Reddit has become one of the most effective social platforms for marketing-driven sales and consistently outperforms other social networks on return on ad spend (ROAS). The platform delivers more marketing-driven sales relative to its share of spend than 4 out of 5 other platforms, per a TransUnion study commissioned by Reddit. The authenticity that makes Reddit valuable can also be fragile. Brands should focus on making original content that’s not recycled from other platforms and is relevant to the niches they want to target, rather than chasing virality, to maximize campaigns and avoid alienating the communities they want to reach.
Sell-side ad company Magnite announced a lawsuit against Google on Tuesday over alleged monopolistic and anticompetitive behavior in ad exchanges that hindered Magnite’s growth, following an April ruling that Google operates an illegal ad tech monopoly. The lawsuits against Google give advertisers a rare chance to strengthen their own position without overhauling their tech stack.
Meta announced new ad options at its Brand Building Summit, focused on Reels and innovative ad formats for Threads, per a blog post. While Meta’s new ad offerings promise more sophisticated placements, they can’t fully offset uncertainty. Marketers could face a scenario where the platform they’re relying on today could operate under massively different constraints tomorrow.
Penske Media, owner of Rolling Stone, Billboard, and Variety, has filed the first major US publisher lawsuit against Google over its AI Overviews feature. The company alleges Google’s summaries exploit journalism while diverting traffic that previously supported ad and affiliate revenues. Penske says affiliate earnings dropped by a third as AI Overviews appeared on 20% of searches. Google calls the suit “meritless,” but traffic declines reported by others suggest otherwise—placing AI Overviews at the center of a looming legal test for publisher survival.
Pinterest is making a bigger push for CPG dollars with its latest ad format. The company is introducing “where to buy” links to make standard product image ads shoppable, allowing CPG advertisers to direct shoppers to preferred retailers where items are in stock and receive valuable purchase intent data. Pinterest’s play could prove profitable as CPGs invest in marketing to win over wary consumers. The company’s young user base, ability to inspire consumers to take action, and increasing role in product discovery all position it to benefit as advertisers focus on channels most likely to drive sales.
Roku wants to transform TV advertising with generative AI (genAI). Instead of cycling the same few commercials, the company is opening its platform to hundreds of thousands of advertisers—mirroring the endless churn of ads on social feeds. It's betting that genAI can keep its ad ecosystem fresh and accessible. Marketers should experiment with fast, inexpensive video iterations. Focus on quick turnarounds, tight targeting, and scroll-stopping creativity. The objective is to separate winners from background noise.
TikTok shared new data to highlight the potential of its search ads for driving action. TikTok showed that activations with dedicated search campaigns led to 2 times higher purchase lift overall, while enterprise advertisers saw 2.2 times higher purchase lift and higher incremental return on ad spend (ROAS). TikTok’s success with search ads is promising, but advertisers ultimately need answers about the platform’s longevity in its core market. Questions about data security, content moderation, and political pressures are still casting a shadow.
Warner Bros. Discovery shares spiked more than 30% after reports that Paramount Skydance is preparing a majority-cash takeover bid backed by Larry and David Ellison. The deal would fold WBD’s studios, HBO, DC, and streaming business into Paramount Skydance’s assets, which already include CBS, Paramount Pictures, and Paramount+. A merger would unite some of the world’s most valuable IP, creating a rival to Disney and Netflix. Investors cheered the news, lifting both companies’ stocks, though regulators are expected to scrutinize the transaction. If approved, the deal could reshape Hollywood’s power structure amid linear TV’s decline and streaming’s consolidation race.
The digital ad market is shifting fast. In court, Google admitted the “open web is already in rapid decline,” contradicting its public claims, as AI Overviews erode publisher traffic. The Trade Desk’s stock plunged 12% after Netflix’s Amazon DSP deal, with Morgan Stanley citing CTV headwinds and higher fees. Meanwhile, Reddit is positioning itself as a publisher ally, rolling out Reddit Pro to help offset traffic losses from search. Together, these moves underscore a fractured open web ecosystem: Google under pressure, The Trade Desk undercut by Amazon, and Reddit stepping up as publishers seek new discovery sources.
Connected TV (CTV) is nearing a third of overall TV ad spending as audiences shift attention to streaming platforms, per Madison and Wall. Linear TV still accounts for around two-thirds of overall US TV ad spending, but CTV increased its share by three percentage points YoY (excluding political ads). The path forward for advertisers depends on balance, not an either-or approach. Audience attention will continue shifting to CTV, making it a critical touchpoint—but with ad reach still low on streaming, linear will remain relevant.
US ad revenues grew 10.3% in Q2, excluding political advertising, continuing a trend of steady gains in 2025 despite tariff headwinds, per Madison & Wall. Digital advertising overall grew 15.8% and represented about a 70% share of ad spending. Ad growth is maintaining momentum, but the slowdown from 2024 indicates that advertisers are already becoming more cautious as tariffs and a recession could lead to a demand shock that affects advertising strategies.
Netflix and Amazon Ads have struck a global partnership to bring Netflix’s ad inventory to Amazon’s demand-side platform (DSP) across 12 markets, including the US, UK, France, Japan, and Brazil. The move expands Netflix’s programmatic footprint as it aims to nearly double US ad revenues this year and approach $3 billion globally by 2027. For Amazon, adding Netflix strengthens its DSP’s position; the deal underscores a shift toward centralized TV planning, where Amazon’s DSP increasingly serves as the central gateway for connected TV advertising.
President Trump signed a memorandum on Tuesday that instructs HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the FDA to crack down on direct-to-consumer drug advertising on TV and online channels like social media. While concerning, it’s premature to claim that this is the end of D2C drug advertising. Pharma marketers may find that longer commercials with complete product disclosures are a better fit for digital channels, such as social media and CTV, where consumers are already spending more time. Big Pharma brands also have the budgets to buy lengthier TV spots if they choose. Or companies could work out deals with TV networks in which purchasing ad space becomes cheaper since both sides would be financially motivated to keep running drug commercials during highly-rated programming.
“We have a rule at Liquid Death that if you expect us to do it, we should not do it,” said the brand's chief media officer Benoit Vatere at EMARKETER’s Future of Digital Summit yesterday. Vatere outlined the brand’s paid social challenges, why it’s doubling down on connected TV (CTV), and how it plans to build standout creative as it expands into the crowded energy drink space. Here are a few takeaways from the session.
YouTube’s NFL Brazil broadcast was a massive success, breaking livestream records in the country with over 17.3 million average-minute-audience (AMA) members, including more than one million non-US viewers. YouTube’s record-breaking NFL success proves that, for advertisers, the marketing playbook is moving to platforms where reach, relevance, and results converge.
Ahead of an impending US sale deadline, ByteDance-owned TikTok has announced significant growth in Europe, adding 5 million active users YoY and seeing over 200 million EU users monthly. Even as TikTok grows in the EU and other key markets, the platform faces an uphill battle to reassure advertisers amid persistent uncertainty over its US regulatory future.
Roblox is expanding with TikTok-style videos, bigger creator payouts, and new AI tools—while scaling its ad business. Users can now scroll gameplay clips, react with emojis, and jump directly into experiences, per TechCrunch. The platform is morphing from a gaming hub into a short-form media platform—challenging TikTok, YouTube, and Twitch. For advertisers, Moments offers a new layer where branded clips can sit alongside gameplay. Brands should balance paid ads with creator collaborations to preserve authenticity. For example, they could integrate brands and products into game content while sponsoring individual gamers creating short-form content on Roblox.
Ad tech company PubMatic filed a lawsuit Monday against Google for alleged anticompetitive and monopolistic actions in the digital advertising ecosystem. The lawsuit claimed Google took illegal actions that impacted PubMatic and harmed its ability to grow revenues. PubMatic’s lawsuit underscores that structural shifts in ad tech could eventually reshape how advertisers access and value Google’s search inventory and digital ad offerings.
Linear TV ad spending will drop more than 11% in 2026, reaching $139.1 billion, per a World Advertising Research Center study cited by MediaPost. Linear has dropped 28% in absolute dollars in a 12-year period. The format’s share of global media has plummeted: Spending now accounts for 12.4% overall, compared with 41.3% in 2013. Ad spending shifting away from linear might align with consumers’ shift to digital, but linear’s potential to generate action remains stronger than CTV, which means brands need to use a diversified channel strategy.