No, you’re not imagining it: There are lots of ways you can purchase products on-screen. Whether streaming a show on Roku, watching a video on YouTube, or thumbing through TikTok, shoppable ads are seemingly everywhere—even on traditional TV.

Watch and shop: While shoppable content isn’t new—QVC has been around since the ’80s, after all—ad buyers are continuing to eye platforms that offer the features and said they expect more interest in shoppable ads on TV platforms this holiday season, especially as some advertisers continue to grapple with the effects of Apple’s iOS privacy changes.

• “For the 2022 holiday season, there’s a lot of testing and learning and adapting as it relates to shoppable ads,” said Christa Carone, president of the digital advertising firm Infillion, which enables shoppable ad formats across platforms.

One and done

Shoppable ads are part of a growing trend. In the US, sales from social commerce are expected to grow to nearly $80 billion in 2025, up from about $45 million this year, according to eMarketer.

There’s a simple reason why shoppable ads on social media have grown as popular as they have in recent years, media buyers said: Consumers can discover a product, like it, and buy it in one fell swoop.

• “These ads are collapsing the marketing funnel, if you will,” said Meagen Johnson, EVP, managing director of commerce at Havas Media. “You can drive awareness, consideration, and purchase now all at once.”

Looking ahead: In the wake of iOS privacy changes that affected ad performance on Meta platforms like Instagram and Facebook, brands interested in shoppable advertising are looking outside of social channels as well.

Click here to keep reading.—KS

It’s hard to resist the urge to hop on a trending TikTok song (it’s like Taylor Swift knew “Anti-Hero” would go viral on the platform). But if you’re posting on behalf of a brand, you might just have to.

“Anytime you’re using music on TikTok—and not just as a brand, but a brand’s influencers using music—that still needs to be licensed,” said Joe Belliotti, SVP of brand solutions at music licensing platform Songtradr. “Brands are constantly getting in trouble for music on TikTok.”

• A couple of months ago, a handful of brands made posts on the platform highlighting the fact that they’re not allowed to use just any trending song or sound without securing the proper rights (although TikTok does have a precleared audio library that brands can tap into).

Big picture: To make it easier for brands to use sounds in posts without the risk of trouble, last year TikTok announced Sound Partners, a collection of more than 20 companies that can help advertisers either license songs or create new ones for them—two routes brands can take when looking to use music that’s not already cleared for use on the platform.

Read the full story here.—AM

There are a lot of bad marketing tips out there. These aren’t those.

Guardrails: Meta rolled out new privacy updates for teenagers using Facebook and Instagram.

Jot it down: This quick primer on SEO writing could help you get more clicks.

Stand out: How to use your social media presence to find your next role after a layoff.

2022 marks 25 years since Starbucks first debuted its annual holiday cups. The (often) red cups are an iconic brand symbol and have become their own pop culture phenomenon, signaling the arrival of the holiday season (and Chestnut Praline Lattes).

We’re celebrating this branding legend with a gift card giveaway. Simply click below and enter for the chance to win one of five $50 Starbucks gift cards—and keep the Peppermint Mochas flowing all winter long!

Stat: 11,032. That’s how many comments were submitted to the Federal Trade Commission as it reviews rules “concerning the ways in which companies collect, aggregate, protect, use, analyze, and retain consumer data, as well as transfer, share, sell, or otherwise monetize that data in ways that are unfair or deceptive.”

Quote: “We cover the good, the bad, and the ugly…We believe the technology is cool, interesting, and here to stay, but that’s not the same as shrugging off bad news.”—Dan Roberts, editor-in-chief of the crypto media company Decrypt, to Insider

Read: “Inside a Boot Camp for Chinese TikTok Sellers Bringing Live E-Commerce to the US” (Rest of World)

Cringey brand tweets: Sorry.

Catch up on a few Marketing Brew stories you might have missed.

• Advertisers are asking questions about the data TikTok can collect
• Ad spend on connected TV grew nearly 40% in Q3
• How recommerce is taking on the holiday gift market