IAB: As brands diversify ad spend, midsize media firms grow fastest
Digital advertising revenue grew 14.9% in 2024 to $258.6 billion, driven by video, social media, and podcast formats. Video now accounts for nearly a quarter of the market, while podcast ads jumped 26.4% year-over-year. Social media saw a 36.7% surge, fueled by creator partnerships. Mid-tier platforms gained share, AI began reshaping campaign strategies, and retail media and CTV emerged as key growth areas amid ongoing economic uncertainty.
See full article on Marketing Dive
Meta Highlights Improving Performance of Its AI-Powered Ad Campaigns
Meta’s AI-powered Advantage+ Creative tool helps advertisers enhance campaign performance by generating multiple ad variations, including changes to images, aspect ratios, and copy. These variations are tailored to different audiences using Meta’s Andromeda AI. Campaigns using AI-generated backgrounds saw an 11% higher click-through rate, while overall, AI tools led to lower costs and higher ROI. Advertisers earned $4.52 per $1 spent, marking a 22% increase over traditional campaigns.
See full article on SocialMediaToday
Google Ads to show ads in the top ads position, also in the bottom ads position
Google now allows top-performing Search ads to also appear in bottom ad slots, aiming to improve relevance and user experience. This change doesn’t violate Google’s double serving policy, as it applies to different ad locations. Tests showed a 10% boost in relevant ads and a 14% increase in conversions at the page bottom. Advertisers are advised to monitor metrics and optimize ad relevance to benefit from the expanded visibility opportunity.
See full article on Search Engine Land
Instagram Launches Edits to Its Global Audience
Instagram has launched a new video editing app called Edits to compete with TikTok’s CapCut. Rolling out globally, Edits offers creators advanced tools like clip-level editing, AI-powered features, green screen effects, and high-quality, watermark-free exports. It also includes an Inspiration tab, draft sharing, and performance insights. Instagram aims to support creators across different platforms, with more features to be announced soon.
