Perplexity is taking a step back from its advertising initiatives amid struggles to monetize AI search. Marketers should pause planned investments in AI search until search ads are measurable and proven to be effective. AI adoption may be growing, but there remains no clear evidence that ad formats in AI search provide returns.
The biggest banks will spend $6 billion or more on marketing in 2025, or 0.10% of their total asset value, per an analysis of the American Bankers Association Bank Marketers Survey in the ABA Banking Journal. On average, 32% of banks’ marketing budgets were allocated to new customer acquisition—more than any other allocation. Bank marketers are clearly focused on digital advertising, and with greater resources and scale, the largest institutions won’t find it hard to drive awareness, attract new customers digitally, and dominate the conversation. Community banks will need to be scrappy.
Pharma linear TV ad spending totaled $1.25 billion in Q3, with prescription drug commercials taking the leading share of national TV ad spending for the quarter, according to iSpot.tv. Pharma marketers are reallocating more of their budgets toward digital—especially connected TV (CTV) and social media—for more precise targeting and measurement gains. However, linear TV is still important for Big Pharma, especially for mainstream events like live sports, to drive board awareness of common health conditions. We expect linear TV’s scale, trust, and cultural relevance will keep it in the mix for the foreseeable future.
Tubi is giving advertisers a broader arsenal of contextual targeting tools through an expanded partnership with Viant. The free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) platform is tagging its on-demand content based on emotional and thematic cues, per Digiday, with categories such as “hopeful” or “suspenseful.” For CMOs, this represents a turning point—contextual intelligence is a strategic advantage for brand safety, emotional alignment, and performance in an increasingly fragmented streaming landscape. Leaning into emotional targeting tools will let marketers fully capitalize on FAST’s growth, the platforms’ broad range of content, and the opportunity to dominate ad fill.
Linear TV and streaming have mastered how to present ad products alongside their top talent to win marketing dollars, and more audio players are following suit. On Monday, SiriusXM hosted “Built with Audio,” an upfront-style showcase scheduled around Advertising Week New York that packaged talent interviews and performances with executive presentations tailored to an audience of marketers.
Linear TV ad spending grew in Q3 despite total TV ad impressions declining, per iSpot data. Ad spend increased 4% YoY, reaching $8.77 billion—but total impressions fell 2.7% to 1.67 trillion. Total ad minutes rose 2.4% YoY to 5.3 million, driven by the rise of sports inventory. Marketers must understand that a successful ad strategy requires a balance— investing in linear to drive outcomes while slowly shifting toward CTV for better targeting and to align with audience viewing habits.
This sponsored article by Nielsen explores how advertising intelligence helps marketers close measurement gaps.
The growth of commerce media investments promises to connect brands with customers for longer stretches of the customer journey, especially when shoppers are close to purchasing. Though much of this extended digital journey leaves out the physical store, this strategy is changing.
AppLovin’s launch of Axon marks its transformation from mobile gaming to full-scale AI ad platform — and one of ad tech’s boldest pivots yet. The new Axon Ads Manager promises real-time AI bidding, Shopify integrations, and transparent attribution as the company positions itself as a performance-driven alternative to Meta and Google. The rollout comes as the SEC investigates AppLovin’s data practices, spotlighting the tension between AI-powered innovation and compliance. Marketers see opportunity — regulators see risk.
Performance channels are gaining traction among B2B marketers, with 84% now shifting from traditional, impression-focused approaches, per a Madison Logic survey. Brands should keep investing in performance marketing for its resilience amid economic headwinds. The added flexibility will let them adapt based on rapidly shifting economic signals and consumer behavior changes.
Connected TV (CTV) ad spending is a key focus for most marketers, but a substantial confidence gap persists. Over half (52%) of US technology, financial services, retail, and healthcare brands have shifted at least one-quarter of their paid media budgets to CTV in the past three years, per Gracenote. Despite that change, 32% of US brand and agency executives say their CTV advertising is not very effective. By boosting focus on channel-level contextual targeting and integrating metadata, marketers can ensure ads appear alongside relevant programming—like sports events, entertainment genres, or family-friendly shows—improving resonance and reach.
Paramount is betting on creator credibility to rebuild trust in mainstream news. The company’s $150 million acquisition of The Free Press brings its founder, Bari Weiss, to CBS News as editor-in-chief—an unprecedented crossover between creator-led media and legacy broadcasting. Weiss’s Substack-born outlet, with 1.5 million subscribers, will remain independent while lending its audience trust to Paramount’s broader news portfolio. The move reflects a growing convergence between individual-led journalism and traditional networks struggling to regain public confidence. Success will hinge on whether CBS and The Free Press can balance editorial independence with corporate oversight while preserving the authenticity audiences value most.
The news: The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) lowered its 2025 US ad spending forecast from 7.3% growth to 5.7%, citing “macroeconomic pressures” and tariffs. What brands can do next: The most effective marketing strategies will vary dramatically across industries. Low-cost, high-ROI channels can squeeze the most out of limited budgets, but marketers shouldn’t underestimate the value of branding and loyalty.
ICEBlock, an app that allowed users to flag US Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity, was taken down from Apple’s App Store after the Trump administration pressed for its removal, per The New York Times. This push for compliance is exemplified by the TikTok ban threat in the US. Even though the ban didn’t materialize, it showed how government pressure can reshape platform access overnight. And if a company takes a stance that appears to favor one political side, the fallout can be far-reaching, not just for the platform but for every brand inside its walls.
Trust in news media is at a record low in the US, with just 28% of Americans across age groups and party affiliations showing a “great deal” or “fair amount” of trust in television, radio, and newspapers to report news fully, fairly, and accurately, per Gallup. Creating content that aligns with core audience values will be critical to sustain advertising success as consumer trust in media declines.
The subscription economy is on track to surge 67% over the next five years, reaching $1.2 trillion globally by 2030, according to Juniper Research. Digital video subscriptions lead the way and account for more than a third of all spending. The subscription model is scaling, but trust is fragile. With large shares of consumers across markets feeling they pay too much, retention will define the next growth phase. Retention must be part of the design from the start—transparent pricing and policies, simple cancellation or tier-change processes, and clear, distinct benefits—so subscriptions become habits, not burdens.
Spotify announced updates to its advertising offerings on Wednesday, expanding access to its inventory and enhancing its addressability capabilities for programmatic buyers through several new partnerships via Spotify Ad Exchange (SAX). Spotify’s new features are showing the company’s dedication to improvement, warranting experimentation for brands who are hesitant to leverage evolving resources.
The Trade Desk unveiled Audience Unlimited, a new tool designed to simplify and lower the cost of third-party data. The product bundles hundreds of data sources at a consistent price and uses AI to rank relevance, letting advertisers access as much as needed without unpredictable fees. The launch aims to make programmatic buying faster, cheaper, and more effective.