WPP cut its full-year outlook after Q3 organic revenue fell 5.9% to £2.46 billion, its steepest quarterly decline since 2020. New CEO Cindy Rose said the company “hasn’t gone fast enough” to meet client needs and outlined a turnaround focused on AI, operational efficiency, and simplifying its agency network. WPP’s slump reflects broader challenges facing holding groups in the AI era: proving value through speed, integration, and measurable results as brands increasingly turn to self-serve, platform-driven ad solutions.

At the Marketecture conference, MiQ’s global VP of strategy and partnerships, Moe Chughtai, said advertisers are finally connecting platforms like Meta, YouTube, and TV through clean room technologies that enable unified measurement. Traditional marketing mix models are being replaced by one- to three-month measurement cycles that allow for real-time optimization and smarter KPI alignment. The result: advertisers can move beyond isolated reporting and toward integrated, cross-platform performance strategies that strengthen confidence in ROI.

Elon Musk plans to sell paid placements within Grok’s AI-generated answers, marking his first major advertiser pitch since Linda Yaccarino’s departure. Grok, X’s in-house AI assistant built by xAI, will integrate ads directly into responses, offering brands high-intent, context-driven targeting. The move comes as X’s global ad revenues, projected at $2.26 billion in 2025, remain roughly half of pre-Musk levels. Musk says Grok will eventually automate the full ad-buying process, from creative grading to personalization, aiming to improve efficiency and performance. With user growth declining in every major region, the strategy hinges on whether brands trust Musk’s AI-led vision enough to re-engage.

The Trade Desk (TTD) posted Q2 revenues of $694 million, up 19% YoY and above expectations, driven by strength in connected TV and premium open-web inventory. However, cautious Q3 guidance cited slower advanced adtech adoption among large brands, macroeconomic budget pressures, and tariff-related spending risks. Shares fell nearly 40% in a day. For advertisers, the story underscores the open web’s importance as an alternative to walled gardens, with US programmatic open-web spend forecast to reach $48.8 billion by 2027. TTD’s future growth hinges on CTV, cross-channel targeting, and clean-room data collaboration to deliver premium inventory at scale.

The news: Newsweek is buying healthcare-focused ad platform Adprime to boost its offerings for pharma and healthcare marketers. Our take: Healthcare and pharma marketers looking for targeted, data-driven ad solutions could find valuable niche audiences tuning into Newsweek’s expanding content and events. We’re not convinced Newsweek’s adtech strategy is a slam dunk competing against much larger players, but we do think doubling down on the resilient healthcare and pharma digital ad industry makes sense.

Multicultural adtech is becoming essential: Mundial’s privacy-first model helps brands reach a $4 trillion Hispanic market with precision.

MNTN debuts as a public company with a $1.6 billion valuation: Its performance-focused CTV adtech aims to bring small businesses into streaming.

Marketers are embracing AI for creative work: Most, though, still ignore its power to drive efficiency and automation.

AppLovin beat Q1 expectations and exited gaming: The company is now all-in on adtech, led by AXON’s rapid growth.

A second federal judge has ruled that Google is a monopolist. This decision could have profound implications—depending on the remedies.

Retail media networks (RMNs) are using APIs to give advertisers more control over the management, measurement, and optimization of their campaigns.

AppLovin exits gaming in $900M sale to focus on AI-driven adtech: The company sells its entire "apps business," shifting its strategy to prioritize ad mediation, automation, and performance-based advertising.

Reddit posts 71% revenue growth but misses DAUq targets: Despite strong ad revenue and international expansion, Reddit’s user growth fell short of expectations, sending shares down 14% after hours.

Amazon’s new Retail Ad Service, announced last week, is certainly the biggest retail media news of the year so far. In offering its ad-tech to power other retailers' media networks (RMNs), Amazon could disrupt how retail media operates for retailers, advertisers, vendors, and consumers alike.

Google’s cookie phaseout delay will help and hurt: Advertisers gain time to flesh out their post-cookie strategies, but adtech vendors could lose sales opportunities.

Consumers are growing frustrated with ineffective digital ads: A new survey shows that the ad industry’s lack of a proper targeting solution is alienating consumers.

Among those consuming premium content, trust is the most important factor, ranking above ease of use and the number of ads, research shows. But trust can be a fuzzy concept and establishing this trust can be challenging.

Mobile games to stop targeting ads to kids: Some major developers and ad tech companies will need to stop tracking children under 13 after settling a lawsuit, limiting their targeting abilities.

Marketing and IT executives in Canada confirm that spending on marketing technology has increased dramatically, raising opportunities and concerns.

This report features eMarketer’s December 2018 update to our B2B US digital ad spending forecast. It also explores the trends that are driving (and preventing) increased spend in 2019 and beyond.