- If Marketers Want To Make The Most Of AI, They Need To Provide Brand ContextGood marketing tools need to be accessible across teams and account for a company's unique strategy. Marketing orchestration platform Auxia thinks its tools fit the bill. The post If Marketers Want To Make The Most ... read more
- The Meta Settlement Defined Which Online Experiences Are “Appropriate” For Teens. Here’s What Advertisers Need To KnowMeta’s recent settlement with almost every US state – in which the company will pay between $17 billion and $18 billion over the next 10 years to settle claims its platforms are harmful to kids ... read more
- Google’s New AI Licensing Model Is A Black Box; Streamlining The Lobbying ProcessGoogle tests out a “pay per value" AI licensing scheme; Netflix, Amazon and YouTube join forces; and Apple may soon launch integrations with third-party LLMs. The post Google’s New AI Licensing Model Is A Black ... read more
- Ad Tech Briefing: AI is reinforcing Big Tech’s grip on advertising growthGoogle, Meta and Amazon already capture 56% of U.S. advertising revenue, with the continued migration toward automated campaign tools threatening to concentrate an even greater share of growth among the largest platforms. The advertising market ... read more
- As more surfaces become ad inventory, the economics get complicatedSubscribe: Apple Podcasts • Spotify Ads have broken containment. They’re no longer confined to TV commercial breaks, billboards and magazine pages. Brands are increasingly integrating ads in between pictures of friends on social media, in ... read more
- Electronic Arts is bundling its games to make a bigger pitch to advertisersThe holiday season is the proving ground for media owners. It pays well and punishes hard. Electronic Arts is selling ads through this stretch for the first time as a real business unit rather than ... read more
- Kroger’s ad business sees most profit growth since 2021This story was first published by Digiday sibling Modern Retail Retail media is becoming increasingly critical to one of the nation’s largest grocery chains. Profit for the Kroger Precision Marketing advertising business grew 24% in ... read more
- In Graphic Detail: Inside the scramble to measure a brand’s AI visibility
- Marketers are using AI search concerns to argue for higher media budgetsWhat connects running shoes, home insurance and luxury cars? Customers take their time picking the right one. They research, they compare, and they consider. Increasingly, they do all those things using generative AI tools; 61% ... read more
- Maryland Seeks To Reinstate Digital Ad TaxMaryland late last week appealed an agency ruling that struck down a 2021 law imposing taxes on digital ad sales. ... read more
- NetChoice Sues To Strike Down Illinois Taxes On Targeted Ads, Social PlatformsThe tech industry group NetChoice says the new tax laws are unconstitutional and violate the 1998 Internet Tax Freedom Act. ... read more
- DoorDash Exec: Brands Should Unify Media and Promo Budgets to Unlock True IncrementalityCANNES, France – The age-old wall between advertising and promotions is crumbling. For decades, consumer packaged goods companies kept their media budgets in one silo and their trade and shopper marketing dollars in another, each ... read more
- MMM Must Plug Directly Into Bidding Systems to Stay Competitive, Mutinex CEO SaysCANNES, France – Within six to 12 months, brands that fail to connect incrementality data directly into their programmatic bidding systems will find themselves at a structural disadvantage, according to the chief executive of a ... read more
- AI Enables Creative ‘Magic,’ but Humans Still Make the Call, Says Digitas ChiefCANNES, France — The pressure on creative teams to automate everything is real, but the smarter play is using AI to eliminate the predictable so humans can chase the unexpected. That’s the view from one ... read more
- Teads’ Stephanie Himoff: Brands Shouldn’t Have to Choose Between Quality and Reach in CTVCANNES, France — Premium CTV formats command attention that pre-roll inventory simply cannot match. The challenge has always been whether that quality comes at the cost of scale. Teads argues the tradeoff is a false ... read more
- Microsoft Releases AI Code Of Conduct DraftIn the next decade, superintelligent AI systems will surpass human performance in most tasks. "Containing, controlling, and aligning such a powerful force is one of the greatest challenges humanity has ever faced," according to the ... read more
- This Is What Sports Media Looks Like When Athletes Have the Right TechnologyIt seems like every athlete has a podcast or docuseries these days. From Travis Kelce and the Mannings to LeBron James and Cam Newton, athletes have gone from being the subject of sports media to ... read more
- The AI Slowdown The Ad Industry Didn't See ComingAdvertisers likely did not anticipate the top tech execs' sudden calls for a voluntary AI slowdown, but spent the past year bracing for massive declines in traditional web traffic and ad monetization caused by AI. ... read more
- A Brief History Of The Emmy AwardsJust in time for tonight's live awards telecast, here's my brief history of the Emmys, and my recommendations for making them better and boosting the ratings. ... read more
- 'Practical Magic 2' Conjures $30M Opening WeekendReplacing "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" in the top spot, "Practical Magic 2" had a 92% positive audience score, per Rotten Tomatoes, but critics posted a weak 39% approval tally. National TV ad spend was a ... read more
- Midterms Accelerate Local Ad Expansion, Produce Tough Comp For Next YearLocal ad-spending growth will lag the total U.S. expansion this year, but will be even more adversely impacted by the decline in political ad spend next year, effectively showing no year-over-year growth, according to an ... read more
- The state of publisher audiences in the zero-click eraThis State of the Industry report, sponsored by Arc XP, explores how publishers are adapting their audience acquisition, AI search and creator economy strategies as zero-click search becomes the norm. The rise of AI-powered search ... read more
- ChatGPT Leaps To No. 5 Brand In LoyaltyIn a tech-dominated world, emotions are more powerful than transactions. ... read more
- Two Out Of Four Networks Have No New Fall ShowsNetwork TV will have a comparatively quiet fall premiere season as two of the four legacy broadcast networks will have no new shows at all. ... read more
- Your Doctor’s Office Is An Ad Channel NowThere are few audiences more captive than the folks sitting in a doctor’s office waiting room. Sure, you can pass the time with weeks-old copies of Time or People magazine, Instagram, email or TikTok for ... read more
- What The FTC Can Learn From Google’s Ad Tech Case As It Pursues AmazonThe Federal Trade Commission sued Amazon on August 31 over its ad auction practices, alleging that the company has been quietly overcharging advertisers for more than seven years via a hidden “soft reserve price.” Basically, ... read more
- Everything Is An Ad Network, Even Cars. But All Ad Networks Need MeasurementBMW recently placed a promotion for the new Spider-Man film on its vehicles’ dashboards. When drivers started the car, a banner appeared on the control display. Tapping it launched a 19-second animation with music and ... read more
- Whatever Happened To Good Old-Fashioned Retail?; AI-Bolstered Ad RevenueMcDonalds is hiring humans again; Madison and Wall predicts “unusually rapid” growth; and families want tech out of their schools. The post Whatever Happened To Good Old-Fashioned Retail?; AI-Bolstered Ad Revenue appeared first on AdExchanger. ... read more
- What we’ve learned from the creator snafus at this year’s US OpenThe tennis US Open drew massive crowds to New York-based stadiums and record views in the last week. For example, ESPN’s opening day coverage was up 13% YoY. But the 2026 U.S. Open also put ... read more
- Google rolls out pay-per-use AI licensing program to publishersGoogle has been quietly scaling a pay-per-use AI licensing scheme for publishers. But critics say the program looks less like a meaningful payout and more like a legal fig leaf. The tech giant, which has ... read more
- As Google’s ad tech case nears its end, the antitrust fight moves to AIRelated Insights The History of Ad Tech Google avoided (yet another) breakup… now comes the test of the ad tech remedies Read More Google lost to the Justice Department ... read more
- OpenAI’s next ChatGPT ad format: click to chat, not to siteOpenAI wants ads in ChatGPT to open a conversation with a brand, not a browser tab. The AI company has introduced to select clients a new type of AI-native ad specifically for its chatbot app, ... read more
- Media Buying Briefing: How Publicis keeps winning clients without pitches PepsiCo’s surprise appointment of Publicis marked the fourth time in the last year that the French agency holding company has managed to bag a major media client without having to participate in a competitive review. ... read more
- Google rolls out pay-per-value AI licensing program to publishersGoogle has been quietly scaling a pay-per-value AI licensing scheme for publishers. But critics say the program looks less like a meaningful payout and more like a legal fig leaf. The tech giant, which has ... read more
- Omnicom Set To Cut 15,000 JobsOmnicom plans to eliminate 15,000 jobs, leaving it with a total headcount of 105,000 through December as it aims at a $1.5 billion gross synergy target following its acquisition of IPG, Ad News reports. The firm says ... read more
- LG Denies Its Smart TVs Eavesdrop On ConsumersLG’s smart TVs continuously eavesdrop on owners, even when the devices are offline or in standby mode, according to a joint report by Gamers Nexus and Level1Techs. They allegedly scan local area networks to identify phones and smartwatches, and the ... read more
- Naegle And Krug Jump From NBCUniversal To Disney UnitSue Naegle and Ali Krug, riding high on the success of Peacock’s The Five Star Weekend, are movingtheir Dinner Party Productions from NBCUniversal to 20thTelevision, a part of Disney Television Studios, Deadline reports. Naegle and.Krug will develop and ... read more
- McClatchy Lays Off 30% Of Unionized StaffMcClatchy has made deep cuts at newspapers it owns nationwide, Associated Press reports. More than 90 union journalists at 17 publications—30% of all workers belonging ti the NewsGuildCWA—have been laid off. The affected publications include ... read more
- Creators are Becoming Television’s New Showrunners: WPP Media’s Adam ShlachterCANNES, France — Creator-led video and traditional television are starting to resemble relatives at a family reunion. They arrived by different routes, insist they have nothing in common and are now sitting on the same ... read more
- Nift’s Saket Mehta: Brands Must Learn to Thank Consumers for Their ActionsAttention has always been valuable in advertising. What has changed is how hard consumers are making brands work to earn it. It all comes down to what happens when brands get the moment right. “You ... read more
- Axonet’s Patrick Raycroft: RMN Aggregation Democratizes Access To Retail MediaCANNES, France — With 250 retail media networks now competing for advertiser budgets, the math of direct relationships is breaking down. Brands and agencies have fixed time, fixed resources, and fixed capacity for RMN partnerships. ... read more
- CTV’s Awareness-Only Era Is Over: Brands Now Chasing Performance on the Big ScreenThe living room’s biggest screen is no longer just a billboard. Marketers once treated connected TV as a blunt awareness tool – the digital successor to the 30-second broadcast spot – but that thinking is ... read more
- How Brands Engineer Impulse Buying: Axonet’s Patrick Raycroft and Mars United’s Amy AndrewsCANNES, France – The convenience-store impulse buy may feel spontaneous. In reality, an impressive collection of data, advertising technology and loyalty programs could be helping that energy drink leap into a shopper’s hand. Axonet co-founder ... read more
- Platforms Push Appeals Court To Block Restrictions On RecommendationsGoogle, Meta and TikTok on Thursday pressed a court to block enforcement of a California law prohibiting the companies from algorithmically recommending posts to minors under 18 without the consent of a parent or guardian. ... read more
- Platforms Push Court To Block Recommendation RestrictionsGoogle, Meta and TikTok on Thursday pressed a court to block enforcement of a California law prohibiting the companies from algorithmically recommending posts to minors under 18 without the consent of a parent or guardian. ... read more
- TikTok Violated Texas Consumer Protection Law, Judge RulesTikTok made misleading statements about its efforts to prevent minors from viewing "inappropriate" content, a state judge ruled Thursday. ... read more
- A Pointless History Of Marketing TerminologyEver wonder where the "paid, earned, owned" framework came from? Or the saying "in confusion lies margin"? Read on. ... read more
- Ad Buyers Boost 2026 Spending Forecast As AI Slop Complicates Customer JourneysU.S. advertising spending is expected to grow 12.3% in 2026 as major sporting events deliver large audiences and fears about the economy recede, according to a new forecast from the Interactive Advertising Bureau. ... read more
- Gone But Not Forgotten: FCB Alum Set For Reunion In New YorkIt's taking place at the end of Advertising Week New York on October 9 at the Waldorf Astoria, which reopened last year after a massive eight-year renovation. ... read more
- Not-So-Live From New York, Why 9/11 Was Theater Of The Mind For SomeWhile two-thirds of Americans watched the terrorist attacks unfold live, more than a quarter experienced it first in their own minds and only later that day via replays on TV. Ironically, I was one of ... read more
- Google Ads To Eliminate Language Targeting In Late SeptemberGoogle's automated systems will match ads based on the actual language of the ad copy and landing pages. The ad platform will also begin to favor ads and landing pages with the language that matches ... read more
- Summer Box-Office Blockbusters: Good News For Streamers?Summer blockbusters are strong marketing teasers for TV subscribers - especially 'churners.' This builds on a level of brand awareness money can't buy, according to analysts. ... read more
- Young Consumers' Sports Viewing Rises Sharply"Fandom is diffused across multiple kinds of media and content," says Hub Entertainment Research ... read more
- As Soon As 9/11 Mourning Is Over, TV Returns To NormalcyAfter Friday's remembrance ceremonies, TV abruptly resumes business as usual, symbolized mainly by the return of a full slate of NFL games Sunday. ... read more
- Why Wall Street Turned Against The Trade DeskIt’s a little less sunny in California these days – at least as far as The Trade Desk is concerned. The Ventura-based independent DSP is less than a third as valuable as it was a ... read more
- Auctions In The CrosshairsTwo Big Tech moments capped the summer: The FTC sued Amazon over its kinda-sorta second-price auctions, alleging deceptive practices. And Judge Brinkema declared that Google will not have to spin off its ad server. The ... read more
- FAST Channels Could Prove Their Value If Platforms Would Quit Hiding Their DataAt a recent industry event, an executive described a meeting with a major distribution platform. The platform had agreed to share audience data. When the meeting finally happened, they arrived with a printout. They wouldn’t ... read more
- The Ad Spend Outlook Is Looking Up; Google Brings AI To MMMAd-ding Up The Earth will keep turning on its axis, The Simpsons will keep putting out new episodes and advertisers will keep on spending. These are all immutable truths. On Thursday, the IAB released an ... read more
- Future of Marketing Briefing: One more helping, for gluttons still hungry for Publicis and PepsiCo takesYes, more thoughts on what it means, or doesn’t, that Publicis walked away from competing for Coca-Cola’s media dollars to grab PepsiCo’s instead. But in my defense, it felt right to wait until the hot ... read more
- Molson Coors ditches its TV-era workflow to move at creator speed, quadrupling engagementBeverage giant Molson Coors is overhauling how its legal and marketing teams work with creators, shifting from its traditional TV-style approval process in favor of faster, looser briefs. The company began working on the new ... read more
- Kimmel Alleges ABC Was Threatened Into Canceling Talarico InterviewTalk show host Jimmy Kimmel announced Wednesday night that his show would not air an interview he did with James Talarico, the Texas Democrat running for the Senate, WZMG reports. Kimmel charged that President Trump and the FCC “threatened me, threatened our show, threatened ... read more
- Florida AG Sues Netflix For Allegedly Tracking Kids And FamiliesFlorida Attorney general James Uthmeier has filed a lawsuit against Netflix, alleging that the company tracks children and families despite its claims to be an alternative to “data-hungry tech platforms,” BNO News reports. “Netflix told Florida families ... read more
- TikTok Is Most Scraped Website For Second YearTikTok is the most-scraped website for the second year, Decodo reports. In addition, ChatGPT and Perplexity have entered the top 10 for the first time. Firms now scrape AI platforms as a primary data sources. "Two ... read more
- iGaming Marketers See Short Video Feeds As A Valuable Ad FormatiGaming marketers are thriving with vertical video feeds that require highly personalized content, Fault Magazine writes. For example, Instagram Reels serves short videos based on previous viewing habits and interactive habits. This format works especially well ... read more
- Snap Takes On Partiful With Meet-Up HubSnapchat wants to become a hub for creating, sharing, and managing plans, blending digital and real-life functionality while challenging popular apps like Partiful. ... read more
- Snap Launches AI-Recommended Ads In Chat, Expands OptimizationSnap is launching performance tools ahead of the holidays, merging Dynamic Product Ads and Sponsored Snaps while introducing various campaign optimization updates. ... read more
- Amazon Lets Advertisers Into ChatGPT Through OpenAI PartnershipThrough the integration, Amazon Ads will enable advertisers like Delta Vacations to engage with customers who may be looking to explore products, compare choices, and make decisions on ChatGPT. ... read more
- Amazon Lets Advertisers Use ChatGPT Via OpenAI PartnershipThrough the integration, Amazon Ads will enable advertisers like Delta Vacations to engage with customers who may be looking to explore products, compare choices, and make decisions on ChatGPT. ... read more
- MapQuest Doubles Down On Lake OntarioThe 30-year-old navigation app has gained over 2.5 million new downloads, shooting past major apps to claim the top free spot on the App Store. ... read more
- Why the CMO’s next chapter is becoming a true business leader againThe CMO was once a true partner to the CEO, grounded in a shared language of customers, margins and growth. That alignment ensured marketing had a permanent voice in the room where budgets were set ... read more
- Newsom Signs Ban On 'Addictive' Social Media FeaturesCalifornia Governor Gavin Newsom on Thursday signed a bill that prohibits social media platforms from providing 'addictive features' - including algorithmically recommended content and videos that play automatically - to users under 16. ... read more
- Apple's Creepy New AI Watch Listening Feature Has An OutApple's new Watch includes several intelligent listening features supported by integrated privacy and security, but protections can't change what the tools do. ... read more
- Creepy New Apple Watch Listening Feature Has An OutApple's new Watch includes several intelligent listening features supported by integrated privacy and security, but protections can't change what the tools do. ... read more
- Response Media Adds Healthcare PracticeA big selling point is a new AI tool called AdherenceIQ, which the company says can identify patients who are likely to stop taking their prescribed medications before they actually do. ... read more
- Yelp Must Face Texas Suit Over 'Crisis Pregnancy Center' WarningsThe Texas Supreme Court this week left in place a ruling that allows state Attorney General Ken Paxton to proceed with a lawsuit claiming Yelp violated the state's consumer protection law. ... read more
- Digital Ad Overload Sends Consumers Running For Print, Survey FindsMore than three-quarters of Americans said they intentionally ignore or avoid digital ads. ... read more
- If I Only Had A Brain…Could I Unravel The Riddle Of The Atlas Wearable?What use is a device that monitors your brain waves? Can "data from your own mind help you redefine what truly matters"? ... read more
- Appeals Court Again Rejects Amazon Bid To Block PerplexityThe 9th Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday left in place a ruling that allows Perplexity to shop on Amazon.com on users' behalf. ... read more
- Bots Don't Click — So What Will The Internet's New Business Model Be?Unfortunately, the Internet's traffic growth will increasingly be "freeloading" bots, not humans paying with clicks. Something will have to give. ... read more
- Sony Briefed Foster Legal Team On WPP ProbeIn a court filing yesterday opposing WPP's demand to seal, Foster said that Sony brought the findings to Foster's legal team earlier this year, without any prior solicitation or request for confidentiality. ... read more
- ‘Certainly a disappointment’: Omnicom CFO’s verdict on losing PepsiCo to PublicisOmnicom’s CFO is still trying to get his head around what went wrong. It’s been a little over a week since the holdco lost one of its longest running clients to Publicis. He called the ... read more
- Production Outlook: Broadcast 'Resilient' Vs. Streaming, CableFrom 2022-25, U.S.-produced linear "orders" fell 26% to 1,304 per year from 1,773 vs. a 41% decline for streaming TV orders. ... read more
- Turns Out The Living Room Still Is The 'Electronic Hearth,' More Or LessThe most recent data from the ARF's DASH service finds 86% of U.S. homes still have a TV set in their living room, and that it is the most-watched in the home among them. ... read more
- Rewiring The Web For Life Without CookiesAutonomous functions will become the operating model, as generative AI gives brands an opt-out from browser cookies in this rewired world. The tech transition is a way for brands to gain better targeting options from ... read more
- The Day The Reddit DiedIf Reddit was your whole AI brand visibility strategy in August, you had a terrible month. If it was one position among several, you had a rebalancing event. ... read more
- Agentic AI Is Rewriting The Pharma Marketing PlaybookAI is transforming how the pharma industry approaches drug development. On average, the industry invests $2.6 billion to bring a new treatment to market, taking 12 to 15 years with a 10% success rate. But ... read more
- Amazon Ads brings advertisers to ChatGPT, extending its supply-chasing streak
- Prebid’s New President Is Its Former Chairman, Garrett McGrathMeet the new Prebid boss, same as the old boss? Prebid.org has appointed its former longtime chairman, Garrett McGrath, as its second-ever president, the organization announced on Thursday. McGrath left Prebid in June following five ... read more
- Netflix Now: Welcome To Theatrical Movieland – For Real?Netflix will report box-office revenue for six upcoming theatrical movies, as well as seeing much longer theatrical runs than its typical theatrical releases in the past. ... read more
- TNT Pushes Into Drama With Thriller About The Hunt For HusseinTNT's eight-episode "High Value Target: The Hunt for Saddam" is a high-value miniseries. ... read more
- Ad spend forecasts revised upward as more ad dollars are handled by AI toolsU.S. advertising spending is set to rise faster than expected this year, but so is the proportion of ad dollars spent through AI or automated campaign types like Meta’s Advantage+ or Google’s Performance Max. The ... read more
- IAB Revises Ad Forecast, Shows Growth For Most MediaCyclical events continue to drive strong ad growth during the first half of 2026. Macroeconomic concerns have eased amid a resilient consumer market, playing a major role in the change. ... read more
- Everyone Has An Opinion On The Best AEO Tactics. Do Any Of Them Really Work?“All I know is that I know nothing.” This quote (along with variations of it) is frequently attributed to Socrates, via Plato’s account of him. For most of the past year, it’s also what the ... read more
- Google Search Has To Play Nice; Khajiit Has Ads If You Have CoinGoogle must rework search in Europe to comply with the bloc’s Digital Markets Act. Plus: Brands are still trying to figure out how to advertise in video games. The post Google Search Has To Play ... read more
- Media Briefing: Publishers are rebuilding their newsrooms for the post-Google eraThis week’s Media Briefing looks at how publishers are preparing for a “Google Zero” future by moving beyond SEO tweaks and reshaping their teams, roles and audience strategies around a post-search era. Rebuilding for ... read more
- AI reshapes agency economics, but their contracts are still scrambling to catch upIn the age of generative and agentic AI, agencies are barreling toward a software as a service business model. That’s starting to show up in contracts. None of the four agency execs Digiday spoke with, ... read more
- Instacart launches custom AI assistants for retailersThis story was originally published by sister site, Modern Retail. Retail giants like Walmart, Kroger and Amazon have launched AI assistants allowing consumers to ask for recommendations or curated shopping lists. Now, Instacart has ... read more
- Google avoided (yet another) breakup… now comes the test of the ad tech remediesLast week’s remedies ruling in the U.S. Justice Department’s antitrust case against Google and its ad tech offering, i.e., the sell-side assets of Google Ad Manager (formerly DoubleClick), resolved the most consequential question facing its ... read more
- OpenAI's ChatGPT Will No Longer Take Competitive Ads In ChatGPTOpenAI will restrict competitors in generative artificial intelligence firms from promoting their products within ChatGPT in an unannounced policy change, Investing.com reports, sourcing The Information. The shift was revealed when OpenAI notified advertising partners that campaigns for stand-alone image and voice-generation ... read more
- OpenAI Will No Longer Take Competitive Ads On ChatGPTOpenAI will restrict competitors in generative artificial intelligence firms from promoting their products within ChatGPT in an unannounced policy change, Investing.com reports, sourcing The Information. The shift was revealed when OpenAI notified advertising partners that campaigns for stand-alone image and voice-generation ... read more