As retailers prepare for next year, they acknowledge that convenience has evolved from a value proposition to a structural shift in how all of retail operates. We asked leaders across retail media, digital identity, payments, mobility, and connected commerce, and they agreed that convenience will continue to change throughout the next year as expectations shift and AI eliminates friction.

The news: WPP’s CMO and CEO of its Coca-Cola agency, Laurent Ezekiel, will depart the company to join Publicis, adding to a string of high-profile losses for the struggling holding company. Our take: With Ezekiel’s and Read’s departures, WPP is at an inflection point as it struggles to reinvent itself and keep pace with competitors. The company faces mounting pressure as other holding companies develop stronger digital and data-driven capabilities. WPP’s future depends on how well its new CEO can close gaps in modernization, build its AI investments, and enact significant operational changes.

The news: WPP has lost the $1.7 billion Mars global media account to Publicis, just months after parting with Coca-Cola’s North America business. The deal encompasses media, social, production, and commerce, and further weakens WPP’s hold on major global clients. Our take: WPP’s loss is both financial and reputational—and their aggressive counterattack via a client-facing report signals a deeper crisis. As rivals like Publicis gain ground and agency power consolidates, WPP’s public posture and CEO transition raise questions about future strategy. Winning back trust will require more than critiques of the competition—it will demand structural clarity and client-first execution.

The news: Quality control is a growing fear for advertisers as an Adweek investigation found ads from major brands appeared near offensive and inappropriate content. Ads from brands like Amazon and Verizon were found near sexual or racially offensive content on the Android short-form video app XShorts. Our take: Advertisers are increasingly faced with a digital landscape where programmatic ad buying lacks the quality control required to keep up with rapid innovation and demand for ad space—prompting renewed calls for transparency, verification, and human oversight in automated systems.

Publicis strengthens AI and first-party data strategy: The Lotame acquisition enhances its identity solutions, adding 4 billion customer profiles and expanding Epsilon’s AI-powered ad targeting.

Publicis acquires Mars United Commerce: The deal strengthens holding company’s ability to offer commerce media solutions.

With some legacy identifiers already in the history books and the rest on the chopping block, the digital ad industry is finally getting serious about adopting targeting and measurement practices that don’t rely on cookies and mobile IDs.

eMarketer was pleased to moderate a Tech-Talk Webinar featuring Epsilon’s Shelly Photiades, vice president, strategy services, Sandeep Gadre, senior director, product management, and Evan Goldstein, vice president, analytics. They shared what financial services marketers can do to make their marketing work harder – and what that looks like in real life.

Attributing revenues to marketing touchpoints is one of marketers’ most challenging yet vital tasks. Read on to learn how marketers are approaching the journey to holistic attribution.

Many consumers still consider email to be their preferred channel for receiving brand communications. Much of the data suggests that email has become more important, not less, as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

The rise of digitally native, direct-to-consumer (D2C) businesses is one of the most transformative movements shaping the ecommerce landscape. In the coming years, many consumers intend to make a significant percentage of purchases with D2C brands, but there may be a ceiling.

Three of the most common key performance indicators (KPIs) for email are still open rate, clickthrough rate and click-to-open rate. But figures from email service and marketing technology providers show variations in those KPIs in North America depending on a variety of factors, including geography, industry, seasonality and the types of email messages being sent.

Nine in 10 internet users in the US rely on email, and many say it’s a preferred channel for receiving brand communications. Email also still plays a central role for marketers looking to maintain and nurture relationships.

Boomers are not indifferent to the benefits of digital shopping. However, their reluctance to use smartphones for any and everything tends to limit the digital proportion of their overall shopping—as does their worry about digital privacy.

Boomers have extended the concept of “aging in place” beyond its literal meaning. In addition to staying indefinitely in longtime homes, many are sticking with Web 1.0 and hoping to stave off retirement. But there’s lots of change in their lives as well.

Straddling the analogue and digital divide, Xers are readily reachable by marketers, but they can be picky when it comes to where and how they want to interact with ads. We spoke with demographics thought-leaders about this generation’s device and media usage.

Yes, Xers are outnumbered by millennials and boomers. But in mid-career and often with family households, Gen Xers are—or should be—a key target for marketers. Despite above-average earnings, tight finances mean they won’t part with their money lightly.

eMarketer moderates a Tech Talk Tuesday presentation featuring Jason Simon, senior vice president of sales, and Amit Deshpande, senior vice president of analytics, at Epsilon. Jason and Amit discuss how to see your potential and current customers beyond their interactions with your brand.

The belief that consumers crave more targeted, personalized ads has become a digital advertising mantra. But it’s not entirely true.

This report examines how B2B marketers and other customer-facing teams should approach their customer growth efforts.