TikTok

Retail media might not ruin retail, but the strikes are adding up. Plus, TikTok throws its support behind Trump.

As a brand, the social media platform TikTok has only existed for about seven or eight years. Yet during that short time, it’s completely taken over the minds of users, business owners, advertisers, and, most notably, elected officials. And now, despite generating billions of dollars in annual revenue, it might be on its way out.

AI-generated slop content is growing exponentially online. Plus, publishers and new organizations are strategizing for a post-TikTok future. 
 

AI chatbots entice users into subscriptions with free trials; non-pornographic content creators are raking in ad bucks on PornHub; and the US TikTok ban has Americans flocking to other China-based apps.

Would the internet be a better place if it weren’t run by billionaires? Plus, more brands are cutting out the ad tech middlemen.

Nobody is acting like TikTok will actually be scrapped from American smartphones. Plus, Venu Sports got benched – for good.

Google plans to create an “AI Mode” for its web search engine users. Plus, the social media vultures now circling the air above TikTok.

Sports betting comes under fire over dubious ad claims and problematic targeting; Forbes says Google’s SEO crackdown on affiliate marketing caused it to cut freelancers; and SCOTUS takes on the TikTok case.

Marketers are already beginning to prepare for a world without TikTok. Plus, the TV manufacturing industry is more focused on user tracking and monetizing with ads.

Success with Gen Z isn’t about the stories brands want to tell – it’s about tapping into their stories and aligning with how they live and express themselves. That’s where the PPCCs framework comes in.

AppLovin’s ecommerce advertising beta program has sparked optimism and speculation. Plus, the results of YouTube’s auto-reply program have been mixed.

Ad industry growth will slow to single-digits next year; consolidation hits the CPG market; and predicting the future of the FTC based on a commissioner’s pitch to the president-elect.

What happens if the TikTok ban comes to pass; Netflix’s live sports Hail Mary play; and Channel Factory surfs for buyers.

Ecommerce and DTC marketers may be overrelying on YouTube and Meta for advertising. Plus, song recognition technology is becoming a problem.

Black Friday ecommerce continues to surge, mainly on mobile; social platforms pull optimization features for health and beauty brands; and Google’s antitrust lawyers subpoena info about rival AI search startups.

AppLovin might be the next breakout in retail media. Plus, some advertiseres have already turned off TikTok Smart+.

Google Search dings big-name pubs’ affiliate-link-laden articles; Google’s new audience prospecting guesses user intent from less obvious keywords; and TikTok Shop’s success could finally make social commerce a thing in the US.

With the growing number of social media users paying for a premium and often ad-free service, how can marketers engage these audiences?

Despite Chrome’s cookie deprecation turnaround, a comprehensive CAPI strategy remains crucial for brands advertising on Meta, LinkedIn and Snap – yet many advertisers are dragging their feet. Why the reluctance?

Pinterest is picking up supporters on Wall Street. Plus, what’s the deal with the search advertising, AI and data licensing deal between Google and Reddit?

The online advertising industry is staring down the barrel of not one but two potential shutdowns that could radically change where brands put their ad dollars in 2025, according to Madison and Wall’s Brian Weiser and Olivia Morley.

TikTok announced this week that it would allow search advertising to be targeted by keyword. Plus, streaming ad supply now outpaces demand.

Google isn’t perfect. But it offers convenient, cost-effective advertising tools that millions of small businesses use to find customers, grow and succeed. If the DOJ breaks up the company, it will also break those tools.

Outbrain is trying to shed its chumbox rep by bringing social media-style vertical video to mobile publishers on the open web.

The publication still makes most of its on-site digital revenue from programmatic. But it’s doubling down on direct-sold custom content, especially when it comes to video and social media.

In today’s newsletter: Google gets hit with another glitch; influencers fight gen AI provisions in their advertising contracts; and political fundraising pivots as social media bars campaign ads.

Since introducing ads two years ago, Netflix’s ad team has clashed with streaming management and studio execs. Plus, “brat” summer is over; “demure” autumn might be next.

Social commerce is already huge in the Asia-Pacific market, and it’s poised to blow up worldwide. Here’s how the success of TikTok Shop forecasts the future development trends of ecommerce and social commerce in the US.

“There are billions of additional screens outside of mobile phones,” says Dan Page, TikTok’s global head of partnerships and new screens. “We want to be in all of them.”

Advertising is still Reddit’s meal ticket – but until its ad revenue tops the $2 billion per year mark, it can’t really be considered competitive with other social platforms.