Brands from PepsiCo to Ulta are leaning on wellness framing to nudge cautious consumers to spend.

Health and wellness is the only category where plans to increase spending outweigh plans to cut back in 2026, according to December 2025 data from CivicScience. That’s why retailers are stepping up their investments in wellness-driven products, services, and in-store experiences, trying to capitalize on consumers’ resolutions well into the new year.

Creator marketing will scale in 2026 as brands chase measurable outcomes. At the same time, pressures from AI, shifting platform incentives, and rising automation will reshape how creators earn and grow.

The news: As opportunities for AI-powered ads grow, consumers remain hesitant and can even be turned off by a brand using the technology. Just 12% of US adults would be more likely to buy a product from a brand if they knew it used AI in its advertising, per CivicScience. Less than a quarter (22%) positively view brands that use AI-powered advertising, compared with 37% who view them negatively. Our take: Transparency and careful application of AI are key to avoid alienating users and build trust with consumers. Brands should introduce AI slowly by starting with prototyping ideas and generating backgrounds before diving into full-scale AI ad creation.

Social media dominates teen lives: Balancing screen time, mental health, and meaningful digital engagement becomes increasingly urgent for parents and educators.

A rundown of the top trends and takeaways for advertisers from public policy- and privacy-related conferences held in early April.

Netflix’s advertising strategy is evolving as streaming services raise subscription prices to sway users to ad-supported tiers.

Ads go live on Netflix and Disney+, YouTube ad revenues decline, and streaming services get creative about financing content production.

Dozens of digital pharmacies have appeared in recent years, jostling for consumers’ attention alongside the digital twins of national retail chains and mass merchandisers. The threat of recession may send more consumers online, looking for lower prescription prices.

US advertisers are dedicating more of their display budgets to digital video as social video and CTV advertising climb to new heights.

Peacock made audience gains as the streaming space gets more crowded.

Advertisers are increasing their upfront commitments, particularly for connected TV.

Digital ad spending in the US healthcare and pharmaceutical industry will grow by 14.2% to reach $9.53 billion in 2020. Growth is being fueled by ads related to COVID-19, including public service announcements, medical supplies and telemedicine.

US history has seen plenty of recessions. But a recession during which consumers are largely confined to their homes for weeks on end and afraid to set foot in stores when they do venture out? That’s something new. And there’s a mix of commonality and difference in the ways different income groups have responded to this weird set of circumstances.

The financial services sector will continue to increase its investments in digital advertising this year despite the pandemic. Shifting consumer behavior toward digital banking services and heightened interest in personal finance has given financial services companies good reasons to continue advertising.

Esports received heightened media attention during the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. While the publicity helped bring awareness to the growing industry, the pandemic will not have a significant impact on annual esports viewership or advertising revenues in the US.

Stephen Smyk, senior vice president of podcasting and influencer marketing at agency Veritone One, spoke to us about the pandemic's impact on podcast advertising, where advertisers can find opportunities during the crisis and how ads will look as more dollars are invested into programmatic.

Most Americans are at least somewhat worried about losing their jobs, and tens of millions have already filed for unemployment. We look at how consumers are responding to the coronavirus crisis.

At a life stage that entails lots of buying, millennials are combining digital and in-store shopping in ways that work best for them.

As the 2020 presidential race continues, some candidates are turning to social media influencers to spread their messages and garner support for their campaigns. It was reported that former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg recently partnered with popular Instagram accounts to create meme content for promoting his candidacy, called the Meme 2020 project.