Media Buying

Reddit pilots chat channels to expand communication options: Move seen as effort to boost users’ time spent with platform and not on rivals like Discord.

Shorts wants to take ad dollars from TikTok: YouTube uses the NewFronts to tout their short-form video format.

Bluesky generates a buzz: Twitter lookalike app draws VIP interest, could bode well for decentralized networks.

Earnings show progress and pitfalls on revenues: Meta, Microsoft, Alphabet, Snap, Pinterest, and Comcast results are a mixed bag. (This article was written with the assistance of ChatGPT.)

Snapchat's Q1 revenues fall short of expectations: Despite lower ARPUs, Snap's saving grace is its coveted younger audience.

Meta faces pressure to cut costs amid slow ad growth and concerns over its metaverse investments: softer ad revenues require a replacement cash source. Is this it?

Pinterest beats analyst expectations, but faces greater costs and large net loss: Can the platform spend to grow during times of relative austerity?

Pinterest partners with Amazon to attract more advertisers and improve shopability: The move allows the social media platform to benefit from booming retail media demand, while growing Amazon Ads’ reach and inventory.

Meta outperforms in Q1, aided by China advertisers: As cost cuts continue, the company’s Q2 outlook suggests growth may be returning.

Microsoft and Google report solid quarterly results amid slow economy: With AI transforming the future of search, is Microsoft gaining a perceived edge in innovation?

There are 3.60 billion people around the world who have phones capable of delivering AR, and 1.06 billion already use mobile AR, according to a March 2023 report from ARtillery Intelligence.

Instacart banks on education to win advertisers: Program offers training on use of self-service ad manager and ad formats.

Roku says it can offer larger primetime audiences than traditional cable competitors: Its new marketing and sales push is perfectly timed ahead of upfronts.

Snapchat+ hits 3 million subscribers in part thanks to MyAI chatbot, while Snap focuses on partnerships and exclusive content to boost engagement.

Microsoft’s ad service won’t be the only one ditching Twitter: The companies are clashing over API access, but Twitter’s decline makes it an easy breakup.

Meta is singing a different tune to advertisers: Flagging ad revenues have Meta offering fat discounts and lower rates as olive branches.

Even as suspicions surrounding ChatGPT and generative AI swirl, marketers know the new tech will turn search—and its ad dollars—on its head. As search shifts toward chatbots, the way brands advertise with Google and Microsoft will change completely, creating problems for publishers and agencies.

Netflix Q1 shows growth is becoming harder to achieve: Paid sharing will prove dividends—as will strength in global markets.

We forecast US advertisers will spend a combined $86.40 billion on linear and connected TV (CTV) this year—in other words, about 1 in 4 ad dollars will go to ads on the TV glass. But as linear TV ad spending stagnates, networks are incentivized to prove the reach and efficacy of their digital properties.