Audio already has the audience and the cultural relevance. Now it’s time for it to earn its performance credentials.
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The brands that win will be those that show up early, align with passions, and use trusted environments, combined with smart first-party data targeting, to influence decisions before a booking is made.
Commerce media spent its first decade inside walled gardens. The next decade will be defined by what happens now that it’s free.
Netflix isn’t betting on any single show to secure its future. It’s betting that habit, built from moments that bring people in and libraries that keep them there, is the most defensible advantage in modern media.
Luxury will always be defined by craftsmanship and creativity. But in the modern era, digital experience is becoming just as important as physical expression.
Advertising has yet to determine how brand mascots can successfully retire, if they should retire at all.
The agentic era is here. The question is, will we shape it with intention, or will we let it shape us?
Pam Kaufman’s hire marks the end of pretending this was optional, at least for brands that want to stay culturally present.
February campaigns should be a ramp up that starts off slow before building to Valentine’s Day.
The future belongs to those who control and take ownership over their data. For agencies who embrace this in 2026, the future is bright.
The future of brand influence is not about the loudest single moment. It is about the longest presence.
The forces reshaping agencies are not simply cost-cutting measures, they are a response to how brands market and how consumers behave.
The AI search reckoning isn’t a temporary disruption. It’s a permanent restructuring of how audiences discover and consume content.
Ultimately, the reason everyone has their own “flavor” of SPO is because SPO is not one-size-fits-all.
Antonia Faulkner, Head of Corporate Communications and Ads Marketing, Analytics and Insights EMEA, Samsung Ads explores how the home screen is evolving from a passive starting point into one of the most compelling marketing environments.
Marketing has always been about creativity, connection, and impact. Today, thanks to AI, it is also about precision.
The future of performance marketing isn’t about choosing the right channel. It’s about understanding contribution and rewarding it accordingly.
This isn’t just an AriZona story. It’s a warning for every brand navigating inflation, loyalty, and cultural relevance. When trust is part of your equity, protecting it isn’t optional—it’s the work.
From AI to ROI, the path is clear. Brands that focus on trust today will be in a strong position, regardless of how technology evolves.
PopIcon spoke to Allison Feldman, Vice President Fabric Softener and Personal Care Brands at Snuggle, to learn more about the Bear’s rebranding.
Every platform requires its own strategy. Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube are not interchangeable.
It’s time for agencies to get beyond the Mad Men thinking. Their job isn’t to ask how to get the right message across a particular channel to maximise efficiencies, it’s how to get the most useful message out to drive growth where it’s most needed.
Metrics like view-through conversions, watch time, video completion rate and thumb-stop rate offer a far more accurate view of effectiveness.
Bear with me here—Bad Bunny delivered the best ad of the Super Bowl. Not the best halftime show (who cares about that ranking?), but the best ad.
AI shows advertisers how well an ad is understood and which components within the creative are going to appeal to the needs and tastes of the target audience.
If your measurement only exists inside the platforms, your strategy isn’t owned, it’s rented.
Retail media’s next chapter will be shaped by whoever succeeds in making the broader retail landscape work as a system rather than a collection of silos.
With the FIFA World Cup less than six months away, are your advertising and marketing plans set?
Is it possible to build your dream man? The answer is yes, according to Pringles Big Game ad (and their mascot Mr. P.
AI promises to redefine MMM entirely, ushering in an era of live, organic intelligence systems that fundamentally alter the human role in strategic marketing.
Publishers have split into two camps: those who license, and those who sue.
In an AI-obsessed world, the brands that stand out will be the ones that truly know when technology enhances the human experience and when it gets in the way.
The collective turn-away from traditional media combined with the fragmentation and saturation of social media makes it harder for brands to cut through. But there is one channel that is largely underused, despite high engagement: live entertainment.
With all eyes on the TV and let’s be honest, TikTok. Super Bowl commercials have always been the main event.
Agencies that emerge stronger will be the ones that treat flexibility (organizationally and technologically) as a core business strategy, not a contingency plan.
In a crowded and competitive media environment, incrementality is becoming a practical way to understand performance — and for marketers prove CTV’s value.
For agencies, this work serves as a wake-up call for 2026. Generative tools are accelerating, but the creative standard is not.
We asked industry leaders if they are expanding their thinking, or shifting it away from craft and judgement towards systems, speed and scale.
The real shift isn’t that machines replace humans. It’s that the way performance decisions are made changes. AdTech taught the industry how to automate buying and selling.
AI does not need to be expensive to be transformative, allowing for processes that were previously out of reach to become a reality.
If Valentine’s Day hasn’t been a high priority in the past, now is the time to explore how you can create meaningful consumer connections in February that will last year-round.
The future of the open web depends on the ability to prove that an audience is paying attention, not scrolling through content mechanically.
Systems scale assumptions quickly, whether they are sound or flawed. Reexamining how audiences are defined and managed is not a technical exercise. It is a strategic one.
Effective media buying doesn’t start with activation. It starts with the right planning elements combined with up to the minute knowledge of pricing and opportunities in the media marketplace.
At what point does buyer insecurity harm conversions? It could be argued that it reduces purchase intent even before web visitors have taken their first action.
Football’s biggest night, Super Bowl LX, is shaping up to be a little lighter than usual when it comes to brand mascot appearances.
This is what it would look like for pharma marketing to truly catch up to the rest of digital, not in theory, but in practice.
These brands don’t just grow faster—they’re also more resilient. During economic downturns, Go-to Brands lose only half as much market value as their peers.
The tech startup playbook has been straightforward for decades: Raise capital, hire aggressively, scale fast. The correlation between funding and headcount was nearly linear.
Creators with meaningful audience relationships demonstrate that influence isn’t about size, it’s about impact
The green economy isn’t just a movement. It’s a structural shift in the market. The first wave of sustainability may have faded, but a second is already emerging.
The Olympics no longer signal the future of programmatic. They reinforce its role at the center of premium media.
The bottom line? 2026 looks like a year of maturation. The shiny-object syndrome is fading, replaced by a focus on what actually works.
Retailers and media buyers want to influence the same moments, but still operate on different datasets, measurement models and incentives. The technology already exists to unify them.
Advertising’s introduction to the Jet-Puffed marshmallow mascots occurred five years ago in August 2020.
Brand leaders, you’re in the care business now, whether or not “health” is on your label. That means you need to play a more supportive role in people’s lives.
With game day just around the corner, now’s the time to pressure-test whether your measurement setup reflects how marketing actually works: in spikes of attention, shifts in timing, and campaign effects that ripple across channels.
Continuous, in-context research keeps advertisers close to audiences as viewing habits change, helping them stay a step ahead of what people will watch, share, and buy next.
Brands that build assets with these models in mind, and supply them with consistent, well-defined signals, are more likely to appear accurately and consistently as AI-first experiences expand.
In 2026, we’ll separate the marketers chasing efficiency from the ones building effectiveness. The difference will come down to who can prove it.
CES 2026 reinforced a simple truth: the future of experiential marketing belongs to brands that combine intelligent technology with deeply human design.
In the here and now, the challenges and opportunities around interoperability will continue to shape open web advertising’s supply chain and the priorities of those who operate within it.
AI search isn’t killing marketing fundamentals. It’s exposing how fragile our assumptions about measurement have become.
Athlete – and fan-owned media distribution and entertainment network adds media veteran Ghee (CNN, BET,…
In 2026, the luxury sector is poised to regain its sparkle, but only for the brands willing to rethink the fundamentals.
The future belongs to businesses that combine data intelligence with brand-led creativity. When used well, data amplifies both trust and targeting, without bogging teams down in shallow click metrics.
Agentic buying won’t change agency economics because it’s innovative. It will change them because, built on better data and tighter publisher connections, it delivers outcomes the old stack simply can’t.
Q5 offers an opportunity to move beyond one-size-fits-all discounting. Instead of rewarding everyone simultaneously, brands can reward those who truly deserve it, for the work they do to better our communities.
Dos Equis announced on January 16, 2026, their iconic spokescharacter known as “The Most Interesting Man in the World” is back to encourage and inspire the next generation to “Stay Thirsty.”
In a world where attention is ever scarcer and AI is reshaping discovery, trust is the key.
2026 won’t reward businesses that simply do more—it will reward those that focus on what matters most.
The most critical step in prepping for an AI bubble is recognizing what the bubble is: neither a certainty nor a fantasy, but a nontrivial risk.
Playable ads will enrich the user experience, spurred on by no-code tools that incorporate more marketing expertise into the creation process. Automated media buying and targeting will expedite decision-making and redefine media roles.
The infrastructure for performance-driven programmatic is already here. The question for 2026 isn’t whether performance partnerships will redefine the ecosystem; it’s who will lead the shift and who will be left behind.
The consolidation theme is about finding trusted vendors with the expertise to build lasting, cost-efficient solutions that withstand scrutiny and deliver results in the current media outlook.
The best experiences don’t need to explain the technology behind them. They’ll reflect confidence, clarity and care in how they were made.
Audio is everywhere, yet too many advertisers are still treating it as background noise. That’s a missed opportunity.
The question is not whether privacy controls will drift in a dynamic, AI-accelerated environment. They will.
The successful CMO of 2026 treats culture as a field study. They understand customers as people navigating identity, community, and meaning.
Brands that show up authentically during this full window—supporting all of the active behaviors just listed out—can earn something more durable than seasonal sales from Latine consumers: trust, loyalty, and long-term relevance.
Sean Adams, chief marketing officer, Brand Metrics, believes we can predict future ad outcomes using the unprecedented power of consistent measurement data
Festival season isn’t a date in the diary. It’s a mindset. And it starts long before the fields fill up.
What comes to mind when you think of nature’s greatest mascots? Odds are pretty good you’ll refer to animals like Smokey Bear and Woodsy Owl.
Steve Stretton, Executive Creative Director for global marketing activation partner, HH Global, explores shifting attitudes towards AI and a new opportunity for brands that need to promote AI capabilities
Pinterest saw these forces clearly. Others will follow. The main question now: Who will adapt quickly enough to lead in the Outcomes Era?
If 2025 was a year of change in the marketing world, 2026 will be even more transformative. We can anticipate significant leaps in AI, which will extend to creative decision-making, media targeting, and influencer marketing.
To explore where AI enhances branding and where it risks homogenising it, leaders have shared their perspectives on why brand identity still needs a human core.
In this collection of perspectives from agency and consultancy leaders, a clear throughline emerges: the businesses that win in 2026 will be those that use technology to amplify — not replace — human insight, creativity and leadership.
As editing becomes more embedded in how people learn, work, and connect, CapCut will continue to focus on intuitive tools that support creativity without friction.
What comes next is bigger than a new tactic; it’s a shift in how we plan, activate, optimize, and collaborate across the open web.
The next wave of innovation in CTV won’t come from more data. It will come from making the data simple enough for everyone to use.
This fusion of data, cognitive science, and personalization gives political campaigns the power to transform passive audiences into active participants.
AI will shape the future of creativity, advertising, and media. But only if it’s built on a foundation that respects the people whose work makes it possible.
Your relationship goes beyond simply selling them a product. You want them to buy from you multiple times.
We were lucky enough to chat with John Ludeke, SVP of Global Marketing at Dr. Squatch, who explains the surprising reason why their mascot is a sasquatch, the one question fans can’t stop asking him, and where we might see the mascot land next in 2026.
SEO has historically been often underfunded and overlooked. But today, both SEO and GEO are business critical.
As marketers shift more budget into connected TV (CTV), identity continues to be the biggest success hurdle for the channel.
David Nelson, co-founder and CEO at Limelight Inc. praises the multifaceted expertise of ad networks in managing the omni-chaos of today’s programmatic space, and offers one critical piece of advice
As pressure mounts for marketers to prove what truly moves the needle, a new frontier is emerging inside Marketing Mix Models: creative effectiveness.
The future of retail media hinges on a single question: Who wins the user?
Agentic AI is eating the world because it tells systems and processes what to do — across your entire stack.
The year 2025 has brought back onto the agenda the legacy systems of measurement and decreasing usefulness under the weight of accelerating signal loss.
Here’s the uncomfortable truth: Every product search that starts inside an AI assistant is one less opportunity for a publisher or creator to influence the shopper.
We’ve just launched our first-ever Holiday Sweepstakes, with ten grand prizes for ten small businesses in ten cities: $10,000 in IRL ad media, each.
CTV advertising is one of the fastest-growing areas of marketing worldwide, and voice commands are the new frontier. It’s not a chocolate bar coming through your TV, but it’s getting pretty close.
A well-designed martech stack leads to better personalization, drives more sales at velocity, and gives clear oversight into the specific actions that move the business.
As AI accelerates and marketing budgets tighten, creativity is thriving in chaos, but only when guided by clarity. The boldest ideas are coming from brands that turn evidence into conviction and use data to bring creative freedom.
Marketers cannot overlook top- and mid-funnel tactics if they want to make a real impact in peak shopping season.
Attribution can tell a story. Incrementality tells the truth. And in a world defined by shrinking signals and rising expectations, the truth is what will win the battle for ROI.
The next phase of local ad sales won’t involve chasing the newest channel or adopting the latest acronym.
The brands that learn fastest from their failures will be the ones leading the pack by year-end. Start building that capability now, while you have the space to get it right.
Going viral is a sugar rush. Belonging builds enduring brand equity—the kind that keeps you relevant long after the spotlight fades.
The age of the “10 blue links” is ending. Here is how to measure your brand’s health when consumers stop searching and start asking.
This time, the new year is less about what will happen with cookies and more about what happens right now
Brands that invest in communities, foster dialogue across lines of difference, and tell honest stories don’t just earn attention—they earn loyalty.
The 2025 Go-to Brands List is a reminder that, even in a world obsessed with tech, trends, and transformation, the brands that win are the ones that make people feel seen, supported, and empowered.
The Cheez-It Citrus Bowl will be more than a football game this year. It’s a homecoming celebration for Cheez-It’s beloved, and previously retired, mascot Prince Cheddward.
At its best, this Americana goes global moment isn’t about one side winning. It’s about consumers on both sides of the Atlantic looking for the same thing.
Sustainability needs to taste simple, actionable, guilt-free, and unlock value pools that would be impossible to activate in a world pre-AI and pre-efficiency fever.
Organizations that adapt early will gain an edge. Those that continue to optimize only for traditional search will find themselves increasingly invisible to the intelligent intermediaries shaping tomorrow’s information ecosystem.
As vehicles and mobility become more complex and shopper expectations rise, a new form of intelligent, conversational digital engagement is reshaping how consumers explore, understand, and choose their next vehicle.
As human beings we tend to romanticize the past. A harkening back to times when the world was less complicated.
Once everyone has AI, the real advantage for marketers will come from the data no one else has — both their own and their partners’
The future of influencer marketing isn’t transactional. It’s relational. And it starts with recognising that influencers are brand partners, not adverts.
With 2025 poised to be the first quarter trillion-dollar holiday season, it’s a time of opportunity for brands ready to embrace the challenge and deliver meaningful, memorable experiences.
Economic cycles aren’t new and many brands have successfully navigated a path through. Those that do have asked and answered the following questions.
Privacy by Design as a Competitive Edge: Embedding privacy safeguards from the ground up—such as differential privacy mechanisms and zero-knowledge proofs—builds user loyalty.
The 2026 World Cup will be the largest yet, with matches spanning stadiums in the US, Canada, and Mexico. Its scale means both the potential rewards and the risks will be greater.
By Peter Wilmot, chief product officer at Shopsense AI For years, holiday shopping has been…
We have spent years teaching AI to sound human. The next step is teaching it something far more valuable: humility.
Brands are voting with their feet. CPM fees on first-party data are on their way out. And once they’re gone, they’ll be gone forever.
As we enter 2026, one thing is clear. AI may be the engine of modern marketing, but data is the driver’s seat. Those who own it, protect it, and understand its value will lead the way.
What the industry needs to do is to create brand governance measurement so that we have a similar language and framework for this idea.
It’s 27 years since The Experience Economy was written, but it’s only now thanks to innovations like TVOOH that the concept is coming to full fruition.
The future of creativity is neurodiverse. Agencies and brands that embrace that truth won’t just build stronger, more inclusive cultures – they’ll deliver better, more resonant work.
If the deal sounds too good to be true, it’s probably because you’re paying for it somewhere you can’t see.
The future of growth belongs to the leaders, and the CMOs, who understand that visibility isn’t just exposure. It’s equity.
They said I do! Kevin the Carrot has officially wed his longtime sweetheart, Katie, close to 10 years after they first met.
The franchises that find success won’t just be fielding a team to compete; they’ll become a publisher and media platform in their own right. The blueprint for success is already out there. Now is the time for the leagues and franchises to take the ball and run.
SMEs must be prepared to learn and experiment, but they don’t need to sit on the sidelines of programmatic. With the right guidance, they can claim their seat at the table – and challenge the dominance of legacy players with smarter, leaner campaigns.
The AI industry will be stronger if more women are visible making claims, predictions, and statements as freely as men do.
Start saying no, to vanity, to product-first thinking and briefs with no heart. Tell your product team you’ll take it from here.
Gaming isn’t just a category to consider, it’s a cultural phenomenon that intersects with fashion, music, film, and more. The good news is it’s not too late – brands can show up authentically with custom in game experiences.
Black Friday isn’t just a day for customers to grab the best deals – for businesses, it’s an exercise in testing their systems and proving that they can handle anything that comes their way.
The media lift effect offers a way forward by connecting performance, creative excellence, and media precision into one finely tuned engine.
Retailers have a chance to turn the pet aisle into something immersive, blending data-led understanding with creativity.
Signals, not segments, will define how we buy media, optimize creative, and measure media going forward.
The label ‘influencer’ no longer captures this reality. It reduces a diverse ecosystem into a single, superficial category.
As large language models evolve from summarizing content to performing actions, publishers’ monetization models must evolve too.
Before selecting or evaluating an AI partner, ensure they understand retail’s unique physics by asking these critical questions.
Remember how groundbreaking it was for the 2024 Pop-Tarts Bowl to have not one, not two, but three edible mascots? Game day will reach next-level intensity at the 2025 Pop-Tarts Bowl.
Thanks to the streaming revolution, viewers are turning away from linear TV in droves. Even sports are seeing seismic shifts in how fans engage with content.
The bigger task is strategic: Atlas ushers in the cognitive internet, where brand visibility depends on how clearly you can be read, reasoned with and recommended. The only question is, who will be ready first?
The world of digital luxury is underserved right now; but it’s also full of potential. Research shows that luxury retailers who can nail customer experience will reap the highest levels of revenue.
Even the most conscientious, emotionally intelligent leaders have blind spots when it comes to truly understanding everyone on their team.
The next phase of AI-driven marketing will be defined by who has the best data.
True brand power comes from people talking about you because they want to – not because they were paid to.
While brands are unwilling to relinquish hard-won cohesion, there’s some movement toward pushing against monolithic rigidity, in favor of a more flexible, realist’s approach.
There’s still plenty of creative voices in the industry who think embracing AI is like joining the dark side.
What do we really pay when we buy cheap data? Often, far more than the price tag suggests.
By Romulus Stoian, Regional Director Strategic Partnerships at VIOOH Picture this: it’s Black Friday, 9:32…
When you start with the business challenge—not the technology—you make better investments, unlock faster value, and build solutions that actually scale.
For years, the narrative has been that malls are relics of the past, casualties of e-commerce and shifting consumer habits. But Gen Z is rewriting that story.
Aldi UK’s spunky mascot has been a fixture in Christmas adverts for the last 10 years, dabbling in a bit of everything.
Most healthcare marketers are chasing visibility, and it’s costing them patients.
In a world optimised for clicks, the real opportunity lies in connection. And connection, when it’s done well, is still the most human story we can tell.
With a clear strategy, streamlined process, and creative bravery, brands can be both trend-savvy and authentic.
Display once evolved from fixed placements to programmatic targeting. CTV is evolving in the same way — from static ad pods to dynamic, creative-driven experiences.
The message is clear: contextual is no longer a fallback. It is becoming one of the most sophisticated tools in digital advertising – privacy-first, brand-safe, scalable, and now, emotionally intelligent.
In a noisy, metrics-driven world, brands that master storytelling will do more than convert – they’ll connect. And connection is what drives sales, repeat purchase, and long-term growth.
Brand marketers should explore how real-world influence networks and word-of-mouth hotspots enable more effective omnichannel strategies. Understanding group behaviour is the skeleton key to unlocking full-funnel growth.
Brand lift is an important and under-valued campaign metric. It measures the change in attitudes towards a brand as a result of an advertising campaign.
CMOs may have one of the largest technology budgets in the company, but they are not focused on technology. They are focused on transformative growth.
The 99th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will be full of larger-than-life balloons, floats and balloonicles, but one float is making a splash for its extra small size.
While the industry debates Transaction IDs, another transparency signal demonstrates how we can serve both buyer and seller interests: Mediation Auction IDs.
We spoke with Michael Pavone, the CEO and Founder of Philadelphia-based food and beverage marketing agency quench, about what he’s seeing in 2025 so far and what that might portend for 2026.
Every major shift in ad tech triggers a race for control. The rise of artificial intelligence is no different. This time, the prize is data.
Music tourism isn’t just a cultural trend – it’s an economic force. It’s reshaping travel and changing the ways consumers are choosing to spend their money.
When the brand promise and employee experience don’t align, you lose talent, creativity and growth. That’s why the CPO + CMO Power Partnership matters, says Carol-Ann White, Group Chief People Officer at Landor.
The Q3 2025 IPA Bellwether Report arrives at a delicate time, as the market slowly regains its footing after a period of hesitance.
OOH doesn’t just accompany the journey, it moves it. The channel’s strength is simple: physical context that prompts real action, right now.
The 2025 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is already shaping up to be quite different than previous years when it comes to which brand mascots will and won’t be featured as balloons and floats.
Innovative collaboration creates personalized experiences reaching over 50 million monthly travelers
The return of the Heathrow Bears is being celebrated in an extra special way in their fourth advert.
In a year where politics dominate the headlines, your brand doesn’t need to compete with the noise. It needs to be something people can trust. And trust is built through presence, purpose, and proof.
Jamie Maw, Business Director at Advertising Week, led a round table discussion on transparency and authenticity in digital advertising presented by SonicOrigin.
In this interview, Ivan Doruda, CEO of MGID, explains why the industry’s protective systems have backfired, how this has weakened the media ecosystem, and what advertisers can do to reverse the trend.
As commerce and retail initiatives take centre stage, PrOOH is uniquely placed to drive measurable outcomes – whether that’s influencing purchase intent, reinforcing key messages close to point of sale, or boosting ROI when paired with other channels.
If we use our new skills and tools, combined with great strategy, surprising ideas and expert craft, maybe we can get better and faster at making…you know, things people are actually interested in.
Teams that survive won’t be the ones with the most experience or fanciest portfolios. Original thinking, quick adaptation, and creative edge will matter more than tools. AI won’t replace creative talent.
Reach may open the door, but resonance is what closes the deal. In today’s creator economy, performance is the premium, and it’s time our contracts caught up.
The future of B2B marketing isn’t about brand versus performance. It’s about accountability to revenue outcomes.
With markets populated by near-identical products and differentiation becoming increasingly difficult, it’s not hard to see why brands are turning to mascots en masse.
Innovative ad formats are an opportunity for advertisers to get their message across in new ways, and to avoid disrupting programming as a typical ad break might.
Thanks in part to recent data collecting enhancements by Media Monitors, radio now possesses additional leverage in market level discussions.
The future of programmatic video is not just more automation or more inventory. It’s smarter, more intentional media buying.
As AI continues to transform this industry, companies need to prepare their teams to thrive in an AI advertising era not just from the top down, but from the bottom up as well.
The hospitality industry’s century-old expertise in relationship-building is translating into media strategies that retail networks would be wise to consider.
How Mindie Kaplan Applied Innovation Principles to Build a Viral Purpose Campaign, and What it Teaches the Industry About Authentic Advocacy
By strategically leveraging their e-commerce platforms, big box retailers can win the holiday season – and power growth throughout the year.
For UK marketers, success in uncertain times comes down to clarity: know your audience, measure what matters, and align every action to revenue.
We sat down with Chris Hogg, Chief Revenue Officer at Lotame, to talk about what’s new and what isn’t with AI, why a consistent identity strategy is essential for leveraging the technology, and what marketers should be putting in their data portfolio.
The challenge for marketers is to ride the wave, using personalized, shoppable CTV to capture attention within a high-growth vertical.
It’s important we remember the store isn’t just the finish line. It’s still a touchpoint where influence is still up for grabs. Gen Z won’t be won over by clutter or noise, but with unified, consistent experiences.
The companies that thrive in the coming years will be those that master the balance: creating AI experiences that feel magical in their relevance without triggering privacy concerns. They will be the ones that choose to be helpful, not creepy.
Unless the industry embraces open collaboration and consistent standards, the default solution will always be centralized intermediary control.
In a country increasingly divided along political lines, the media we consume should strive to maintain balance and fairness.
If AI is a new engine of creative output, the (human) creative must become the emotional alchemist whose role it is to transform raw data into gold.
ontextual continuity isn’t a trend. It’s AdTech 3.0. It applies to both established and emerging brands, and the ones that master it now will own the next decade.
Relying on TV or radio alone, or ignoring the power and measurability of digital, will usually lead to inefficiencies or missed opportunities.
Whether neural data powers more relevant, empathetic campaigns or sparks a new wave of mistrust will depend on the standards we set.
By focusing on these five areas, advertisers can unlock the full potential of the open internet. In so doing, they can make every impression, every signal, and every dollar deliver real business value.
The success of the genre confirms that 50+ isn’t just a consumer group worth chasing — it’s one that the smartest brands can’t afford to let get away.
2025 continues to be the year of brand mascot firsts including the first time a character has ever intentionally lost their two front teeth.
The future belongs to brands that can maintain creative coherence while delivering contextual relevance.
Winning a championship is never about one pass or one game; it’s about consistent teamwork across the season. The same is true for data collaboration.
The brands that will win the loyalty of the next generation will be the ones that show up authentically, contribute meaningfully, and become a part of the community.
Gen Z isn’t one thing and that’s exactly the point. They can be pragmatic and idealistic, ambitious and burnt out, skeptical and deeply loyal when you earn it.
By making sure your tech stack is aligned to support and execute on their visions, marketers will be best positioned to win in 2026 and beyond.
In a world where AI is perfecting every brand’s grammar, who’s perfecting your brand’s personality?
In a market pressured by tariffs, supply chain constraints, and rising consumer expectations, auto brands cannot afford inefficiency in their media strategies.
The next era of targeting belongs to AI systems that see the whole picture — and to the leaders who know how to orchestrate them.
At Advertising Week New York, MasterCard announced the launch of its new Commerce Media Network, positioning the company at the forefront of a rapidly evolving marketing landscape where commerce, data, and digital media converge.
This shift demands a new approach and those who want to stay ahead need to rethink how they reach their audiences. A surprising growth lever in this new reality? The mobile app ecosystem.
Dion Baez, VP Music Marketing at SoundCloud, sat down with artist Honey Bxby to discuss the intersection of culture and brand.
At Advertising Week, the message from the room was clear: people are done with promises. They want results.
Platforms like Cinco’s AI Experience Room are paving the way, merging the scale of digital with the warmth of human-like conversation.
The Pillsbury Doughboy, one of advertising’s smallest mascots at five inches tall, repeatedly rose to new heights this year.
In a panel presented by Chalice AI, brand leaders discuss the practical applications of AI in advertising.
Andy Schonfeld, CRO at Tatari led a fireside chat with Nick Fairbairn, VP of growth marketing at Chime.
Jenny Haggard, Head of Global Thought Leadership at Spotify, led a panel on the power of fandoms in the advertising and marketing realm.
Christi Geary, Head of AMP Agency (Advantage Marketing Partners), led a fast-paced discussion on thriving in today’s shoppable world—where brand love meets buyer behavior.
Tina DeSarno, Chief IA Officer at MarketCast, kicked off the panel by setting the scene and describing the current issues marketers face.
Lauren Johnson, Deputy Editor of Retail Media and Commerce of Adweek, led a panel on how PayPal is working to uplift small businesses.
Picture this: You’ve just landed your dream job.
In a world where negativity often dominates our feeds, a quiet revolution is underway—led by creators who use their platforms to uplift, heal, and inspire.
In a landscape where everyone’s chasing cultural relevance, music remains the most immediate and emotionally resonant signal of what’s next.
With over half of the Gen Z population now shopping inside social apps — and Gen Alpha, raised on ad-free streaming and algorithmic curation, rarely encountering traditional ads at all — the rules of brand engagement are due for a reset.
Cancer affects everyone, fans, players, families, and entire communities.
What does it take to reimagine and revitalize the biggest events in pop culture?
As TV, digital, and mobile continue to converge, performance marketing is entering a new era — one powered by CTV, AI, and cross-screen connectivity. In this conversation, Jay Freedman, VP of Sales at Viant, explores how connected TV has evolved from a branding play to a measurable performance channel and what this shift means for marketers building strategies across every screen.
What separates good marketers from great ones? It’s not just data, creativity, or even strategy — it’s an unmatched understanding of their customers.
Born in a Harlem apartment, now one of the Inc. 5000’s fastest-growing companies—Elite Media flips the script on what a creative agency can be.
Gaming is no longer a niche pastime, it’s a cultural crossroads where music, sport, entertainment, and storytelling collide.
AI is changing marketing at an incredible pace, from how campaigns are created to how brands connect with customers.
OOH is an unmissable, unblockable medium that connects with consumers where decisions happen, on the sidewalk, curb, and corner.
For more than two decades, the internet followed a predictable logic.
From cult indies to bigger-budget titles, Horror flicks tout a ferociously engaged fandom – reliably making it out to the theaters to prove that being terrified is a dish best served as a community experience.
Gaming isn’t the future, it’s the now. For Gen Alpha and Gen Z, gaming is overtaking streaming and social as the main arena for entertainment, connection, expression and influence.
The landscape of major life decisions has shifted dramatically.
Paramount Pictures has made influencer marketing central to its theatrical strategy, using creators to spark cultural moments and drive box office success.
In this SheFront Interview, attendees will hear from Carol Haynsworth, Global Chair of Interpublic’s Women’s Leadership Network and leader of a groundbreaking new initiative.
Gen Z is rewriting the rules of brand engagement, yet many marketers continue to rely on stereotypes.
This panel will share lessons from a Panera, Digitas, and Variety influencer-driven campaign around one of pop culture’s biggest nights with fashion, style, and croissants.
Every major societal institution has some sort of scam culture in its bones.
What really happens when journalists “go to the dark side” and become publicists—or move into adjacent fields like film or marketing?
From sunsets to passport stamps, travel creators make it look effortless – but the reality is far richer.
How do we define fame in a world where everyone is visible?
What do today’s most innovative creators bring to the table?
This interview explores how the most overlooked part of the consumer journey — the point of payment — can become a powerful lever for building trust and loyalty through seamless, secure experiences consumers can count on.
Proven Q4 Playbook You Can Activate Now Walk away with a simple, actionable checklist of strategies to drive immediate holiday results—no theory, just practical steps you can implement the next day.
In a cola showdown few thought possible, Dr. Pepper surged past Pepsi in market share to become the number 2 in the cola wars, proving that bold strategy, foresight, and relentless creativity can topple even the most entrenched rivals.
The business of influence is no longer confined to social feeds. Creators are jumping from social to securing bigger deals in culture.
At Autodesk, design isn’t just about the software, it’s about the experiences that bring bold ideas to life.
Join the senior marketers from Fidium and creative hot-shop Bray & Co as they share how their partnership has in a short time produced record results for the Fidium business, all centered around a creative approach that broke the category mold and produced one of the most effective campaigns of the year.
Crafting signature, soul-infused moments within brand systems—whether digital or physical—that feel human, compelling, and authentically you.
Memes aren’t just content – they’re a cultural language.
Why does a song from 20 years ago still spark instant emotion – and why are brands tapping into that more than ever?
Public health messaging has long relied on fear and tragedy, but that doesn’t always move the needle, and not every cause can be served by playing it safe.
Join Loren Brill Castle, founder and CEO of Sweet Loren’s, in conversation with digital media coordinator Ryan Weitz to explore the brand’s swift pivots and creative approach to a recent TikTok naming mishap that resulted in millions of views, a massive sales jump and huge increase in followers. It’s a Sweet Loren’s + RYAN collab.
Generative AI is moving from buzzword to business driver.
Grammy-winning producer Hit-Boy opens up about his newfound creative freedom, the upcoming projects, and how artists can stay ahead as music and culture evolve.
Advertising on the Super Bowl is a big investment and it is important to support and surround it.
Today’s dining and hospitality space sees thinner profit margins, decreased diner presence, and skyrocketing costs, making it more challenging to not only establish a standout presence, but build a noteworthy brand for the long haul.
Smart brand marketers know that in today’s data-driven landscape, emerging platforms such as mobile apps and new AI tools are becoming essential for modern advertisers– and will only be more prevalent in the future.
Video is on track to dominate advertising, with spend projected to reach $220B by 2028—roughly 44% of all ad dollars.
The media landscape is evolving faster than ever, reshaping how audiences discover, consume, and interact with content.
As audiences scatter across screens, how can brands break through the noise?
Ensemble’s Ian Schafer will sit down with HOORAE founder Issa Rae to examine how recent history is influencing brands’ new role in the entertainment industry’s algorithmic era.
Pretty Basic co-hosts (and best friends) Alisha Marie & Remi Cruz Parsons launched their podcast 8 years ago and have since grown into cultural powerhouses, redefining modern media moguls.
Colin & Samir—TIME100 Creators and two of the most trusted voices in the creator economy—reveal what it truly takes for brands to capture attention and stay relevant in a creator-driven world.
Josh Richards and Brianna LaPaglia, co-hosts of the viral BFFs podcast, are redefining Gen Z culture.
AI is no longer just a buzzword—it’s a tool CMOs and marketers alike must learn to put to work.
Film, television, and streaming remain pillars of culture, but their futures hinge on bold leadership and strategic pivots.
Why relevance, not reach, will define the next era of commerce media
This panel tackles the industry’s biggest brand safety challenges and how outdated tools block advertisers from reaching valuable audiences.
Programmatic access is redefining commerce media.
To answer this question, Red Kite will be hosting a candid discussion bringing together three visionary leaders from diverse corners of the industry—from consumer to B2B and social—to pull back the curtain on the realities of being independent.
This conversation with Alison Moore, CEO of Chief, explores how women are redefining leadership through nonlinear, multi-hyphenate careers.
An honest conversation about where the ad market is in 2025 and what does that mean for growth in 2026.
Media Cartographer / provocateur Evan Shapiro and Creator Pied Piper Shira Lazar are joined on stage by one of the founders of creator platform and film distributor, FilmHub, to unveil their Map of The Creator Economy – sizing the landscape of the next generation of Media.
When PJ Accetturo generated 100mm+ views with a viral, AI-generated ad for Kalshi, production studio Wavelength saw a golden opportunity: Join forces with one of the foremost craftsmen of AI storytelling to turn Hollywood on its head with viral short-form narrative content.
A new study from DISH Media reveals how incorporating deterministic addressable TV alongside traditional TV and streaming can deliver substantial gains in both reach and revenue.
Reflecting on 25 years of rapid change, Advertising Week and Cint partnered to study consumer sentiment comparing the turn-of-the century to now.
In an era of fragmented attention and infinite content, premium video remains one of the most effective tools for marketers to build brands, shape perception, and drive results.
Creativity today is being redefined—not just by AI, but by how we make, learn, and share.
In today’s real-time world, driving long-term brand perception shifts requires designing creative campaigns for media optimization – where every new act of creation becomes an act of data insight creation.
A first-of-its-kind publisher-driven initiative brings enterprise-grade infrastructure to agencies, brands, and creators worldwide
An integrated mobile data, location intelligence, content experience, and retail purchase ecosystem enables brands and partners to seamlessly initiate personalized and valuable interactions with hard-to-reach Travelers.
With a marketplace in constant flux, brand leaders are looking to Advertising Week as the place to separate signal from noise, reconnect with peers, and walk away with insights that will actually move the needle.
OtterBox announced their brand mascot Ollie, a fun-loving otter, had gone missing. The brand put out an SOS on Instagram and encouraged OtterBox fans to join in the search via social media in the “Find Ollie” sweepstakes.
In a world where attention is fleeting and personalization is everything, experiential marketing agency Cinco is rewriting the rules of digital engagement.
DMEXCO has undergone an identity change in recent years, from Cologne’s answer to Cannes Lions with all the global hubbub it attracts, to a European-focused, business-first conference.
As the martech industry scrambles to designate the official method for elevating visibility in the AI era, too much energy is wasted sorting competing abbreviations. It’s time to make a choice.
Attribution on its own offers convenience. Incrementality on its own offers clarity. But in tandem, they create a feedback loop that’s both fast and grounded in reality.
Generative AI is changing how we create and share images, but also how we think about ownership, fairness and credibility.
Remember that SPO is an ongoing process – you’ll want to regularly review performance metrics, adjust bids and budgets based on performance, and test new inventory sources and partners.
Commerce media’s evolution is far from over, but it’s already clear that it is rewriting the playbook for what programmatic can and should be in the next era of digital advertising.
The market is moving toward systems that are more integrated, more intelligent, and more dependent on clean, connected data.
This era won’t be defined by commercial breaks or rented space alongside this new wave of entertainment — it will be about helping co-create it.
With the right data strategies in place, the TV advertising industry can mirror the agility of its audiences.
More than five decades later, Mr. Owl and the iconic ad are back in a newly refreshed “How Many Licks?” commercial.
The point isn’t to replace the platforms; it’s to widen the focus.
An AI-driven future creates challenges for agencies, especially when it upends the traditional pricing model. But it doesn’t have to be doom and gloom.
What grocery leaders need to do next? It’s about layering creativity, data, and technology into a self-reinforcing system:
The post-pandemic years have seen consumer expectations soar. They demand speed, convenience, and a seamless experience across every device and platform.
Marketing will taste like AI by 2030. A lot. Buckle up and make friends with these new tools. You will save money and time.
While Walmart’s announcement wasn’t the unlock it might seem, it does spotlight the challenges of an emerging space. And the urgency—and volatility—shaping the retail media landscape today.
Affiliate marketing has always been about partnership. That spirit needs to extend into how we define success, share data, and build for the future.
The outcomes era is about more than retail media inventory or a prioritization of bottom-of-the-funnel performance.
Businesspeople often see lawyers as overthinkers, formalists, and deal-delayers. That’s an unfair generalization; many attorneys just want their deals done.
Instead of asking “what’s the minimum we can do to get this out the door?”—ask “what’s the sharpest, most emotionally resonant idea we can build a world around for our brand?”
Experian’s Debbie Oates explains that there’s help on hand to understand the new tectonic shifts in the make-up of the average UK household, so marketers can avoid being left behind.
In-store audio delivers timely, persuasive messages when intent is already high, shortening the path to conversion and turning passive browsing into immediate action.
The bridge between marketing and finance isn’t built on a false sense of certainty, but on honest, measurable uncertainty that both teams can plan around.
Once you define the problems you solve and for whom, your people can show-up as focused experts not hopeful generalists.
If your brand isn’t building real connections through values, people, and purpose, you’ll be forgotten, no matter how brilliant your product is.
The best brands aren’t just reacting to decisions — they’re part of shaping them.
With improved carbon emissions accounting, updated metrics like ROSÉ we can immediately slow down – and hopefully reverse – our industry’s harmful environmental effects.
Brands need to move from risk aversion to value alignment. Stop worrying about backlash and start focusing on why you’re showing up.
The goal for any business should be to capture today’s demand while projecting and protecting a go‑to‑market narrative that is both clear and consistent.
If you love the Mediterranean fast casual chain Cava and consider yourself chronically online, you probably have some familiarity with their mascot, Peter Chip.
Even the Stat Card doesn’t explain the significance behind why this specific jar of mayonnaise weighs 1,913 pounds.
According to GWI’s insights on Gen Z’s key spending habits, in the world of gaming and digital media, many Gen Zers don’t hesitate to pay for the extras and customization they want.
Audiences have a very small tolerance for mediocrity, which is why banner blindness is so high – only the very best messages break through the clutter.
If we’re serious about the future of work, let’s escape the binary discourse and learn from the past six years to intentionally chart a more sustainable path forward together.
Advertisers today are navigating changes. The explosion of short-form video and Connected TV (CTV), the rise of AI-generated content and the fragmentation of platforms have made it harder to build reach, ensure quality and prove media value.
Given the growth of soccer as a sport that Americans are increasingly playing and watching, coupled with the local and summer sports marketing opportunities, marketers should be evaluating how they can score next summer with the FIFA World Cup.
The real question isn’t if you should use tactical AI, but how fast you can implement it while competitors are still stuck with spreadsheets.
If you’re a major brand or large agency considering starting an internal production offering, I see two main roads ahead of you.
Digital advertisers are well-versed in the practice of retargeting and the ability to reach consumers who have visited a certain site or looked at a product.
SaaS isn’t going away tomorrow, but its dominance is already under pressure. What’s coming next isn’t a new app. It’s a new paradigm. And the companies that embrace it early won’t just stay competitive. They’ll redefine what it means to compete.
In travel, where the experience is the product, those are the moments that matter. AI can’t create loyalty on its own, but when it’s used to create meaning, it changes everything.
Gaining consumer attention is a must for any brand, but in a more and more fragmented media world, the industry must seek fresh approaches to break through all the noise and clutter.
Branded experiences are no longer just “nice to have” — they’re essential for building relevance and loyalty in a saturated market.
We stand at a threshold where technological capability intersects with philosophical possibility.
When leveraged ethically and insightfully, social norms tap into the deep emotional wellsprings of behavioral change —creating room for people to feel more seen and aligned with their values.
The underbelly of programmatic has always had issues like these. Right now, this double game appears to be a remarkably common state of affairs among ad platforms and their clients, and I think it’s time we all looked at it a bit harder.
Viewers of Ralph Lauren’s first animated short film “The Polo Bear Chronicles: Operation Black Tie” can’t deny the Polo Bear has more je ne sais quoi than your average brand mascot.
Products (and charismatic CEOs for that matter) alone won’t protect businesses from the inevitable moments when something goes wrong – when tech falls behind, when consumer preferences change, or when market conditions evolve.
We asked loyalty and customer experience experts for their thoughts on how brands can design their loyalty schemes to stand out and maximize the chance of a return on investment.
Women’s sport is especially valuable for its ability to draw in new audiences by broadening the very definition of sports star for half of the population who have been historically underserved.
In 2025, 80% of women still can’t correctly identify a vulva on a diagram. That is a mind-blowing stat, and it’s frankly dangerous that we know so little about ourselves.
While our industry has talked a lot about the benefits of more relevant personalized ads, we haven’t addressed the reality. A whole lot of processes will be affected by creative tech.
The rules of influencer marketing are being rewritten this year.
Brands are more successful when they integrate naturally throughout the process, instead of just popping in and feeling like an ad drop.
Marketers: it’s time to stop debating and start doing. Stop pontificating. Start practicing. Practicality wins.
Characters Catch Feelings in Vita Coco’s “Mascot Love,” the First-Ever Dating Show For Brand Mascots
Beverage company Vita Coco made headlines in July when they announced the debut of “Mascot Love.” It’s their Love Island USA parody “where icons catch feelings” featuring Vita Coco’s own coconut water carton mascot Coco Man.
This year, Franken Berry, Count Chocula and Boo Berry have been brought to life as puppets in the Jim Henson universe to celebrate the company’s 70th anniversary.
AI in marketing isn’t here to just babysit your to-do list; it’s here to partner with your intuition.
Misinformation isn’t just a problem for users anymore — it’s a branding crisis. As media platforms scale back moderation, advertisers are being forced into the role of risk manager—whether they like it or not.
In this interview, McCagg shares insights on creating meaningful consumer connections, building seamless full-funnel experiences, and balancing technological innovation with authentic storytelling and performance benchmarks.
Those who recognize the direction of search and begin adapting to the evolving landscape now will be well-positioned to lead the industry into this next wave.
Before your brand ever said a word, it could have dropped a beat. Not just any beat — the beat.
What does it mean to create an activation that includes everyone? Ruth Mortimer, Global President of Advertising Week, shares her take and offers real examples to guide the way.
This is a living, breathing playbook for those who see experience as a core growth strategy that generates tangible value for brands.
By Horst Feldhaeuser, Infotools In a world awash in data, it’s easy to assume that…
The open web has a chance to enhance itself. The question is, will advertisers demand a contextual solution that’s built for the future, or settle for one muddling in the past?
We still call it social media, but the way people use these platforms today has nothing to do with being social.
While TV has traditionally been viewed as an upper-funnel activity, with the vast reach of broadcasters a perfect vehicle for driving brand awareness, thanks to these initiatives it is now fast becoming a full-funnel proposition.
By realizing that “nothing else matters” besides new customer acquisition, identifying your ideal customer profile, and deploying proven tactics to acquire more such customers, retailers can ensure their brand’s success, now and in the future.
With each generation having different wants and needs, only two stand out for getting along in the workplace, like a Boomer and their PowerPoint presentation. The two generations? Millennials and Gen Z.
From creative and strategy to experiential and digital, here’s how key voices from across the industry are interpreting the latest findings, and what they believe marketers must prioritise to navigate the road ahead.
In practice, asking whether outcomes or media quality is more important is like asking an athlete to choose between winning the race and prior training. You can’t really have one without the other.
Whether it’s a last-second game winner, a viral TikTok trend, or a breakout Twitch stream, the path to relevance is no longer about reach alone. It’s about resonance.
During Converge @ Cannes, a group of brand, media, and advocacy leaders broke down why abandoning the LGBTQ+ community is not just a moral failure—it’s a catastrophic business decision.
What role do brands play in shaping those emotions to begin with?
The content arms race isn’t going away. But if brands want to thrive—not just survive—it’s time to rethink the systems behind the stories.
Whether it’s through purpose-aligned storytelling, wellness-infused activations, or simply giving people permission to breathe, the most resonant brand experiences this year felt human.
The evidence is clear: companies need to invest in apps as a way to own relationships with existing customers and grow user acquisition initiatives.
Experiential marketing, at its best, is not a standalone tactic. It’s a strategic pillar that shapes perception, deepens engagement and fuels brand storytelling across every channel.
Mental health is no longer entirely taboo, but there’s always more to do. We’re on the right track, but we must push even harder to change hard-to-shake perceptions.
A sophisticated, multi-faceted approach is not just a future possibility but a present necessity for marketers seeking true impact and sustainable growth in a complex, non-clickable world.
Interactivity on CTV won’t scale on ambition alone. It requires thoughtful design, resilient infrastructure, and a relentless focus on the viewer.
As social media drives more of our culture, risk-taking will become a necessity that brands can’t afford to ignore.
Brands that succeed in the era of AI discovery built to be remembered by both people and machines. That’s what it means to be timeless now.
Adtech is the dynamic bridge connecting advertisers to tech-enabled audiences, constantly evolving with consumer behaviors and technological advancements.
With a cautious but optimistic approach, marketers can not only withstand the perfect storm; they can chart a path through it. Growth is still possible, even in the unpredictable economy of 2025 and beyond.
What if we told you these General Mills icons are partnering with The Jim Henson Company to celebrate the company’s 70th anniversary as cereal puppets?
Faster, fairer cash keeps risk-taking alive, funds better journalism, and ensures that the next big platform can be built in Shoreditch instead of Silicon Valley.
Legacy publishers have always known how to tell stories. But today, storytelling alone isn’t enough. To thrive, they must also engineer how that story is experienced across platforms, formats, and communities.
By moving beyond brand building messaging, retail media networks need to cultivate meaningful relationships with consumers, understanding their individual preferences and needs to deliver tailored content and offers.
The brands that thrive on social won’t be the ones chasing trends or chasing likes. They’ll be the ones that connect content to commercial impact and prove it.
The marketers who take the time to understand, respect, and speak directly to women—across generations—are the ones who will build loyalty, love, and long-term market share.
How does a company like Old El Paso, which has previously never had its own brand icon before, get into the mascot game? Find out!
Consumer AI is no longer a nice-to-have—it’s central to everyday life. But monetization lags: this is marketing’s moment to bridge utility with emotional connection.
For marketers in the retail sector, the implication is clear: to drive engagement, build credibility, and foster loyalty, it’s time to rethink the role of the mall in your strategy.
As your brand looks to the future, know who you are, stand strong by your value commitments, and don’t fall into the trap of risking long-term brand meaning.
We work in an industry that shapes how people experience the world, and we know that comes with responsibility. Let’s bravely think about what we can do about loneliness.
The future of brand growth depends on how well we illuminate, support, and activate the mid-funnel. That’s where minds are changed. That’s where momentum is built.
If marketers are going to consistently see less traffic from Google, then ensuring more of their existing traffic converts is paramount – especially as relying on paid traffic is inherently inflationary and difficult to predict.
In a world where AI can churn out content in seconds and mimic nearly any tone, one thing remains irreplaceable: lived human experience. Emotion isn’t coded — it’s felt.
We’re entering a new era—one where simplicity, speed, and measurable results matter more than scale alone. And with today’s tools, they’re achievable.
The 50+ population isn’t just weathering economic anxiety — they’re thriving in it.
Even if only a small portion of viewers stick around for a 15-minute video ad, that group becomes more clearly defined as high-intent users.
Lasting impact comes from seeing customers as individuals and designing experiences that reflect how they actually engage. That’s how brands stay in tune—and stay in business.
When internal marketing teams have access to platforms that can concept, launch and optimize campaigns in real time, the question becomes: what value is the agency adding?
We sat down with Cindy Chow of Alibaba during Viva Tech in Paris, to discuss about the future of commerce and retail, in light of what AI does and can do. Here is our exchange.
The streaming revolution is far from over. In fact, with these new tools and strategies, it’s only just beginning and we have built the engine to power this.
The competition is no longer just about selling products; it’s about owning the digital real estate where consumers spend their time and attention.
The internet first met Sarah V on May 22, 2025, through skincare brand CeraVe’s social media accounts on Instagram and TikTok.
Latino US Day has cemented its role as one of the most meaningful and strategic moments within the Cannes Lions Festival — celebrating the power, presence, and progress of Latino talent across the creative and marketing industries.
The future of marketing leadership will depend on professionals who can assess AI output critically, flag hallucinations, and blend automation with human insight and judgment.
The integration of shopping into discovery-driven environments is making the path to purchase more intuitive, entertaining, and, ultimately, more effective.
Are you attracting customers or just collecting contacts? By Danny Shepherd, CEO of Intero Digital…
Brands that lead with clarity and courage will win the next decade. Not because it’s trendy. Because it’s true.
The sentiment at Cannes was one of grounded optimism. There’s growing alignment around the need for outcomes, better measurement, and AI integration.
The BBC just dropped its campaign for the UEFA Women’s Euros 2025, and it’s not just a promo — it’s a pulse-check on the future of football.
Is technology going to help us all to be healthier and, especially, more caring, as we deploy advancements like GenAI and AI agents?
We are heading toward a future where a headless martech ecosystem, built on four to six interconnected platforms and orchestrated by AI agents, could run multi-billion-dollar campaigns with just two or three operators.
True curation could begin behind the scenes, by shaping impressions at the placement level, by dynamically adapting pricing to specific buyer needs, and by processing decisions at scale.
Let’s focus on what matters: insights fueled by data, strategy that responds to human needs, creative that connects emotionally, and measurement that proves we are on the right path.
During Advertising Week’s panel “Prime Time for Outcomes and Creativity,” co-hosted by Happydemics and Olyzon, experts from brands, adtech, and measurement shared how CTV is becoming a critical channel.
For retailers, understanding the vast capabilities of in-store display screens, as well as the unique data sets available within the store, should enable them to offer brands much more.
PopIcon tracked down the six stop-motion animated “Must Cinnadust” spots on Vimeo and watched them all.
Today, brands must focus not just on the stories they tell, but on how they make people feel – and why they matter. For Gen Z, this means stories that are visually bold, co-created, culturally tuned and tech-enhanced – with substance at their core.
The brands that endure are those designed to be both valuable and resilient — to attract investment today and withstand disruption tomorrow.
By Christina Cubeta, CMO at Scope3 In 1954, the first International Advertising Festival was launched…
Taylor Swift didn’t just reclaim her masters, she rewrote the modern marketing playbook.
The transformation of Westfield World Trade Center’s media network illustrates a new era in out-of-home advertising in transit hubs: one where technology, immersive art, and brand identity converge to create dynamic, high-impact experiences.
Whether you’re looking for a good laugh, some design inspiration, or a stellar brand partnership, here are 10 LGBTQIA+ creators I personally can’t wait to work with.
The challenges of globalization are not insurmountable, but they require a strategic approach that balances local knowledge with global ambitions.
Your social presense, the signals, stories, platforms, and people that link you to your audience, is your commercial advantage. But only if you build it intentionally.
As you demand work of your teams, leaders: do what you can to make the work align with what they truly care about. There is the crux of work being labor and work being creative. We are both.
We asked leading voices from across the creative landscape what they’ll be watching for on the Croisette.
Ultimately, data should empower decision-making, not complicate it. Marketers don’t need more numbers; they need the right intelligence and the right timelines.
It’s no surprise then that B2B companies with a strong brand command a 46% higher market share and can often charge a premium.
As ongoing interactions lead to higher levels of trust, AI companies can begin to come together and foster the synergy needed to develop effective security solutions.
An Exclusive Celebration of U.S. Latino Power in Marketing and Creativity!
Being valuably different, and not focused on being better, is the key to being a brand that stands the test of time.
The message is clear: programmatic audio is no longer a niche channel.
It’s clear that the consumer information paradigm will continue to shift. The question is: Is your audience data strategy ready to keep up?
Whether it is Hollywood, Madison Avenue or Wall Street, it all starts with a great idea. That is what networks are looking for – something new, different and unique.
Privacy isn’t something happening to advertising; it’s happening to consumers, impacting them in ways they may not even realise, sometimes as simply as the browser they’re using.
The ad market may be facing economic challenges, but connected TV is bucking the trend. Advertisers here can forge a path of their own, delivering rich, at-home and interactive experiences to audiences hungry for more.
So if your current creator strategy still hinges on the loudest voice or the biggest audience, it might be time to turn the page. Because the tastemakers are back. And they’re already shaping what’s next.
As Cannes Lions 2025 kicks off, one thing is certain: the conversations won’t just shape headlines, but help define the next chapter of advertising. Industry experts weigh in.
Marketers should have more confidence in their ability to demonstrate how their brand influences pricing.
You either have health and wellness value in your brand or you don’t. If you do, then it’s time to determine how to incorporate this into your brand marketing and PR.
YouTube isn’t falling short on investment on its own accord. It’s just being under leveraged by systems that were built for a different era of media.
Creators are not just amplifiers of culture, they are efficient, scalable, and sales-driving partners. And the data proves it. But only if we treat them like the media force they’ve become and measure them accordingly.
The next wave of media buying won’t be layered on top of our tools. It’ll be built into their core.
Auto buyers aren’t just scrolling; they’re searching, comparing, and deciding. And some of the most influential moments in that journey increasingly happen beyond the walled gardens.
Q&A with José Antonio Martínez Aguilar (JAMA), Global CEO of Making Science
Over the past decade, influencer marketing has grown from a fringe experiment to a cornerstone of brand strategy. The human element of this business is at risk of being overshadowed by the allure of AI.
Scaling a small business isn’t about just keeping up—it’s about recalibrating everything on the fly, without losing what made your brand matter in the first place.
The city of Akron, Ohio was treated to a once-in-a-lifetime sight on June 3, 2025. The 100th anniversary of the first-ever Goodyear blimp flight in 1925 was celebrated with all three Goodyear Blimps taking to the skies together.
The current economic uncertainty presents brave brands with a golden opportunity to stand out from the crowd.
Emotional intelligence puts the human back in marketing, helping brands cut through biases and connect meaningfully.
By embracing this role and the principles of data storytelling, we can create more impactful, persuasive, and memorable campaigns.
When platforms extract value from communities without consent or reciprocity, they recreate the logics of empire.
On this International Day of Women’s Health, we’re not just acknowledging the challenges – we’re spotlighting the voices of women who are transforming their experiences into action to change the future of the workforce.
By tapping into emotions of ‘play’ ‘pleasure-seeking’ ‘belonging’ and significantly we have the opportunity to shift these fans to the ‘passionate’ end of the scale, which will ultimately provide a more substantial commercial opportunity.
Digital marketing is powered by fossil fuels. It’s time we started counting the clicks that cost the planet.
AI will give us speed and knowledge. Brands need to decide how to use these super-powers. And that’s a profoundly human decision.
It’s time to step out of Google’s shadow, be proactive and start delivering truly game-changing omnichannel advertising.
IF we care about accuracy, transparency and effectiveness, we must adopt a model that gives credit where credit is due. One that reflects the real contributions of each channel, including those without IDs.
By focusing solely on the spectacle of top creators, marketers are missing out on the true engine of influence within gaming: the vast, peer-to-peer networks and digital communities that quietly dominate the creator economy.
The question is, where might Amazon further grow those ad dollars? Some have speculated that Amazon’s recent decision to launch an AI-driven Alexa+ service may pave the way for an ad-tiered Alexa experience.
Connected TV is revolutionising the media landscape, driving digital transformation and shifting viewer behaviour. As a look at the recent TV Upfronts shows, its impact is set to reshape advertising in its own image.
Where do you start when designing event formats that resonate across different markets while honouring different countries’ cultures?
As Newsweek continues to evolve, its vision remains steadfast: to set the benchmark for trusted journalism in the digital age.
As AI will help us do our current job better and better, my wish for all of us, humans, is to be knowledge seekers, social capitalists and challengers. Always.
Consumers are looking for brands to help them reduce negative consumption behaviours and guide experiences to make sustainable living easier.
Snapchat lets brands connect with audiences in a way that feels personal, interactive, and natural, like chatting with a friend. In an age of polished perfection, that kind of authenticity is what truly converts.
Planning around propensity, not persona, means the messaging is more relevant and consistent from the very top of the funnel to the bottom. Not brand or performance – just marketing, executed with purpose.
The tired consumer isn’t unreachable. Reach them with a tangible shift towards respect and understanding. If you can be that kind of brand, you’ll matter—now and long after the headlines shift.
Though AI will never replace creativity, there are plenty of areas where it does excel over humans—like identifying patterns, predictive modeling, or processing massive amounts of data.
Keebler has announced the return of the Hollow Tree via a new activation starting May 7 and coinciding with the launch of the new E.L. Fudge Choco Vanilla cookies.
There are a number of factors advertisers can change, and they all add up to a dramatic improvement in CTV ad relevance.
Push forward, stay aggressive but flexible and always know the sun will rise tomorrow, even if ROAS doesn’t.
We sat down with Rob Rakowitz, Head of Marketing at Vidmob, to talk about how CMOs can find a path through current economic challenges, and why creative data is so important to brand growth and competitive leadership.
Automation has opened up incredible possibilities for marketing teams. But with great power comes great risk of sounding like every other brand in the feed.
Brand safety isn’t just about protecting your reputation—it’s about empowering your brand to thrive, innovate, and lead with confidence.
By creating connective tissue between message, medium, and moment, we unlock the kind of storytelling that earns attention and action.
The real question isn’t whether brands should embrace unhinged marketing. It’s how far they’re willing to go.
In an era dominated by endless short-form content streams, algorithm-driven feeds and AI-generated matter, people aren’t just tired – they’re tuning out.
Smart automation choices amplify human capabilities, turning good content strategies into great ones through consistent execution and data-driven refinement.
We sat down with the Maestro, for a few questions about him and an industry in desperate need of change, if it wants to survive and serve global fans, the broader community and the planet.
We spoke with industry experts to explore how sensory marketing can breathe new life into customer interactions.
Whether at spring time or at any time throughout the year, it is important for marketers and their legal and compliance colleagues to plan regular check-ins to review and refresh their mobile marketing program compliance, ensuring this powerful marketing tool is set up for success.
An always-on content strategy—which reflects a brand’s values—is key toward ensuring you stay connected with audiences so they feel top-of-mind.
Google’s latest announcement on the future of third-party cookies has sparked a mixture of frustration and renewed urgency across the ad tech sector. We asked leading technology and media experts for their responses to Google’s decision.
Here, steps you can take to shift from generalized, siloed effort towards specific, shared impact.
Playable ads are a game-changer, offering an interactive, memorable experience that not only captures attention but also drives real ROI for advertisers.
AI is rewriting how marketing work gets done. But unless we think critically about who benefits, we risk reinforcing old inequalities with new technology.
We are no longer at the beginning of the AI journey. We are in the development phase. AI is being integrated into the foundation of every modern business, improving how work gets done and value gets created.
Tried-and-true tactics like upfronts still have a place, but more nimble buying can help brands sustain the kind of performance they need to thrive.
Choosing the right MMM tool requires balancing cost, usability, and analytical depth. By carefully evaluating these factors, you can select an MMM partner that aligns with your business objectives and enhances marketing effectiveness through data-driven decision-making.
By deepening their understanding of youth passions and fandoms, marketers can foster engagement that is not only meaningful in the present but also lays the groundwork for future brand affinity.
