Friday 5: AI’s fine line, podcast potency, and life after X

A lot happens in a week, so every Friday we're going to analyze all the new data and provide you with some of the key takeaways. Welcome to the Friday 5.

This week, new advertisers enter the podcast space, consumers discourage brand desperation, and brands take notes from Netflix.

Key stat: Marketers are actively using emerging social platforms. 82% are either already posting on or planning to build a presence on Bluesky, while 80% of marketers are either posting on or planning to build a presence on Threads, according to a Sprout Social survey of marketers in the US, UK, and Australia.

• Fewer than 10% of marketers don’t have plans to use either platform, according to the survey.

Key stat: New advertisers are venturing into podcasts—and spending more time there.

In Q4 2024, new brands running podcast ads increased 10.2% from Q3, according to Magellan AI’s "Podcast Advertising Benchmark Report."

• Ads are accounting for a slightly larger share of total podcast content, increasing to 7.4% in Q4 2024 from 7.1% in Q3.

Key stat: Inundating consumers with ads doesn’t make them move down the marketing funnel. 29% of ecommerce shoppers said being shown too many ads is one of the main reasons they abandon their cart, according to a Rokt and Harris Poll survey.

• Consumers prioritize personalibility and relevance. 74% would rather receive no offer at all than one that is irrelevant to them, according to the survey.

Key stat: Social media strategists should take notes from Spotify and Netflix. Netflix saw a 36% YoY increase in earned media value (EMV) on Instagram in 2024, and a 103% increase on TikTok, according to CreatorIQ's "Brands of the Year" report.

• Netflix’s success comes from its “candid hot takes on programming” from creators that are a natural fit for the organic social feed, according to the report.
• While CreatorIQ named Netflix the most dominant brand on TikTok and Instagram, Spotify was the most dominant brand on YouTube. Spotify also had the total highest EMV in 2024, which is tied to its high creator retention rate (83%), according to the report.

Key stat: Consumers have boundaries when it comes to AI in marketing, and their comfort level varies by channel and content type. 22% of US consumers are comfortable—and 45% are uncomfortable—with brands using generative AI (genAI) to create imagery, according to a new report from YouGov.

• 55% of US consumers are uncomfortable with brands using genAI for creating social media posts, per YouGov's report.
• 18% of Gen Zers and millennials believe more personalized content experiences will be a benefit from the use of genAI in content creation, compared to 9% of Gen X and Baby Boomers, according to the report.

This was originally featured in the EMARKETER Daily newsletter. For more marketing insights, statistics, and trends, subscribe here.