How is AI changing how marketers find, target, and retarget audiences? In this podcast episode, EMARKETER principal analyst, Nate Elliott, speaks with Katy Friday, Regional Vice President of sales at StackAdapt and Samantha Jacobson, Vice President of monetization partnerships at OpenAI. The three discuss how conversational AI and ChatGPT advertising are changing audience strategy, why first-party data matters more, and practical advice for CMOs. Listen wherever you get your podcasts, or watch on YouTube or Spotify.

This is the latest installment of our “UK Ad Spending Benchmarks” series, which helps ad buyers and sellers calibrate their spending and revenue mix against the market.​​

Healthcare and pharma ad budgets are shifting to streaming and social, but TV and search still play a key role. AI-driven search habits and tighter drug ad scrutiny are forcing marketers to rethink where they spend and how they reach consumers.

Retail media networks expect strong growth, but confidence is slipping. As competition intensifies and execution gaps persist, networks are refocusing on core ad offerings while AI creates new threats and revenue opportunities.

AI is reshaping how consumers in Europe discover, compare, and choose products, creating new opportunities and challenges for retailers and brands.

In today’s podcast episode, we discuss how the use of AI in healthcare has evolved in recent years, which part of the patient care journey AI is impacting the most, and the role of doctors in an AI-driven world. Join Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson, along with Senior Analysts Rajiv Leventhal and Beth Snyder Bulik. Listen wherever you get your podcasts, or watch on YouTube or Spotify.

On today’s podcast episode, we present our “Unofficial Monthly Retailer Awards” (UMRAs) for September. The awards include “Most Impactful Campaign,” “Best IRL Initiative,” and “Greatest Under-the-Radar Move.” Listen to the discussion with Vice President of Content and host Suzy Davidkhanian; Senior Analysts Arielle Feger and Rachel Wolff; and Senior Director of Content Becky Schilling.

Commerce media’s inherited advantage is reaching its limits. The next phase depends on earning consumer attention and advertiser demand, even as conversational commerce reshapes the high-intent ad model that fueled its rise.

In today’s podcast episode, we discuss how using AI could actually hurt a brand’s reputation, when consumers may feel deceived if they discover AI was involved, and the kinds of AI use people are most likely to find offensive. Are we entering a world where the question isn’t “Can AI do this?” but “Will our customers think less of us if they know we used AI to do it?” Join Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson, along with Analyst Grace Harmon and Senior Analyst Asa Hiken. Listen wherever you get your podcasts, or watch on YouTube or Spotify.

Agentic commerce has moved from buzzword to balance sheet, and the numbers prove it. AI-driven commerce is projected to grow from under $50 billion this year to nearly $300 billion by 2030, rising from roughly 3% to 15% of total US e-commerce sales.

On today’s podcast episode, we discuss what back-to-school tells us about the holiday shopper, ways AI could show up during holiday shopping, and one holiday change retailers still have time to make to their digital marketing, promotional, or customer-experience strategy. Tune in for a discussion featuring Vice President of Content and host Suzy Davidkhanian, Principal Analyst Sky Canaves, and Senior Analyst Arielle Feger.

On today’s podcast, we discuss how David’s Bridal is expanding across the wedding journey—from new services and revenue streams to different retail formats—while staying grounded in what customers actually want. What does it take to earn permission to enter new categories, stand out in a crowded market, and use customer insight to shape where a business grows next?

On today’s podcast, we discuss what “kidulting” actually means, why toy companies are paying so much more attention to this consumer now, and what non-toy brands can learn from this trend. Tune in for a discussion featuring Vice President of Content and host Suzy Davidkhanian, along with Senior Analyst Carina Lamb and Principal Analyst Zak Stambor.

On today’s podcast episode, we present our “Unofficial Monthly Retailer Awards” (UMRAs) for August, focusing on Back-to-School activations. The awards include “Most Impactful Campaign,” “Best IRL Initiative,” and “Greatest Under-the-Radar Move.” Listen to the discussion with Vice President of Content and host Suzy Davidkhanian; Senior Analysts Arielle Feger and Carina Lamb; and Principal Analyst Sarah Marzano.

On today’s podcast, we discuss why shopping still feels so disconnected when brands and retailers know so much about us, what’s changed most about what consumers expect from brands today, and what brands should be building now to be ready for people shopping on their own—some using AI assistants, with some purchases becoming fully agentic. Tune in for a conversation featuring Vice President of Content and host Suzy Davidkhanian, Principal Analyst Sky Canaves, and Keith Lehman, Global Marketing Director for Digital Commerce and Retail Media at Colgate-Palmolive.

Last November, we identified 11 trends we expected to shape the business landscape in 2026. Our Trends 2026 update reveals where expectations are holding, where surprises have emerged, and what businesses should watch through year-end.

On today’s podcast, we discuss how Bombas has held onto its purpose as it has scaled, what separates partnerships that last from those that are simply campaigns, and the signals that tell Soles4Souls when a company is genuinely committed versus just checking a box. Tune in for a conversation featuring Vice President of Content and host Suzy Davidkhanian, Buddy Teaster, President and CEO of Soles4Souls, and Kelly Cobb, VP of Impact at Bombas.

In today’s podcast episode, we discuss what’s driving the current surge in interest in health wearables, which wearable health metrics are reliable enough for clinical decision-making, the leading devices on the market, and how AI is helping transform them into comprehensive digital health hubs. Join Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson, along with Senior Analysts Rajiv Leventhal and Beth Snyder Bulik, as they explore these topics. Listen wherever you get your podcasts, or watch on YouTube or Spotify.

As brands strive to create lasting connections with interested consumers, Playtex Sport is counting on active creators to reach those who will care the most and drive sales to retailers.

On today's podcast episode, we discuss the three biggest questions surrounding Google right now: Is Google spending too much in the AI race? Will the company finally rationalize its AI product naming conventions? And what will the next phase of YouTube's growth look like? Join Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson, along with Principal Analyst Nate Elliott and Analyst Marisa Jones. Listen wherever you get your podcasts, or watch on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.