Media Buying

The US travel industry is well on its way to a full recovery from 2020’s pandemic-driven nadir, and with this recovery has come a return to ad spending. Travel industry players upped their digital ad budgets by 42.7% last year, and we forecast a 22.5% boost for this year. Next year, travel will grow its outlays faster than any vertical we track.

Watch the on-demand replay of our webinar, The Great Realignment, as our analysts showcase how ecommerce, social media, fintech, and more are being transformed amid the market turmoil of 2022.

Streaming’s next big act may be consolidation: Disney looks to gain full ownership of Hulu by early 2024, and other deals could be in the offing.

While advertisers have been scrambling to figure out what they’ll do when Google phases out third-party cookies, a larger threat has come into play: privacy regulations.

TikTok swoops in to fill the addressability drought: D2C brand spending increased 231%, but its lead won’t last forever.

Social media faces a great realignment: Gen Z, TikTok, and influencer marketing are major components of what's to come.

YouTube tests user patience: Some viewers are being treated to as many as 10 consecutive ads that can’t be skipped.

For the first time, Insider Intelligence forecasts digital advertising spending for five industries in France: retail, consumer packaged goods (CPG), auto, financial services, and travel. Digital ad spending is growing strongly in France this year. This Analyst Take gives a closer look at these inaugural forecasts.

Acast banks on layoffs to speed path to profitability: Podcast hosting service to let go 15% of staff to cut costs in softening ad market.

Digital trust is the confidence people have that a platform will protect their information and provide a safe environment for them to create and engage with content. Our sixth annual benchmark survey of US social media users reveals that trust in social media platforms has declined substantially this year in key areas including privacy, safety, and ad relevance.

On today's episode, we discuss what to note about TikTok's ascent, how much time on social media is spent watching video, and the discrepancy between TV and connected TV ad spend. "In Other News," we talk about how Instagram Reels' engagement stacks up against TikTok's and whether ad-supported video-on-demand (AVOD) ad spending can overtake traditional TV ad spend by 2025. Tune in to the discussion with our analysts Jasmine Enberg and Paul Verna.

As political ads boom, so do transparency concerns: The growing impact of CTV and programmatic advertising calls for transparency—but it’s not an easy problem to solve.

Influencer marketing and local advertising collide in college sports: Changes to name, image, and likeness rules have helped brands reach brand new markets.

Apple to introduce new ads to App Store by holidays: No word yet on where spots will go, but developers are urged to buy.

Consumers are starting to feel better about the economy: The bump in consumer sentiment could help turn around the ad industry’s spending pullback.

Meta seeks secrets: The social media behemoth is asking rivals for confidential information in its lawsuit to prove it isn’t a monopoly. The strategy could backfire, leading to more lawsuits or intensifying regulation.

Though out-of-home (OOH) spending plummeted during the pandemic as people rarely ventured out-of-home, the stalwart billboard ad saw its share of budgets leap.

Brands can finally advertise on The Athletic: The New York Times looks to monetize its January acquisition so it can reach profitability sooner.

TikTok's popularity has translated to explosive growth in TikTok’s ad revenues. This year, TikTok will net $5.96 billion—more than Twitter and Snapchat combined.

Shareholder vote comes as Twitter whistleblower testifies: After months of distractions, Twitter needs to get back on track—but does it have a plan?