Today's Advertising Pulse
X’s ad revenue plummets to $2.3 bn, far below Twitter’s peak
X reported advertising revenue of $2.3 bn in 2023 and projects $1.7 bn for 2024 and $1.8 bn for 2025, a sharp decline from the $4.7 bn generated in Twitter’s final public year. Its share of the U.S. digital‑ad market slipped to roughly 1% in Q1 2026, down from a near‑10% peak in 2016, and former NBCUniversal sales chief Linda Yaccarino exited the CEO role in July 2025 after modest performance.
X Launches AI‑powered Ad Platform Overhaul to Lure Back Advertisers
X (formerly Twitter) began a phased rollout of a rebuilt, AI‑driven advertising platform on April 30, the first full overhaul since the early 2000s. Powered by xAI technology, the new stack promises tighter targeting, higher relevance and better campaign performance as the company seeks to recover advertiser dollars lost after Elon Musk’s 2022 takeover.
Antonio Lucio Joins PayPal as Chief Marketing & Corporate Affairs Officer
PayPal announced that Antonio Lucio will serve as its Chief Marketing & Corporate Affairs Officer. Lucio arrives from HP, where he led a global marketing transformation, and brings prior stints at Meta, Visa and PepsiCo. The hire signals PayPal’s push...
F1 Sponsors Forgotten Within Weeks Despite Millions Burned, Study Finds
Brands are spending millions on Formula 1 sponsorship, yet most fade from memory within weeks, according to Honeycomb Strategy’s “Pit Stop to Podium” study of 19 sponsors at the 2026 Australian Grand Prix. The research measured unprompted awareness immediately after the...
Meta Opens Ads AI Connectors Beta, Linking Campaigns to ChatGPT, Claude
Meta Platforms has rolled out an open beta of Ads AI Connectors, enabling advertisers to create, edit and analyze campaigns directly through external generative AI models such as ChatGPT and Claude. The connectors use a Model Context Protocol server and...
Google Search +19% to $60.4B; Microsoft Bing 1B Users, Ads +12% Q1 2026
Alphabet posted a 19% year‑over‑year jump in Google Search & Other revenue to $60.4 billion, while Microsoft announced Bing hit 1 billion monthly active users and saw search ad revenue climb 12% in Q1 2026. The results highlight divergent trends for the two...
Spotify’s Mood Playlists Eclipse Curated Sets, Prompting Marketers to Rethink Social Media Reliance
Spotify’s own curated mood playlists have been overtaken by user‑generated collections, a trend that marketers see as a sign that the social‑media‑centric model is losing its grip. Industry analysts warn brands must adapt to an audio‑first landscape as “lean‑back consumers”...
Microsoft Ads Adds Publisher‑Level Conversion and Spend Data to Performance Max
Microsoft Advertising has expanded its Performance Max reporting to include conversion and spend figures for each publisher URL, letting advertisers pinpoint which placements drive results. The upgrade moves beyond impression and click data, offering a more granular view of campaign...
Create 100 AI‑generated UGC Ads in 30 Minutes
Create 100 Winning AI UGC Ads in 30 minutes (without prompts) Watch Here 👉 https://t.co/Ab0e57ucuN In this video, I show you how to use a new platform that analyses your product page, understands your offer, and uses Seedance 2.0 to create...
Free Weekly Newsletter: Actionable DTC Growth Strategies
Every week I write a free weekly newsletter built to help DTC brands who want actionable insights on scaling their brand. Wether you have an agency, in-house team or are just getting started; there’s something that you’ll find valuable & helpful. Sign...
YouTube's Creator Partnerships API Gives Brands Data Access but No Commerce Tools
YouTube announced its Creator Partnerships API at the NewFronts earlier this spring, granting select ad‑tech firms access to creator performance metrics. The rollout solves the data gap for marketers while leaving e‑commerce attribution unaddressed, prompting brands to rethink influencer strategies.
BofA Lifts Meta Price Target to $835 as AI Spend Sparks Debate
Bank of America analyst Justin Post raised Meta Platforms' price target to $835 from $820, citing strong ad revenue and AI opportunities. The upgrade comes as Meta's AI‑heavy capital spending draws investor caution, highlighting a split view on the cost...
Amazon Ads $17B Quarter Signals Opportunity Beyond Sellers
Amazon Ads 101: What the $17 Billion Quarter Means for Every Marketer Who Thought It Was Just for Amazon Sellers https://t.co/5Q0PeOdyBr
Agile Media Investment Strategies Displace Traditional Annual Plans, Says Hotspex Media Co‑Founder
Josh Rosen, co‑founder and president of Hotspex Media, says brands are abandoning fixed annual media plans in favor of agile, data‑driven allocation. He cites continuous performance data, AI tools and market volatility as drivers of the shift, warning that static...
Iran's Internet Blackout Costs $30‑$40 Million Daily, Halts Digital Advertising
Iran's authorities have kept a full internet shutdown in place for four months, disconnecting 90 million people and costing the economy $30‑$40 million each day. The blackout has devastated online advertising, e‑commerce and small‑business revenue, prompting layoffs at major platforms like DigiKala.
Reddit CEO Steve Huffman Touts AI‑driven Ad Growth as Platform Readies New Marketing Tools
Reddit CEO Steve Huffman highlighted a surge in AI‑powered advertising, with ad revenue climbing 74% to $625 million and roughly 50% of Reddit Max advertisers using AI features. The company signaled upcoming AI‑focused marketing tools as it targets $715‑$725 million revenue in...
Micro‑Influencer Videos Deliver 342% ROI Surge for E‑Commerce in Q1 2026
E‑commerce brands that partnered with micro‑influencers saw a 342% return on investment in Q1 2026, far outpacing traditional celebrity endorsements. The shift, driven by algorithm changes on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube, is prompting retailers to rebuild their influencer strategies around...
OpenAI Updates Conversion Pixel to Meet EU Consent Rules, Paving Way for ChatGPT Ads
OpenAI has upgraded its conversion tracking pixel with a consent‑management system and country‑level data fields, laying technical groundwork for a ChatGPT ad rollout in the European Union. The move addresses EU privacy rules and could reshape programmatic buying as generative‑AI...
LinkedIn Q1 Revenue Jumps 12% as B2B Marketers Double Down
LinkedIn reported a 12% year‑over‑year revenue increase in the first quarter, driven by growth across Talent Solutions, advertising and platform engagement. The surge underscores expanding B2B marketing spend on the professional network and hints at deeper monetization opportunities for Microsoft’s...
Roku Posts $86 Million Q1 Profit as Platform Revenue Jumps 28% and Active Households Top 100 Million
Roku announced a Q1 2026 profit of $86 million, driven by a 28% rise in platform revenue to $863 million and a 27% jump in ad sales. The company also surpassed 100 million active streaming households, though device revenue slipped 16% on lower...
Social Casino Apps Pull $11 B, Face Growing Lawsuits Over Addictive Monetization
High 5 Games’ CEO Anthony Singer testified in a Tacoma class‑action trial as plaintiffs allege the company’s social‑casino titles, including Monopoly GO!, use aggressive coin‑selling tactics that fuel addiction. The market, worth more than $11 billion in 2025, now faces heightened regulatory and...
Dark‑Money Influencer Campaign Pays $5K per TikTok to Cast Chinese AI as a Threat
Build American AI, a dark‑money group tied to the $140 million Leading the Future super‑PAC, is paying TikTok creators $5,000 per video to portray Chinese artificial‑intelligence advances as a threat to U.S. safety. The covert campaign, run by influencer agency SM4,...
Marketers Accelerate AI Adoption, Driving Revenue Gains and New Creative Workflows
CMOs are rapidly integrating AI tools, with Stagwell’s AI‑enabled platforms lifting Marketing Cloud revenue 5.3% to $26.5 million and Digital Transformation sales up 9%. Product marketers cite a shift toward system‑oriented roles, while AI‑driven image‑to‑video tools become standard for quick‑turn content....
OpenAI's Policy Shift Cements Its Ad Platform Role
ChatGPT advertising update -> OpenAI updates its privacy policy formalizing data-sharing with marketing partners as it continues to build its ad platform infrastructure. It also explains it's receiving purchase data from advertisers. "The changes, which include explicit language about receiving...
Amazon Ad Share Falls as Google and Meta Surge
"It is interesting to observe a noticeable drop in Amazon ads incremental share compared to Google advertising which itself is losing share to Meta’s FOA. For the last four consecutive quarters, Amazon ads grew at 22%. In contrast, Google advertising...
Etsy Q1 2026 GMV Rises 5.5% to $2.5B as Services Revenue Jumps 10.5%
Etsy announced first‑quarter 2026 marketplace gross merchandise volume of $2.5 billion, a 5.5% year‑over‑year increase, while services revenue climbed 10.5% to $198.5 million. The growth reflects higher ad spend, stronger payments activity and early signs of renewed buyer and seller momentum.
OpenAI Enables Marketing Cookies for Free‑Tier ChatGPT, Raising Privacy Concerns
OpenAI has updated its privacy policy to place marketing cookies on free‑tier ChatGPT accounts by default, allowing limited identifiers to be shared with ad partners. The move aims to boost ad revenue but has drawn criticism from privacy advocates and...
DMR/Interactive Elevates Tony Bannon to EVP, Strategy and Growth
DMR/Interactive announced the promotion of Tony Bannon to Executive Vice President, Strategy and Growth. The move underscores the agency’s focus on AI‑powered audience insights and expanding revenue opportunities for its clients.
Meta Q1 FY26 Ad Revenue Jumps 33% as AI Drives 12% Rise in Average Ad Price
Meta announced first‑quarter FY26 advertising revenue of $55 billion, up 33% year‑over‑year, while the average price per ad rose 12%. The surge stems from AI‑powered ranking upgrades, new generative‑ad tools and a rapid expansion of business‑AI usage.
OpenAI Updates U.S. Privacy Policy to Formalize Data-Sharing with Advertisers and Marketing Partners
OpenAI revised its U.S. privacy policy on April 30, adding language that it will share limited user identifiers, such as cookie and device IDs, with advertisers and marketing partners to gauge ad effectiveness and enable third‑party targeting. The update replaces the...
Google’s Preferred Sources Is Now A Global SEO Signal via @Sejournal, @Martinibuster
Google has expanded its Preferred Sources feature to every language supported by Google Search, updating its Search Central documentation to reflect global availability. The change introduces downloadable button assets in 16 languages, enabling publishers worldwide to invite users to select...
Iran’s Internet Shutdown Costs $30‑40 M Daily, Halts Digital Marketing and E‑Commerce
Iran’s nationwide internet blackout, now in its fourth month, is wiping out $30‑40 million in daily economic output and halting digital advertising, e‑commerce and freelance work for an estimated 10 million people. The shutdown is forcing businesses to shut down Instagram shops,...
Google Ads API V20 Sunset Set for June 10
Google announced that the Google Ads API version 20 will sunset on June 10, 2026, ending all support for that version. After the deadline, any request to v20 will return an error, forcing developers to migrate to a newer API...
Amazon Rolls Out AI‑generated Product Podcasts, Faces Backlash over Authenticity
Amazon introduced AI‑generated, podcast‑style audio segments that discuss individual products, but early users and commentators criticize the feature as disingenuous and poorly executed. The rollout highlights tensions between AI‑driven marketing efficiency and consumer trust.
X (Formerly Twitter) Rolls Out Rebuilt AI‑powered Ad Platform to Win Back Advertisers
Elon Musk’s X began a phased rollout of a rebuilt, AI‑powered advertising platform on Thursday, promising more precise targeting and continuous feature upgrades. The move targets a rebound to $2.46 bn in ad revenue by 2026, according to eMarketer, as the...
How AI Agents Are Transforming Modern Marketing Strategy
Stefano Puntoni, a Wharton marketing professor, explains that generative‑AI search and autonomous agents are reshaping how brands reach consumers. These tools move beyond keyword matching to infer intent, delivering hyper‑personalized recommendations and even completing purchases without human clicks. The shift...
AI Is Bringing Retail Media Closer to the Sale
Retail media is becoming more complex as brands juggle multiple channels and an explosion of shopper signals. At an ADWEEK House Possible panel, CVS Media Exchange (CMX) and Kenvue highlighted how artificial intelligence is being used to personalize offers, streamline...
Why Audio Is a Trusted Anchor in a Digital World
During an ADWEEK House Possible panel, executives from iHeartMedia, GroundTruth and ADWEEK discussed how audio is re‑emerging as a trust‑centric medium in a world saturated with AI‑generated content. They highlighted that 93% of consumers want news from a human and...
How Generative AI Will Impact Marketers and Consumers
InMobi exec Singhal predicts that by 2026 generative AI will power interactive ad formats that act like personal shopping agents, letting consumers outsource research while retaining final purchase decisions. He highlighted Glance, InMobi’s agentic commerce platform, which creates AI‑generated visual...
OpenAI Starts Laying Foundations for ChatGPT Ads in EU
OpenAI is preparing to launch advertising on ChatGPT in the European Union by updating its conversion‑tracking pixel with a consent‑management system and a country field. The change aligns the product with GDPR’s opt‑in requirements, a step not needed for U.S....
The Trade Desk Is Selling Onsite Retail Media Ads for Dollar General
The Trade Desk has launched a new retail‑media offering that lets advertisers purchase onsite display ads on Dollar General’s website through the same demand‑side platform used for off‑site campaigns. The partnership, built with retail‑tech provider Kevel, merges upper‑funnel inventory such...
Go Figure: 3 Big Marketing Numbers From April
CEO confidence in the CMO role slipped to 43% for 2026, signaling growing skepticism among senior leaders. At the same time, Modelo is committing a seven‑figure investment to sponsor every pre‑match broadcast of the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Telemundo,...
Why Clinical Digital Out-of-Home Displays Are Healthcare’s Most Untapped Advertising Opportunity
Clinical digital out‑of‑home (DOOH) screens sit in waiting rooms where patients are fully attentive to a health concern, yet they are priced at the same CPM as mass‑media channels that cannot guarantee an audience. Studies show point‑of‑care ads generate 84%...
OpenAI To 'Promote' Own Products Via Your Browser Cookies
OpenAI announced that it will use browser cookies to promote its products and services on other sites, marking a shift from pure organic growth to a commercial advertising model. The updated privacy policy explains that cookies will personalize ads for...
The 1% Solution: Media-For-Equity
Mercurius Media Capital (MMC) announced a $25 million, five‑year agreement with A+E Networks that will supply roughly $5 million of advertising inventory annually to MMC’s startup portfolio. The company’s media‑for‑equity model lets legacy broadcasters convert unsold ad slots into equity stakes, allowing...
Snapchat Partners With Credit Data Company Experian to Deliver Financial Education to Younger Consumers
Snapchat and credit‑reporting giant Experian have teamed up to embed an AI‑powered financial‑education experience within Snapchat’s Sponsored Snaps and chat interface. The partnership lets Gen Z and Millennial users ask money‑related questions and receive instant guidance, extending Experian’s recent ChatGPT‑driven...
Jennifer Lopez Uses Fake LinkedIn Jobs to Boost Netflix’s ‘Office Romance’
Jennifer Lopez updated her LinkedIn résumé with made‑up film‑role titles to promote Netflix’s new rom‑com “Office Romance”. The stunt, announced via an Instagram video, extends Netflix’s growing LinkedIn playbook that has previously featured campaigns for “Squid Game” and “Emily in...
LinkedIn Scans 6,278 Browser Extensions, Sparking Privacy Concerns for Marketers
LinkedIn has expanded its browser‑extension scanning to 6,278 entries as of April 2026, encrypting the inventory into each web request. The move, uncovered by a privacy‑focused blog, could let marketers infer job‑search activity and personal interests from users who haven’t consented,...
Avoid Over‑Splitting Budgets; Tiny Campaigns Waste Data
Just audited an ad account spending around 300k/month and they currently have 107 active campaigns with budgets as low as $20/day. Don't do this.... ever please. I'm all for unique strategies when running an account etc... but when you split your account...
Google's Network Revenue Falls 15th Quarter, YouTube Leads
This is your regular reminder that Google's Network business is vestigial: Network revenue declined for the 15th consecutive quarter in Q1 2026, and the delta between YouTube and Network revenue was nearly $3BN (although the gap shrank from Q4 2025)....
Gaming Ads: Unlocking an Underused Advertising Powerhouse
Scott Ensign, Chief Strategy Officer at @ButlerTill, discusses why gaming is still one of the most misunderstood and underutilized channels in advertising and how brands can finally unlock its full potential. https://t.co/bgRersWIG8