Lane Ellis

Report: Facebook usage drops a stunning 26% since 2017
Facebook usage has dropped 26 percent since 2017, according to newly-released report data, also showing that the social media giant’s monthly usage average fell from 14 hours to 9 among U.S. users. Fast Company

IAB: First-half 2019 online ad spending reaches $58 billion, but growth is slowing
During the first half of 2019 digital advertising spending climbed to $58 billion according to new data from IAB, also showing 16.9% year-over-year growth, down from last year’s 23.1%, while mobile ad revenue led the way with the strongest growth. Marketing Land

B2B Online Shoppers Want Loyalty and Simplicity: Report
B2B online shoppers are increasingly seeking more loyalty and ease-of-use in the buying process, new survey data reveals. Some 56% use loyalty programs, as B2B buyers look for greater B2C-like streamlining. Chief Marketer

Social media ad spend to surpass print for first time
Ad spending in 2019 will for the first time see social media topping print, with global spending growth up 20 percent increasing to $84 billion, according to recently-released forecast data from Zenith. Marketing Land

LinkedIn Launches Events to Facilitate Professional Meet-Ups
LinkedIn (client) has released a robust new tool allowing users to create and manage events pages, the culmination of a program first announced late last year, the professional social networking firm revealed this week. Social Media Today

Facebook testing ads in Groups tab
Facebook has begun allowing certain advertisers to utilize new mobile Facebook Groups ads, as part of an Ads Manager test, the social giant recently announced. Should the option eventually be rolling out to all advertisers, digital marketers will be able to target new audiences with mobile group ads. Marketing Land

LinkedIn takes the top spot for the third straight year in our annual Digital Trust Report — and Facebook remains in dead last
For the third consecutive year LinkedIn (client) has garnered the most-trusted social media platform spot, according to Business Insider Intelligence’s Digital Trust Report, which also saw Facebook ranked at the bottom. Business Insider

Instagram in-stream video ads driving more purchases than Story Ads: Report
Instagram’s in-stream video advertisements have edges out Story ads, according to new report data, with some 12 percent of consumers making a purchase after seeing a story video, while 27 percent did so after watching an in-feed video ad. Marketing Land

B2B Personalization Strategies Pivoting As Buyers Require Confidence, Consensus
A new survey from Gartner reveals that there is plentiful high-quality buying information available to B2B buyers, even to the point where 50 percent view the large amount of trustworthy data at hand as overwhelming. Demand Gen Report

Giphy to partner with Oracle Data Cloud’s Moat to measure viewability
Animated GIF image firm Giphy has partnered with Oracle Data Cloud’s analytics and measurement platform Moat to measure branded GIFs used with in-app and via mobile and desktop landscapes — a move aimed at providing greater validation to branded content on the service. Marketing Land