Meta’s $25 billion privacy judgment puts platform risk in focus

Meta faced a $25 billion privacy judgment and postponed revised business terms amid regulatory scrutiny over data scraping. At the same time, falling consumer confidence sharpened the challenge of sustaining growth as costs rise.

Key developments

Meta faces privacy damages

A New Mexico judge ordered Meta to pay $25 billion in damages after a jury found the company guilty of exposing user data.

The judgment puts a financial consequence on privacy failures at a platform used by advertisers.

Oct 22 · Social Media Today - Latest News · Social Media Today - Latest News

Consumer confidence falls

Consumer confidence recorded its largest decline since Covid. A research lead said brands should address trust and durability as shoppers increasingly question whether purchases are worth it.

Greater purchase hesitation puts product value and durability at the center of shoppers’ buying decisions.

Oct 22 · Marketing Week

Meta postpones business terms

Meta postponed its latest commercial services agreement while EU and UK regulators seek clarity over data scraping concerns.

Businesses using Meta’s commercial services remain uncertain about when revised terms will take effect.

Oct 25 · Social Media Today - Latest News

AI search results fluctuate

Seer Interactive found that identical ChatGPT prompts produced changing search data across weeks, days and minutes. Two runs eight minutes apart on September 17 shared no exact query strings, while unique retrieved URLs rose from 14 to 40 between September 3 and 16.

A single prompt test can give a misleading picture of a brand’s visibility in AI search.

Oct 22 · AI (Artificial Intelligence) Insights fr

Nestlé weighs price increases

Nestlé reported strong volume growth in its most recent quarter but anticipates higher costs. The company said it would carefully balance pricing and volume and take consumers along with pricing changes.

Higher prices could put Nestlé’s volume growth at risk if shoppers resist the changes.

Oct 22 · Marketing Week

Gemini adds brand tools

Google updated Gemini with brand management tools, a refreshed landing page, third-party app support and additional image generation capabilities.

The additions expand Gemini’s uses for brand asset creation and connected marketing workflows.

Oct 22 · Social Media Today - Latest News

Also this week

Growth strategies

• P&G said future growth depends on expanding categories rather than taking share, while its marketing spending has remained flat and is working harder for the business. Marketing Week

• Lovehoney is using partnerships to position sex toys as mainstream wellness products. Marketing Week

AI discovery

• Meta released Facebook, Instagram and Threads usage and engagement information alongside third-quarter earnings, while Mark Zuckerberg highlighted Muse’s downloads and named shopping as the AI agent’s primary use case. Social Media Today - Latest News · Social Media Today - Latest News

• Data on Reddit citations in AI search results complicated claims about how prominently the platform appears in AI answers. Marketing Week

TikTok rules

• TikTok banned politicians and political parties from monetizing on the platform. Mashable

• TikTok US said it removed more than 14 million fake accounts and prevented nearly 65 million spam accounts from being created in the second quarter. Social Media Today - Latest News · Social Media Today - Latest News

What to watch

• Watch for Meta to set a new effective date for its postponed commercial services agreement as EU and UK regulators seek clarity on data scraping.

• Watch for Nestlé’s pricing decisions as anticipated higher costs test its balance between prices and sales volumes.

• Watch for results from P&G’s category-expansion strategy with marketing spending held flat; timing for these watch points has not been announced.