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Startups put OpenAI鈥檚 Microsoft advantage to the test: OpenAI is becoming one of the US' most valuable startups over its sensational generative AI. Leadership in the space requires skillful monetization.

By leaning into data monetization, PayPal looks to boost revenues and reach its profitability goals. From 2024 to 2026, FMN ad spend will explode at a 107.0% compound annual growth rate to hit $1.50 billion, per our forecast. Overheard at #AWNY: Still, PayPal's ad debut could raise user experience concerns.

It鈥檚 offering new content creation, fan engagement, and monetization tools for creators, including an easier way to share audience data with brands. The upgraded Spectacles are currently available to AR developers, who Snap has enlisted to help create use cases for the device.

Year of the chatbot: Google鈥檚 Apprentice Bard is among many chatbots we鈥檒l see released by the tech industry this year. Investors are excited, but performance and monetization are market hurdles.

But the long-term reliability of such a strategy remains unclear given Meta鈥檚 evolving monetization approaches.

Messaging will be a new front in the monetization wars. The platforms are (finally) ready to monetize messaging. Messaging has been a tricky business for the social platforms to make money from, as many consumers don鈥檛 want advertisers to slide into their DMs. But that鈥檚 now changing:. Snap has launched Sponsored Snaps.

For retailers, data monetization is proving highly profitable. For advertisers grappling with the delayed but still impending demise of the third-party cookie, first- and zero-party data from retailers represents an effective way to reach customers. Physical stores offer promising reach, but volume is still a long way off.

X is positioning itself as a hub for creators with new paid subscriptions and monetization tools. If it improves its creator tools鈥攍ike revenue-sharing and content discovery鈥攊t could attract creators from OnlyFans, especially those with large social media followings. AI-driven content tools are advancing quickly and could reshape the creator economy.

Zooming out: TikTok's move into search advertising is timely, as it follows a broader trend of social platforms integrating search into their monetization strategies. Instagram and YouTube have also rolled out similar features. TikTok contends its focus on high-intent searches sets it apart, leveraging the platform鈥檚 strength as a content discovery engine.

These AI-powered marketing tools can be a data monetization bonanza for two-sided networks. But integrating genAI with proprietary customer data requires caution. GenAI-powered virtual assistant personalization could ignite conversational commerce. With the help of natural language skills, chatbots can build on conversations over time to provide increasingly tailored results.

Stricter regulations would force some companies to completely restructure their monetization models to survive.

Reeling from 2024鈥檚 challenges, financial institutions must embrace bold strategies in 2025 to future-proof their businesses in a landscape plagued by economic, competitive, and regulatory pressures.

Companies large and small will net hundreds of billions in US incremental ecommerce and digital ad dollars in the next two years. Who will be the big winners?

Snap faces ad revenue headwinds despite solid Q4: AI, AR, and creator investments need to deliver as brands seek better ROI in a tight ad market.

With new feed-customization and business tools, it鈥檚 primed for deeper user engagement. But as ads roll out, brand safety worries could stall advertiser interest.

AI darlings split the spotlight: Anthropic鈥檚 $30 billion valuation underscores its safety focus and enterprise ties, while Perplexity, worth $9 billion, battles legal woes and bets on ads to stay competitive.

Physical campuses for creators set to return: These spaces could offer creators and brands opportunities to collaborate and learn as the industry professionalizes.

The other thing on the earnings call that stood out to me about Threads is that we're still waiting on monetization. Meta said that it didn't expect Threads to be a meaningful driver of revenue in 2025. That does not mean that ads aren't coming. I expect they will. (14:03):.

鈥淲e wanted to understand what makes us differentiated,鈥� said Melanie Babcock, vice president of Orange Apron Media and monetization, of the rebrand. 鈥淎nd it鈥檚 really about our service model and how we use service as a lens to view our products and experiences.鈥�.

Data that provides a full and accurate view of the customer journey is essential for monetization. For retailers with sufficient scale to support RMNs, extensive customer data boosts the value of their offerings to advertisers. Nearly two-thirds of retailers share or plan to share loyalty data with their retail media advertisers, per Deloitte.

Threads could capitalize on X鈥檚 advertiser exodus, but its plans to start selling ad space this year have fallen by the wayside, and it no longer has a timeline for monetization. Our take: Meta should make a prompt decision on Threads messaging, considering the inconvenience of no private chat options.

Trump win could fuel conservative media growth: Fox News likely to thrive, while creators reshape the digital narrative with direct-to-audience engagement.

Owned and operated channels have a limited runway for monetization. The value of ad inventory on owned and operated channels is intrinsically tied to traffic volume. Although advertiser benefits include a more tightly controlled, contextual environment and cleaner attribution, the channels also have substantial limitations.

This retail media monetization and control with Mirakl Ads is essential for any retailers to operate, continuously invest, and enhance in their ecommerce model and keep shoppers engaged. Retail media ads are designed to be helpful and provide the shopper with recommendations and suggestions based on items they might be interested in, which is exactly what shoppers are looking for.

Pichai pointed out that YouTube Shorts monetization has improved, particularly in the US. Shorts recently unveiled fresh features in a bid to improve creator tools and boost viewer interaction. We forecast TikTok ad revenues will climb 38.1% this year to $10.42 billion.