The latest data reveals where US digital markets are headed as ad spending concentrates in a few platforms, genAI search and AI-driven commerce move into the mainstream, and CTV takes over TV budgets.

The expansion brings more campaign goals under AI, making independent performance checks imperative.

Smart glasses are drawing big bets from certain social platforms, but privacy concerns and limited consumer demand threaten wider adoption. For marketers, the near-term opportunity lies in adapting existing strategies rather than chasing new ad formats.

In today’s podcast episode, we discuss what would happen if an extended MLB lockout led to a death spiral for regional sports networks (RSNs), the BBC started carrying advertising, and Meta’s Muse flopped. Join Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson, Senior Analyst Ross Benes, and Principal Analysts Bill Fisher and Max Willens. Listen wherever you get your podcasts, or watch on YouTube or Spotify.

Marketers, creators, and brands descended on midtown Manhattan this week for Advertising Week New York (AWNY), and the conversations kept circling back to three themes: fandom, trust, and street activations. Brands came to make news: TikTok announced new tools to expand the reach of TikTok Shop, Meta launched an upgrade for its Ads Manager business assistant, and Olyzon rolled out an agentic orchestration platform. But beyond the reveals, trends emerged from session topics, panel discussions, word-of-mouth, and private conversations. They revealed the growing importance of fandom's audiences, looking for trust, and IRL activations.

Campaigns should plan alternatives like converged TV and the open web to maintain voter reach.

The Edits assistant can power stronger branded videos as long as marketers clarify campaign priorities.

The World Cup and presidential elections have lifted ad spending growth across all major media in 2026, but digital’s momentum will extend beyond the event-driven boost.

The move adds to fragmented youth social media rules, making contextual ads a safer route for reach.

AI is raising the stakes for marketing data quality and connectivity and changing how it’s being used. Here’s how first-party data, outcome-based measurement, interoperability, and AI are reshaping marketing decisions.

Brands can advertise without an Instagram profile, though Meta’s cross-app data still powers much of its value.

B2B digital ad spending growth is accelerating in 2026. Although mobile growth is slowing from its 2025 pace, mobile and video will still outpace overall B2B digital spending. Display’s share is expanding, while search remains important as AI changes how buyers research and validate vendors.

AI is rewriting the shopping journey, and marketers have to follow it. That means watching how brands show up in large language models (LLMs), and how they engage customers arriving through AI-driven searches. This is the “intelligence revolution.” “The intelligence age is gaining steam,” said Stephanie Paterik, vice president of insights at EMARKETER, in her keynote presentation at this week's Future of Digital Summit. “One billion weekly ChatGPT users worldwide is a number that OpenAI hit just this month. Sixty-nine percent of CEOs around the world tell us that AI is changing their business, not just how they send an email or craft, you know, a report, but how they are fundamentally operating.”

Lower CPCs and solid CVRs make the platform a cost-efficient complement to Google search.

AI is gaining influence over what consumers discover and consider long before it commands a meaningful share of the digital economy. But existing advantages in reaching consumers, earning trust, and driving transactions still matter.

This FAQ covers Meta's ad business scale, where the inventory is growing, and how advertisers should plan.

Retail media networks (RMNs) have built out social and creator offerings, but advertisers have not widely adopted them. To attract spend, RMNs must prove that their offer of better targeting and measurement outweighs the added cost and complexity.

Marketers need stronger thumbnails and branding as passive exposure declines.

Facebook turns to video, commerce, and creators as users pull back: Marketers should reassess its media role and experiment beyond legacy tactics.

The deal could set stricter expectations for age checks and outside oversight across social media and tech platforms.