Two of the most important trends in online advertising are the pervasiveness of social networks and the growing use of “owned platforms”, Business Insider by Rory Maher. These trends threaten to disrupt traditional content publishers who sell ad space, because they allow advertisers to go direct.

• Social networks have now impossible to ignore.
• Advertisers are building “owned platforms” directly onto social networks, likely to accelerate
• Advertisers seek more effective ways to market on social networks
• Brands are struggling how to best use social networks
• As traditional forms of advertising prove to be ineffective
• Advertisers turn to “owned platforms”
• Social networking will be so intertwined with the average person’s life that brands have to figure out a way or miss reaching consumers where they are most engaged