Digital Ads Are Raking In More Cash Than Ever
A new Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) report shows that 2018 was the first year U.S. digital advertising earnings topped the $100 billion mark, hitting $107.5 billion, up from 2017’s $88.3 billion, led primarily by the strength of mobile and video. Users also spent 22 percent more time on social media properties in 2018 than during 2017, the report details. Adweek

eMarketer Reduces US Time Spent Estimates for Facebook and Snapchat
U.S. adults are using Instagram more than ever, at an average of 27 minutes daily and expected to increase through 2020, while Facebook and Snapchat have both seen a drop in the average number of minutes of use per day, according to new forecast data from consultancy eMarketer. eMarketer

YouTube Ads Are Getting Longer
The ads marketers run on YouTube are getting longer, with the number of 30-second ads rising from 19 percent in January 2018 to 24 percent in January 2019, bucking the notion that shorter is always better with video, one of several video trends shown in a new MediaRadar report. MediaPost

Survey Report: Landing Page Habits of Marketers
30 percent of marketers expect average landing page conversion rates of 10 percent or less, and more than half expect a rate of 20 percent or less, according to new survey data on landing pages and their lead generation performance. SmartBrief

Google shares details on how first price auctions in Google Ad Manager will work
Display and video ads sold with Google Ad Manager, Google’s ad server and publisher exchange, will get additional auction functionality aimed at removing Google’s “last look” outbidding advantage, while also bringing new minimum pricing strategies and rules, the search giant recently announced. Marketing Land

Instagram Separates New Likes on Posts, Adds Unfollower Stats for Creator Accounts
Instagram has tested showing most recent post likes first, along with adding unfollower statistics to Instagram Creator analytics data, features that could prove useful to digital marketers when eventually rolled out. Social Media Today

B2B marketers acknowledge the need for quality content
72 percent of B2B marketers intend to create more social content over the next 12 months, and 98 percent see the performance of content marketing as justifying its cost — two of many insights containing in newly-released report data. CMO.com

LinkedIn Engagement Continues to Rise, According to Latest Update from Microsoft
LinkedIn (client) saw revenue growth of 27 percent for the quarter, a 24 percent increase in on-platform sessions, and record engagement and job posting levels, according to recently-released report data from parent company Microsoft. Social Media Today

Twitter to launch a ‘hide replies’ feature, plus other changes to its reporting process
In June Twitter plans to launch an experimental feature to hide certain replies, and a handful of other new changes the firm says are designed to help make conversations on the platform more productive. TechCrunch

Facebook gives Ads Manager a design refresh and launches new cost cap bidding strategy
Facebook advertisers and users of the firm’s Business Manager platform will see new layout changes and features, including streamlined Ads Manager navigation and tools to improve new client on-boarding, Facebook recently announced. Marketing Land

LinkedIn Is a Newcomer to the Reactions Game, With 4 Options Joining Its Like Thumbs-Up
Over the coming months LinkedIn (client) will roll out a slew of new user content reaction options to the professional platform, including expressions of curiosity, love, and celebration, the firm recently announced. Adweek

Google-Backed Study Finds People Willing To Trade Sensitive Data For Personalized Media
More than a quarter of U.S. and U.K. consumers are willing to share some location, purchase history, and banking information with smart voice assistants, while 46 percent are also willing to share their media usage history, according to new survey data from Google and the National Research Group (NRG). MediaPost

Using Trust as the Driving Force Behind Marketing Strategies
61 percent of millennials are concerned about global conditions and feel personally responsible for making a difference, one of several signals of increasing opportunities for greater trust and brand integrity in marketing, and Adweek takes a close look. Adweek

Corporate America can’t afford to ignore Gen Z
U.S. Gen Z members tend to spend their money with businesses that align with their values, respond positively to autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR) advertising, and prefer online subscription and customization, according to new research survey data of interest to digital marketers. BNN Bloomberg

Why More and More Brands Are Getting Into the Streaming Game on Twitch
Twitch, which Amazon acquired in 2014 for $970 million, has seen increasing numbers of brands advertising on the streaming platform, and recently some have been moving from traditional ad formats to the in-game action itself, a new area of opportunity for digital marketers. Adweek

Adobe, Microsoft to take on Salesforce’s marketing software, with LinkedIn as a weapon
Adobe* and Microsoft have joined forces to better compete against Salesforce.com in the sales and marketing software arena, with the LinkedIn* platform’s recently-expanded targeted audience advertising featuring heavily in the new alliance. Reuters

What CMOs Are Focusing On in 2019 [Infographic]
74 percent of CMOs plan to encourage peer engagement and the transfer of knowledge among talent, while improving digital marketing capabilities and boosting go-to-market processes are the most important agenda items for 2019, according to newly-released research data from the CMO Council. MarketingProfs

What the Numbers Say About Mobile’s Place in B2B Marketing
The opportunity for more mobile-friendly B2B content is ripe for progressive B2B marketers, especially those working to offer greater trust and understanding, according to research of interest to digital marketers from MarTech Advisor. MarTech Advisor

LinkedIn Announces New Data Partnership with Adobe to Improve Ad Targeting
LinkedIn announced a new partnership with Adobe that will bring a greater selection of LinkedIn’s (client) account-based marketing features to users of Adobe Experience Cloud, and expand ad targeting with Marketo Engage and Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Sales. Social Media Today

The Colossal Amount of Time Spent Consuming Media May Finally Be Flatlining, According to Nielsen Report
U.S. adults are still spending an average of 10 and a half hours consuming media — the same as in 2017 and 2018 — a signal that consumption time has plateaued, according to newly-released report data from Nielsen. Adweek

When Content Tanks: Brands Lack Faith In Their Efforts, Study Shows [B2B study]
B2B marketers’ content effectiveness has faced struggling confidence, with just 4.7 percent extremely confident in their content’s pertinence, a significant decrease from 2017, according to a newly released B2B marketing study data. MediaPost

Facebook testing features that let Pages archive and share Stories
Facebook has tested optional methods allowing business pages to archive and share Facebook Stories, potentially paving the way for increased exposure beyond the current reach of Facebook Page fans, the social media giant recently noted. Marketing Land

2019 Social Media Influencer Benchmarks
Social media influencer benchmarks are examined in a recently released report from Trust Insights that looked at some 50,000 influencers on each of the major three social influencer platforms. Trust Insights

Marketers less concerned about data tech, IAB annual report finds
Digital marketers and publishers increased data-related spending in 2018, and 78 percent plan to spend more next year, one of several findings in the Interactive Advertising Bureau’s newly-released annual report. MarTech Today

Podcast Growth Is Popping in the U.S., Survey Shows
The number of U.S. podcast listeners grew at the fastest rate since Edison Research began tracking statistics in 2006, and with young listeners also on the rise, podcasts may have reached a tipping point, which the New York Times explores. New York Times

Twitter debuts new analytics tools for publishers focused on improving video engagement
Twitter has released a slew of updated and new analytics tools, with Media Studio additions aimed at helping digital marketers achieve better video engagement rates by examining more data, the firm announced. TechCrunch