Social media platforms generate £3.8bn annually from scam ads
Social media platforms generate approximately £3.8bn annually from scam ads targeting European users, according to data from Juniper Research commissioned by Revolut.
In the UK specifically, social media platforms generated £430.4m from scam ads in 2025. The scam advertising problem in the UK is increasing, with the revenue generated from the practice increasing from £275m in 2022.
Scam advertising accounts for a significant component of social media companies’ income. Indeed, according to the research, 10% of all social media advertising revenue in 2025 was generated from scam ads.
Around one in 10 ads shown to European users is a scam, the data suggests. The average British social media user encounters 185 scam ads per month, projected to rise to 242 by 2030 if current trends persist.
The industry must pivot to a more proactive model, the authors of the research suggest. If not and trends continue as they are, by 2030, social media companies are projected to generate over £8.9bn from scam
Source: Juniper Research with Revolut
Just a third of executives say CMOs make compelling business strategy recommendations
Less than one in three (32%) executives and business leaders say their CMO makes compelling business strategy recommendations based on market or customer data, according to a survey conducted by Gartner.
The research is based on the views of CMOs, as well as business leaders from other functions, and finds a lack of confidence from the latter in marketers’ strategic decision-making ability. Additionally, just 34% of executives say their CMO effectively identifies the marketing initiatives that will contribute most to growth.
In order to drive meaningful growth, most marketing leaders will attempt to make the case to secure more budget to invest, particularly in brand. However, this research suggests those unable to demonstrate the business impact of investment risk undermining themselves further.
By 2027, over 40% of CMOs who push for larger brand budgets will lose influence with the C-suite because they will be unable to demonstrate sufficient returns, according to the Garner research. The research also finds that over four in five (84%) companies are stuck in what it terms a “doom loop”, where underfunded measurement leads to unclear impact, rising scepticism and tight budgets.
Source: Gartner
In-game Six Nations ads spark negative reaction
In-play advertising during the Six Nations has sparked some negative reaction among consumers, finds research from Quantcast.
ITV has introduced in-game advertising during the tournament, where ads are shown twice during each match, on a split screen. Each ad lasts 20 seconds and fills the right-hand side of the screen while live pictures from the match will continue to play on the left.
Samsung and Virgin Atlantic are ITV’s first partner brands for the new initiative. According to engagement research, Samsung recorded a 13% increase in engagement, while Virgin Atlantic saw an 18% uplift in the matches their adverts aired during scrum-related breaks in play.
While there was increased attention off the back of the ads, Quantcast’s social listening data suggests that much of this was negative. Samsung’s in-game presence generated 63% negative sentiment, 32% neutral and only 5% positive. Virgin Atlantic experienced 80% negative sentiment and 20% neutral.
In social media reaction, the phrases “boycott” and “annoying ads” were featured prominently, the research finds.
Source: Quantcast
Labelling is not harming influencer content performance
Influencer ad transparency is a key concern for consumers, with straightforward labels causing the least negative impact to engagement, new research finds.
Some 80% of consumers prefer influencers to be clear when content is advertising, according to the Advertising Standards Authority’s (ASA) Influencer Marketing Disclosure Report.
The analysis of 1,900 UK participants and 30 different influencer marketing posts finds 79% of consumers want ad labels to be visible without having to click ‘more’ in the caption.
Straightforward labels such as ‘ad’ or ‘#ad’, ‘paid partnership’ and ‘commission paid’ were found to be more effective than ‘#gifted’. Some 37% of the UK online population ranked ‘paid partnership’ in their top three of the 16 labels tested – deemed to offer the most clarity – while ‘#gifted’ and ‘#thanks’ ranked the lowest due to not disclosing the full relationship.
Labels posted visually within the content itself or at the beginning of a caption ranked among consumers for clarity.
In practice, only around half of people were certain an influencer post was an ad and more than a quarter were unable to identify influencer ads at all, with brand ads more distinctive than influencer ads.
Source: ASA
Retail footfall decline slows in January
After a disappointing Christmas period, the decline in UK shopper footfall slowed in January, perhaps giving retailers reason for cautious optimism.
According to British Retail Consortium (BRC) Sensormatic data, total UK footfall decreased by 0.6% year over year in January. Despite this fall, this was a marked increase from December when footfall declined by 2.9%.
High street and shopping centre footfall both decreased in January, by 1.9% and 0.8%, respectively. The decline in shopping centre footfall improved from December, when footfall had decreased by 5.1%. However, high street footfall fell more sharply last month, with it having fallen 0.9% in December.
Retail park footfall actually increased in January, growing 1.1% versus a decline of 2.5% in January.
Source: BRC-Sensormatic