#Social Media

Gen Z is growing up; they’ve been the transition generation for some time, and now more than half of them have reached adulthood. As their purchasing potential grows, it’s time to take notice of how, on what, and where the iGen spends their money so you can know how to better speak to their wants and needs. Let’s take a look at the data so you understand the youngest generation of adults and how their buying brains think.

It isn’t every day that we get brand-new social media that’s immediately worth paying attention to. Yet here we are; Instagram (and therefore Meta) have released the new app Threads, a text-based feed that’s been drumming up a lot of buzz. But lots of social apps appear, stir up interest, and die; does Threads have the staying power to become a major player? Let’s go over the important details:

To follow, or not to follow? What marketing trends are really worth putting your whole energy into these days? We’re here to give our recommendations—based on our years of data and experience in the programmatic ad space—about which marketing trends lead to a payoff versus which ones may be a waste of time. This isn’t a “one size fits all” blog, though—in the end, you have to make the decision regarding your own strategy.

What is the Metaverse? According to Facebook, the Metaverse is a virtual arena, where “3D spaces in the metaverse will let you socialise, learn, collaborate and play in ways that go beyond what we can imagine.” They go on to explain that this space will be created by everyone and built for everyone to enjoy. Put simply, it’s a virtual world of interconnected communities. In the Metaverse, people can chat, work, play games, and interact through virtual reality.

Let’s talk about TikTok. You may love it, you may hate it, or you may just be confused. This video app grew to popularity in early 2020 and had its fair share of controversy. But there’s no doubt about it—TikTok is one of the most-used mobile apps ever. It’s addictively fun, with an algorithm that can predict exactly what kind of video you’ll most enjoy. But does that mean you need a TikTok account, and most importantly, do you need to advertise there?

Rumors spiked this past week over Meta and the possibility they could remove Instagram, WhatsApp, and Facebook from the European Union, as issues over red-tape, regulations, and data arise. Meta released a report recently that explained the reasons for their possible withdrawal from the EU. According to AdWeek, the European regulators are working on legislation to establish how EU citizens’ data will be transferred to the U.S. while withdrawing from a major market is an extreme outcome, this is a reminder that marketers should not put all their eggs in one basket.

Where were you on October 4, 2021? If you own a smartphone or keep up with the news, you’ll remember that at the beginning of this month, Facebook “broke down” for more than 5 hours. And it wasn’t just Facebook—the breakdown included their apps, Instagram and Whatsapp, and even some of their office building software, leaving Facebook employees locked outside for hours. Maybe you barely noticed and went on with your day.

Consumers have grown increasingly accustomed to using their mobile devices to research products and make purchases, spending a large portion of their day using their phones. On average, smartphone users in 2019 spent three and a half hours per day on their mobile devices, with nearly a third of users reporting near continual time spent online. At the same time, the number of U.S. adults owning a smartphone has rapidly grown, from 35% in 2011 to 85% in 2021.

With the release of iOS 14, Apple is making yet another big privacy-focused upgrade to iOS. One where users can choose to hide their device’s ID from apps so it can’t be tracked. Something many advertisers, particularly Facebook, aren’t happy about. But despite the uproar of Facebook and a handful of other social giants, there are certain programmatic advertising platforms who aren’t bothered by the privacy news at all. Why?

Gaming and music and apps…oh my! There’s a brave new world taking shape across the programmatic landscape, and it comes in a host of new platforms and channels for advertisers to explore. But not before gearing up for the journey. So plug in. Power up. And get ready…to play. Social media on the decline Smart devices have become a regular part of daily life, with the average person spending at least four hours on their phone per day and more than 65% of Americans using multiple installed apps in that time.