Sonata Insights is a custom research and advisory service from Debra Aho Williamson, an internationally recognized expert in digital marketing and social media. Debra’s superpower is identifying significant shifts in consumer behavior that lead to tectonic changes in marketing strategy. At eMarketer, Debra analyzed the rise of social media through more than 120 research reports, one of the largest bodies of research on social media in the world. As an editor at The Industry Standard and Ad Age, Debra was an early voice on the impact of the internet economy and online marketing. Debra works with clients across the marketing, media, adtech and investor sectors that want to bust myths, break new ground and lead industry conversations about the transformative impact of AI on marketing and consumer behavior, and the continuing impact of social media on marketing strategies.
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Thank you right back, AMS!
A big THANK YOU to Debra Aho Williamson from Sonata Insights for her insightful webinar this week! Both AMS's valued clients and colleagues learned about the role of AI in consumer interactions, the importance of the relationship between consumers and AI, and how AI will impact the media landscape in the future. Debra was joined by Corinne Casagrande, Alex Sapoznikov, and Michael Dobson for an engaging fireside chat on what brands should do moving forward.
Search and social aren't the traffic drivers they used to be. So what's filling the gap for publishers? Newsletters, direct traffic and -- for some -- AI platforms. I'm proud to partner with Brian Morrissey and The Rebooting for this research - sponsored by Omeda.
Navigating the AI-driven evolution of marketing and consumer behavior through groundbreaking + hype-free research | speaker | advisor | ex eMarketer principal analyst
NEW RESEARCH ALERT! 53% of publishers are concerned about traffic erosion from AI platforms. But 31% are seeing more traffic from the LLMs. That's just one of the many findings from my new Sonata Insights research in partnership with Brian Morrissey's The Rebooting. Together, we took an indepth look at how publishers are attracting and retaining audiences in 2025. Here are some of our top findings: ?? Search traffic is down. 50% of publishers are reporting declines. But it's not just AI that's causing it. ?? Newsletters and direct traffic are rising—62% see newsletters as a top driver. More publishers are setting aside budget for audience development efforts, which is good. But audience development is spread across roles and divisions, and as a result, it's challenged by siloes and inefficiencies. That's where audience data platforms (which are increasingly being infused with AI) can help. It was amazing to work with Brian - who I've known for many years - the rest of the Rebooting team and Ben Geller, Erika Kalar and James Capo at Omeda, who sponsored the research. This was my first time diving into audience development as a research topic, and it was absolutely fascinating. Are you seeing some of the same trends? There's a link to the full paper - with all the data and charts - in the comments!
Amazon app or web browser – how do you think people shop on one of the world’s biggest retailers? Up till now, insights into the nuanced behaviors of Amazon app versus web users have been elusive. However, our report, created in collaboration with MFour Mobile Research and Sonata Insights, uncovers precisely that. Get insights into: –Variations in engagement levels – Purchase likelihood for app and web users – Product categories that perform better in-app and on web – Loyalty Dynamics …and more. Download the report here: https://hubs.li/Q03b5wqr0 #Amazon #AmazonApp #Retail #ClickstreamData #AltData
Agentic advertising is coming. Are you ready? In my new column for WARC, you'll learn the four key traits of agentic advertising and how search marketers should prepare. Spoiler alert, a lot of skills will transfer over to the AI agent world. Read the column here: https://lnkd.in/g8rqFs-n
Psyched to see my IAB research collab featured in EMARKETER's Chart of the Day newsletter! Read the study here: https://lnkd.in/eMKDdURP
Pay attention to what Perplexity and others are saying about agentic ads. This could be the next big wave of digital advertising.
Navigating the AI-driven evolution of marketing and consumer behavior through groundbreaking + hype-free research | speaker | advisor | ex eMarketer principal analyst
"That whole advertising economy ... all of that happens without the human user ever having to see an ad." When I heard what Perplexity CEO Arand Srinivas said about AI agents and advertising recently, I realized that we all need to pay more attention to what Perplexity and other AI companies are doing. What we're seeing now is only the tip of the iceberg. https://lnkd.in/gtpxkyFY Jump to the 22-minute mark
This was one of my most impactful and attention-grabbing pieces of research last year. Midway through the year, 99% of people who used an AI site still used traditional search too. It'll be interesting to see how things have changed when the update comes out this month.
AI Search is shifting the traditional search landscape, especially now that Open AI has launched ChatGPT search – are businesses ready for it? We are monitoring its usage trends and will provide an update in mid-January. But what has real world consumer search behavior been like up till now? Download our paper for a look at the state of Consumer Search in the Age of AI and get key insights on: -How AI is impacting search dynamics -AI’s role in product research -The effect of chatbots on shopping experiences -AI trends in ecommerce …and more Download the whitepaper here: https://hubs.li/Q030XWbM0 #AI #Ecommerce #DigitalMarketing #ClickstreamData #AltData
Happy new year! Do you know how your customers are using AI sites? My newest Datos collab has some answers.
With AI being integrated into more and more online shopping experiences, such as Rufus in Amazon, we all want to know – how exactly do shoppers engage with AI? Don’t go into 2025 without having downloaded our latest report, created with Sonata Insights, which reveals some interesting trends in behavior of AI site users and their shopping habits, including: -Retail and AI site visits in one session -Shoppers’ favorite AI sites -Differences in AI usage between Amazon & Walmart -Predictions for Amazon’s Rufus ….And more Download the report here: https://hubs.li/Q02_B3Zf0 #AI #Amazon #Walmart #Whitepaper #ClickstreamData #AltData
2024 was a big year. I went from a stable 19-year career as an analyst at eMarketer into the unknown as an independent researcher and advisor. Here's a look back at what Sonata Insights has accomplished in 2024. You can find links to all the assets in the comments. If you'd like to partner with me as I dig deeper into AI and marketing in 2025, please reach out!
Relevance has been redefined. I was part of the team that worked on this research with WARC and TikTok, and it was one of the most challenging (but also rewarding) projects I did in 2024. We started with a simple goal: Identify the types of content consumers consider relevant on social and video platforms - and from there, develop a framework detailing what brands should do to be more personally and culturally relevant to their audiences. We asked ourselves hard questions like: What is culture? (Dr. Marcus Collins was an invaluable resource on this!) How important is cultural relevance for brands? Is it necessary for all brands? What is personal relevance? Do consumers think of personal and cultural relevance differently? Should marketers? How can marketers be relevant without feeling like they need to jump on every trend that comes along? I'm happy to say this research helps answer these questions.
?? Cultural relevance isn’t just a buzzword—it’s a business driver. Brands with high cultural relevance grow nearly 6x more than brands with low levels. That’s why we partnered with WARC to uncover the practical steps brands can take to achieve stronger relevance. Here’s what you’ll discover: ?? Why cultural and personal relevance are key to driving outcomes across the entire marketing funnel. ?? The role of TikTok trends, communities, and creators in shaping brand connections. ?? A framework to help you create content that feels authentic and resonates deeply with your audience. Brand leaders are seeing this shift as well. ?? Scroll through to see what E.L.F. BEAUTY's CMO, Kory Marchisotto, Burberry's Global Social Media Director Alex Whitlock, and Stellantis' Group Head of Media, Data and Insight Mark Lynch, have to say about finding cultural relevance on TikTok. Curious? Read our thought paper with WARC for the full report: https://bit.ly/3CF0cAA ??