strategy will strike a balance: Valuing younger demographics for their growing influence while accounting for the enduring importance of older generations for driving digital purchases as social media adoption skyrockets.

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.

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans recently converted its credit union to a digital-only bank after over a decade, aiming for greater growth and strategic flexibility beyond the limitations of its nonprofit credit union structure, as reported by American Banker. The rationale is to offer a wider range of products and reach younger consumers more effectively. This move addresses an existential threat to credit unions, whose customer base is aging. To succeed, Thrivent must implement a targeted marketing strategy to reach digital-first consumers on social media and ensure its new products meet the specific needs of younger demographics, focusing on relevant credit offerings.

This demographic divide alludes to a sizable proportion of younger age groups porting their TV behaviors to digital video. Particularly in the social media sphere, the uptake of video-heavy platforms among Gen Zers and millennials is marked. Germany鈥檚 digital shift sustains total media time. Germany started its digital pivot later than the UK and France, but its current pace of change is strong.

What it means for advertisers: High usage of platforms like YouTube and Roblox among children make these channels obvious targets for advertisers looking to reach younger demographics. But platforms with large child audiences are at heightened risk of facing accusations of child safety violations鈥攎eaning advertisers are facing new challenges in reaching younger audiences.

The news: Legacy news is facing mounting threats after President Trump suggested on Truth Social that ABC and NBC could have their broadcast licenses revoked. Accusing the networks of serving as 鈥淎N ARM OF THE DEMOCRAT PARTY,鈥� the news follows a string of scrutiny against public broadcasting from the current administration鈥攁nd has implications for the advertisers that rely on these channels. Our take: As news channels face more scrutiny, advertisers are being forced to reconsider where they spend鈥攂ut political volatility still needs to be weighed against long-term loyalty among key demographics.

Beyond encouraging purchases, podcasts are an effective social media amplifier, with 26% of listeners visiting a brand鈥檚 social media after hearing an ad. 88% of US podcast listeners have taken some action after hearing a podcast ad, while 59% have felt more favorably about brands after hearing them advertised in a podcast.

The news: Brands are ramping up influencer investment and creator rates are skyrocketing following Unilever鈥檚 commitment to allocate half of its advertising budget on an 鈥渋nfluencer-first鈥� strategy. Numerous influencer and social agencies 鈥渦nanimously鈥� claimed a notable increase in client spend on influencer marketing since Unilever鈥檚 announcement, per sources cited by The Drum. Our take: Unilever has accelerated a trend that was already in motion, signaling the broader shift among advertisers toward influencer-led strategies that deliver consistent engagement and targeted reach among key demographics.

The news: Meta is experimenting with letting users sign up for Threads through Facebook, potentially attracting older users and further separating Threads鈥� identity from Instagram. Our take: Combining data from Facebook and Threads will give advertisers deeper insights and opportunities to optimize campaigns. Marketers can use this to tailor platform-specific campaigns or create unified cross-platform content to better resonate across demographics.

They expect interactions to be fast, tailored, and intuitive, much like a social media experience. Influencer-driven: Their financial perspectives are often shaped by social media personalities and peer insights rather than traditional banks or formal advisors. They seek dynamic, engaging, and even gamified financial experiences.