Highwire developed the AI Index, a tool that helps marketing and communications professionals understand how their brands show up in genAI search, per a press release. AI Index benchmarks brand appearances across genAI engines, including OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Anthropic’s Claude, and Google’s Gemini. SEO shouldn’t be tossed by the wayside just yet, but as genAI matures, tools like Highwire Index can help brands navigate changes in search. To boost brand visibility in AI engines, marketers should focus on user-generated content and building brand affinity across social, community-driven platforms.
Direct-to-consumer TV advertising doubled the collective sales of many of the largest pharma TV advertisers across the last three years, per a recent analysis by VAB. Big Pharma’s large TV ad budgets are still paying off despite the industry-wide shift towards digital. The VAB findings highlight TV’s ability to generate brand awareness that also fuels downstream digital engagement.
Podcasts are emerging as the most credible, persuasive arm of the creator economy. According to Acast, 84% of listeners have changed their mind because of a podcaster, yet 75% don’t view them as influencers—proof that credibility, not celebrity, fuels podcast influence. Two-thirds of listeners say they’ve purchased something a host recommended. Despite the rise of video, most podcast engagement remains audio-first, underscoring the medium’s intimacy and staying power. For advertisers, podcasts offer a rare trifecta—attention, authenticity, and conversion—at a time when influencer fatigue and algorithmic feeds erode audience trust elsewhere.
Media effectiveness platform DoubleVerify rolled out streaming TV products on Thursday designed to improve transparency and advertising quality in connected TV (CTV). DV’s new tools offer hope to marketers who are relying on CTV more amid shifting viewing habits but who struggle with placement and measurement.
Podcast advertising is maturing into an attractive and reliable channel for repeat advertisers and strategic testing. US podcast ad spending in Q3 grew 26% YoY, per Magellan AI’s Q3 Podcast Advertising Benchmark Report. Ad loads have held steady at around 8% for five straight quarters, reflecting balance between monetization and user experience. CMOs should capitalize on podcasts’ potential for high recall and context-rich storytelling. Start by finding the best shows and hosts for placements and adapting marketing materials from social or print to fit audio channels.
After more than a year of AI stumbles, Apple will reportedly pay Google $1 billion annually to use a custom-built version of Gemini, Google’s flagship AI model, to power a next-generation Siri—marking one of Apple’s boldest AI moves yet, per Bloomberg. A smarter Gemini-infused Siri could redefine how users find information, products, and services—shifting search and ad engagement from text to voice. For marketers and advertisers, this means adapting quickly to a world where voice agents become the new gatekeepers of attention.
As marketers navigate complex legal, ethical, and operational minefields around user privacy concerns, consent and preference management platforms (CPMPs) can streamline processes and build customer trust. In a conversation with EMARKETER, Donna Dror, CEO of consent management platform Usercentrics, highlighted the importance of privacy-led marketing to obtain higher-quality data, stay compliant, and protect brand image. To make privacy a priority, not an afterthought, brands should integrate consent tools into marketing workflows, audit data sources regularly, and communicate clearly how user data is being accessed and used.
Worldwide Gen Z interns at Goldman Sachs favor no AI over AI-only assistance across most categories, with 54% rejecting AI altogether in creative work, according to an August Goldman Sachs survey.
In this podcast episode, we discuss what makes this season unique for the beauty category, what “creating magic” looks like during the holidays when every brand is fighting for attention, and how brands can build real loyalty when discounts dominate the conversation. Listen to the discussion with Vice President of Content and host, Suzy Davidkhanian, Principal Analyst, Sky Canaves, and Head of Marketing for Bluemercury, Minyi Su.
Sony AI released the Fair Human-Centric Image Benchmark (FHIBE), a freely available image data set to test AI fairness using images from 2,000 volunteers across 80 countries—all consent-based and removable on request, per Engadget. Independent data sets like FHIBE give marketers, platforms, and regulators a common reference point for evaluating AI performance. That helps brands prove compliance, reduce reputational risk, and speed up adoption of trustworthy automation. Tools like FHIBE could excise bias and rebuild trust in how AI sees—and represents—people in marketing and advertising processes.
Artificial intelligence now shapes how insights are gathered and applied. Over the past year, nearly all US market researchers (98%) have used generative AI, and 72% use it at least once a day, per a new Harris Poll–QuestDIY survey. AI’s speed and scale have replaced early skepticism, even as trust continues to lag behind. Brands adopting AI should build oversight and human judgment into their marketing pipelines to guarantee that every automated insight passes the test of accuracy, transparency, and brand integrity.
After years of athleisure dominating closets, denim jeans are back in the spotlight. As brands reinvest in fit, quality, and cultural relevance, the US denim market is set to reach $21.5 billion by 2028, according to Euromonitor International.
Coca-Cola is putting out another AI-generated holiday advertisement, its second after an AI ad campaign last year that drew mixed reactions from audiences. While attitudes toward AI in ads are mixed, smaller brands are at a higher risk of receiving negative impacts from creating ads entirely using AI.
More companies are looking to shed underperforming assets or overhaul their business structures to strengthen their businesses in an uncertain environment. Yum, Starbucks, and AB Foods are among those either looking to sell or restructure to better position themselves for growth. With the global economy on increasingly shaky footing due to geopolitical tensions and trade disputes, it’s no surprise that companies are moving to mitigate risk either by slimming down or seeking partners to help extract greater strategic value from their assets.
Nintendo reported blockbuster financial performance for its most recent quarterly earnings, with revenues surging over 90% YoY and profits rising more than 270%, per CNBC. This growth is largely driven by the successful launch of its Switch 2 flagship console, which debuted in June. As gaming consumption shifts to handheld and hybrid devices, brands should explore partnerships and placements that align with Nintendo’s highly curated experiences rather than disrupt it. Because Switch 2 and its games are ad-free, brands can engage players through co-branded campaigns, limited-edition content, and cross-platform tie-ins on Twitch, Discord, YouTube, and social media.
The race to succeed Twitter is maturing into a two-lane race. Meta’s Threads has surged to 150 million daily active users, per Meta, while decentralized rival Bluesky has climbed to 40 million users, per TechCrunch. The post-Twitter world is segmenting. Threads offers scale and a burgeoning ad ecosystem, but Bluesky might be better for more organic brand engagement with specific user groups. For brands, the opportunity lies in balance: Use Threads for audience growth and measurable performance and Bluesky to test tone, voice, and authenticity. Together, they offer a preview of where digital conversation and brand storytelling are headed next.
Consumers (68%) and senior marketers (75%) expressed an increasingly positive outlook on the possibilities of generative AI this year, according to a September report from Kantar.
ChatGPT now handles more than 2 billion queries daily from 190 million users, per MarTech. The chatbot has transcended novelty and become a decision-stage search companion. Nearly 80% of US ChatGPT users treat it like a search engine, per a new Adobe survey. Influence now hinges on how brands appear within genAI—not just in Google Search results or on social media. This adds another layer of complexity for brand managers while unlocking opportunities for real-time content optimization and risk monitoring.
On today’s podcast episode, we discuss the big 3 questions surrounding Netflix in Q3 and beyond: expectations for its ad business, the impact of Netflix House, a new deal with Spotify, or something else? Join Senior Director of Podcasts and host, Marcus Johnson, Senior Analyst, Ross Benes, and Senior Editor of Briefings, Daniel Konstantinovic. Listen everywhere and watch on YouTube and Spotify.
Disney channels, including ESPN and ABC, have officially been removed from leading pay TV platform YouTube TV after Disney and Google failed to resolve a distribution dispute. Even as YouTube TV gives subscribers access to a large number of non-Disney channels, its ad effectiveness could be harmed without as broad of a sports portfolio—necessitating cautious investment.