Media Buying

LinkedIn had a very strong 2020, during which its total ad revenues grew 31.3%, driven by its Marketing Solutions as B2Bs focused on targeting audiences working from home.

Display ads like banners and graphics, which have historically been less of a priority than search ads for B2B marketers, took up a greater share of US ad spending than ever before in 2020.

NBCU reports a great Q2: With ad revenues up 32.8% over last year and Peacock sign-ups up to 54 million, NBCU’s on a roll—but poor Olympics ratings have dampened the good news.

On today's episode, we discuss what brand new forecasts the forecasting team cooked up in Q2, including social media buyers and buy now, pay later service users. We then talk about the 2021 NBA finals ratings, a landmark ruling that lets brands work with NCAA athletes, and why OOH ad prices are on the rise. Tune in to the discussion with eMarketer forecasting analyst Nazmul Islam and director of forecasting at Insider Intelligence Oscar Orozco.

Google exceeds expectations: Based on Tuesday's earnings, we anticipate another upward revision of Google’s ad revenues in our US digital ad spending report, out this fall.

Amazon’s Q2 earnings are tomorrow: Due in part to the coronavirus pandemic, we expect Amazon’s retail sales to best last year’s.

In 2020, US B2Bs overhauled their marketing and advertising as the coronavirus pandemic eliminated in-person channels. Digital ad spending, never a central part of B2B go-to market strategies, surged.

Facebook earnings: The company's Q2 earnings could shed light on the effects of Apple’s iOS 14.5 update, but it’s still on track to clear $100 billion in revenues by the end of the year.

Following mixed effects of the pandemic in 2020, the US retail, consumer packaged goods (CPG), and entertainment industries are rebounding in 2021.

Ready, set, oh no: The trend of record-low ratings continues with the Olympics' dismal opening ceremony viewership, but NBCU still pulled in record-high ad revenues.

Outside is back: Outdoor ad spending is back in force, but don’t expect it to return to pre-pandemic levels anytime soon.

Taboola buys Connexity: The merger will help Taboola's publisher clients tap into ecommerce dollars while also helping Connexity's retail clients diversify away from Amazon.

Advertisers are still betting on the Olympics: The much anticipated, highly discussed games brought in 20% more TV ad sales in the US than their Rio predecessor.

Netgames: Netflix has made its long-teased push into video games official with its latest executive hire. Gaming could help revitalize the platform, which is starting to see stagnating growth.

NBCU's upfronts: The company said this year's upfront market was its biggest ever, driven by inventory for the Olympics and Super Bowl, plus unprecedented digital upfront commitments.

Fleetus Deletus: Twitter is culling the underused Stories-like feature after a month of trying to improve adoption.

Roku soars at the upfronts: Advertisers’ upfront spending commitments with the platform doubled from last year, as interest in CTV continues to rise.