Five articles that have us buzzing this week

Amazon’s share of the US digital ad market surpassed 10% in 2020

As the pandemic drove consumers to move their spending online in 2020, Amazon benefitted in a big way. But it wasn’t just its ecommerce business that grew by double digits. Its advertising business grew by 52.5% last year, pushing Amazon’s share of the US digital ad market past 10% for the first time. This has only strengthened its position as the No. 3 ad publisher in the US.

DuckDuckGo Announces Plans to Block Google’s FLoC

DuckDuckGo announces plans to block FLoC, Google’s new way of tracking users’ web browsing activity in Chrome. As Google transitions away from using third-party cookies in Chrome, its developing a new technology called FLoC (Federated Learning of Cohorts). Google claims FLoC offers more privacy than third-party cookies because it monitors activity at a group level rather than an individual level.

Nearly half of execs expect social marketing budgets to double in next 3 years, study finds

Almost half (46%) of surveyed business executives expect their company’s social media marketing budgets will increase up to 100% in the next three years, according to new research The Harris Poll conducted on behalf of Sprout Social. Ninety-one percent of executive respondents forecast some sort of increase to social budgets.

9 emerging DTCs to watch in 2021

The pandemic has actually helped fuel growth for direct-to-consumer brands as consumers were forced to shop online virtually overnight when businesses temporarily shut their doors and individuals became warier of trips they made outside their homes. It’s also presented an opportunity for brands to attract a new set of customers who may not have opted to shop online previously. In this article we see what is on the rise.

Reddit Launches New ‘Ads Formula’ Education Platform for Marketers

As Reddit looks to expand its business appeal, and maximize its revenue potential, the platform has launched a new advertiser resource hub called ‘Reddit Ads Formula’, which includes a range of guides, tips, case studies and more to help businesses make best use of the platform.