Samsung Ads and AdGood have launched a partnership enabling nonprofits to advertise on connected TV for the first time at scale. Samsung will donate ad inventory from its free streaming service, Samsung TV Plus, to AdGood’s nonprofit exchange, allowing mission-driven organizations to reach viewers across premium streaming environments. The initiative reflects a broader shift in the CTV ecosystem—where unused inventory and automation are being repurposed to advance social impact, equity, and accessibility in digital media.
Hulu + Live TV and Fubo have struck a deal that will see the streaming platforms merge into a live TV streaming business after initially announcing an acquisition in January. Brands will benefit from access to growing subscribers and vast sports audiences that increasingly embrace digital, as the platforms combine scale with innovative ad formats.
A growing cohort of companies, including Next PR, Parcel Perform, and Geostar, is helping brands optimize their generative engine presence, ensuring that content surfaces in queries from consumers seeking recommendations and new products. Marketers should consider their brands’ strategic goals—whether it’s driving conversions or boosting visibility of web content—and identify the GEO partners that best align with them. As genAI tools become more mainstream for consumer discovery, proactive optimization is key to stay relevant and manage reputation in AI outputs.
Amid pressure to establish better child safety guardrails in the AI industry, Character AI will block users under 18 from chatting with bots on its platform. Starting November 25, minors will only be able to generate photos and images with safety limits in place and review prior chats. As regulatory and safety concerns rise, advertisers face greater scrutiny when looking to reach younger audiences. CMOs should assess brand alignment with AI platforms and, on platforms that have the potential to pose a safety risk for children, shift efforts to target adults users.
Heading into peak season, D2C ecommerce professionals are as concerned about technology limitations as they are about tariffs (37%), according to a July survey from Passport and Drive Research.
Adobe announced an expansion of its GenStudio at its Adobe MAX conference today, with updates including key AI innovations and new ad partner integrations. Advertising teams are faced with a landscape that increasingly relies on genAI for key processes once handled by humans.
Pinterest announced AI-powered updates for its boards feature on Monday, with a new look and upgrades aimed at offering users a more personalized and relevant experience. With Pinterest now capable of picking up more subtle signals about user interests, including their aesthetics and preferred boards, advertisers can now better appear in contexts that are more aligned with user mindsets.
Streaming ad revenues continued a growth trajectory in Q3 while national linear TV spend shrunk, per a recent MoffetNathanson Research forecast. A successful advertising strategy will understand the increasing need to invest in cross-platform campaigns in the digital age.
Streaming music is gaining momentum as radio starts to lose share in the ad-supported audio listening market. Fifteen percent of audio listening time goes to ad-supported streaming audio, per Nielsen’s The Record report, up 36.4% YoY. Radio’s share dropped 5 percentage points YoY to 62%. Marketers should diversify audio spend by incrementally shifting dollars from radio to streaming to follow the ears as listening time shifts platforms. Test creative formats like interactive audio—including shoppable ads or tap-to-engage spots—to boost engagement and brand recall.
"In this world of filters and celebrities and influencers, what I'm seeing is that people are wanting something that feels real," said Patrick Buchanan, SVP of marketing at Lulus on a recent episode of “Behind the Numbers.” "When they hear stories that feel like their own or see people who look like they're in a similar life stage, you see people relating to that."
Elon Musk’s X has lost another key figure in its advertising business, with ad chief John Nitti announcing his departure last week after joining just ten months ago, per the Financial Times. Another key loss signals that X’s ad strategy remains turbulent—and until its AI-powered ad focus proves valuable, ad investment should be executed with an air of caution.
Coca-Cola and Hershey’s are redefining what innovation looks like for century-old brands. Both companies are building repeatable systems for creativity rather than chasing trends. Coca-Cola created a proprietary AI-driven design system that converts brand rules into machine-readable code, allowing global teams to scale creative consistency instantly. Hershey’s built feedback loops that turn employee empathy and standardized KPIs into actionable insights. Together, they illustrate how legacy CPGs can combine data discipline with creative freedom—using structure to accelerate, not stifle, imagination. Innovation, they argue, isn’t chaos; it’s a system you can build.
OpenAI will reportedly expand its portfolio to include genAI music tools, per The Information. The company is said to be collecting data, such as annotated music scores, from Juilliard School students to develop and refine upcoming music-generation tools. CMOs should assess their tech infrastructure to ensure that teams have the skills and systems to integrate new AI tools smoothly. Maintain agency relationships amid AI-generated audio experimentation to keep human creativity in the loop and retain oversight as AI adoption heats up.
On today’s podcast episode, we discuss how WNBA viewership did the year after the ‘Caitlin Clark Effect’ hit the league, what social media will do to full-game viewership growth, and what advertisers should be paying attention to most amidst this surge in women’s sports. Join Senior Director of Podcasts and host, Marcus Johnson, and Analysts Marisa Jones and Paola Flores-Marquez. Listen everywhere and watch on YouTube and Spotify.
Holding company WPP launched WPP Open Pro on Thursday, a self-serve AI tool piloted by Google and other clients that creates ad campaigns from start to finish in a push to attract small businesses. WPP’s newest move means marketers can continue to expect greater automation, cost savings, and a shift in agency relationships.
For its latest campaign, BMW is using celebrity storytelling and music to raise awareness for its certified pre-owned program, which the automaker says remains underrecognized among potential buyers.
YouTube TV could lose access to Disney networks October 30, including ESPN, Disney Channel, and ABC, as Google and Disney enter a deal-renewal standoff. YouTube TV will become an increasingly risky investment for advertisers if a deal is not reached by the deadline, especially as advertisers turn to sports as a key channel to reach vast audiences but struggle with sports rights fragmentation.
Spectrum Reach and Waymark are scaling their AI-powered creative partnership, which has already supported over 15,000 ad campaigns for small and midsize businesses. The collaboration blends Spectrum Reach’s data-driven media targeting with Waymark’s AI video creation tools, enabling broadcast-quality commercials in minutes. The expansion comes as 55% of US small businesses now use AI, up from 39% last year. Together, Spectrum Reach and Waymark are redefining local advertising, proving AI can make creative faster, smarter, and fairer.
On today’s podcast episode, we discuss what OpenAI as the next big operating system maker looks like, how they might make money from this, which integrated apps will become most popular inside ChatGPT, and how this potential super app could impact consumer AI devices. Join Senior Director of Podcasts and host, Marcus Johnson, Analyst, Grace Harmon, and Principal Analyst, Yory Wurmser. Listen everywhere and watch on YouTube and Spotify.