Google’s YouTube overtures gain traction among marketers refocusing on brand investments YouTube is benefitting from prevailing winds propelling marketers toward brand spending.

wrote about rising YouTube ad spend by brands with @krystalscanlon.bsky.social on @digidaymedia.bsky.social
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Despite growth, CTV is ‘not a perfect science,’ making it hard to justify prices CTV ad spend is growing, but media buyers have difficulty in justifying the growing costs due to lack of transparency.

There are still numerous sticking points to resolve in CTV if marketers are to feel they’re receiving value for their investment.

Condé Nast and Hearst strike Amazon AI licensing deals for Rufus Condé Nast and Hearst have signed multi-year agreements with Amazon to license their content for use in its AI shopping assistant Rufus,

Condé Nast and Hearst have signed multi-year agreements with Amazon to license their content for use in its AI shopping assistant Rufus.

Questions swirl after X CEO Linda Yaccarino departs from the platform Yaccarino is stepping down from the role, marking the end of two tumultuous years at the platform where she worked with Elon Musk.

After just over two years at X, CEO Linda Yaccarino is stepping down from the role. Her departure marks the end of two tumultuous years at the platform, whereby for a lot of her earlier tenure, the industry wondered how much power she truly had, working for X owner, billionaire Elon Musk.

Generative AI, not ad tech, is the new antitrust battleground for Google The latest EU complaint from independent publishers marks the third potential major antitrust battle currently facing Google.

Global regulatory scrutiny is shifting from Google's ad tech and search dominance to generative AI, as they aim to address the most pressing threats to publisher business models.

In the age of AI Overviews, Tripadvisor wants to be the destination Advertisers aren’t feeling the direct blow of generative AI on traffic the way publishers are. But they see what’s coming.

Advertisers aren’t feeling the direct blow of generative AI on traffic the way publishers are. But they see what’s coming. Tripadvisor, for one, is already adjusting its strategy as the foundation of search starts to shift.

Sprite’s heat-activated digital billboards suggest a future spot for OOH in the media mix Brands like Arla and Sprite are investing in dynamic digital out-of-home work, due to its efficiency and proximity to purchase.

back in the saddle at @digidaymedia.bsky.social after a week in porto, with a piece on billboards activated by humidity and rising temperatures digiday.com/marketing/sp...

Here are some of the big questions left unanswered by the FTC’s Omnicom-IPG neutrality decree The FTC has granted the Omnicom-IPG merger under unusual conditions with major implications for brand clients.

busy week in which I very responsibly but very boringly stopped writing a “FTC won’t let me be” headline before I could be tempted to put it into the @digidaymedia.bsky.social cms digiday.com/media-buying...

LGBTQ+ publishers grapple with a Pride Month ad spend slowdown LGBTQ+-focused publishers faced a tougher-than-usual Pride month this June, as ad dollars failed to materialize.

LGBTQ+-focused publishers faced a tougher-than-usual Pride month this June, as ad dollars failed to materialize.

Some saw fewer new advertisers and lower ad spend this Pride month compared to last year. digiday.com/media/lgbtq-...

Why there's a CPM slump in a growing CTV market Midway through the year, ad execs say CPMs are down. Depending on who you ask, they’re down anywhere between 10% to over 30% year over year.

Midway through the year, buyers and sellers say CPMs are sliding. Depending on who you ask, they’re down anywhere between 10% to over 30% year over year.

In Graphic Detail: eMarketer forecasts how digital marketing will evolve in 2025, and beyond eMarketer forecasts that AI search ad spend will grow exponentially in the coming years, but its overall share of search will be small.

Digital ad spend is plateauing, with growth rates slowing considerably between now and 2028, especially when compared to the boom times such as the immediate post-pandemic era.

Spotify’s video podcast program draws praise from creators — and skepticism from networks Six months into the Spotify Partner Program, creators and podcast networks are split on the opportunity, with ad monetization at the core.

Six months into the Spotify Partner Program, creators and podcast networks are split on the opportunity, with ad monetization at the core.

Some WPP clients see a risk in Mark Read’s exit, others see a reset CMOs don’t view agency instability the way the industry does. For them, it’s less about leadership headlines and more about leverage.

The decision to leave was already on the table. For months, senior marketers at one of WPP’s clients had grown frustrated with the holding company’s pace of change. WPP had been trying – streamlining teams, fixing old systems, pushing for integration – but it wasn’t happening fast enough.

Why these five possible candidates could take over for outgoing WPP CEO Mark Read The WPP board’s next move is less about succession than direction. We offer four options it might look at.

The WPP board’s next move is less about succession than direction. We offer five options it might look at.

Lifestyle publishers rewrite the SEO playbook for AI-driven search SEO and editorial strategies are evolving to prioritize the categories, styles and content formats driving click-throughs in AI and search.

SEO and editorial strategies are evolving to prioritize the categories, styles and content formats driving click-throughs in AI and search engines.

AI talk returns to Cannes — but marketers want practicality over pontification At Cannes Lions 2025, AI remains a top topic, but marketers are prioritizing real-world use cases, ROI, and impact over hype.

AI will dominate Cannes Lions for the third year running, but marketers now want results — not just hype. #canneslions

Agency-SSP partnerships are growing more common – and blurring programmatic's old dividing lines Agencies and SSPs are pairing up for partnership deals, driven by demand for premium inventory and greater transparency.

More media agencies are attempting to go around traditional ad tech gatekeepers to strike their own deals with supply-side platforms (SSPs).

The Trade Desk lifts the lid on Deal Desk a ‘hub for PMP management’ Will Doherty, svp of inventory development, teases launch at IAB Tech Lab Summit, claiming 90% of Deal IDs are ‘effectively failed’.

The Trade Desk is poised to launch Deal Desk, a new capability within the demand-side platform aimed at easing the structural inefficiencies in the Deal ID ecosystem.

IAB Tech Lab unveils plans to bolster publisher monetization in the AI era LLM Content Ingest API Initiative proposes framework for publisher compensation by LLMs and AI agents, while Containerization Project addresses emerging programmatic challenges.

IAB Tech Lab has used its annual summit to announce two major initiatives aimed at modernizing digital advertising infrastructure and content governance.

TikTok insists to advertisers that it's a full-funnel platform, not just an entertainment app At this year’s TikTok World, the platform’s annual global ad product summit, TikTok revealed new products to entice advertisers.

TikTok really wants advertisers to see it as a place to drive full-funnel results — not just boost brand awareness but deliver on performance too.

'A conscious decision': Agencies still choose to go to Cannes amid economic uncertainty As the ad industry returns to the Riviera for Cannes Lions, agencies are navigating economic uncertainty and immigration challenges.

As the ad industry returns to the rosé-soaked Riviera for #CannesLions, agencies are navigating economic uncertainty.

Amazon and The New York Times’ AI deal signals a new wave of publisher partnerships The New York Times has signaled in its agreement with Amazon that it’s open to an AI licensing deal — if the terms are right.

It finally happened: The New York Times signed an AI licensing deal. Not with Perplexity, or Google — and definitely not with OpenAI or Microsoft — but with Amazon.

Pride, but no budget: LGBTQ+ creators hit by ad spend drop As brands pull back their spending on Pride Month marketing initiatives, LGBTQ+ creators are seeing their brand deals dwindle.

As advertisers curb their Pride marketing, some LGBTQ+ influencers are seeing their brand partnerships for June’s Pride Month dwindle to almost nothing.

LinkedIn courts creators — and advertisers — with new performance metrics Creators and advertisers are encouraged by new LinkedIn metrics that make it easier to measure clicks and conversions.

LinkedIn has introduced a range of creator metrics aimed at giving brands and marketers deeper insights into the platform’s influence and ROI.

The winners and losers of Google’s AI Mode Google’s rollout of AI Mode has rattled publishers. Who stands to gain, and what else is threatened by Google’s integration of AI in search?

Google’s rollout of AI Mode has rattled publishers. Who stands to gain, and what else is threatened by Google’s integration of AI in search?

CMO Strategies: Marketers from Georgia-Pacific to Samsung weigh in on display ad strategies, success metrics and challenges This report looks at changes happening in display ads and how marketers are balancing traditional display ad options with email display ads.

The third installment of Digiday+ Research's 2025 CMO Strategies series looks at the changes happening in display ads and how marketers are balancing traditional display ad options with email display ads.

Ad tech’s IPO dreams are stirring again – MNTN just made them look a bit more real MNTN’s splashy debut on the New York Stock Exchange last week didn’t just grab attention, it lit a signal flare.

For ad tech bosses, the IPO dream is no longer just a late-night fantasy, it’s starting to look like a real possibility.

Perplexity has offered ads for half a year — marketers already want scale The platform no longer has time to refine an ad proposition, especially since advertisers are tightening budgets and chasing efficiency.

In today's crowded AI race, platforms no longer have the luxury of time to refine an ad proposition, especially since advertisers are tightening budgets and chasing efficiency.

Q2 brought calm, but not confidence as CMOs spend with caution With companies pulling earnings forecasts and the upfront market losing steam, the signs are clear: advertisers are easing off the gas.

With companies pulling earnings forecasts and the upfront market losing steam, the signs are clear: advertisers are easing off the gas.

‘We’re seeing an immense uplift in the scale’: How generative AI is fueling the next wave of ad tech fraud Generative AI content farms are stealing publishers’ ads.txt files to hijack ad revenue, according to DoubleVerify.

Generative AI content farms are stealing publishers’ ads.txt files to hijack ad revenue, according to DoubleVerify.