IAB Spain ’s fourteenth Brand Social Media Observatory, presented on September 23, records more response per post and fewer posts. In its reference panel of 196 brands across 23 sectors, observed from June 2025 to May 2026, average interactions per item rise from 394 to 671 against the previous edition; average annual output falls from 1,722 to 1,208. The result challenges volume as an objective, but does not establish that every removed post was unnecessary.
The study, prepared with adjinn, Alkemy, Gestazión and Kolsquare, selects reference brands according to sector and advertising investment. Gestazión reports the figures and attributes the improvement to better editorial choices. An economic reading requires a distinction: selecting a different set can raise the average without improving the retained pieces. The panel is not a random sample of all Spanish businesses, and public summaries do not permit full reconstruction of weighting between editions.
A better ratio can conceal less information
The difference is 277 interactions per item, a calculated 70.3% against the published reference. Average annual output falls by 514 posts, or 29.8%. Both sides move. Multiplying the two averages does not automatically recover total panel response, because the relationship between each brand’s output and response can change the aggregate. Without account-level data, that total remains unknown.
One brand can stop repetitive promotion and devote the effort to a useful explanation. Another can remove information needed by a small audience and retain only entertainment. Both would publish less and might improve their averages, while leaving different commercial journeys. A frequency decision must name the task disappearing, who needs it and where the answer will remain available afterward.
Interaction has several intensities
Behavioural context distinguishes response from amplification. Statista Consumer Insights records that 28% of surveyed people in Spain had liked company posts or followed companies during the preceding four weeks, while 12% had shared company posts. The first option combines two actions and cannot be split. These are people reporting behaviour, not events recorded by the Observatory. The difference shows why a combined interaction count does not establish how much content travelled beyond an account.
Reacting to or following a company is different from sharing its content
Reported social actions in the preceding four weeks; Spain, July 2024 to June 2025.
Tap or hover for details. All values are also available in the data table.
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Statista Consumer Insights online panel of 13,006 people aged 18–64. Multiple answers. The first category combines liking and following; commenting and publishing are not limited to companies. People’s behaviour, not event totals or brand-panel metrics.
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| Category | Respondents |
|---|---|
| Like company posts or follow companies | 28% |
| Share company posts | 12% |
| Comment on posts | 39% |
| Publish own content | 33% |
Gestazión reports average shares per brand falling from 16,750 to 12,916 between editions, alongside increased response per post. That observation belongs to the panel. The people survey has another population and period, and cannot causally explain the decline. Both support a more precise decision question: a post can generate response without prompting the public to pass it on.
Keep the function the follower seeks
Following a brand does not mean always looking for an offer. In IAB Spain and Elogia’s March 2024 study, 61% of the segment following brands cited information or understanding current affairs, and 52% cited entertainment. Following the professional market was mentioned by 20%. Coexisting motives require each piece to be judged against the need it serves. Specialist content can have commercial usefulness without competing with entertainment on volume.
Brands are followed for information, entertainment and inspiration
Stated reasons for following brands on social media in Spain, March 2024.
Tap or hover for details. All values are also available in the data table.
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IAB Spain / Elogia CAWI, base of 275 internet users aged 12–74 who follow brands. Multiple answers; panel weighted to Spain’s internet-user profile. Stated 2024 motives, not results for the Observatory’s 196 brands or purchase intention.
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| Category | Surveyed brand followers |
|---|---|
| Information or current affairs | 61% |
| Entertainment | 52% |
| Inspiration | 42% |
| Follow the professional market | 20% |
A reduction can also transfer cost. Removing an explanation may require a salesperson or specialist to repeat it in individual enquiries. Each business needs to investigate that consequence in its records; it is not an observed Openbank or panel outcome. Savings require the work actually to disappear or be reassigned to a better answer, while retained pieces remain accurate as price, conditions or products change.
The next calendar should preserve total response, each piece’s function and the cost of preparation and maintenance. Paid distribution, product and audience changes belong beside any comparison. The Observatory leaves a useful tension: improving the average is defensible when necessary information survives with another use of resources. A higher ratio alone does not establish that the brand has stopped doing only redundant work.
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Marian Vasile
Marian Vasile is a MarTech and growth professional. His work spans product marketing, SEO, paid advertising and deep online tracking, including behavioral analytics and attribution.