The ad agency ecosystem is vast, complex, and ever-changing. It now faces changes brought on by AI and clients’ shifting preferences over how and where to spend their advertising dollars.

2024 has been a disruptive year for generative AI (genAI), which transformed from a buzzword into a practical part of marketing workflows, and commerce media as more platforms launch. Meanwhile, advertisers are still figuring out the lifespan of third-party cookies. And connected TV (CTV) advertising got a big boost from Prime Video.

Programmatic has effectively become the defining mechanism for delivering ads. This benchmark guide unpacks how programmatic advertising is shaping spend in key channels.

While ad spend allocated to in-store retail media has yet to take off, consumers are ready and willing to engage with digital in-store formats, according to a new survey by EMARKETER in collaboration with Placer.ai.

The retail media landscape is evolving rapidly, requiring brands, networks, and tech partners to optimize and enhance their ad solutions and capabilities. Here are three recent announcements.

Measurement and attribution are the most critical advertising capability or media investment for over half (53%) of retail marketers worldwide, according to November 2023 data from Mediaocean.

As the path to purchase becomes more fragmented, brands must be everywhere the customer is—and retail media partnerships are stepping up. “There really isn't [one] common flow, and so you really have to make sure you're present in any place the consumer is thinking about your brand's products,” Eric Tarnowski, senior vice president, connected commerce at Kenvue, said during Advertising Week New York. “Every conversion point is a brand-building opportunity.”

On today's podcast episode, we discuss whether search, social, connected TV, or retail media has been driving growth the most this year, how much non-cyclical ad growth has been fueling this year's numbers, and what to expect from ad spend in 2025. Tune in to the discussion with host Marcus Johnson and our analyst Ross Benes.

Last month, Dollar General launched an in-store audio network, enhancing its in-store and online ad solutions.

Walmart is unlikely to put Vizio data behind closed doors: A renewed measurement deal with Comscore could assuage concerns about signal loss.

55% of US agency and marketing decision-makers expect AI to improve retail media by offering greater insights and recommendations, according to a July 2024 study from Quartile and NewtonX.

Google will fall below a 50% share of the US search advertising market next year for the first time since we started tracking it in 2008, per our forecast. It’s a pivotal time for paid search, with Google’s ad dominance threatened by generative AI, social media, retail media, and lawsuits. Meanwhile, ad-averse consumers are becoming hesitant to click search ads. Here are four trends our exclusive KPI data reveal about Google, retail media, and the future of paid search.

59% of US consumers want details on costs and promotions from a commerce video ad, according to July 2024 data from the Interactive Advertising Bureau in partnership with Alter Agents. Nearly as many (58%) want clear product demos and details.

To take on retail media giants like Amazon and Walmart Connect, smaller networks need to constantly show what sets them apart and step up their media game.

Spend from current retail media network (RMN) advertisers is showing signs of cooling, forcing RMNs to look to non-endemic advertisers outside their existing ad networks for new ad dollars.

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

Pure-play advertising fuels US ad growth: Recurring events like the Olympics drive spending, but the market is steadily expanding even without them.

“In 2022, retail media hit the first of many milestones when it became the fastest US ad channel to eclipse $30 billion in spending—nearly twice as quickly as it took social media,” our analyst Max Willens said on a recent Meet the Analyst webinar. “That was just the start.”

Last week, retail marketplaces Thrive Market and Faire joined the growing number of retail media.

Consumers may be concerned about the economy, but the outlook is good for ad spend in the final months of 2024. The share of advertisers concerned about a slowing US economy dropped 11 percentage points (from 49% to 38%) between November 2023 and August 2024, according to the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB). Retail media’s popularity, an influx of value-based messaging, high political ad spend, and connected TV (CTV) monetization will boost the ad industry the rest of 2024.