Social media updates and new features to know this week – 01/12/2025

Hello social strategists and welcome to another week! There are plenty of new tools to discuss, including Facebook’s nickname option and Threads’ new profile summaries.

Data, metrics once unattainable now possible with AI

AI enables digital marketers to target audiences with previously unattainable data, helping run cross-channel campaigns that understand a brand, its products, and audience motivations, revealing insights beyond traditional performance metrics.

SocialMediaToday: 15 Social Media Marketing Trends for 2026 [Infographic]

This infographic overview from the team at Red Website Design covers what they see as the key trends of note, along with pointers on what they mean for brands.

Better Pairing? Streaming + Social: Higher recall, purchase intent

A new study highlights the strong impact of combining streaming TV and social in cross-media campaigns. It found viewers are 43% more likely to watch ads on streaming TV than on social media, and 67% spend more time viewing them.

YouTube highlights top trends of 2025, adds personal recaps

YouTube has launched its first-ever recap summary, which looks at the top trends and creators in the app from 2025, while it’s also launching a personalized summary of users’ own top content trends in the app for the year.

Google automatically links ads with YouTube

Google is rolling out a feature that automatically links Google Ads accounts with YouTube channels when the systems detect a strong data relationship between the two. The goal is to give advertisers access to stronger audience signals — automatically.

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LOCAL MEDIA NEWS

Social media updates and new features to know this week – 01/12/2025
December 8, 2025
Hello social strategists and welcome to another week! There are plenty of new tools to discuss, including Facebook’s nickname option and Threads’ new profile summaries.
PR Daily
Data, metrics once unattainable now possible with AI
December 8, 2025
AI enables digital marketers to target audiences with previously unattainable data, helping run cross-channel campaigns that understand a brand, its products, and audience motivations, revealing insights beyond traditional performance metrics.
Media Post
SocialMediaToday: 15 Social Media Marketing Trends for 2026 [Infographic]
December 8, 2025
This infographic overview from the team at Red Website Design covers what they see as the key trends of note, along with pointers on what they mean for brands.
Social Media Today
Better Pairing? Streaming + Social: Higher recall, purchase intent
December 8, 2025
A new study highlights the strong impact of combining streaming TV and social in cross-media campaigns. It found viewers are 43% more likely to watch ads on streaming TV than on social media, and 67% spend more time viewing them.
Media Post
YouTube highlights top trends of 2025, adds personal recaps
December 8, 2025
YouTube has launched its first-ever recap summary, which looks at the top trends and creators in the app from 2025, while it’s also launching a personalized summary of users’ own top content trends in the app for the year.
Social Media Today
Google automatically links ads with YouTube
December 8, 2025
Google is rolling out a feature that automatically links Google Ads accounts with YouTube channels when the systems detect a strong data relationship between the two. The goal is to give advertisers access to stronger audience signals — automatically.
Media Post
Video streaming crushes socials for viewer attention – study
December 8, 2025
The study found that almost 80% of a streaming video advert is viewed attentively on average, versus around 20% in digital environments. The disconnect between an advert being served and an advert being seen obscures substantial waste.
Media Shotz
Google’s Year in Search 2025: These trending topics spiked big
December 8, 2025
Google today released its 2025 Year in Search list, but don’t mistake it for a ranking of the “top searches” or the “most searched” terms. This year’s recap focused on trending queries – the topics that grew the fastest compared with 2024.
Search Engine Land
Report looks at evolving social media and online shopping trends
December 8, 2025
Are you in the middle of mapping out your 2026 digital marketing strategy? This will help.
Social Media Today
Is a $50 Billion channel being ignored by B2B marketers?
December 8, 2025
A new survey shows B2B marketers are undervaluing Out-of-Home (OOH), even as many quietly use it as a trackable growth channel. Outdated views on measurement remain the main barrier: 77% cite a lack of tracking, and 57% had dismissed OOH believing it wouldn’t reach their ICP.
Demand Gen Report
Is YouTube TV or social media? Australia gives an answer as law
December 8, 2025
Social media is becoming less social, TV is increasingly online, and a world-first law in Australia sets out what is and isn’t social media – but this opens up questions about what social media is and how marketing should think about investment in a world of blurred lines.
Warc
These 3 Rs will define marketing in 2026
December 8, 2025
People are seeking meaning and human connection. Here’s how to put resonance, realness, and relationships at the heart of your content and marketing organization.
Content Marketing Institute
Voice of the Marketer 2026: Budgets under pressure
December 8, 2025
Warc
Omnicom Media sunsets Mediabrands, Kiernan, Magna, ‘OMG’ Too
December 8, 2025
Omnicom today announced its post-Interpublic structure and leadership team, omitting several IPG legacy media brands—including IPG Mediabrands and Magna. It replaces them with a new Omnicom Media Group structure featuring six flagship media agencies: OMD, Initiative, UM, PHD, Hearts & Science, and Mediahub.
Media Post
South Africa producer inflation rises to 2.9% y/y in October
December 8, 2025
South Africa's producer inflation was at 2.9% year on year in October, up from 2.3% in September, statistics agency data showed on Thursday, 27 November 2025.
Bizcommunity
Canal+’s MultiChoice now says 12 TV channels from Warner Bros. Discovery will definitely be removed 31 December 2025 in channel carriage fight.
December 8, 2025
In a statement, MultiChoice says "Please be advised that Discovery Channel, TLC Africa, Discovery Family, Real Time, TNT Africa, Food Network, Travel Channel, Investigation Discovery (Discovery ID), Cartoon Network, Cartoonito and CNN International will not be available from 31 Dec."
TV with Thinus
NIQ State of the Retail Nation report: Robust growth for South African retail in Q3 2025
December 8, 2025
NielsenIQ South Africa’s Q3 2025 State of the Retail Nation report shows strong FMCG growth, with consumers spending nearly R167.5bn across traditional and modern trade. Retail sales rose 7.1% in value and 8.7% in unit volume year over year.
Bizcommunity
Death by a million cuts — South Africans say goodbye to DStv
December 8, 2025
DStv operator MultiChoice has lost 2.8 million subscribers since its height on 31 March 2023, declining from 17.3 million to 14.5 million, a reduction of over 16% in two years. MultiChoice’s new owner, French media conglomerate Groupe Canal+, recently published an investor presentation with charts illustrating MultiChoice’s decline in recent years.
MyBroadband

GLOBAL NEWS

Social media updates and new features to know this week – 01/12/2025
Hello social strategists and welcome to another week! There are plenty of new tools to discuss, including Facebook’s nickname option and Threads’ new profile summaries.
Read More
Data, metrics once unattainable now possible with AI
AI enables digital marketers to target audiences with previously unattainable data, helping run cross-channel campaigns that understand a brand, its products, and audience motivations, revealing insights beyond traditional performance metrics.
Read More
SocialMediaToday: 15 Social Media Marketing Trends for 2026 [Infographic]
This infographic overview from the team at Red Website Design covers what they see as the key trends of note, along with pointers on what they mean for brands.
Read More
Better Pairing? Streaming + Social: Higher recall, purchase intent
A new study highlights the strong impact of combining streaming TV and social in cross-media campaigns. It found viewers are 43% more likely to watch ads on streaming TV than on social media, and 67% spend more time viewing them.
Read More
YouTube highlights top trends of 2025, adds personal recaps
YouTube has launched its first-ever recap summary, which looks at the top trends and creators in the app from 2025, while it’s also launching a personalized summary of users’ own top content trends in the app for the year.
Read More
Google automatically links ads with YouTube
Google is rolling out a feature that automatically links Google Ads accounts with YouTube channels when the systems detect a strong data relationship between the two. The goal is to give advertisers access to stronger audience signals — automatically.
Read More

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