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.

Microsoft’s new ad network helps retailers build and maintain their own media networks, boasting “ready-built demand, expansive ad supply, and access to high-intent shoppers.” Using Microsoft’s new product can help retailers reach profitability, according to the software company.

Amazon faces a significant legal challenge: A FTC lawsuit that alleges Amazon illegally maintains monopoly power could force the retail giant to fundamentally alter its business practices.

On today's podcast episode, we discuss the details and regulatory headaches surrounding Microsoft’s attempts to acquire the video game company Activision Blizzard. "In Other News," we talk about how Meta is allowing EU users to turn off their algorithms, and YouTube’s current issues around violating children’s privacy through tracking-based advertising on "made-for-kids" content. Tune in to the discussion with our guest host Bill Fisher and analysts Daniel Konstantinovic and Evelyn Mitchell-Wolf.

Amazon’s advertising division ranked highest in our Power of Amazon in 2023 report. Its retail ecommerce division, Amazon’s biggest business by dollars, lost share between our initial rankings in 2021 and our current forecast.

This month’s ad platforms update is all about analytics, with Google, TikTok, and Microsoft announcing improved reporting tools. Plus, Amazon announced on-site and off-site retail media innovations. And we saw some interesting ad network updates from Lyft and Intuit. Here’s a breakdown of what’s new.

The digitization of the store—retail’s next megatrend—will transform the shopper’s path to purchase and industry economics for retailers and brands.

Key stat: 61% of US paid search marketers think future chat-based search advertising will be very or extremely effective, according to NP Digital.

Since Google debuted its Search Generative Experience AI-based interface in beta three months ago, it’s made a lot of updates to alleviate early concerns from testers. But according to search expert Lily Ray, Google still has some work to do to fix issues with its new AI-driven experience. Meanwhile, Microsoft—which is still a very distant rival—continues to innovate on Bing Chat, which Ray called “the best AI product that’s out there right now.”

On today's episode, we discuss what Google's Q2 ad growth is telling us, what to make of YouTube's recent performance, and how Google will fair in the second half of the year. "In Other News," we talk about Google rolling out the first step of third-party cookie replacement and what Microsoft is betting on for the future. Tune in to the discussion with our analyst Evelyn Mitchell-Wolf.

Retail media is outpacing non-retail media in growth in US search ad spend. As performance-driven advertisers push closer to the point of sale, companies like Amazon benefit. Here’s what’s behind retail media’s search success.