Digital Marketing

Right, let’s talk brass tacks. You’re sitting there in your Wellington flat, maybe Auckland if the rent gods were kind, scrolling X at 2 AM between night shifts, wondering if putting actual money behind your tweets is a power move or just lighting cash on fire. I get it. The “media buying” phrase sounds terribly corporate, like something a bloke in a suit does with a spreadsheet and a latte. But for us — creators trying to turn a following into a freight train — it’s just the cost of doing business in 2026. ...

Kia ora, lovely. MaTitie here from BaoLiba. If you’re a Kiwi creator building a travel brand on Facebook right now, you’re probably feeling a bit of a squeeze. Ad costs are climbing, the algorithm feels moodier than a Wellington southerly, and the headlines about Meta’s privacy dramas? They’re not just noise — they’re signals. Last week, a New Mexico jury hit Meta with a US$25 billion penalty for misleading consumers about data privacy and third-party access. That’s not a typo. Billion. With a ‘B’. [^1] At the same time, police in Canberra charged a 21-year-old after a Facebook Marketplace meet-up turned into an alleged knife threat and kidnapping attempt. [^2] And in Miami, a small business owner was left heartbroken and out of pocket after a Marketplace scam. [^3] ...

Kia ora. Grab a cuppa — let’s have a proper yarn about what’s actually happening in the TikTok advertising landscape right now, and what it means for someone like you: an ASMR creator in Aotearoa building a personal brand from a textile design background, watching subscriber counts fluctuate, and trying to figure out if the 2026 ad rate hype is real or just another headache. I’m MaTitie, Senior Editor at BaoLiba. I spend my days neck-deep in platform algorithm shifts, creator monetisation data, and media buying strategies across TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, and the rest. I’ve seen creators go from zero to sustainable income, and I’ve seen brilliant niches collapse because they chased trends instead of building systems. Today, we’re cutting through the noise. ...

Kia ora, lovely humans. It’s MaTitie here from BaoLiba, your go-to for cutting through the noise on social growth. Right, let’s talk about the elephant in the room — Facebook advertising in Aotearoa for 2026. If you’re a creator like our mate Anabelle — 23, landscape architecture grad, smoky vocals, smart-casual style, perpetually checking her watch because she’s terrified of burning out — you don’t need fluff. You need a roadmap that respects your energy and your rent. ...

Kia ora. If you’re a creator in Aotearoa trying to make sense of Instagram advertising in 2026, you’ve likely noticed the ground shifting beneath your feet. Ad costs are climbing, the algorithm feels moodier than a Wellington southerly, and Meta keeps rolling out features that change how we actually earn. I’m MaTitie, Senior Editor at BaoLiba, and I’ve spent the last decade watching creators in Auckland, Christchurch, and Queenstown navigate these exact growing pains. ...

Kia ora! If you’re a creator in Aotearoa watching your ad revenue fluctuate or wondering where to put your precious media budget in 2026, you’ve landed in the right spot. I’m MaTitie, Senior Editor and Social Media Growth Strategist at BaoLiba, and I’ve been deep in the trenches of platform algorithm shifts, monetisation policy updates, and the evolving creator economy across every major platform — from LinkedIn and TikTok to X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, YouTube, and the rising stars like Telegram and Reddit. ...

Right, let’s talk about the elephant in the room. TikTok ad costs in 2026 are not what they were eighteen months ago. If you’re running a creator business from Auckland or Wellington, you’ve likely noticed your CPM creeping up, your CPA looking less friendly, and that comfortable testing budget you set aside in early 2025? It’s burning faster than a flat white on a cold Queen Street morning. I’m MaTitie, Senior Editor and Social Media Growth Strategist at BaoLiba. I work with creators across APAC and Europe daily, and the pattern is clear: the platforms have matured, the auction dynamics have tightened, and “winging it” with media buying is an expensive hobby. Let’s break down what’s actually happening, why it matters for your specific situation as a NZ-based creator with a Dutch design background and that ice-queen aesthetic, and most importantly — what to do about it. ...

Kia ora, lovely! It’s MaTitie here from BaoLiba. Grab a cuppa — let’s have a proper chinwag about something that’s been keeping many of us creators up at night: Pinterest advertising costs heading into 2026, and what it all means for those of us building brands from Aotearoa. Picture this: you’re scrolling through your analytics at 10 PM after putting the kids to bed (or in my case, after checking in on aging parents), and you see that beautiful spike in referral traffic from Pinterest. Your heart does a little happy dance. But then the reality hits — how do you turn that organic momentum into a sustainable paid strategy without burning through your budget or compromising the boundaries you’ve worked so hard to establish? ...

You’re scrolling LinkedIn at 10 pm, half-watching a Nordic noir series, when a notification pops up. A candidate you’ve never met thanks you for the “amazing interview yesterday.” Your stomach drops. You didn’t interview anyone yesterday. Your company doesn’t even have a role open. This isn’t a one-off. Across the platform, ghost recruiters are borrowing logos, copying job descriptions, and messaging talent under your brand name. By the time you find out, the damage is done — candidates ghost you, trust erodes, and your next genuine hire wonders if you’re legit. ...

You’re sitting at your desk in Auckland, a half-drunk flat white going cold beside your laptop. The morning light is doing that thing it does in late September—golden, sharp, cutting across the keyboard. You’ve got a mood board open on one screen, a Pinterest Ads Manager dashboard on the other, and a knot of anxiety tight in your chest. The campaign brief is simple on paper: launch a new line of structured silk wraps for the spring collection. The budget? Modest. The timeline? Yesterday. The real pressure? You’re not just buying ads. You’re buying visibility for a version of yourself you’re still learning to inhabit—dom-meets-fashion muse, symbolic, teasing, never fully revealed. You’re 23. You’ve got a journalism degree from Brazil gathering dust somewhere. You know how to chase a story. But buying media on Pinterest in New Zealand while watching UK ad rates shift in 2026? That’s a different kind of headline. ...