With 95% of gamers active weekly, brands that balance ad quality and compliance can gain lasting recall.
Threads and WhatsApp ads are growing as novelty draws interest, but lasting ad spend hinges on better, platform-native formats.
As audiences show a preference for user-generated content in ads, brands have an opportunity to showcase credibility across social advertising strategies.
Marketers across categories are calling for simpler, more intuitive advertising systems after years of growing fragmentation and technical overload. In interviews with EMARKETER, leaders from Criteo, LiveRamp, Reddit, Vistar Media, StackAdapt, and DoorDash all described a shift toward platforms that reduce effort, unify workflows, and provide clearer decision making. Buyers want fewer interfaces, standardized KPIs, easier activation, and more transparent insight into where ads run. The message is consistent: performance pressure amplifies the value of operational clarity. As the industry moves into 2026, platforms that eliminate friction—rather than add features—will gain share, while marketers who choose simplicity will gain speed and efficiency.
45% of creators say working with a high-quality brand is their top priority when considering a brand deal, according to a July 2025 survey from Ipsos and Publicis Media.
Most viewers pause for 1 to 5 minutes, offering extended periods for non-intrusive ads likely to drive action.
It makes AI central to Search, Android, and Chrome, but integration might invite antitrust scrutiny.
With surging TV screen time and a 15% YoY ad boost, YouTube is pulling ahead of Netflix in the streaming race.
Smart fridges, idle TVs, and gaming consoles are becoming the next frontier in contextual, at-home ad delivery.
In a year marked by platform volatility, AI acceleration, tariff shocks, and shifting consumer behavior, marketers searched for clarity across EMARKETER’s most-read topics. The top 10 themes reflect where advertiser attention truly moved in 2025. These trends captured the forces reshaping performance, discovery, and measurement: AI-driven optimization, creator-centric social ecosystems, commerce-led advertising, and CTV’s rise as the new premium video default. Together, they tell the story of a market recalibrating around efficiency, accountability, and cultural relevance as marketers prepared their 2026 strategies.
From tariffs to AI layoffs, retailers and consumers are flying blind and forced to adapt on the fly.
Advertisers must understand what makes influencer marketing effective and prioritize vetting to combat distrust.
Consumers increase support for brands who stand by LGBTQ+ initiatives, and advertisers who back away face challenges in reaching the next wave of consumers.
Major shifts from aging cohorts to rising media time and uneven AI adoption set the stage for another unpredictable year. Here are five charts to help your business understand these changes and kick-start the new year.
Winning in AI-driven discovery means optimizing for clarity, structure, and machine readability—not just SEO.
Nvidia’s pivot to platform play and sovereign cloud deals made it the control layer for the AI economy in 2025.
AI took over search, ads, and discovery in 2025 as YouTube and CTV became the new centers of gravity for consumers and marketers. Our top 20 stories of the year highlight an evolution toward an AI-first world where attention and advantage move faster than ever.
Tech titans invest in each other, accelerating AI buildouts—but the loop may snap under pressure or regulation
New data shows traditional SEO success no longer guarantees visibility inside generative AI answers. Ahrefs found that fewer than 9% of ChatGPT and Gemini citations come from URLs ranked in Google’s top 10 results—meaning more than 90% of high-ranking organic pages never appear in AI responses. Instead, LLMs lean heavily on community-driven sources like Reddit, YouTube, Wikipedia, Yelp, and TripAdvisor, dramatically reshaping early-stage discovery. With LLM usage exceeding one billion monthly users, brands that do not participate in open forums risk disappearing from AI-mediated journeys. Marketers must treat GEO as a distinct discipline, not an extension of SEO.
The most impactful ads of 2025 stirred debate and dollars: From Sydney Sweeney to Katseye to Coca-Cola.