We Are Social

Today we’ve launched ‘Next Gen Influence’, our new report examining trends impacting the creator landscape, and what these mean for brands.✨ The report focuses on the five trends defining the creator landscape, as well as highlighting some breakthrough creators who represent the trends and are growing quickly across social. 📱🔥 Download the full report now: https://lnkd.in/eee_CsHf

#ThursdayThoughts People in Japan are more likely to prefer computers over mobiles, with these devices claiming 56% of online time in Japan. For more data like this, check out our full Digital 2024 report 🔗: https://lnkd.in/g2nhCEpZ

Very occasionally in life, something dramatically exceeds your wildest expectations. I have been fortunate enough for We Are Social to be one of those rare things. But now it’s time for a change. Today I step down as Group CEO with great pride in everything we have achieved. From a tiny team in East London to a global agency network. From an upstart challenger to an industry benchmark. I know it’s a cliché to say what an incredible journey it has been. But it truly has been… Epic! The people. The ideas. The work. The clients. The events. Anyone who’s started any kind of business knows that it’s hard. To say that there are highs and lows is an understatement. Long weeks of hard work, brilliant moments of pride (and relief) in the results. Quiet sessions of solo inspiration, noisy team collaborations. Early mornings of preparation, late evenings of celebration. It takes Heart. Soul. Guts. Grit. Imagination. Determination. Resilience. Kindness. Not just from me, but from everyone. And that’s what makes We Are Social so special. Everyone shows up with their best. Everyone shows up to make a difference. And this happens in each of our global offices. We built more than a business. We built an idea. And we grew it into a globally recognised brand like no other. There really are far too many people to acknowledge here now (but I promise to come back another time to do so). There’s one exception: my Co-Founder Robin Grant. What a thing we started. Cheers to us! It’s the end of an era for me. At this point in time, We Are Social has existed for exactly half of my adult life. Life goes on, and I’m ready to do something new (yes, you will have to wait to find out what). Meanwhile I’m very happy to be helping the transition as a strategic advisor over the next six months.  Thanks to everyone who was and is a part of the last 16 years. I have made many great friends, and it’s been a privilege to witness so many talented people grasp the opportunity to do some extraordinary, career-defining work under the banner of We Are Social. I’m proud of you all, and I cannot wait to see how far you can take it from here.

Today marks a significant moment for We Are Social. After 16 years of leadership, our co-founder, Nathan McDonald, has decided to step down. Nathan and Robin Grant founded We Are Social in 2008 as a new kind of agency with a social-first approach. They could see what many others couldn’t at that time - the huge potential of social media and the impact it was going to have on the wider media and marketing landscape. Today, We Are Social is the largest and most awarded social agency of its kind. Thanks to Nathan’s vision and leadership, We Are Social is now a 1300-strong creative, social and influencer powerhouse, spanning North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. We haven’t just adapted to changes in the industry; we are at the forefront, pioneering new approaches that others now follow. Nathan said: “Today I step down as Group CEO with great pride in everything we have achieved. From a tiny team in East London to a global agency network. From an upstart challenger to an industry benchmark. I know it’s a cliché to say what an incredible journey it has been. We built more than a business. We built an idea. And we grew it into a globally recognised brand like no other. “Thanks to everyone who was and is a part of the last 16 years. I have made many great friends, and it’s been a privilege to witness so many talented people grasp the opportunity to do some extraordinary, career-defining work under the banner of We Are Social.” Read more in Campaign: https://lnkd.in/e7pnmTRU And on our blog: https://lnkd.in/ea9cxQma

What's happening in social media this week? Meta is offering brands more control over comments on their ads, and X is rewarding its top users for interacting with one another. We've also spotted a handful of weally good TikTok trends. Check out the Monday Mashup now.

#ThursdayThoughts The total amount spent globally on paid social media placements increased by 13% in the last twelve months. For more data like this, check out our full Digital 2024 report🔗 https://lnkd.in/g2nhCEpZ 

And that's a wrap on We Are Social + Narrative's session at Advertising Week New York! 🎬✨ A huge thank you to Red Fabbri, Shan Rizwan, and our very own Gigi Ouf for leading an insightful discussion on the power of co-creation and the evolving landscape of creator-brand partnerships. Missed it? Catch the key takeaways here: https://lnkd.in/ey-6qsyD #advertisingweek #awny #cocreation #innovation

Check out the latest edition of our newsletter including our Next Gen Influence report, our nominations at The Lovie Awards, the latest trends over on The Feed and more.

In this week’s edition, we talk about the importance of usability of AI, Meta’s new Movie Gen and Google’s NotebookLM which has recently gone viral on TikTok. Find out more in our bi-weekly #XYZSnippets, where we delve further into the big conversations in the space, key headlines, and notable brand activations. Meta Rex Woodbury Google