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Generative AI is everywhere now. You see it in content, campaigns, customer experiences, and even internal workflows. It promises speed, scale, and efficiency, but there’s a harder question sitting underneath all that progress; Do your audiences actually trust it?

Trust in the Age of AI: What Consumers Really Think About AI Generated Content

Today, PR teams aren’t just tracking media coverage and share of voice. They’re also measuring how their brand shows up in AI-generated answers, search summaries, and large language models (LLMs). This new LLM visibility layer is quickly becoming a critical part of PR performance.

15 Must-Have PR KPIs and How to Track Them

See how one platform can power every decision across PR, communications, and marketing.

The Meltwater Blog

Blog Topics: Generative Engine Optimization, Media Intelligence, Media Relations, Social Listening, Consumer Intelligence, Influencer Marketing

Find out how you can leverage Facebook to boost your brand's online presence and gain a competitive edge. Explore the Meltwater category page today!

Facebook Blog | Meltwater

Find out how you can leverage Instagram to boost your brand's visual appeal and gain a competitive edge. Explore our category page today!

Instagram Blog | Meltwater

Find out how you can leverage LinkedIN to grow your professional network and gain a competitive edge. Explore the Meltwater category page today!

LinkedIn Blog | Meltwater

Find out how you can leverage TikTok to elevate your brand with creative content and gain a competitive edge. Explore the Meltwater category page today!

TikTok Blog | Meltwater

Find out how you can leverage X / Twitter to engage your audience effectively and gain a competitive edge. Explore the Meltwater category page today!

X / Twitter Blog | Meltwater

Find out how you can leverage YouTube to create engaging video content and gain a competitive edge. Explore the Meltwater category page today!

YouTube Blog | Meltwater

Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) is transforming how brands show up in AI-powered search. Explore insights, strategies, and best practices to help your content rank and resonate across conversational engines like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Copilot.

Explore insights and strategies for Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) to help your brand stay visible and discoverable in AI-powered search.

Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) Blog Collection | Meltwater

Every day billions of conversations take place on social media: tweets, posts, comments, blogs, reviews, podcasts, and much more.
Learn how to use social listening to make sense of all of that data.

On our social listening category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around social listening and social media monitoring. Read more.

Social Listening Blogs | Category

Business Reputation Management: What does it take to add reputation management to your marketing strategy? More importantly, how do you keep your reputation sparkly and shiny? Here’s your all-access guide to online reputation management for the long term.

On our reputation management category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around business reputation management. Read more.

Reputation Management Blogs | Category

From your brand's logo to your website, your social media presence to your customer support—these elements combined are what constitutes a brand in the minds of customers. But, there are thousands of other businesses that have a logo, website, social media presence, and website. So, how can you position your business on the market and make it stand out from the competition?
The key to success is branding & brand management!

On our brand management category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around brand management. Build your strategy and reach your goals!

Brand Management Blogs | Category

Competitive intelligence and the act of collecting competitive data can be seen as growth drivers for a company. Our guide will help you understand the concept of competitive intelligence (CI) by answering questions such as: What is the definition of competitive intelligence? How is competitive intelligence useful to organizations? What is the goal of competitive intelligence? And more.

On our competitive intelligence category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around competitive intelligence. Learn how to stay ahead.

Competitive Intelligence Blogs | Category

Let’s dive into the customer journey framework and how to optimize the process by creating a customer journey map and using metrics that matter when analyzing the customer journey.

On our customer journey category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around mapping and understanding the customer journey.

Customer Journey Blogs | Category

What Is Data Analytics? [Beginner’s Guide 2023]
How can I grow my business? 
How do customers interact with my newly launched product?
How do I increase the productivity of my employees?
How do I know if my marketing efforts are working?
We have just two words for you...Data analytics!

On our data analytics category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around AI and data analytics. Technical and still easy to understand.

AI & Data Analytics Blogs | Category

Public relations and media relations can add impact to any marketing strategy. It’s an opportunity for brands to grow their reach beyond traditional sales messages. PR helps to shape the image you want people to have of your brand.
So, what is PR and how do you use it? This guide shows you everything you need to know to build a strong public relations foundation.

On our public relations (PR) category page, you find all our blogs covering public relations and communications topics. Step up your PR game.

Public Relations (PR) Blogs | Category

We all know exactly what the roles of sales or accounting are in a company, right? We might even have a slight idea of what the IT guys are doing.
But there is another business discipline, that plays a crucial role in organizations, even more so during the pandemic – internal communications!
But what exactly do we mean by that, what purpose does it serve and what steps can you take to ensure you and your employees will communicate effectively?

On our internal communications category page, you find all our blogs about internal comms topics. Learn about the intranet, internal newsletters, and more.

Internal Communications Blogs | Category

As the internet has taken root in more areas of our lives — everything from entertainment to shopping to paying bills and more — traditional marketing is becoming less impactful. As any marketer knows, you need to focus on where your audience is if you want to reach them. Since the average person spends about seven hours a day online, it’s no surprise that content has maintained its hold on marketers.

Here's a closer look at what content marketing is and why it matters more than ever in our digital-first economy.

On our content marketing category page, you find blogs about content marketing topics. Learn about strategies, KPIs, tips, and more. Make your content king!

Content Marketing Blogs | Category

The rise of the influencer marketing space – today a $10 billion industry, growing 50% per year – is one of the clearest examples of how social media is transforming traditional marketing. These days having a business website, presence on social, PR coverage, and your own content isn’t enough to compete.
We'll dive into the intricacies of influencer marketing to help ensure that you're equipped with the insights needed to be successful in this space.

On our influencer marketing category page, you find blogs about influencer marketing topics. Build your strategy, find influencers, and measure results.

Influencer Marketing Blogs | Category

Have you just launched a new product or service that you want to get the word out about? Maybe you want to share with consumers why it is awesome and how it is so much better than the one your competitors offer.

Well, then, there is one thing you can't do without...Marketing!

On our marketing category page, you find blogs about marketing topics. Learn about all the different angles and types of marketing and improve your results.

Marketing Blogs | Category

In this guide, we want to give you a peek into the definition of social media management, the daily schedule of a social media manager, social media platforms to promote your business, and the do’s & don’ts of social media management.
Are you ready to begin the journey of becoming a social media superstar?

On our social media management category page, you find blogs about social media management topics. Build and manage your online community.

Social Media Management Blogs | Category

Building a following and using social media platforms to reach a wider audience requires a well-planned social media marketing strategy. In this guide, we’ll be looking at why social media marketing is so essential and how you can make it work for your business.

On our social media marketing category page, you find blogs about social media marketing topics. Learn how to get the highest paid social ROI!

Social Media Marketing Blogs | Category

In the fast-evolving realm of digital marketing and public relations, utilizing the right tools is crucial for success. Our interdisciplinary category showcases all the pertinent tools for digital marketing & PR. These tools help in enhancing your online presence and effectively reaching target groups, whether through reputation management, influencer marketing, or social media management.

On our digital marketing and PR tools category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around mapping and understanding the customer journey.

Digital Marketing & PR Tools Blogs | Category

These days, a couple meeting IRL feels a little bit retro. That’s because, over the past decade, online dating has evolved from a novelty to a mainstay of modern, digital culture. In the U.S., for example, about half of people looking for serious relationships are doing so on dating apps. Those numbers are lower elsewhere, like in the U.K., but even there, about a third of Gen Z and Millennials are swiping. 

Chatter about the decline of dating apps is everywhere, yet Tinder and Bumble still rank in the top 10 mobile apps globally by consumer spending. So is dating app burnout actually widespread or not? We used our social listening and analytics solution to crunch the numbers on millions of social media data points to see how the digital conversation is trending and how brands are responding. 

How much are people talking about dating apps?

Social media mentions of online dating and dating apps from April 15, 2024, to April 14, 2025

Over the past year (April 15, 2024 to April 14, 2025), social media users have mentioned online dating and dating apps more than 4.64 million times, averaging at about 12,700 mentions per day. The overall volume has held mostly steady, with a slight 8% uptick from October 15, 2024 to April 14, 2025 compared to the six months prior. Meanwhile, the biggest spike in conversation was generated by a post on X associating app-less dating with the effortless cool exuded by Turkish Olympic sharpshooter Yusuf Dikeç.

Sentiment of social media mentions of online dating and dating apps from April 15, 2024 to April 14, 2025

The dating app discussion isn’t all lovey dovey. About 27% of the 4.64 million social media mentions from mid-April 2024 to mid-April 2025 were negative compared to just 16% positive. This imbalance aligns with the growing narrative in media coverage about widespread souring regarding dating apps. 

How are dating apps responding to online dating fatigue?

Dating app brands have clearly been taking notice of the narrative online and evolving their messaging in response. Here's how.

Seats | It Starts With A Swipe™

Tinder’s “It Starts With A Swipe™” campaign proclaims, “It’s great to be wrong about Tinder,” speaking directly to the skeptics in its target audience. By portraying the romance of small, awkward shared moments on dates — like ordering too spicy food at a restaurant or getting seated behind a pillar at a concert — Tinder positions itself as the starting point for authentic, meaningful experiences.

It's Funny We Met on Hinge

Hinge has long subverted expectations with its tagline, “The dating app designed to be deleted,” so its latest ad campaign, “It’s Funny We Met on Hinge” fits perfectly into its brand. In the collection of videos, real-life couples discuss meeting their now-partners on Hinge after having earlier encountered them in real life. Along with real people voicing their (seemingly) unscripted doubts about the app, the ads position Hinge as a tool for connection with people in your existing communities and social circles, preserving the element of romantic serendipity.

On social media, Plenty of Fish, or POF, is leveraging UGC and content creators to strengthen its positioning as “the dating app where you can truly be yourself.” Forgoing professional lighting and sets for authentic content filmed from smartphones (along with real-life snapshots of real-life couples) the brand gives users license to come to the app exactly as they are.

Despite visible skepticism and disappointment, dating apps are still an important and deeply embedded part of modern dating in many parts of the world. Dating app brands are openly acknowledging this cultural evolution, as well as the resulting shifts in what their audiences expect, prefer, and need. From linking apps with organic connection to highlighting real stories from real users, current dating app marketing trends are examples for marketers across segments of how to address consumer frustrations head-on.

How Brands Are Responding to Dating App Fatigue

Are we at the beginning of a branded Substack boom? Some strong signs point to yes. Not only does the newsletter platform boast five million paid subscribers, but Google searches for “Substack” recently outnumbered those for “newsletter” for the first time ever since it launched in 2017. Everyone from discerning fashion enthusiasts to broadcast TV news anchors are flocking to the platform in search of some fresh air, and a growing number of brands are following suit. If your brand is considering doing the same, read on for some inspiration from the forefront of the Substack wave. But first, let’s check out how big this buzz really is.

There have been over 3 million mentions of Substack from April 1, 2024, to March 31, 2025, in broadcast, news, blogs, product reviews, and more than a dozen social media channels including X, Bluesky, Reddit, and Pinterest.

Our social listening analysis found that mentions of Substack have increased by nearly 90% over the past six months (from October 2024 through March 2025) compared to the six months prior. And though mentions of Substack spiked twice in July 2024, they didn’t begin their recent rise until early this year. 

Interestingly, over the past year, some of the furthest-reaching mentions of Substack have come from The New York Times, which has cited newsletters on the platform in multiple pieces like profiles, author interviews, movie roundups, and even political reporting. Meanwhile, a Pinterest post featuring an air fryer S’mores recipe drove the most engagement with its link to a cooking Substack newsletter. With so much attention on the platform, now is the perfect time for brands across industries to look into how to make the most of this growing channel.

Substack isn’t the place for conventional email marketing, per the platform’s content guidelines. Instead, brand and commercial newsletters, which “may be subject to additional verification”, need to deliver original, editorial content that appeals beyond just the fans of a particular service or product. That’s no small task, requiring dedicated time and resources that not every brand can or should prioritize. Still, there are already some notable brands making it work, especially in the beauty and fashion sectors. Here are a few of the brands demonstrating how Substack marketing can be done.

https://littlebookofsleep.substack.com/ 

Smart alarm clock and lamp brand Loftie uses its “Little Book of Sleep” Substack to examine the cultural history and significance of sleep. Launched in February 2025, the blog includes dispatches from multiple writers covering topics like the history of the pillow, depictions of beds in art, and the latest news in sleep. Though it’s new, Loftie’s Substack is an example of how to use newsletters to elevate the lifestyle around a brand.

More than 80,000 people subscribe to “The M Dash”, a Substack by womenswear brand M.M.LaFleur. Geared for career-focused women, the newsletter publishes interviews, work advice, and brand news. However, its style guides incorporating brand pieces and real insights from its stylists are the biggest draw. With so many shoppers looking for examples of how items look on real people, as well as how to style them, “The M Dash” is using Substack to solve that problem for its potential customers.  

Resale platform The RealReal has drawn over 2,000 subscribers to its fashion Substack “The RealGirl.” Instead of showing off multiple voices, the newsletter is written from the perspective of an anonymous, RealReal-obsessed fashionista called The RealGirl. Also launched in February 2025, “The RealGirl” is just getting started. However, it is already a great example of how a brand can use Substack to embody their ideal customer and wield the influencer appeal that brings so many readers to the platform in the first place. 

Fellow resale platform Vestiaire Collective doesn’t operate its own Substack. Instead, it sponsors posts with popular fashion and lifestyle newsletters including Why Not?, Long Live, and Night Shade, by Ghia founder and CEO Melanie Masarin. Other companies like Amigo, Free People, Net-a-Porter, and Goop have also gone for the influencer route on Substack, a great option for brands who don’t want to devote the time and resources required to launch and sustain a full-fledged blog.

Learn more about The RealReal, Vestiaire Collective, and the booming secondhand fashion sector in our exclusive report: Consumer Insights: Luxury Fashion Resale. 

This Substack is a weekly dispatch from the Saie office that gives readers a peek at the people and culture behind the beauty brand. The recurring “Trending at Saie HQ” newsletter highlights the products and experiences currently piquing the team’s interest. Meanwhile, interviews with makeup artists, highlights from recent activations, and product announcements speak more directly to the customer. Notably, Saie also uses its newsletter to emphasize its brand values. For example, on International Women’s Day, it shared recommendations of other women-owned businesses with more than 4,000 subscribers.

https://theonlyjaneonjeans.substack.com/about 

For denim company The Only Jane, its Substack “Jane on Jeans” isn’t just a side project, it is a core aspect of the brand that is linked on its main website. Run by founder and designer Jane Herman, it delivers her personal jean reviews, styling tips, and recommendations to over 9,000 subscribers. And thanks to Jane’s expertise and passion for fashion, and jeans in particular, the blog appeals to the kind of style enthusiasts that make up The Only Jane’s target audience. There’s even a paid subscription tier that gives readers exclusive access to AMAs with Jane and early access to store sales. Other popular, company founder-led Substacks include Alex Mill’s Somsack Sikhounmuong and Crown Affair’s Dianna Cohen. Look to them for examples of how organization leaders can use their personal newsletters to build brand identity and audience engagement.

Last but not least, luxury brand Tory Burch gives its over 4,000 subscribers a monthly dose of fashion and style insight with its “What Should I Wear” newsletter. The recurring “Women at Work” series features recommendations from fashionable industry insiders and entrepreneurs, while other issues include fashion week recaps and gift guides. Check it out to see how to make a newsletter something subscribers look forward to hitting their inboxes every few weeks.

Much like Reddit’s growth, Substack’s rise points to a growing segment of consumers who are seeking out new perspectives and personalized recommendations outside of the top social media platforms and traditional media outlets. Joining every new platform that pops up isn’t a workable marketing strategy, but brands should be on the lookout for new and fresh opportunities for identity-building on platforms like Substack and beyond. In the coming year, expect even bigger names to join the site and highlight their brand personalities. (For example, Selena Gomez’s buzzy beauty brand Rare Beauty just launched its Substack last week.) But only the ones with heart, and the right resources, will stick. 

How Brands Are Leveraging the Substack Boom

For the secondhand luxury fashion sector, business is booming with the market projected to surpass $95 billion in value over the next decade. To stay ahead of shifting consumer preferences, marketers need to get strategic about how they analyze this growing audience. Our new consumer insights report dives into what consumer conversations reveal about the luxury resale sector, complete with data-driven insights and takeaways aimed at helping marketers shape winning strategies. 

Download Consumer Insights: Luxury Fashion Resale for our full analysis of this exciting industry. In the meantime, here are three critical insights from the report that marketers, brands, and retailers alike need to know.

(The data referenced includes mentions of relevant keywords, phrases, brand names, and hashtags across global social and digital media sources, as well as blogs, product reviews, podcasts, forums, and social media sources, including X, Instagram, Facebook, Reddit, and Pinterest from February 1, 2024 to January 31, 2025.)

1. Sustainability is a top driver of pre-loved luxury shopping buzz.

In discussions of buying luxury fashion goods secondhand, social media users mention sustainability, climate change, reducing waste and related keywords more than other purchase drivers like saving money, making money, or collection. 

Content mentioning the positive environmental impact of buying secondhand was especially engaging, highlighting just how much this feel-good aspect of resale shopping resonates with consumers. Prominent keywords like sustainable fashion, authentic, love, and better choice point to resale’s ability to help fashion-forward consumers indulge in their love of luxury and eco-conscious living at the same time. 

Takeaway: Content highlighting environmental benefits like reduced waste is a significant driver of consumer interest in the luxury fashion market. In both the first- and secondhand luxury sector, emphasizing how goods support consumers’ eco-conscious aspirations is a powerful messaging and brand loyalty-building angle for marketers.

2. Starpower and expertise are making resale luxurious.

Some of the most engaging content in the global luxury fashion resale conversation counteracted the idea that secondhand can’t be glamorous. For example, partnerships with Balenciaga and Vogue, promoted by social posts featuring stars Joey King and Madelyn Cline respectively, helped propel eBay’s visibility and engagement with Gen-Z, luxury-first consumers. 

Meanwhile, influencers with luxury goods expertise drive engagement by tapping into secondhand luxury audiences’ love of craftsmanship. The above organic Instagram post by a luxury handbag review influencer praised the team at Fashionphile for helping him authenticate a bag, generating about $39,200 in estimated media value according to our influencer marketing solution. 

Takeaway: Strategic brand partnerships are reshaping how consumers perceive pre-loved luxury fashion goods. From aspirational positioning to in-depth educational content, marketers in the secondhand luxury world are building trust via entities with industry expertise. As economic forces put increased pressure on luxury retailers and brands, such content will be critical in the battle for consumer dollars.

3. Luxury bags generate excitement like no other fashion category

Globally, secondhand luxury content about bags performed better on social media than other categories like clothes, watches, and shoes. As everyday, functional items that can become part of the wearer’s signature look (or act as a highly visible status symbol), high-end, pre-loved bags are go-tos for secondhand luxury shoppers. Everything from educational content, like the influencer post previously mentioned, to Pinterest pins linking users to resale listings for in-demand styles drives engagement and reach among fashion lovers on the hunt for specific bags. When we break the conversation down by platform, Poshmark and Fashionphile emerge as leaders in luxury resale bag conversations on social media. Meanwhile, eBay, which had about 50% share of voice overall, was the most mentioned platform in discussions about luxury watch resale.

Takeaway: Luxury bags have wide appeal and visibility for secondhand luxury shoppers, appealing to both status- and budget-conscious audiences. Marketers can draw from the success of bags by tapping into the emotional connections driving engagement, translating them into messaging and positioning around other luxury items like shoes, watches, and clothes. 
That’s just a taste of the insights included in Consumer Insights: Luxury Fashion Resale, created using our consumer intelligence and influencer marketing solutions. Download the report for our full analysis and start refining your approach to luxury, resale, and fashion retail audiences.

Three Crucial Luxury Fashion Resale Insights for Marketers

Despite many of our favourite social media platforms turning 20 in the next year or so (let that sink in), they’re showing no signs of aging. In fact, almost the opposite is true. It’s 2025, and the use of social media in South Africa continues to grow and evolve.

But as new features take root – short form video, user-generated content, marketplace functionality –  they shape the general expectations of what social media platforms can and should supply, and what consumers expect of brands. For this reason, brands need insights to stay updated and adaptable with their social media marketing strategies.

Alongside branded content, robust social media analytics tools provide these insights. Uncover the social media trends applicable for your brand, and never miss a thing by making use of a social listening tool.

In this blog, we expand on some of the key South African social media statistics found in the Global Digital Report 2025 - produced in partnership with Meltwater and We Are Social. 

General 2025 Social Media Statistics for South Africa

eCommerce & Online Shopping Statistics for South Africa

Main Reasons For Using Social Media in South Africa

Most Used Social Platforms in South Africa

South African Digital & Social Media Statistics: Key Takeaways

50.8 million people use the internet (78.9%)

26.7 million people use social media (41.5%)

124 million mobile connections are active (193% of the population)

As of early 2025, there are over 50 million internet users in South Africa. This is up over 2.5 million users from 2024, showing the continued growth of internet accessibility in the country. Interestingly, although there are over 50 million internet users, only 26.7 million are social media users. Although this is up 2.7% year-on-year, it shows how much growth potential is still available to social media platforms.

Cellular mobile connections number 124 million. For context, many South Africans make use of more than one mobile connection, which is why this figure exceeds the figures for total population.

99.3% of South African internet users own smartphones, further underlining the accessibility of mobile phones and the connection preference of the user. In comparison, 79.1% of users own a computer. This is why South African brands should adopt a mobile-first approach to their marketing, both in terms of strategy and creative rollout.

Looking at the statistics behind the media consumption in South Africa, it is notable to see that neither television nor radio have dipped, despite the domination of the internet and online accessibility. Broadcast TV is used by 89.5% of South African internet users (in comparison to 76.2% who stream video content), and broadcast radio is used by 79.4% of users (with 78.8% of users streaming music content).

This shows that, even with internet access, TV and radio media maintain their popularity. For brands, this presents the opportunity for omnichannel marketing, ensuring presence across online and traditional media spaces. 

While some 14 million South Africans do not have access to the internet, those that do spend more time online, on average, than any other country in the world. South African users spend an average of 9 hours, 37 minutes per day actively online.

South African users daily time spent on the internet: 9 hours, 37 minutes

South Africa has the highest internet usage rate in the world. This figure is almost exactly the same as last year, suggesting that many internet users in South Africa have developed (and are comfortable with) an always-online lifestyle. 

Main Reasons for Using the Internet in South Africa

Information access is a major factor for users aged 16 - 64 using the internet, tying into 4 of the top 5 reasons listed.

Staying in touch with friends and family - 72.6%

Top Website Types Visited in South Africa

Website and app usage in South Africa reflects the main reasons listed for using the internet, namely information sourcing and talking to friends and family. Entertainment websites, such as music services and food delivery apps, are noticeably less popular than social and communication websites.

Online Learning Statistics for South Africa

South African users don’t just spend the most time online, they’re also the country with the most users turning to the internet as a source of learning. 58.5% of users watch tutorials, educational content, and how-to-videos every week. The global average: 40.2%.

While social media, websites and other online presence gives brands credibility, South Africans are statistically less likely to trust internet information. 80.5% of South African internet users express concerns about misinformation online, a figure only topped by Kenyan and Nigerian internet users, and considerably higher than the global average of 58.8%.

Online shopping continues to grow in South Africa, crossing the 10 million mark and exhibiting a healthy growth rate of 9.3% (up to 10.4 million online shoppers from 9.49 million this time last year). Mirroring South Africa’s reliance on mobile phone connections, 51.7% of all online purchases were made via smartphones.  

10.4 million South African internet users made a purchase online in 2024

51.7% of purchases were made via mobile phones

The growth of the eCommerce sector in South Africa provides brands with further opportunities to reach their end user, both in terms of actual sales as well as online advertising. Note that these numbers only include B2C eCommerce sales and don’t include marketplace or user-to-user sales facilitated online.

Factors Driving Online Purchases in South Africa

67.3% of users cite free delivery as the biggest driver behind a purchase

53.8% of users are invested in loyalty programs

43.8% of users are interested in coupons or discounts

For South African internet users, discount mechanisms trump convenience factors when driving purchase behaviour. Incentives such as free delivery or a loyalty points system prove to be considerably more effective than the convenience aspect of next-day delivery or a simple checkout system.

South Africans are some of the most active social media users in the world. 26.7 million users aged 18 and above have used social media at the beginning of 2025 – the equivalent to 59.9% of the total population aged 18 and above.

Social media users in South Africa increased by 700 000 between early 2024 and early 2025. The gender split is negligible (48.7% female, 51.3% male), and the average number of platforms per user sits at just over 8.

On average, a South African internet user spends 3 hours 36 minutes on social media per day.

This is more than 1.5 times that of the global average - 2 hours 21 minutes - and puts South Africa only behind Kenya and Chile in terms of time spent on social media platforms. For brands, this shows what an important aspect social media makes to an overall marketing strategy for South African audiences.

Meltwater’s Marketing Tip: As South Africans are on social media for a significant amount of time, brands need to be aware of the social trends and conversations happening in their industry. Consumer preferences and behaviours are constantly evolving, so using social media monitoring tools like the Meltwater social listening tool allows brands to follow trends, create content, plan effective campaigns, connect with audiences and correctly position their brand. 

South African internet users look to social media for several reasons, including networking, reading new articles, watching videos or live streams, or conducting work-related research.

Keeping in touch with friends and family - 64.8%

Finding inspiration for things to do and buy - 43.6%

Communication and inspiration make up most of the reasons South African social media users spend time on the platforms. Knowing where (and why) users spend their time where they do can allow brands to create content that enhances the overall social media experience, rather than simply creating content and hoping it resonates with audiences.

Compared to the global average of 38.3%, 52.6% of South African users say that social media makes up part of their work activity. This can be directly related, as a social media manager or coordinator, or using social media to find information and conduct research.

63% of South African users visit social media to seek out brand content

South African users are some of the most likely to turn to social media to learn more about brands. For brands, this provides the opportunity to use social media in the same way: by providing users with the type of content they may be looking for. Practically, this could be anything from new features or product launches to more soft-sell content like behind-the-scenes material.

Understanding this purchasing behaviour is crucial. If users are looking to social media platforms in the pre-purchase phase, a seamless integration from the platform to the sale channel is key. Even if they aren’t interested in purchasing yet, brands can provide audiences with a good customer experience and begin to shape brand loyalty.

South African Digital & Social Media Statistics 2025

Despite Facebook launching nearly two decades ago, social media and the digital landscape as a whole, is showing no signs of slowing down. Social media and digital marketing is as important now as it ever has been, which is why it is essential for brands to stay current.

Internet penetration continues to rise in South Africa, and with social media platforms incorporating checkout functionality, a strong social media presence is playing an increasing role in consumer decision-making.

These are, among others, two key reasons why the month-to-month set-and-forget approach to marketing strategies will not work in 2025. To remain relevant and recognisable, marketers and business decision-makers need to keep informed of the latest technologies, shifting consumer trends, and platform updates.

In this blog, we cover the emerging digital marketing trends in South Africa – from AI-driven content creation, to algorithm changes, to the dominance of short-form video. In short: the insights you need to future-proof your marketing strategy.

Using Tech & AI to Enhance Marketing Strategies

Leveraging AI and Machine Learning for Personalisation

The Challenges Social Media Managers & Marketing Professionals Face

Embracing the Future of Marketing in South Africa

Social media has come a long way from text-heavy status updates and posts. Users are now expecting brands to communicate through dynamic content that entertains and informs. Video is no longer optional. It isn’t a trend or passing phase. It’s essential. South African brands that fail to incorporate video into their marketing strategy in 2025 risk losing brand awareness and market share.

Video isn’t just the preferred form of content for consumers. Platforms are reshaping their algorithms to favour video content – specifically short-form video.

TikTok, the platform built on short, simple video content, has a South African audience of nearly 17 and a half million monthly active users (with a global audience of over 1 billion active users). YouTube Shorts amass billions of daily views, and Instagram Reels contributes to more than 40% of the time users spend on Instagram. 

This is driven by the preference for quick, easy, digestible content. It fits seamlessly into consumers’ fast-paced lives. For brands, this means crafting compelling creative content that fits within the tight time limitations.

Notably, when it comes to a South African audience, the Global Digital report shows that 58% of South African internet users watch video as a source of learning. This highlights a preference for informative video content, and why it is so important for brands to bring a video presence into their marketing strategies.

Fortunately, the creation of video content is not the Mount Everest it used to be. Thanks to tech developments and the widespread adoption of AI, video is now relatively easy to achieve.

There are numerous ways that South African brands can use the latest tech tools and AI alongside owned consumer data to enhance their marketing strategies in 2025. Among these, two trends are emerging as needle-movers: using AI machine learning tools to create hyper-personalised content, and using generative AI to automate workflows. 

AI enables brands to create more and more personalised marketing content, utilising consumer data to tailor messaging to individual preferences and interests. Machine learning algorithms analyse vast amounts of data, from purchase behaviour to browsing activity, to predict which content elements resonate most with which consumers.

The result of this is highly relevant messaging — personalised product recommendations, dynamically generated ads, tailored offers. It measurably increases engagement, improves conversion rates, and builds customer loyalty. Not only does this trend increase the authenticity of marketing messaging, it allows brands to make the most of their consumer data.

AI-powered marketing automation tools have incredible capabilities for streamlining workflows and reducing manual effort. Automation is especially effective for those repetitive tasks such as lead nurturing, social media posting, and ad targeting. By combining consumer data with predictive analytics, brands can also create automated email sequences and chatbots, complete with personalised responses.

Implementing AI automation frees up key resources to focus on more intensive tasks like decision-making or budget allocation, and allows brands to scale their efforts without scaling their workload. 


Social media marketing in South Africa in 2025 is set to follow the same global trends to both attract and engage consumers. However, because of the nature of these trends, success will be dependent on how well brands understand their audience.


Prioritise authentic and culturally relevant content

Focus on including user-generated content 

1. Authentic, Culturally Relevant Content

With every pixel of online space fighting for attention, consumers are quickly turned off by anything that doesn’t feel real. Companies that build genuine, relatable content don’t just promote their product or service, they create a deeper interest in their brand beyond what they sell. It’s important to note that there is a world of difference between being authentic and trying to position yourself as authentic. Consumers are quick to identify when a brand is feigning authenticity, and that lost trust can be difficult, expensive, and time-consuming to win back. Similarly, when brands create content that is authentic to their vision and mission, they can build strong emotional connections and long-term loyalty.


Authentic, cultural relevance is about understanding exactly what your consumers want and how your brand delivers this. What are your values? What is your brand passionate about? What aligns with your consumers’ expectations? Using this as a north star, content that shows who the brand really is, rather than polished, perfect, content, often has wider reach and more receptive responses.

2. User-Generated Content & Community Building 

User-generated content (UGC) is one of the most powerful ways to build both trust and engagement. After all, nothing is more relatable to a consumer than the experiences of other consumers.

Brands can foster UGC by giving their audience a platform to share their experiences. Practically, this looks like reviews, testimonials, or social competitions or challenges. UGC is not only brand building, but it ties into the authenticity aspect of social media content too.

User-generated content, in its by-the-people-for-the-people nature, creates a sense of belonging – and this allows brands to build communities of their audience. Consumers that act as brand ambassadors is a trend that is unlikely to change soon, given the depth of loyalty and new consumer interest it generates.

Another marketing strategy brands can adopt is to partner with micro-influencers. These influencers, especially ones with significant overlap to a brand’s values or persona, can attract the right consumer profile – people that will only only show interest in the brand, but actively advocate for the brand to other similar-minded consumers.

Meltwater’s 2025 Global Digital Report found that 33.6% of South African internet users follow influencers on social media. Influencers, a term that once referred to A-list star and big brand collaborations, has shifted to become much more granular and, by extension, authentic.

Brands in South Africa can benefit from incorporating influencers and content creators into their social media strategies in 2025. It is a powerful way to develop new brand partners that can help you reach new audiences. Further to this, it allows brands to tap into content that is both already created and appreciated.

In the same way that trends can provide opportunities for success, there are some common pain points and challenges that every marketer and social media manager faces. Regardless of your brand or industry, algorithm changes and resource allocation will always require careful navigation.


Social media platforms are constantly tweaking their algorithms. On the one hand, this is frustrating, as it means that your social media strategy needs to adapt continuously. But on the other hand, because this is true for everyone, those that are able to pivot and remain relevant will reap the benefits.

As of early 2025, platforms prioritise content that creates interaction – so posts with more comments and shares get better visibility. In terms of what that actually looks like, video content, posted consistently alongside static content, is one of the most algorithm-friendly approaches a brand can take.

Other worthwhile tactics to get on the algorithm’s good side: factor in engagement, and consider paid ads. Because algorithms reward meaningful interactions, look for chances to engage: comment, ask questions, and tag individuals or other brands. In terms of spend, even a small budget ad is beneficial for amplifying reach beyond your existing audience.


To thrive in 2025, South African brands have to lean on creative innovation – partly to stand out in a crowded landscape, but also to ensure that their marketing budget can stretch as far as necessary. With the wealth of tools and platforms available, creative problem-solving and key resource allocation will directly impact a brand’s ROI on marketing spend.

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