The agency and marketing world is undergoing a strategic shift, with M&A activity surging in AI, experiential, and sports sectors. AI is no longer optional—firms like R/GA, Real Chemistry, and The Shipyard are acquiring to integrate automation, content generation, and efficiency into operations. Experiential marketing is also bouncing back, with global spending surpassing $128 billion and deals like BeCore and JetFuel reflecting renewed momentum. Meanwhile, sports marketing is booming, with Publicis and M&C Saatchi expanding to capture rising media rights value and digital viewership. Across sectors, the common thread is impact: marketers want scalable, measurable solutions that deliver real results.

Coca-Cola helps usher in an era of generative AI advertising: The brand recently told marketers that it believes AI is much more effective than Web3.

Gaming became a popular online activity during the pandemic. Growth may be slowing, but it’s not shrinking, meaning that the majority of those who picked up the hobby during the pandemic have become long-term users.

The South by Southwest festival returned to Austin, Texas, in full force this year, with discussions on the future of technology, brands, and marketing. Here, we lay out the top trends and takeaways.

Web3 is intrinsically linked to crypto, which is in crisis. Web3 users can’t touch applications without touching crypto.

The Web3 opportunity is real, but it’s tempered by misconceptions and little-understood risks. Financial services providers must first understand what Web3 really means to avoid disintermediation by fintechs and first-mover incumbents.

The scale of FTX’s bankruptcy has placed it among the biggest bankruptcies in financial services history, where it sits fourth behind only WorldCom, Enron, and Lehman Brothers. However, there’s a chance of an even bigger disaster if Tether goes down.

On today's episode, we discuss how generative AI will transform how content and creative teams function across industries, the relationship between Web3 and loyalty, brands focusing on games as a training ground for the metaverse, and more. Tune in to the discussion with our analysts Jessica Lis and Yory Wurmser.

Our analyst shares what’s hot (the environment and Web3) and what’s not (the economy, the metaverse, and the fear of both logging on and off social media).

Will Elon Musk’s Twitter flourish or falter? Despite the current chaos, some see potential for significant changes.

As the economy continues to roil, brands will look to some of the most hyped technologies—including generative AI, clean rooms, and Web3—to solve real problems.

The firm introduced a crypto payments onramp to facilitate purchases for web3 platforms despite recent crypto turmoil.

Consumers now expect more from brands and their loyalty programs, which need to incorporate value, ease of use, and personalization to stand out in a crowded market.

Nike and Apple eye opportunities in the metaverse: Nike is opening an online store and trading platform for digital sneakers, while Apple is reportedly working on its own virtual environment.

Though the beauty category may not be inflation-proof, L'Oréal had a great first half of the year as the return to in-person life continued.

Payments Ecosystem: This year will reveal how providers must adapt to lasting pandemic-driven digitization across payments channels, ranging from in-store retail to B2B ecommerce.