AI becomes marketing shorthand: Brands spent $1.3 billion on AI-related messaging, turning AI into a cross-industry marketing effort.

Publicis builds a social command center: Its Fabric Social acquisition folds PR, influencer, and creative into one engine built for platform speed.

In today’s podcast episode, we discuss what’s broken in how we evaluate media, the problem with reach, and what “quality inventory” actually means. Join Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson, along with Analyst Arielle Feger and David Simon, Chief Revenue Officer of Verve and President of Verve Marketplace. Listen anywhere, or watch on YouTube or Spotify.

On today’s podcast episode, we discuss why Warner Bros. Discovery chose Paramount's bid over Netflix's, what impact this will have on the streaming universe, and how all of this will affect marketers. Join Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson, along with Senior Analyst Ross Benes and Analyst Marisa Jones. Listen everywhere, and watch on YouTube and Spotify.

On today’s podcast episode, we discuss advertising around the 2026 Winter Olympics: how marketers tackled fragmentation across media channels, how creators were used by Olympic broadcaster NBCUniversal, and which campaign was the best — and why. Join Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson, along with Senior Analyst and Editor Peter Allen Clark and Senior Director of Content Jeremy Goldman. Listen everywhere, and watch on YouTube and Spotify.

On today’s podcast episode, we discuss the three big questions surrounding TikTok right now: Will TikTok spend this year fighting perceptions of bias? Will the new algorithm be as good? How much bigger can TikTok Shop get? And more. Join Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson, along with Analyst Emmy Liederman and Principal Analyst Max Willens. Listen everywhere, and watch on YouTube and Spotify.

In 2026, Apple will introduce additional ad placements beyond the single premium slot at the top of search results, giving brands more chances to reach users who are actively looking to download. Apple Ads is evolving from a scarce, premium product to a scaled performance channel. Apple reports more than 800 million weekly App Store visitors, with over 85% downloading at least one app per visit. By expanding search ads, Apple increases monetization without changing user behavior—while raising competitive pressure for advertisers.

Marketers are entering 2026 with more money and less patience for waste. Sixty percent of US small businesses plan to raise marketing spend next year, per Clutch. Budgets are moving toward channels that produce quick returns and at lower cost as ROI expectations tighten—46% of marketers say more than half of their 2026 spend will go to digital. Marketers should treat 2026 as a year for discipline, not just expansion. Invest where attribution is strong, like paid search tied to conversion events, retail media with closed-loop sales data, and email with CRM programs.

On today’s podcast episode, we discuss how advertisers are faring amid the current economic backdrop of tariffs, inflation, and a government shutdown; how the digital ad triopoly is changing; and the biggest ad spending milestones this year and in 2026. Join Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson, along with Senior Director of Forecasting Oscar Orozco and Principal Analyst Yory Wurmser. Listen everywhere, and watch on YouTube and Spotify.

Google’s Chrome browser hit a record 73.7% share of worldwide desktop browsing in September, according to StatCounter. That’s its strongest position yet and signals little room for competitors. Apple Safari sits at 5.7% on desktop, but its browser is stronger on mobile with 19.5%. Brands should treat Chrome as the default hub for ad spend, search, and AI-enabled commerce by building campaigns that align with Google’s integrated ecosystem. Safari merits a mobile-first strategy to reach iOS users, but the real growth lever is Chrome’s ability to unify discovery, personalization, and conversion for mobile and PCs in one place.

The internet is now a near-constant presence for many adults—but adoption remains uneven. A median 28% of adults globally report being online “almost constantly,” per a Pew Research Center survey across 24 countries. This access creates fertile ground for advertisers. Always-on consumers deliver more touchpoints for engagement, more data for personalization, and more chances to convert browsing into buying. But more access doesn’t guarantee more impact. The challenge is finding the best way forward, through mixed formats, short videos, interactive polls, and native ads—so users stay engaged without feeling bombarded.

The news: Macy’s Media Network, the department store’s retail media arm, will test a partnership with Amazon Retail Ad Service—the ecommerce giant’s ad tech product for other retailers. The pilot will launch in early Q4, just ahead of the holiday season. Our take: Macy’s is the first major retailer to test Amazon’s ad product since its January debut, making this a high-profile proving ground. The pilot will show whether Amazon can drive incremental ad spend for retailers, and crucially, whether other chains are comfortable sharing data with a direct competitor. The results will have ripple effects across the ad tech ecosystem. If the partnership proves effective, Amazon Retail Ad Service could emerge as a meaningful threat to intermediaries like Criteo and Publicis, which have built strong businesses helping brands navigate retail media. It would also open another lucrative revenue stream for Amazon’s already fast-growing ad arm, strengthening its position at the center of digital commerce.

The news: Governments across the UK, EU, and Australia are mandating age verification online and reshaping how platforms handle user identity and access to content. Reddit now requires UK users to prove they’re 18 via selfie or photo ID to access adult or harmful content, in compliance with the Online Safety Act. Our take: Age assurance is becoming the new standard. Advertisers need to move now by adjusting targeting strategies, creative assets, and compliance practices to stay effective in an increasingly verified and government regulated web.

Discord expands ad offerings: The company is launching Video Quests for mobile in June 2025, incentivizing ad engagement with in-game rewards as it broadens its advertiser appeal beyond gaming.

Nextdoor bets on AI-driven content to fuel long-term growth: The platform’s NEXT initiative will transform past user discussions into monetizable recommendations, prioritizing engagement over short-term ad revenues.

On today’s podcast episode, we discuss how DeepSeek has reset Google’s AI strategy, how much other GenAI chatbots can chip away at Google’s search dominance, and why the tech giant was able to double revenue growth last year. Tune in to the conversation with Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson, Senior Director of Briefings Jeremy Goldman, and Senior Analyst Evelyn Mitchell-Wolf. Listen everywhere and watch on YouTube and Spotify.

New AI advertising tools introduced by Meta: Updates are designed to boost Reels campaign performance with advanced creator filtering and dynamic product ads.

Ad spend across digital channels has been mixed so far this year, with spend on social networks slowing and connected TV spend boosted by new ad-supported subscription tiers. Meanwhile, retail media is diversifying at a rapid rate as nonendemic retailers get in the game

For the first time, Insider Intelligence forecasts digital advertising spending for five industries in France: retail, consumer packaged goods (CPG), auto, financial services, and travel. Digital ad spending is growing strongly in France this year. This Analyst Take gives a closer look at these inaugural forecasts.