In a digital world dominated by short attention spans and infinite scrolling, how can brands forge real connections amid the noise of trends, memes, and fleeting moments? This E-book explores how brands like Lush, American Girl, Teletubbies, and CAVA are redefining digital relevance. From tapping into absurd humor and nostalgic throwbacks to stepping away from social media altogether, these companies show that success doesn’t come from following a formula—it comes from being bold, authentic, and unafraid to try something new.

Most marketing leaders are confident social media can influence business goals—like revenue and new customer acquisition—even if their metrics don’t show it yet. But they aren’t sure if their own teams can tie social to those outcomes. Which puts social marketers under increased pressure to prove the ROI of their strategy if they want to gain leadership’s trust.

We surveyed over 1,200 marketing leaders from around the globe to find out what separates teams who can prove the impact of social from those who can’t. We examined what social marketers can do to make sure their reporting infrastructure prioritizes the right metrics, and how social data can provide value company-wide.

Getting discovered on social doesn’t have to be a game of chance. Virality is fleeting—but strategic visibility lasts. As platforms like TikTok, Instagram and YouTube become your audience’s go-to search engines, social teams have a powerful opportunity to create content that’s not just relevant, but findable.

And the shift is already happening—according to Sprout’s Q2 2025 Pulse Survey, social is now the #1 place Gen Z searches, surpassing even Google and traditional search engines.

How do influencers and social platforms affect how people consume content, research and buy products, and connect with community and brands? Learn more about how consumer social media usage and purchase behavior are impacted by influencers.

Content creators have transformed affiliate marketing from a discount-driven model into a strategy built on trust and storytelling. This article explores how creators are leading this shift, what brands can learn, and how affiliate programs can now drive long-term community engagement over quick sales.

Affiliate marketing has evolved from static promotions to dynamic, engaging content with content creators in the mix. These trusted creators are now building deeper connections and changing the industry.

Will you be using X for your holiday promotions this year? Elon and Co. have been busy touting the platform’s improving ad offerings, now powered by its Grok AI tool, which enables advertisers to rely on Grok to find the right audience for their promotions, and optimize performance in the app.

And if your audience is active there, it could be worth considering, and this week, X has launched a new holiday marketing hub to help guide your X ads approach this coming season.

Unilever’s pledge to commit half of ad spend to social is just one piece of a larger evolution for a category trying to shed its stodginess and win over Gen Z. More CPG marketers are betting on social- and influencer-first strategies to modernize. Experts say the category needs to be open to creative risk and different ways of working with agencies to succeed.

Social media has been around for ages in marketing terms, but its current era feels like it started in the pandemic haze of 2020 with a TikTok video of a man sipping Ocean Spray while gliding along on a skateboard and listening to Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams.” The blissful clip, later expanded into a TV campaign by the cranberry juice maker, led Ocean Spray to fly off of store shelves — and helped place “Dreams” back on the Billboard charts — while serving as an early indicator of TikTok’s distinct power in sparking viral product sensations.

Social media moves fast. With evolving tools, changing platform trends, and the rise of AI, a social media manager’s day is never boring. But what are the primary areas of focus, goals, and challenges for social media teams as we head into 2025?

The State of Social Media report aims to answer that very question.

You’ll uncover the practices, preferences, and perspectives that are driving decisions and shaping the landscape of social media for today’s businesses in the EMEA region, which includes Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.