YouTube is pulling close on reach, but traditional TV still delivers stronger engagement. As viewing shifts across screens, marketers face a growing tradeoff between scale and attention, and they must rethink how YouTube and TV fit together in video plans.
Performance TV drives growth, but weak transparency undermines trust--meaning marketers should be selective about partners and prioritize contextual targeting.
On today's podcast episode, we introduce our 'Unofficial Monthly Retailer Awards', or the U.M.R.A.s, for the 'Most Impactful Campaign', 'Best IRL Initiative', and 'Greatest Under-the-Radar Move'. Listen to the discussion with Vice President of Content and host Suzy Davidkhanian, Principal Analyst Sky Canaves, and Analysts Arielle Feger and Rachel Wolff.
Follow-up Search questions now flow into AI Mode, changing results from link lists to closed-loop, conversational research.
AI ads mistaken for human-made drive high CTRs, showing AI works best when uncanny cues are avoided.
Reels ad impressions on Instagram jumped from 13% to 21% of total impressions YoY, the fastest-growing placement on the platform, according to a July 2025 report from Tinuiti.
In the coming year, experts believe retailers will aim to consolidate their operations and link retail media silos with broader organizations.
Companies are cutting jobs to manage costs amid uneven demand and persistent margin pressure.
TikTok US uninstalls jumped 150% post-takeover--but engagement held, meaning sentiment shifts matter more than uninstall headlines.
Advertisers use AI across creative and targeting, yet 61% report no meaningful gains and only 30% trust it.
Settling their suits pretrial shields execs and data as pressure now concentrates on Meta and YouTube.
The shift signals a move from store-first to infrastructure-first retail.
48% of influencer marketing agencies say strategic guidance on AI, automation, or new platforms is the biggest change in client expectations this year, ahead of faster turnaround times (40%) and ROI focus (40%), according to July 2025 data from CreatorIQ and Sapio Research.
Diversity, equity, and inclusion may still be framed as priorities for marketers, but Black consumers increasingly view inclusion as a baseline expectation that directly influences attention, trust, and purchasing behavior.
For the past several years, commerce media has been defined by proliferation: New networks, new formats, new acronyms. As the category heads into 2026, industry leaders agree that growth alone is no longer the story. What matters now is connection: Across channels, across data, and across the full customer journey.
TikTok’s US transition brought algorithm resets, upload glitches, and new data tracking—jolting users and scrambling marketers’ reach.
Meta is tightening teen safeguards for its AI companions in a move that could help make future chatbot ads more viable.
TikTok creator Khaby Lame is scaling beyond human limits thanks to his AI twin, expanding his global reach as part of a $900 million deal.
TV-like rates meet beta-grade reporting, testing how much brands will pay for early intent.