- The Thread
- Posts
- The viral moment you can actually buy now
The viral moment you can actually buy now
Plus: 4 AI-free takeaways from Cannes 2025
Gupta Media
June 26, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 4 minutes
Today’s Social Media advertising rates are down but not out
↘️ META: $8.01 CPM | ↘️ TIKTOK: $6.11 CPM | ↗️ SNAPCHAT: $9.17 CPM
In this week’s edition:
🧵 Spotted: Video ads on Threads!
Why advertisers should celebrate the CTV slump 📺
🚫 4 AI-free takeaways from Cannes 2025
But first…
TikTok is alpha-testing a new ad product called Brand Buzz—and it’s exactly what it sounds like. For a fixed fee, brands get access to 1,500 creator-made videos, engineered to generate 15M+ views in just a few weeks. The elevator pitch? Brands get their own “authentic viral conversation,” powered by TikTok’s creator marketplace and packaged like a PR stunt you can plug in.
Brands also get a hashtag hub, real-time campaign visibility in TikTok One, and the option to Spark their favorite videos for 180 more days. Want more juice? Add-ons like Anchors, Brand Effects, or extended ad runs push performance further down the funnel.
The Inside Scoop🍦: Now trending in performance media
♾️ Meta: We’ve started seeing the option to use video creative on Threads in our ad accounts! This is something that Meta announced last month that they were testing among a small group of advertisers.
As we reported last fall, Meta is still slowly rolling out ads in the Facebook Notification placement. We have finally started seeing these ads serve, but inventory is still extremely limited. Also:
They must be paired with the Facebook Feed placement.
Creative consists of page name, profile image, and headline copy.
📺 Is a CTV Slump on the Horizon? According to Digiday, CTV CPMs are sliding 10-30% year over year.
Why? Simple: as Omara Hernandez of Canvas Worldwide puts it, “supply is growing much faster than the demand at the moment, and as a result the CTV marketplace is undergoing a price correction.”
But one man’s slump is another man’s opportunity: With Netflix, Amazon, and Disney chasing CTV ad money, the market is maturing. Measurement is getting better, and with sharper tools comes more efficient ad-buying. And while not all CTV is created equal, that’s good news for advertisers—because it means discounted rates are already priced-in for most CTV deals. Our take: Get in while it lasts.
🦁 4 AI-free things we learned at Cannes
Gupta Media’s own Mariya Samardzhieva had the opportunity to soak up bold ideas, creativity, and inspiring insights from the industry’s top minds—while also hopping on a yacht in the South of France. And while everyone at Cannes Lions was talking about AI, the real takeaway? Humanity and authenticity are what will save advertising. Here are just a few powerful ideas she took away:
✔️ Escapism is in — like IKEA’s pajama party campaign for better sleep
✔️ Accessibility matters — think Apple AirPods as hearing aids or @Vaseline’s "approved hacks"
✔️ Creator love wins — like how Cerave blew up with authentic fan support
What else did she learn? Check out her Cannes wrap-up on LinkedIn.
Thanks for reading! We’re off for July 4 next week 🇺🇲, but we’ll be back in TWO WEEKS to fill your inbox with more tips, tricks, and treats from the addressable universe.