The systems measuring behavior record steady progression, but people don’t always move in straight lines. As customer activity becomes more fragmented, the gap between measured growth and reality is getting harder to ignore.

OpenX pipes TVision panel data into bids, favoring verified engagement over cheap reach.

57% of ad buyers will prioritize creator ads in 2026—but success will be driven by repeat partnerships with genuine brand advocates.

Creator partnerships are increasingly a necessity for driving strong marketing results, according to a TikTok report on influencer-led campaigns. Even as influencer marketing proves its value, consumers are becoming more inundated with influencer ads. This makes it paramount that advertisers tailor their strategies for the best results as the influencer marketing space becomes highly saturated.

CMOs are confronting AI fatigue by refocusing on human creativity and trust. As automation accelerates, leaders are rebalancing efficiency with authenticity to restore credibility and performance.

The advertising industry is moving from “opportunity to see” to “proof of impact.” The new IAB and MRC Attention Measurement Guidelines formalize a shift long visible in audience behavior in which people respond to what they feel, not what they scroll past, per MarTech. Attention standards raise the bar so it’s no longer enough for an ad to be seen—it needs to elicit an emotional response. Brands targeting specific demographics should design creative around their emotional triggers, measure attention as a quality metric, and build media plans that prioritize resonance over reach.

Connected TV (CTV) engagement is growing steadily, with engagement per impression reaching 1.94% in Q2 2025, up from 1% in Q2 2024, per our industry KPI data provided by BrightLine. Consistent growth in audience engagement with interactive CTV ads means advertisers who haven’t jumped on the interactivity bandwagon risk losing an opportunity to make positive impressions on vast CTV audiences.

Premium media delivers measurable value: Ads that integrate smoothly into trusted environments boost purchase intent by 40% and trust by 85%.

YouTube creators are becoming media companies in their own right, argues Nic Paul, co-founder and president of Spotter. In an interview, Paul said top creators now operate like TV networks—producing serialized, appointment-style content that builds audience loyalty and predictable viewership. Spotter’s own data shows 78% of creator watch time now happens on connected TVs, blurring the line between streaming and social. For advertisers, that means treating creator content as premium media, not influencer collateral. “The click is gone,” Paul said. “It’s about engagement, completion, and fandom.” Brands that adapt fastest will win the next era of audience attention.

GumGum’s CMO Kerel Cooper says contextual advertising has shifted from an education hurdle to a growth engine. In an EMARKETER interview at Advertising Week New York, he described how AI now interprets full-page or frame-by-frame context, allowing brands to reach audiences based on meaning rather than identity. As cookies fade, contextual ads offer privacy-safe precision and brand safety at scale. Cooper calls this “mindset marketing”—targeting users in the right headspace, not just the right demo. With the open web regaining advertiser trust and AI powering deeper relevance, contextual targeting is emerging as the foundation of a healthier ad ecosystem.

Paramount is betting on creator credibility to rebuild trust in mainstream news. The company’s $150 million acquisition of The Free Press brings its founder, Bari Weiss, to CBS News as editor-in-chief—an unprecedented crossover between creator-led media and legacy broadcasting. Weiss’s Substack-born outlet, with 1.5 million subscribers, will remain independent while lending its audience trust to Paramount’s broader news portfolio. The move reflects a growing convergence between individual-led journalism and traditional networks struggling to regain public confidence. Success will hinge on whether CBS and The Free Press can balance editorial independence with corporate oversight while preserving the authenticity audiences value most.

YouTube is making livestreaming a central pillar of its platform with its most sweeping update yet. More than 30% of logged-in viewers watched live video in Q2 2025, and new features aim to boost engagement and monetization. Updates include YouTube Playables, dual horizontal and vertical streaming with a unified chat, AI-generated highlight Shorts, and side-by-side ad formats that don’t interrupt streams. The company is also enabling midstream exclusivity for members. For creators, livestreaming is now easier to scale and monetize; for brands, it’s a fresh avenue to connect with highly engaged audiences—and increasingly, to drive commerce.

The news: Instagram added new limitations to its livestream feature, now requiring creators to have a public account with over 1,000 followers to go live, per TechCrunch. Our take: While it could benefit Meta’s competitive position in the livestream space, Instagram’s latest restrictions will harm creators looking to break into the influencer space—necessitating rapid adaptation. Smaller creators could shift attention to other platforms with less restrictive livestream requirements—think YouTube, which only requires 50 subscribers to go live, and Twitch, which has no livestream minimum.

The news: Few US adults pay for news behind paywalls. A June 2025 Pew Research Center survey shows just 17% paid for any news last year. The vast majority (83%) avoid payment, citing the abundance of free alternatives. Our take: Advertising tied to paywalls narrows reach and shrinks scale. Brands should prioritize open, ad-supported platforms where audiences engage freely. Marketers who embrace paywall resistance—focusing on easy access and relevant content—will win attention and revenues in a fragmented media landscape. Those relying on strict gating risk losing audience share and diminishing ad impact as consumers stick to free, accessible alternatives.

The news: Brands are ramping up influencer investment and creator rates are skyrocketing following Unilever’s commitment to allocate half of its advertising budget on an “influencer-first” strategy. Numerous influencer and social agencies “unanimously” claimed a notable increase in client spend on influencer marketing since Unilever’s announcement, per sources cited by The Drum. Our take: Unilever has accelerated a trend that was already in motion, signaling the broader shift among advertisers toward influencer-led strategies that deliver consistent engagement and targeted reach among key demographics.

B2B social media has evolved from an awareness tool into a central part of how brands build trust, influence buying decisions, and drive business growth. AI, video, and influencer marketing are reshaping strategies and raising expectations for measurable impact.

“The lines between social media and CTV are blurring, with more people watching social videos and creator content on TV sets,” said our analyst Jasmine Enberg. “Marketers must break down the silos between media and creative and think more holistically about their video strategies.”

“Friday, Friday, Friday,” begins Amtrak’s recent viral social media video, in the retro style of monster truck ads. The content, which goes on to encourage train travel as summer begins (on Friday), has received over 500,000 shares across platforms, per Amtrak.

In this report, CMOs share how they’re transforming influencer strategies to deliver business impact—and what solution providers can do to help.