For the last time in 2024, hello! It’s been an eventful year, but at least on my side things are starting to wind down, and this has also been reflected in the paucity of updates from the world of digital marketing as well.
The main news this week is the fallout from a US Federal Court upholding a ruling that means TikTok could be banned on January 19. Owners ByteDance are obviously pulling out all the stops to try and prevent this.
Elsewhere, global ad revenue has topped $1 trillion for the first time, and there’s a few updates around BlueSky – but it doesn’t feel controversial to say that the pendulum hasn’t exactly swung their way yet.
Before we get going, I just wanted to say thanks for reading through this year. Pulling together these updates is a genuine weekly highlight. If you’re feeling generous at this time of festive cheer, then you’re very welcome to buy me a Christmas coffee. Otherwise, you can also check out my views on the trends likely to shape digital in 2025.
With that said – let’s get to it!
TikTok requests emergency injunction
The big news at the tail end of last week was that a US Federal Court upheld a ruling meaning that ByteDance either needs to divest TikTok, or face a ban for the platform from January 19. It should be noted that ByteDance has a right to appeal, and has asked for an emergency injunction, so there’s a little way for this story to go yet.
In the meantime, Donald Trump has been reluctant to engage on the issue (he’s previously made noises that would indicate he would row back on any ban, but that was before the election). He seems to be of the view that ByteDance should sell up.
And what about us digital marketers trying to make sense of it all? Well if TikTok in the key pillar of your US-based activity, then this is the perfect time to look at Snap, Instagram, or even possibly Reddit – now’s the perfect time to diversify and explore. If it forms more of a secondary part of your ad spend, then now might be a good time to reassess your ad spend and potentially move to other platforms in preparation for the ban.
That said, I’d probably look to wait – if possible – until we find out the ruling on the emergency injunction, with the picture on whether it will be banned on Jan 19 at least likely to clear up over the next few weeks.
Further Reading
The global advertising market is set to exceed $1 trillion in revenue for the first time in 2024, driven by digital platforms.
The Guardian reported this week that X has lost 2.7 million active users over the last couple of months, while BlueSky has picked up 2.5 million. These sound like huge numbers – but they aren’t the critical mass that BlueSky needs to become a major player. It’ll be interesting to see what, if anything, has changed by the time I next write an update. It’s safe to say that subscriptions alone will not be enough to drive sufficient revenue with this current user base.
Meta endured a major outage earlier this week, though it does seem to have recovered now.
Instagram is experimenting with ‘trial reels’ that enable Creators to road-test content without it necessarily forming part of their grid. Like a focus-group, if you will.
That’s it for now! I’ll be taking a break from this newsletter for a few weeks, and plan to be back in mid-January. If you found this interesting, I would appreciate it if you shared it with your friends and colleagues.
If you’re feeling particularly generous, I won’t stop you from buying me a coffee. Have a great Christmas, and a wonderful 2025!