Vodacom signs up with Starlink
The partnership aims to deliver high-speed broadband to businesses across Africa and expand rural coverage by integrating Starlink’s satellite backhaul into Vodacom’s network to boost reach and performance.
John Hunt to Retire as Worldwide Creative Chair of TBWA
TBWA has announced that John Hunt, one of South Africa’s advertising creatives and a global leader in the industry, will retire from his role as Worldwide Creative Chair at the end of December.
Your most up-to-date snapshot of social media updates this week – 03/11/2025
Hello, social butterflies! We’re in the last couple months of the year and many social platforms are launching more AI-powered tools to help you navigate the holiday season, or gain more leads. Let’s dive into this week’s updates and see where these new features can fit into your social media strategy.
Global retail media ad market nears $200bn, but gold-rush era wanes
The global retail media market is now worth almost $200 billion and retains significant momentum, with ad investment projected to surpass that amount by 2027, however, underlying this growth is an evolving industry.
Unilever’s ice-cream unit picks Publicis Groupe as global media Agency Of Record
Unilever’s soon-to-be independent ice-cream unit has appointed Publicis Groupe as its global media agency of record, covering planning, buying, and strategy across key Asian markets including China, India, and Indonesia. The account was previously held by WPP’s Mindshare.
IAB releases guidelines for using CTV as performance channel
The IAB is positioning connected TV (CTV) as a performance channel, releasing its first guidelines on using conversion APIs (CAPI) to achieve this. Marketers are increasingly viewing CTV like search — combining targeting, brand building, and measurable results. See infographic.
Gartner just dropped its 2026 tech trends – and it’s not all AI: Here’s the list
In 2026, according to the latest research from Gartner, disruption is accelerating, and AI is no longer optional. The technology is sprinkled throughout the list in various forms, from multi-agent systems to physical AI, driving Gartner’s list of the most strategic technology trends for 2026.
How marketers are planning to use AI, influencers and more in 2026
Most social media marketers use AI tools, but fewer than half report major efficiency gains, according to Emplifi’s State of Social Media Marketing 2026 report, based on insights from over 500 marketers. Download the full report here, but in this post, we’ll take a look at some of the key notes.
How the new UGC drives results
As the social influence of creators, influencers and product fans continues to grow, marketers are using these players to boost campaign effectiveness and build brands on social networks, a topic explored in our new report. We examine three award-winning case studies from Kraft Heinz, KPN, and Apple to uncover how UGC is delivering for brands.
Brands should plan for decay, not just initial campaign impact
The lifespan of a multichannel campaign can be extended through careful media planning while ads are on air, new research has found. Thinkbox, the UK body for commercial television, partnered with Tapestry Research to explore decay in purchase intent after a campaign has concluded – and the role of channel selection in slowing that decay.