Digital Agencies
Is Facebook losing lustre among advertisers?
NEW DELHI: Covid2019 has left a serious impact on ad revenues across platforms. The advertisers have controlled outflowing monies, are investing very cautiously in certain properties and some of them have stopped advertising completely. Despite the incredible growth in time spent on smartphones and other digital platforms, the ad revenues have been low for all mediums.
Facebook, one of the most popular social media platforms across the globe, also reported a dip in ad demands in the first quarter of the year.
While the APAC region remained the only area to show growth in percentage-wise contributions to FB’s ad revenues, it witnessed an 11.13 per cent Q-o-Q decline in Q1 FY20.
Schbang founder-MD Harshil Karia believes that it is not only because of the pandemic that the platform is losing ad money. “Facebook has been losing steam because other platforms like Instagram and TikTok have taken over. Also, YouTube has been a pretty strong medium. Because advertisers now have more avenues (to explore), they are removing some of the expenditure from Facebook. Also, advertisers are not seeing good returns on their video spends on the platform. As a lot of content moves towards video, Facebook is facing a challenge.”
He added that it will be better for the platform in terms of ad revenues once the lockdown is lifted but there are certain fundamental challenges that it will have to address to remain relevant for the advertisers.
WATConsult EVP-media operations (south and west) Sahil Shah also noted that the popularity of Facebook is certainly not at the top for advertisers. “Consumers have moved to more and more platforms, resulting in explorations. But I reckon it’s still early to tell that big monies are shifting from FB to its competition. Facebook is still one of the largest addressable bases with some good targeting and relatively better brand-safe ad options available for advertisers.”
However, #ARM Worldwide CEO and co-founder Manas Gulati thinks otherwise. “I think it is a mandatory glitch across platforms as we are seeing most of the advertisers playing it safe, so that they open with the additional reserve when the market opens. We have seen an overall drop in the digital marketing spends especially on the categories which have been directly impacted. Close to a good 45-60 per cent drop in ad spends has been noticed across categories.”
He added that Facebook remains a central part of the advertising mix for his firm as it delivers great results in driving awareness as well as business results. “Content consumption on Facebook has increased drastically especially during these times. I think the change they have brought about in the recent upgrades of their user interface is amazing. Facebook has always been a great source of profile targeting with great technology. It has been great when it comes to results coming out of the overall umbrella of Instagram, WhatsApp and Facebook itself. Its approach as a product company was always to demographic profile audience so that the leakage of ad spends is kept to the minimum to drive optimum business results.”
BENGALURU: For years, creative teams have learned to live with ambiguity. Vague comments, last-minute changes, feedback that arrives without context, clarity, or conviction. It became part of the job – something teams worked around rather than getting it solved.
But as we head into 2026, that tolerance is wearing thin.
Creative work today moves faster, scales wider, and involves more stakeholders than before. Teams are producing more content across more formats, often with distributed collaborators and tighter timelines. In this environment, guesswork is no longer a harmless inconvenience. It’s a cost – to time, to budgets, and to creative mindspace.
The real problem isn’t feedback, it’s how it’s given
Most creative professionals you see today will tell you they’re not against feedback. In fact, they rely on it. Good feedback sharpens ideas, strengthens execution, and pushes work forward. The problem is ‘unclear’ feedback. When someone says “this doesn’t feel right” without context, they aren’t just revising – they’re basically decoding. They’re guessing what the problem might be, trying different directions, and burning time in the process. Multiply that by a few stakeholders and a few rounds, and suddenly days disappear.
In 2026, when teams are expected to deliver faster without compromising quality, interpretation is a luxury most can’t afford.
Scale has changed rverything
Creative projects used to be smaller and simpler. A designer, a manager, maybe one client contact. Feedback loops were short, even if they weren’t perfect.
Today, the same project might involve internal marketing teams, agencies, freelancers, brand reviewers, and regional teams. Everyone has a say. Everyone leaves comments. And often, those comments don’t agree. More people reviewing work means alignment matters more than ever. Clear feedback isn’t just about being nice to creative teams, it’s about keeping projects moving when complexity increases.
Guesswork quietly wears teams down
One of the less talked-about impacts of unclear feedback is what it does to people.
When feedback is vague or contradictory, creatives second-guess their decisions. They hesitate. They overwork. They keep extra time buffers “just in case.” Over time, confidence drops. Ownership fades. Work becomes safer, not stronger. Creative energy gets spent on managing uncertainty instead of pushing ideas forward. And in an industry already grappling with burnout, unclear feedback adds unnecessary mental load.
Actionable feedback is a shared skill
Clear feedback doesn’t mean controlling creative decisions or dictating every detail. It means being specific enough that someone knows what to do next.
Actionable feedback answers three basic questions:
What exactly needs attention?
Why does it matter?
What outcome are we aiming for?
This applies whether you’re reviewing a video frame, a design layout, or a copy draft. The clearer the feedback, the fewer follow-ups it creates. In 2026, teams that treat feedback as a skill and not an afterthought, will move faster with less friction.
Tools shape behaviour (whether we admit it or not)
The way feedback is delivered is often dictated by the tools teams use. Comments buried in long email threads, messages split across chat apps, or notes detached from the actual work all contribute to confusion.
When feedback lives outside the work, context often gets lost. When it’s disconnected from versions and timelines, decisions get questioned. When it’s scattered, accountability disappears. More teams are starting to realise that feedback problems aren’t just communication issues, they’re workflow issues. How work moves between people matters just as much as the work itself.
From Opinions To Alignment
One of the biggest shifts happening in creative teams is a move away from purely opinion-driven feedback. Instead of “I like this” or “I don’t,” teams are asking better questions:
● Does this meet the brief?
● Does this solve the problem?
● Does this align with the goal?
This change reduces unnecessary back-and-forth and helps feedback feel less personal and more productive. It also makes decisions easier to explain and defend. As creative work becomes more strategic, feedback has to support that shift.
2026 Is About Fewer Loops, Not Faster Loops
There’s a misconception that speed means moving through feedback cycles faster. In reality, the most creative teams aren’t just accelerating loops, they’re reducing them. Clear, actionable feedback upfront leads to fewer revisions later. Clear approval stages prevent last-minute surprises. Clear decisions stop work from circling endlessly.
In 2026, efficiency won’t come from working harder or longer. It will come from designing workflows that respect creative time and attention.
Ending guesswork is a mindset change
Ultimately, ending creative guesswork isn’t just about better tools or processes. It’s about mindset. It’s about recognising that clarity is an act of respect – for the work, for the people doing it, for the time invested and for the mindspace used. It’s about moving from “figure it out” to “here’s what we’re aiming for.”
Creative teams that embrace this shift will find themselves not only delivering faster, but also enjoying the process more. And in an industry built on imagination, that might be the most valuable outcome of all.
