In today’s podcast episode, we discuss whether AI slop is becoming a problem on YouTube, the ways AI is helping—and hindering—brand safety efforts for advertisers, and what marketers can do about AI’s influence on how their ads appear. Join Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson, along with Analyst Jacob Bourne and Principal Analyst Bill Fisher. Listen anywhere, or watch on YouTube or Spotify.

AI will reshape premium video buying—and NBCUniversal’s proof-of-concept shows agentic systems can unify planning and optimization across linear and streaming in seconds.

On today’s podcast episode, we discuss why measurement is harder than it used to be, how the metrics advertisers use to evaluate their spend are changing, and what marketers can—and should—do to navigate this transition effectively. Join Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson, Principal Analyst Max Willens, Nielsen's Head of Performance Marketing Alison Gensheimer, and SVP and Head of Advertisers and Agencies Matthew Devitt. Listen everywhere, and watch on YouTube and Spotify.

On today’s podcast episode, we discuss the main factors leading marketers to cut spending at the moment, how advertisers are adapting their approach to measurement, and what is happening in the industry as more marketers begin to embrace the opportunity to shift spend at a higher velocity. Join Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson, Principal Analyst Max Willens, Nielsen's Head of Performance Marketing Alison Gensheimer, and SVP and Head of Advertisers and Agencies Matthew Devitt. Listen everywhere, and watch on YouTube and Spotify.

Google’s Gemini surpassed longtime leaders like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Meta’s Threads to become the No. 1 free iPhone app in the US App Store. Downloads surged due to the viral success of its Nano Banana AI image-editing feature, which sparked intense social media engagement, per ZDNet. Gemini’s breakthrough demonstrates the power of social media to amplify AI tools overnight, yet its long-term position will hinge on whether it can evolve from a trend into a staple. For now, Nano Banana’s popularity is a huge win for Google, but the next test is whether Gemini can convert that buzz into habit.

Google’s AI-powered video creation platform, Vids, has surpassed 1 million monthly active users, fueled by a new free tier and updates that simplify production. Features include motion effects for product photos, AI transcript editing, Google Meet integrations, and expanded social formats. Paid users retain advanced options like multi-style AI avatars. The adoption highlights rising demand for scalable video workflows—46% of professionals already use AI for images or videos, per EMARKETER. With ideation and personalization ranking as top genAI use cases, Vids is positioning itself as a daily creative tool, potentially joining Docs and Slides in Google’s productivity suite.

The news: Content demands are growing faster than budgets, pushing marketers toward AI as a way to keep up. Even as automation increases, ad agencies remain crucial partners for executing and scaling campaigns. Two-thirds (67%) of global employees working in marketing and communications use AI for content creation frequently or all the time, per 10Fold’s AI-First, Buyer-Ready report. That surge in AI adoption is accompanied by ambitious output goals: 91% plan to increase their content output this year, and nearly half (45%) expect to produce three to five times more than before. Our take: The future of content marketing isn’t AI versus agencies—it’s a combination of both. Hybrid models that combine in-house human and AI-powered creation with agencies’ expertise in strategy, distribution, and optimization can help maximize budgets, maintain brand voice, and keep up output as demand rises.

Privacy regulations are mounting. Signal loss is accelerating. Omnichannel advertising has become impossibly complex. These forces are driving marketers back to MMM for holistic, privacy-safe measurement.

Though TikTok Shop faces the dual challenges of economic instability and a tenuous presence on US app stores, marketers are still taking advantage of its positioning as both a social platform and ecommerce engine.

While consumers are always looking for more efficient ways to shop and engage with brands, they aren't always ready to trade that efficiency for relinquished control. Marketers seeking to enhance engagement with AI have an evolving tightrope to walk.

Connected TV (CTV) is booming in households and becoming significantly more important for advertisers.

Marketers are increasingly concerned about reaching the consumers who avoid them. 41% say ad avoidance or ad blindness is a major area of concern, up from 29% in 2022, according to a November 2024 Mediaocean survey.

While third-party cookies are here to stay—for now—marketers can’t afford to be complacent about measurement. With privacy regulations mounting and most consumers blocking cookies, measuring digital ad performance remains a complex and challenging task.

On today’s podcast episode, we discuss what we expect from consumer spending in Q2, the three scenarios we expect for total media (and digital) ad spending, and how marketers are reacting to everything. Join Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson, Principal Forecasting Writer Ethan Cramer-Flood, and Senior Forecasting Analyst Zach Goldner. Listen everywhere and watch on YouTube and Spotify.

Marketers struggle with shrinking returns on social media ad spend: A new study found diversification without divestment is key to staying afloat.

As the ban deadline nears, creators are diversifying fast—but juggling platforms with different audiences and monetization tools poses operational hurdles.

On today’s podcast episode, we discuss the next waves to hit the streaming world: which platform will emerge as the streaming hub, how will “content tiers” change viewer behavior and subscriptions, and can streaming maintain sizeable enough audiences for awards shows and Presidential debates? Tune in to the conversation with Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson, our Senior Editor Daniel Konstantinovic, and Vice President Paul Verna. Listen everywhere and watch on YouTube and Spotify.

A lot happens in a week, so every Friday we're going to analyze all the new data and provide you with some of the key takeaways. Welcome to Friday 5.

On today’s podcast episode, we discuss how marketers (and consumers) currently feel about brand safety, how publishers are trying to assuage brands’ concerns, and what comes after ‘brand suitability’. Tune in to the conversation with Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson, our Senior Director of Briefings Jeremy Goldman, Vice President Paul Verna, and co-founder and CEO of Mobian Jonah Goodhart. Listen everywhere and watch on YouTube and Spotify.