Distributed commerce is reshaping buying by expanding distribution options to reach customers beyond brand sites to social platforms, answer engines, and connected IoT devices. Algorithms and LLM-driven “agentic” experiences now steer discovery — and can turn intent into purchases faster than traditional journeys. The upside is real reach and conversion, but impacts can be steep: larger content operations, murkier attribution, or rewritten brand stories. Win with playbooks centered on campaigns — choose the right channels, protect profitability, and scale only after pressure testing.

Video games have become a popular pastime for online adults in the US, largely because consumers can play them on virtually any device, whether a handheld gaming console, smartphone, or VR headset. Although the majority of consumers play video games frequently, their behaviors, attitudes, and preferences vary by certain demographic attributes and whether or not they identify as gamers. This report uses data from Forrester’s Consumer Technology Insights Survey, 2025 to uncover these dynamics among consumers in the US.

Podcasts are at an inflection point. Their expansion into video alongside their seemingly infinite range of topics continues to attract new listeners. Podcasts now act as the new late-night talk-shows — becoming the place for exclusive celebrity interviews and a reliable accompaniment to consumers’ daily commute or morning run. While podcasts range from unsolved mysteries to sports commentary or even AI-generated bedtime stories, Forrester finds that frequent podcast listeners share a core set of attributes. This data overview report unveils what characteristics distinguish frequent podcast listeners to help marketing executives develop a podcast strategy that best connects with this audience.

Join Forrester experts and your peers for an interactive presentation that will dive deeper into Forrester’s 2026 Predictions for media and advertising.Key takeaways: Understand the changing technology, consumer, and market dynamics in store in 2026. Uncover new insights based on Forrester’s research and expert analysis.Prepare your team and your organization for what’s ahead. Target audience level: all levels

The platform's staying power proves just how embedded it is in US culture. But is the new deal a win for consumers, creators, and advertisers?

Love it or hate it, principal media is a necessity for agencies, advertisers, and publishers grappling with revenue and budget uncertainty.

Tensions flare when it comes to principal media — the polarizing practice of reselling media inventory at an undisclosed margin. Critics claim conflicts of interest. Evangelists praise great rates. The reality? It’s a business necessity for advertisers and partners under budget and revenue pressure. When marketing, agency, and media executives apply transparency, principal media can be a winning strategy for all involved. This report helps media and other marketing executives understand how to apply disclosures to principal media programs.

These platforms have come a long way from their original incarnation as social media management tools with light social listening features. Read the key highlights from our latest landscape report on these suites.

You can use social suites to create a unified data standard for cross-channel measurement, adhere to governance and compliance standards across social media channels, and gain operational efficiencies while improving social media performance. But to realize these benefits, you’ll first have to select from a diverse set of vendors that vary by size, type of offering, geography, and use case differentiation. Social media marketing leaders should use this report to understand the value they can expect from a social suite vendor, learn how vendors differ, and investigate options based on size and market focus.

Timed perfectly with the first US-based TikTok Awards, TikTok signed an agreement to divest US TikTok. This deal, reportedly valued at around $14 billion, will divest US TikTok to a joint venture of primarily American investors. Learn the details and what questions brands should be asking.