In this episode of the MadTech Podcast, head of marketing Grainne Reid is joined by head of content John Still and Georgia Goodwin, chief client officer at influencer marketing agency Digital Voices.

They look at the drop in the number of Brits consuming news brands through print and online formats, creator rates skyrocketing as they capitalise on brands’ growing interest, as well as the latest from Reddit and Snap including financial figures, declining users, and using AI to their advantage. 

This week's stories:

Only one-third of Brits consume information via news brands (The Media Leader)

Only one-third (34%) of the UK public say they consume news through either print or online news brands, finds the latest Media Nations report from Ofcom. The young (16-24) are least likely to tune in to news brands (22%), but older people surveyed don’t turn to news brands for news in significant numbers either.

TV dominates news consumption for adults over the age of 34, while younger audiences generally prefer social media or “other online” forms of keeping track of the news. 

After Unilever’s influencer pivot, creator rates jump 30% (The Drum) & Creators are ‘doubling’ their rates as they capitalise on brands’ growing interest (Digiday) 

It has become more expensive for brands to work with influencers over the past six months, following the leader of Unilever saying he wants to drop 50% of its annual budget on creator marketing, according to The Drum. Premier Foods and Nescafe have announced similar plans. Since Unilever’s announcement, several social media agencies have said they’d seen an uptick in client spend and request for proposals. According to research from Billion Dollar Boy, 52% of UK marketers are now investing in excess of £765,000 annually in creator marketing.

Similarly, seven influencer marketers told Digiday that creators’ rates had risen noticeably across all platforms. Three of the marketers reported that some creators had doubled their fees from 2024. Creators are also charging higher sponsorship rates because they understand that they’re taking on an increasingly central role in brands’ marketing plans. Influencers charging extras fees for exclusivity or the rights to use their content on other channels is also becoming more common.  

Reddit revenue soars as it bets on AI and advertising (TechCrunch) & Snapchat’s facing major challenges based on its Q2 performance (Social Media Today)

Reddit reported a very successful Q2, with a 78% year-over-year increase. The results revealed that the majority of Reddit’s revenue continues to come from ads, representing 93% of the company’s total revenue. The growth of its advertising business is heavily supported by its AI-powered marketing tools. 

Meanwhile, Snap reported a revenue increase of 9% year-over-year for Q2. The social media giant is still adding millions of new users worldwide, although it's seeing a decrease in US users, which are its main revenue source: Snap generates almost four times more revenue per user in its North America audience than in the ‘Rest of the World’ segment.