Growth in Social Media Ad Rates Is Slowing
Social Media Ad Rate Growth Is Slowing Overall, but Meta has its Fastest Growth Since 2021 Reporting $11.58 billion in profits for Q3
By: Terri Williams
BOSTON, Oct. 26, 2023 -- Gupta Media, a leading performance marketing company, unveiled its first "State of Social Media CPM Report" for 2023. The report is based on an analysis of tens of billions of ad impressions and its comprehensive analysis offers insight into the cost dynamics of digital advertising across social media platforms.
Overall ad price volatility being reported as an issue with one ad executive recently stating, " It was like burning through money, navigating a volatile digital ad landscape." Couple that with other advertising letdowns such as Netflix's debut year as an "ad seller " which didn't inspire confidence in streaming, social and other digital media platforms as dependable marketing avenues. It reveals an uninspiring countenance, with the eye-bulging ad prices leaving digital advertising looking less than impressive.
However, Meta surprised reporting that its net profit rose 164% to touch $11.58 billion for the quarter ended September 30 as compared to $4.4 billion during the same period last year. The Menlo Park-headquartered company is experiencing a revenue surge of 23%, in the fastest rate of growth that the company has seen since 2021. Google parent Alphabet said in its earnings report that ad revenue increased about 9.5%, while Snap reported revenue growth of 5%.
"In the third quarter of 2023, ad impressions delivered across the Meta Family of Apps increased by 31% year-over-year and the average price per ad decreased by 6% year-over-year." Meta, with its group of popular apps, namely WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook, is ahead of the competition when it comes to the ads business, which was what fuelled its growth in Q3.
Key Takeaways include:
- Twitter/X ad rates have plummeted more than 75% since the platform was purchased by Elon Musk. In August of 2023, Twitter/X bottomed out at a 3-year low of just $0.61 CPM — marking the most substantial year-over-year decrease among all platforms analyzed.
- TikTok's ad rates are climbing faster than Meta's — but CPM growth at both companies is slower in 2023 than in 2022. TikTok is experiencing the fastest year-over-year growth in ad rates, with a 12.28% increase in CPM.
State of Social Media CPM Report details important information such as:
- The dynamics of CPM rates throughout the year providing a month-by-month breakdown, highlighting the most and least expensive days, weeks, and months for social media CPMs.
- CPM rate evolution year over year, which dives deep into the data to understand if CPM rates are rising or falling and at what speed compared to previous years.
- The platforms that offer the best value during peak seasons. Insights into the platforms that provide the most bang for your buck during high-impact seasons like Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and the Q4 holiday season are covered.
- The study reveals seasonal and year-over-year trends in social media ad costs, empowering advertising and marketing professionals to set benchmarks, plan budgets, and anticipate cost variations throughout the year.
The report does not cover the affect of advertising fraud on overall cost per impression or CPM or ad bidding. A lucrative business for crime gangs, it concerns the use of fake social media and other online ads that coax users into paying for a product or service that does not exist.
The report also does not cover that despite all of the fuss about the data privacy changes and challenges that came along with Apple's crackdown on in-app tracking in 2021, direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertisers seem, in large part, to have reverted back to Meta and Google.
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New podcast help businesses understand cybersecurity risks
Hornetsecurity's new podcast series helps businesses understand and overcome latest cybersecurity risks
By Terri Williams
LONDON, Aug. 31, 2023 -- Hornetsecurity has launched The Security Swarm podcast series to inform consumers and business owners on the latest cybersecurity issues. The weekly show, hosted by Hornetsecurity's Andy Syrewicze, brings together experts from across the cybersecurity sector to discuss industry challenges, how businesses can overcome ever-changing threats, and future cybersecurity issues. The podcast’s inception came about because the world of cybersecurity should not be taken on alone.
The informative and educational series has already looked at topics such as AI and whether ChatGPT could conduct a cyberattack, discussions around Hornetsecurity's recent compliance survey, as well as a conversation with Microsoft Certified Trainer on how secure Microsoft 365 actually is. Hornetsecurity is a leading global provider of next-generation cloud-based security, compliance, backup, and security awareness solutions that help companies and organizations of all sizes around the world. Hornetsecurity aim is building a safer digital future and sustainable security cultures.
Hornetsecurity CEO Daniel Hofmann stated, "The Security Swarm podcast launch has been incredibly successful and delivers insightful conversations about the biggest cybersecurity challenges facing businesses today. This podcast is one of many new approaches we have introduced to support and educate cybersecurity decision-makers across the world."
The podcast can be listened to via the Hornetsecurity website and is also available to download on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.
Common Sense Media Announces New Podcast Ratings and Reviews
Common Sense Media Announces New Podcast Ratings and Reviews
By Terri Williams
Common Sense Media, best known for its award-winning, research-backed ratings and reviews of movies, TV shows, books announced yesterday that it has added podcasts to its expansive library of content geared toward kids and families. The new product is the first of its kind in the market to provide consumers with comprehensive podcast ratings and reviews that are grounded in child-development principles and research.
Common Sense Media first entered the podcast space in 2021 in collaboration with Apple Podcasts by curating kid-friendly podcast collections by age and theme. The first phase of the new ratings and reviews product will primarily focus on podcasts targeted toward kids and families but will eventually expand to include titles for broader audiences. The content adheres to Common Sense Media's existing ratings and review guidelines, highlighting the key elements of educational value, Co-listening qualities, diverse and genuine representations through content and audio quality and length.
"It's very clear the podcast world is growing, but what's less obvious is how impactful and innovative kids and family podcasts are and will continue to be as they expand and evolve," said Laura Ordoñez, Common Sense Media, Head of Podcast Ratings and Reviews. "Our goal is to help parents and educators navigate the kids podcast space, to give them the tools they need to decide what podcasts work best for their kids, families, and classrooms. And most importantly to help them adopt and embrace this incredibly diverse and dynamic media format as both an educational and entertainment resource for kids and families."
Podcasts are fast becoming a valuable media resource for families and educators. For families, podcasts offer screen-free entertainment options that are excellent for experiencing together, and for educators, they can help to improve students' learning both in and out of the classroom. According to recent research by Common Sense Media on media use by teens and tweens, nearly half (45%) of all 13- to 18-year-olds surveyed reported listening to podcasts, and one in five said they do so at least once a week. Other research estimates that listenership among all Americans could increase from 75.9 million to 100 million listeners in the United States by 2024.
The non-profit research organization will also award its Common Sense Selection Seal distinction to a number of selected podcasts. The selection program acknowledges content producers that demonstrate the highest editorial principles for overall quality based on entertainment value, engagement, and influence, along with worthwhile themes, messages, and role models.