45% of B2B marketers worldwide are prioritizing investment in AI-powered marketing tools for 2026, according to an August 2025 report from Content Marketing Institute.
Nielsen and Lionsgate are broadening their partnership to incorporate measurement of MovieSphere, Lionsgate’s free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) channel, and its digital network MovieSphere Gold. Understanding the overlap and unique reach of FAST and OTA helps advertisers optimize media strategies and gain a more complete view of campaign performance.
Nine in 10 US consumers are open to watching TikTok-style vertical clips on publisher sites, according to a new survey from Media.net, pointing the way to how audiences consume content and where brands can meet them. Clips shorter than 60 seconds deliver roughly 2.5x higher engagement, per Media.net. By offering targeted vertical video on their websites and mobile apps, publishers can ramp up engagement and time spent. Brands integrating in-stream ads and links on these websites and apps could open up a new funnel for engagement.
On today’s podcast episode, we discuss what makes Dollar General Media Network unique, how it's approaching measurement, and what it’s focusing on for next year. Join Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson, Principal Analyst Sarah Marzano, and Vice President and General Manager of DG Media Network, Austin Leonard. Listen everywhere, and watch on YouTube and Spotify.
As AI increasingly powers everything from holiday ads to product recommendations, retailers face a critical balancing act between efficiency and authenticity. "The question isn't if retailers will use AI, it's how they'll keep using it and maintain the human touch along the way," said host Suzy Davidkhanian on a recent episode of “Behind the Numbers.”
As more brands build retail media networks (RMNs) to connect advertisers with shoppers, the once experimental channel has grown pivotal to marketers. US retail media search ad spending alone is projected to rake in $38.42 billion this year, according to our March 2025 forecast.
Consumer concerns over AI scams are rising, as three-quarters of UK adults believe AI advancements have made online scams more difficult to identify, per Barclays. Just 36% of UK consumers are confident they could spot an AI scam. As consumers wade through scams to find legitimate retail sites, ecommerce marketers should review brand search results, monitor social mentions, earn trust through About and FAQ pages, and advertise with caution on social media sites.
New Apple research points to the iPhone company pairing large language models (LLMs) with traditional sensors to build a more precise understanding of what a user is doing in real time. It’s likely to show up in sensor-enabled smartphones, computers, and smart home hubs hinged on ambient intelligence. Brands should explore how to design for moments, not messages. Build content and promotions that surface organically depending on a user’s activity, be it cooking, commuting, or exercising—so brands show up when it matters most.
The Omnicom-IPG merger has cleared its last obstacle after the European Commission—the last market whose approval was needed—officially granted greenlit the acquisition. Omnicom and IPG overcoming the final barrier to merge offers the potential for more comprehensive and efficient services—but also introduces new risks related to talent retention and creative diversity.
Google has officially begun showing ads in its AI Mode search engine after announcing a rollout earlier this year. Google’s early testing of ads in AI Mode suggests that AI-driven search placements are beginning to take shape and may ultimately unlock new revenue potential. But with performance still unproven, advertisers should track developments closely while resisting the urge to invest heavily before the format demonstrates clear value.
OpenAI faces rising pressure from Google’s Gemini 3 because of its improved performance and multimodal functionality in text, sound, vision, video, and coding tasks. Meanwhile, new data shows that ChatGPT drives far less traffic to publishers than expected. Gemini 3’s leap forward and ChatGPT’s diminishing user clicks force brands to rethink how they show up in a world where answers live inside the model, not on the open web. Optimizing for generative engines now and focusing on answer-ready content will drive traffic, monetization, and attribution later as more engagement happens inside AI rather than after clicks.
A new study shows that while commerce media enthusiasm is high, actual readiness is far lower. Nearly half of respondents believe they are operationalized, yet only 13% qualify as advanced across leadership, technology, and measurement. Most fall into nascent or emerging categories, limited by siloed workflows, manual creative processes, and fragmented data systems that prevent closed-loop attribution. Advertisers seeking accountable, performance-driven programs may be surprised by how few networks can truly support scaled, automated operations. The findings highlight a widening gap between ambition and capability—and the need for unified data, automation, and clearer measurement.
The New York Times is posting advertising momentum as its proprietary AI stack reshapes how marketers reach premium audiences. Q3 ad revenues climbed 11.8%, with digital ads rising more than 20% and generative AI tool BrandMatch now powering more than 150 campaigns. NYT’s first-party data engine interprets emotional cues, reading patterns, and topic affinities to deliver precise contextual placements—fueling strong campaign lift for partners such as Crown Publishing and Belmond. With 11.76 million digital subscribers and a diversified product suite, NYT’s fully owned ecosystem gives it targeting capabilities most publishers cannot replicate.
The share of US adults who say quality materials define luxury dropped from 55% in 2021 to 49% in 2025, while those citing 'expensive' as the defining trait rose from 52% to 62%, according to an October report from Ipsos.
Authenticity (35%) and track record (32%) are the top two factors US adults consider when deciding which online product reviewers to trust, according to Ipsos data from October 2025.
The IAB’s 2025 Creator Economy report shows creator marketing has become a full-fledged media channel—one projected to reach $37.1 billion in spend next year, growing 26% YoY and outpacing the broader ad market by a factor of four. Nearly half of advertisers now call creators a must-buy, yet workflows remain fragmented across budgets, discovery tools, and measurement systems. With AI accelerating both production and complexity, the report lays out the emerging mandate: treat creator marketing as its own discipline with centralized budgets, standardized vetting, unified measurement, and formal AI governance. For marketers, real performance now requires real structure.
Google is innovating its AI image generation capabilities for advertisers with the release of “Nano Banana Pro.” The tool enables advanced creative capabilities for ads, enhancing brands’ ability to generate and edit images using AI in Google Ads. AI is set to deliver increasing value to advertisers as creative capabilities evolve and consumers generally grow more comfortable with its role in marketing.
Australia’s ban on social media accounts for under-16s, which will take effect on December 10, is the clearest signal yet that the youth web is being rebuilt. Under the new rules, platforms will be compelled to block or remove minors or face fines up to AUD 49.5 million ($32.6 million)—a world first that other governments are watching closely, per The BBC. Brands will need to future-proof their playbooks by looking at alternatives like connected TV (CTV), offline events and sponsorships, and other privacy-safe campaigns.