Total media ad spending growth has stabilized, and digital ad spending is set for an extended period of low double-digit annual increases. Amazon, TikTok, and Instagram will be the main growth drivers this year.

“What’s really exciting about retail media is a lot of it is uncharted territory,” said Paul Longo, general manager of retail media at Microsoft. “We’re in inning two, inning three. What’s gotten us here will not get us where things need to be.”

Retail will account for over a quarter (28.7%) of all US digital ad spending in 2024.

Big Tech (Amazon, Apple, Google, Meta, and Microsoft) will attract nearly two-thirds of US digital ad dollars this year, according to our October 2023 forecast.

Big Tech has a big problem: The regulatory tide has turned against it. Digital advertising giants face several major lawsuits, and competition authorities are working to launch more before a possible change in leadership following US elections.

Brands need to differentiate themselves in a crowded market. AI can help. But the content needs to be personalized and trained on the brand's own data to avoid generic output. And brands need to be sure that source content has a clear voice and point of view.

A Google versus OpenAI search engine showdown is taking shape: A race to develop AI search engines raises questions about whether the tech can shake up the market.

Ads managers are the main driver of programmatic direct ad spending, which has become the primary method of programmatic advertising in Canada in social media and connected TV.

On today's podcast episode, we discuss the impact of multimodal chatbots, the copyright case between The New York Times and OpenAI, and how AI could influence the election. "In Other News," we talk about how much Microsoft's new AI keyboard key might affect AI use. Tune in to the discussion with our analyst Yory Wurmser.

AI dominance in the tech sphere was on parade at CES 2024, pointing to pressure on product developers to integrate the technology. Also in the spotlight: Inclusivity and sustainability as focal points for an industry maturing to meet societal needs, the latest gadgets, and what the show means for marketers.

The ad spending winter of 2022 and early 2023 was mild and short-lived, as we predicted. And after a solid H2 2023, things are looking up across the board for 2024.

Until Google rolls out generative search to all users, most consumers won’t adopt the technology. That means AI isn’t driving search ad spending—yet.

New forecasts for US Amazon CTV ad revenues and ad-supported viewers for select streaming services.

OpenAI turmoil’s ripple effect on social media: The chaos could create opportunities and challenges for platforms in the red-hot genAI market.

OpenAI's leadership crisis (largely) benefits Microsoft: Turmoil likely strengthens companies’ ties, setting the stage to further augment AI innovation.

On today's podcast episode, we discuss the good, the bad, and what's missing from President Biden's new AI safety executive order. "In Other News," we talk about the potential of Microsoft's AI Copilot and Elon Musk's new AI chatbot called Grok. Tune in to the discussion with our analysts Jacob Bourne and Gadjo Sevilla.

WPP merges Wunderman Thompson and VMLY&R: New powerhouse VML will launch as of January 1.

What Microsoft’s Activision Blizzard merger means for mobile advertising

Microsoft is picking up ad spend by improving search, social, and video features, as well as improving ad targeting and measurement. The company is also inserting itself into the rapidly growing retail media market. In the last few weeks, Microsoft has announced a slew of updates that will help it expand its business.