News and Insights

MEDIA PULSE – APRIL 2025

April 18, 2025

This month’s Media Pulse examines how brands can thrive amid shifting landscapes — economic, technological and competitive. From maintaining smart paid media investments during uncertain times, to demanding more from retail media networks, to leveraging TikTok’s new Search Ads, we’re exploring how calculated decision-making and strategic adaptability can turn potential challenges into competitive advantages.

#1 Future Proofing Your Paid Media

Economic downturns often prompt companies to slash marketing budgets in an effort to reduce costs. But history has shown that such cuts can be shortsighted, potentially hindering long-term growth. Strategic investment in paid media during uncertain times can position brands for accelerated recovery and increased market share.​

We promise we aren’t just saying this.  Just take it from Kellogg: The company dominated the packaged-cereal market alongside Post throughout the 1920s—but when the Great Depression hit, Post cut back and Kellogg doubled its ad budget. Kellogg aggressively pushed good ol’ Rice Krispies (I have a box at home right now), and by 1933, its profits jumped by ~30%, cementing Rice Krispies’ spot in pantries across the country. All because it took a chance across media (heavily testing out terrestrial radio at the time, when no one else was really making a splash in the channel).

As the ad industry/world watches with bated breath, marketers face the challenge of optimizing budgets while maintaining brand visibility. The key lies in making informed decisions about where to cut back, where to maintain presence and where to invest for future gains.​

💓 The Pulse

• Cutting brand is easy, but often wrong: Reducing advertising spend may seem prudent, but it often leads to a decline in SOV, which can result in decreased market share. But we get it—it’s a tough call. Sustain presence, but be smart: Lock in guaranteed video or audio inventory at reduced rates. Push for upfront deals that give you premium placement now and flexibility later.
• Recession or not, consumers are still consuming: Economic challenges alter spending habits, but consumers often consume more media during such periods, seeking information and entertainment. This shift presents an opportunity to engage audiences with relevant messaging that addresses their current needs without solely focusing on discounts.​
• Brand equity matters: While performance marketing delivers immediate results, brand advertising builds long-term equity that sustains growth beyond the recession. I repeat, beyond the recession. During a recession, 60% of brands increasing media investment saw improved ROI. (Source: WSJ).

OUR TAKE

Economic uncertainty is a signal to reassess, rebalance and reinvest with purpose. Reevaluate your partnerships and media investments. Explore all policies to ensure there’s a plan should resources need to be pulled back, but don’t do so out of fear. Brands that stay visible when others go quiet come out with a louder (and more impactful) voice.

Speaking of impactful: please enjoy this 1930s Rice Krispies debut ad with everyone’s favorites: Snap, Crackle and Pop. It’s beautifully absurd.  —Ashley Blais

#2 Retail Media is Growing – But Keep a Close Eye

Retail media’s rise has been nothing short of meteoric — surpassing $50 billion in U.S. ad spend last year and projected to grow another 20% in 2025. I know, exciting stuff. But for all the excitement, many are starting to challenge it. What began as a promise of precision and rock-solid attribution modeling is now showing its flaws, and as more brands buy in, the murkier the space becomes.

Instead of going on blind faith (because everyone else is there), reframe the focus on transparency, standardization and value. What are we really getting for that money? More and more CMOs are being held accountable for proving that spend in big-time players, like Kroger Precision or Target Roundel, is as effective as it is expensive.

💓 The Pulse

• Take back the power: Many brands feel forced to spend. But increasingly, Retail Media Networks (RMNs) are being treated like any other media partner—with KPIs and accountability. Follow this thinking … and reframe the spend as media to focus on performance benchmarks and access to full-funnel metrics.
• Walled gardens 2.0? Déjà vu, anyone? Like early social, RMNs restrict data access, making cross-platform measurement difficult. Another reason this investment should be held to the same impact standards as all other channels.
• There are top players, and then there are not: Amazon’s data, tools and integrations make it best in class. Many other RMNs offer limited utility and inflated CPMs with unclear returns—selling banner space with premium pricing, for example. Be sure your RMN investments are being held to the same standard as all other partnerships.

OUR TAKE

Retail media still matters, but marketers must demand more. Prioritize incrementality, and treat RMNs like any media partner. Some 62% of marketers say RMN performance is too opaque according to ANA, and I feel confident when I say that this wouldn’t fly with any other part of the plan, so why is it flying here?—Ashley Blais

#3 TikTok Search Ads Debut in the U.S.

I know,  another TikTok update to keep track of, but this one matters. TikTok is evolving from a discovery-first platform to one that taps into active user intent. With the launch of Search Ads, brands can now appear alongside organic results when users search within the app—bridging the gap between performance marketing and entertainment-led discovery.

Rolled out only in the U.S. for now, Search Ads offer a new way to reach engaged users at the moment they’re actively seeking information. Ads are marked as “Sponsored” and appear within the search results feed, with placements dynamically aligned to relevant queries.

For performance marketers, this opens the door to repurposing top-performing keywords from Google or Microsoft PPC campaigns and reaching similar intent-driven audiences on TikTok’s high-attention platform.

💓 The Pulse

• Search meets social: TikTok Search Ads bring paid placements to in-app queries, helping brands reach users with high intent while still immersed in the TikTok experience.
• Performance crossover: Advertisers can now target proven, high-performing keywords from their Google or Microsoft campaigns directly within TikTok Search.
• S.-only (for now): The feature is currently limited to the U.S. market, with no confirmed expansion timeline — but global rollout is likely on the horizon.

OUR TAKE

TikTok Search Ads signal a powerful shift toward performance-led media on a platform traditionally known for storytelling and entertainment. For UK advertisers (for now), this isn’t just a feature to watch — it’s a chance to prepare. Identify which PPC keywords might translate to TikTok’s unique environment, and keep building your organic presence so you’re ready when this feature inevitably expands beyond the U.S. And … don’t worry, I am sure the next 90-day U.S. ban extension will likely just be extended for another … 90 days. —Lee Faulkner

About the authors
Ashley Blais and Lee Faulkner co–lead FINN Paid Media, our global team of experts who live and breathe today’s fast-paced — and fast-changing — media landscape. The team delivers a full suite of services including omnichannel planning & buying, performance media strategy & management, and comprehensive measurement, resulting in award-winning campaigns that drive client success.