Going Local: BIA/Kelsey's new US Local Advertising Forecast estimates local ad revenues in the country will hit $151.2 billion next year, a significant bump from $140.9 billion this year. Traditional media will account for 64.7% of total revenues, with digital media making up the balance. The firm expects local political races and a robust economy will help to push up local ad expenditures.

VR Ready: Revenues generated by augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) worldwide are expected to jump from $4.1 billion in 2016 to $79 billion by 2021, according to a new report from ARtillry. The firm predicts that by 2021, enterprise AR will account for 60.1% of global AR and VR revenues.

Budget Blown: Only 11% of US marketers feel like they're spending their budgets effectively, according to a November 2017 survey of marketing executives conducted by Propeller Insights on behalf of WorkSpan. And digital marketing remains a question for many of those polled. In fact, 87% named it as one of their top three concerns.

Digital Savvy: L2 released its Digital IQ index for big-box stores, finding that Amazon, The Home Depot and Walmart earned the top three spots. The index gauged 58 big-box brands in the US on factors like the adoption of mobile-friendly features, pushing in-store visits and partnerships with Google Express, Google's shopping service.

Millennial Couponing: Everybody loves a deal, and millennials are no exception. A survey of US millennials from CouponFollow found that 84% of respondents use coupon codes to some degree or another for their online purchases. And more than three-quarters said they were willing to wait for a discount or coupon code before pulling the trigger on a big purchase.

Top YouTube Ads: Adweek rounded up the year's top viewed ads on YouTube. At the top of the list was a 4-minute Indian ad from Samsung showcasing the company's in-home customer service capabilities. Ads for the mobile game Clash Royale, Budweiser, adidas and the iPhone 7 also made the list.