AI labels don’t dent ads: MediaScience research shows that AI transparency leaves performance intact—and consumer trust stronger.

AI Digital debuts AI Creative Studio: New genAI tools promise scalable, TV-grade creative—but consumer skepticism clouds payoff.

On today’s podcast episode, we discuss the three big questions surrounding Google right now: If Google is winning at search, where is its ad machine quietly losing? Is its self-driving car unit, Waymo, a sleeping giant for the company? And are its new traditional TV-style “Stations” the right model for YouTube as it tries to take over the living room? And more. Join Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson, along with Analyst Marisa Jones and Senior Forecasting Analyst Drew Spink. Listen everywhere, or watch on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify.

X rebuilds its ad core: A ground-up AI overhaul aims to fix targeting and ROI as revenues lag far behind pre-Musk levels.

Agentic AI hits geopolitical blockade: China halts Meta’s $2 billion Manus buy, which could prevent marketers from accessing low-cost agentic tools.

Adobe rewires creative workflow with agentic AI: Firefly AI Assistant runs Photoshop to Premiere from one prompt, aiming to speed production.

Even as the Iran war trims budgets, digital maintains an 84% share of total ad spending, with CTV poised to capture outsized gains.

The tool lets brands spin 30-second tracks from text, photos, or videos, threatening stock libraries and startups.

Advertisers use AI across creative and targeting, yet 61% report no meaningful gains and only 30% trust it.

AI deepfakes are sparking a global crackdown after Grok’s explicit content scandal triggered UK probes and stricter safeguards--raising governance stakes for AI tools.

Out-of-home (OOH) ad spending keeps climbing, powered by digital screens, in-store placements, and programmatic buying. Growth is steady, but budgets still lean on traditional formats as automation reshapes how brands plan and buy.

As audiences show a preference for user-generated content in ads, brands have an opportunity to showcase credibility across social advertising strategies.

The most impactful ads of 2025 stirred debate and dollars: From Sydney Sweeney to Katseye to Coca-Cola.

On today’s EMARKETER Miniseries—AI-Driven Media Management—we explore the core building blocks of AI innovation, what partnering with Amazon Ads looks like in practice, and advice for leaders or teams who don’t come from technical backgrounds but need to build or use AI systems. EMARKETER Senior Director of Content Jeremy Goldman speaks with Adam Epstein, co-founder and CEO of Gigi. Listen everywhere you find podcasts, and watch on YouTube and Spotify.

Human oversight, GEO, and distribution knowledge keep agencies relevant—even as AI becomes the decade’s defining disruptor.

Even as consumer attitudes toward AI in advertising remain mixed, agencies are rapidly expanding their use of AI across the marketing lifecycle. But significant resistance remains, especially when AI is used in ad creative. As agencies scale AI adoption, consumer sentiment underscores the need for restraint and intentionality—using AI for work behind-the-scenes, but resisting entire AI creative.

McDonald’s has pulled an AI-generated Christmas ad after a wave of online backlash. Upon removal, McDonald’s said to BBC News that the ad was “an important learning” for the company’s understanding of “the effective use of AI.” McDonald’s teaches a valuable lesson: Consumers aren’t yet ready for ad creative that is built entirely on AI. But advertisers still face a landscape where not using AI is a detriment to staying ahead. Balance is now a competitive differentiator.

Omnicom officially owns IPG after completing its long-discussed acquisition last week—and the new company is already implementing a massive wave of changes. Advertisers should prepare for an agency landscape where AI-driven capabilities become the norm and where consolidated services become a competitive differentiator.

Google is innovating its AI image generation capabilities for advertisers with the release of “Nano Banana Pro.” The tool enables advanced creative capabilities for ads, enhancing brands’ ability to generate and edit images using AI in Google Ads. AI is set to deliver increasing value to advertisers as creative capabilities evolve and consumers generally grow more comfortable with its role in marketing.

Mid-market marketers (companies with 10 to 499 employees) have high expectations for artificial intelligence and see AI as a productivity lever for lean teams, according to new data from WARC and MailChimp—but adoption lags behind enthusiasm. AI is still in its early days, leaving a wide gap between the largest companies with capital to invest in proprietary resources and smaller teams with more limited resources.