🇨🇦 100% Canadian Owned and Operated 🇨🇦

The Top Three

🏆 THE INDUSTRY’S MOST IMPORTANT STORIES TODAY

🥇 GOOGLE GETS GAVEL’D (AGAIN)

🚨 Marketers, start your contingency plans: A federal judge ruled today that Google $GOOGL ( ▼ 1.42% ) illegally maintained a monopoly in some online advertising tech. It’s the second ruling in a year to find the $1.88 trillion company abused its dominance, this time over the backend systems that power ad placements across the web. The Justice Department and several states sued Google, arguing that its monopoly let the tech giant drive up prices and take a bigger cut. more

• The government argued that Google holds monopolies in three areas:

  • Tools publishers use to sell ad space (like news sites).

  • Tools advertisers use to buy that ad space.

  • The software that facilitates those transactions.

• The judge sided with the government on two: publisher tools and transaction software. The advertiser tools claim was dismissed.

• In a separate case, another judge found Google monopolized online search. A hearing on whether to break up the company begins Monday.

• These two rulings could lead to major changes in how Google operates and how marketers use its ad platforms.

🥈 TARIFF CHAOS PUTS MARKETERS ON EDGE

Billions in marketing dollars are in limbo as companies brace for economic turbulence. A new New York Times report looks at the ripple effects of unpredictable U.S. tariffs on the $380 billion American ad industry. Retailers, automakers, and media companies are struggling to plan as the White House imposes, reverses, and reimposes trade penalties, especially targeting China. Ad spend is often seen as a bellwether for global economic health, and the current instability could trigger a domino effect: cautious consumers, leaner corporate budgets, and slashed marketing spend.

• Many companies have adopted a “wait and see” approach.

• Some brands are pivoting to short-term solutions, with “pre-tariff pricing” promotions surfacing on social media.

• 60% of U.S. ad executives expect marketing budgets to drop 6–10% this year, with retail, automotive, and consumer electronics hit hardest.

• Analysts predict that ad contracts will need to become more flexible, letting companies pause or reallocate spend mid-campaign. Digital media, with its agility, may offer a lifeline.

🥉 STILL THE TOK OF THE TOWN

Ban who? Despite looming regulatory threats, a new report found TikTok is still the top social platform among U.S. teens. more

• Nearly 50% of teens named TikTok as their favourite social platform, a 12% jump from last year.

• Instagram $META ( ▼ 0.17% ) still leads in overall use, with 90% of Gen Z logging in monthly.

  • TikTok follows at 80%, with Snapchat $SNAP ( ▲ 1.81% ) at 70%.

• For video consumption, Netflix $NFLX ( ▲ 1.19% ) takes the crown, edging out YouTube in this year’s rankings.

Today’s Other News

📰 EVERYTHING ELSE THAT MATTERS

Advertising 📣

• Advertisers set a new record in 2024, spending $259 billion on U.S. digital media, a 15% increase from the previous year, according to a new report from the IAB. more

  • Video saw the biggest gains, with ad spend jumping to $62 billion, increasing its share from 23% to 24% of total digital spend.

  • Search remains the leader, collecting nearly 40% of all digital ad dollars.

  • Display ads, though still second, saw a decline in market share from 31.5% in 2020 to 29% in 2024.

  • Social media ad spend surged 37%, reaching $88.7 billion.

• Temu’s retreat from paid social advertising is leaving room for its retail rivals to step in. New data shows the Chinese e-commerce giant, known for its aggressive ad spending on Facebook and Instagram, has reduced its U.S. ad spend by 10% in Q1 2025, following President Trump’s push for tariffs on Chinese imports. more

• 🎯 Kid-fluencer activated: Precise TV has launched PACE, a new tool that lets advertisers target consumers under 18 on YouTube legally. Built on Precise TV’s proprietary data, PACE uses machine learning to identify and segment young viewers, breaking down the broad “under-18” group into more actionable subcategories. more

Search 🔍

• Google is testing a new feature that adds animated or playable videos to its shopping/e-commerce card in search results. more

Social Media 📱

• Threads maintains growth momentum as X and BlueSky slow down:

  • Threads has reached 320M monthly active users, with strong download momentum pointing toward 400 million by year-end, adding 200 million users in the past year.

  • X still leads in user count at 600 million, but its growth has slowed, adding just 50 million users in the last year.

  • BlueSky growth has cooled, going from 5 million users in early 2024 to 35 million now, with another 5 million added in early 2025.

• Instagram is rolling out a new feature called Blend, which creates a custom Reels feed shared between you and members of a DM group. When you tap the Blend icon in a chat, IG will suggest Reels tailored to the group. You it up in one-on-one or group conversations, with the feed refreshing daily with new content. more

• YouTube is expanding its “Hype” program to more creators in testing markets Eligible creators may now see the option for viewers to hype up their long-form videos during the first seven days. To push participation, YouTube says it’s adding automatic bonus points for smaller creators. more

• YouTube is also reminding creators about upcoming changes to how mid-roll ads are placed. Starting in May, its system will automatically insert ads at what it considers “natural break points." These automatic ad slots will also be added to older videos that currently rely on manual placements. Creators can opt out of the feature in the “Earn” tab in YouTube Studio, but they’ll need to do so before May 12. more

Commerce 🛒 

• 🛍️ Why shoppers quit before checkout: A recent survey found that 80% of U.S. consumers abandon online searches when they can’t find what they’re looking for, often due to confusing product language or descriptions. more

  • To work around it, 55% of shoppers use specific, descriptive words to narrow results.

  • Visuals matter too: 75% rely on product images, 60% check reviews, and more than half prefer short, clear descriptions.

  • About a third say they’ll watch product videos before deciding.

IPO Tea 🫖 

• Figma is heading for the public markets. The design platform has confidentially filed for an IPO, just over a year after Adobe’s $ADBE ( ▲ 1.34% ) $20 billion acquisition deal fell through. more

The Jargon Jar 💰️ 

• 👀 Side eye: A new report calls out the most hated office jargon, with “circle back,” “synergy,” and “low-hanging fruit” topping the cringe list.

  • But it's not just annoying... it's pricey af: Poor communication is eating up 7.5 hours a week per employee, which means the cost of jargon could be draining $6 million a year from mid-size companies.

The Ticker

📈 HOW DIGITAL MARKETING STOCKS ARE DOING

In partnership with