South Africa, Sept. 1 -- Once upon a time, a clever post could go viral. A well-timed meme, a thoughtful caption, or a quirky product shot could generate thousands of likes and shares. That time has passed.

Today, the algorithm doesn't care about your brilliant copy or carefully curated grid. It cares about ad spend. And yet, brands and marketers continue to invest hours into organic social strategies hoping for unpaid virality.

Here's the cold truth: Organic social media is no longer a strategy - it's a placeholder.

Meta, TikTok, and even LinkedIn have openly deprioritised unpaid content. These platforms are built on monetisation. And yet, brand managers still brief agencies for 30 pieces of 'organic' content per month - without media...