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.
IAB Europe Opens CTV Measurement Framework for Public Comment
IAB Europe announced on 30 April 2026 that its Connected TV (CTV) Measurement Framework and Transparency Principles are now open for public comment. The framework, built with input from major players such as Amazon Ads, Google, Samsung Ads and YouTube, standardises metrics like impressions, viewability, completion rate, incrementality and ROAS across broadcasters, streaming platforms and digital‑first services. It seeks to address the industry’s transparency gap—only 30% of advertisers report full visibility into ad placements. The comment period runs until 12 June 2026.
Meta's Ad Impressions Surge, 40% of Reels Are Ads
It keeps surprising me how $META can continue growing its ad impressions at these rates (Ad Impressions +19%). I just opened Instagram and scrolled through ten Reels (of which four were ads; 40%). Makes sense now.
Media Briefing: Publishers Rewire Sales Teams for the Outcomes Era
Publishers are overhauling sales structures, shifting from pure sellers to outcome‑focused teams that blend client‑success, custom studios, and product marketing. At USA Today, only a third of staff are active sellers, while WSJ and Hearst allocate roughly 25‑30% to sales...
Uncertainty Is the Real Cost of the Middle East War for Advertisers
Advertising agencies are feeling the drag from the Middle East war as uncertainty stalls budgeting decisions. WPP’s Middle East revenue fell 12.6% YoY and Publicis’s MEA business dropped 5.1%, while Omnicom saw declines in the region. The IMF warns the...
Adobe Expands Partner Ecosystem to Accelerate AI‑Driven CX for B2B Marketers
Adobe announced an expansion of its partner ecosystem aimed at delivering frictionless, AI‑orchestrated customer‑experience workflows for B2B marketers. The move is positioned as a way to help enterprises scale demand‑generation programs while reducing operational complexity.
Tech Giants Earned over $100b in Advertising Revenue in First Three Months of 2026
In the first quarter of 2026, Alphabet, Meta, Amazon, and Microsoft together generated more than $100 billion in advertising revenue. Alphabet led with $87.0 billion, driven by Google search ($77.3 b) and YouTube ($9.9 b), both posting double‑digit growth. Meta posted $55.0 billion, up 33%...
Bestads Best TV of the Week: Consejo Profesional De Agrimensores’ ‘Study Surveying’ via FROM
Bestadsontv.com, the global showcase arm of Campaign Brief, highlighted the Argentine ad “Study Surveying” by Consejo Profesional de Agrimensores, produced by agency FROM. The spot was selected by guest judge Lisa Fedyszyn, CCO of Special, New Zealand, for its witty take on...
Google's Ad Revenue Now 91% From Owned Platforms
Google earnings milestone today. Q1 marks the first time 91% of G's ad revenue (now $300B+ per year) comes from its owned properties (search, youtube, gmail, etc) rather than the rest of web. G is now accelerating death of open...
Meta’s Ad Machine Is Purring, So Why Did Its Stock Drop?
Meta reported a strong Q1, posting $55 billion in ad revenue, a 33% year‑over‑year increase, while unveiling a $125‑$145 billion spending plan to fund next‑generation AI compute. The company highlighted AI‑driven improvements that lifted Instagram Reels time spent by 10% and boosted...
Meta Q1 2026: 33% Ad Revenue Surge, New MCP Support
Meta Q1 2026 earnings: 33% ad revenue growth, MCP support for ad buying agents https://t.co/50uwbFSTVE
First-Time TV Series View Is Premium Inventory
Many fans don’t watch TV series when they are first available, soAMC Global Networks has suggested to advertisers that the first view of a series is worth more, and should be seen as a premium piece of inventory — even...
Liquid Death CEO on Building a Provocative Brand, Small Marketing Budgets and Super Bowl Ads
Liquid Death CEO Mike Cessario built the canned water brand on provocative, entertainment‑driven marketing, spending as little as $1,500 on a video that later earned 3 million views. The company now projects roughly $300 million in revenue while keeping video budgets under...
AMC Sees Second Chance to Win Ad Dollars for First Views of Long-Lasting Series
AMC Global Networks is rolling out a "first streamer" ad product that lets brands purchase the first ad slot in a viewer's initial watch of any series, even if the show is several seasons old. The offering treats a first‑time...
Fresho Appoints TAG to Drive Digital Growth
Fresho, a leading order‑management SaaS for food distributors, has appointed digital growth consultancy TAG to run its advertising and creative strategy across Australia‑New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States. The partnership focuses on a data‑led acquisition approach designed to...
Specsavers Unveils New OOH Work on Australia’s Longest Street Poster Site via Specsavers Creative
Specsavers has launched a 95.45‑metre out‑of‑home takeover on Swan Street in Richmond, Australia’s longest street poster site. The in‑house Specsavers Creative team installed 21 panels on one side asking "Loooooooooong sighted?" and a single panel on the opposite side asking...
AdMarketplace Launches AI Discover Beta, Embedding CPC Ads in AI Chat Interfaces
adMarketplace has begun beta testing AI Discover, a cost‑per‑click advertising platform that inserts sponsored product listings directly into AI chat responses. The program, running June‑December 2026 with partners including Opera AI, Dupe and Sezzle, follows an alpha that delivered over...
Actionable Routine Videos Boost Authentic Paid Social Conversions
Here's what is working right now for paid social ads: "Building a routine" and "optimizing your life" style videos. Why does it work so well? It's because the optimized routine feels actionable and make the product feel like part of a system of...
Google Says It's Open to Putting Ads in Gemini
Google has not yet placed ads in its Gemini AI chatbot, but chief business officer Philipp Schindler signaled openness to the idea during the earnings call. The company is currently testing ad formats in AI Mode, the conversational layer of...
Meta Opens Its Ad Ecosystem to Third-Party AI Tools
Meta announced an open‑beta rollout of Meta ads AI connectors, letting advertisers link third‑party AI tools such as ChatGPT and Claude directly to their Meta ad accounts. The connectors promise secure, cross‑channel insights and real‑time campaign management without forcing users...
Tube Trends: Now Creators Are Taking Over The NFL Draft
The NFL is leaning heavily into creator‑driven coverage, with YouTube emerging as the primary platform for the Draft. Tubular Labs data shows creators accounted for 58% of YouTube views from April 23‑29, and 21 individual creators each surpassed one million views....
A.I. Helps Online Ad Businesses Boom
AI tools from Meta and Google are reshaping digital advertising, letting firms like DribbleUp automate ad creation, targeting, bidding, and measurement. After moving its campaigns to Facebook’s AI platform, DribbleUp’s sales have outpaced its marketing spend and the company has...
AMC Comes Into Upfront With Bite, New Ways to Work With Advertisers
AMC has rebranded from AMC Networks to AMC Global Media, emphasizing a worldwide footprint. At its New York upfront, the company unveiled fresh advertising formats tied to sports, franchise content, and live events such as a Vampire Lestat showcase. The holiday‑season...
Walmart Launches Self‑serve Scintilla API, Giving Agencies Access to 500 Retail Metrics
Walmart Data Ventures has opened its Scintilla Media Data Feed to agencies and advertisers via a new self‑serve API, delivering almost 500 first‑party retail metrics. The move promises faster planning, optimization and measurement for marketers, while deepening Walmart’s retail‑media ecosystem.
Bing Ads Revenue Up 12% - New Growth
Microsoft reported third‑quarter 2026 results showing Bing Ads revenue climbing 12% year‑over‑year, signaling a rebound in its search advertising segment. Overall Q3 revenue hit $82.9 billion, up 18% YoY, while operating income rose 20% to $38.4 billion. The company highlighted AI‑driven services...
Omnicom Posts $5.6B Core Ops Revenue, CFO Angelastro Highlights AI‑Driven Growth
Omnicom Group posted $5.6 bn in core operations revenue for Q1 2026, up $345 m (6.7% total, 3.9% organic). CFO Philip Angelastro said the AI‑powered Omni platform and aggressive divestitures are key to margin expansion and cost‑synergy targets.
OneTrust Integrates Consent Signals Into Snowflake Data Clean Rooms for Privacy‑First Collaboration
OneTrust announced a partnership with Snowflake that embeds its consent‑aware signals directly into Snowflake Data Clean Rooms, giving companies a way to enforce user permissions during multi‑party data collaboration. The move addresses a growing gap between data accessibility and privacy...
Amazon Hits $70 Billion in Ad Revenue Over the Past 12 Months
Amazon’s advertising division generated $70 billion in revenue over the trailing twelve months, with Q1 2026 ad sales hitting $17.2 billion, a 24% year‑over‑year increase. The growth helped lift total net sales to $181.5 billion, up 17% YoY. The company also reported delivering one...
Meta to Spotlight AI-Powered Ad-Serving in Earnings Call
$META will highlight its AI investments in ad-serving on tonight’s earnings call. I’ve spent a lot of time recently synthesizing their disclosures to better understand these systems. I'll share some resources in this thread that are hopefully useful in making...
Turn AI-Generated UGC Into High-Converting Ads
How to create AI UGC ads that actually convert: A full breakdown 00:24: How to find proven UGC examples in your niche 01:08: Why UGC still beats every other ad format 01:55: How to create your first AI UGC character 04:51: How to turn...
Former X CEO Linda Yaccarino: ‘X’s Ads Business Is Not Falling Short’
Former X CEO Linda Yaccarino told Adweek that the platform’s advertising business is not underperforming, despite reports that ad revenue has slashed roughly in half since Elon Musk’s 2023 takeover. She highlighted X’s role as the go‑to source for breaking...
Gen Z Overlooks Bottom‑Placed ChatGPT Ads
Interested in ChatGPT Ads and what Gen-Z thinks of them? Check out this post from a college student at @penn_state explaining what he thinks of ChatGPT ads (based on seeing many in his chats). He also polled his friends with...
AI-Powered Tools Are Reshaping Ad Tech and Monetization
This was fun … great chat on RiskReversal Media w Dan Nathan and Michael Nathanson MoffettNathanson LLC We talked about - is programmatic going away? Are agents replacing ad tech stack as we know it? If Claude can get your...
Baskin‑Robbins Korea Taps Digital Veteran Cho Yoon‑sang as CEO to Drive Brand Innovation
Baskin‑Robbins Korea announced the appointment of Cho Yoon‑sang, a 27‑year veteran of LG Electronics and Yum! Brands, as chief executive. The move is intended to speed up digital innovation and sharpen the market positioning of its flagship brands, Baskin‑Robbins and...
AI-Driven Supply Paths Transform Premium CTV Activation
Where Premium CTV Meets Smarter Activation Jon Mansell from @FreeWheel and Dru Sil from Stagwell join @JeremyBloomHere and @sam_khoury1 from @marketecturetv at @PossibleEvent to discuss how premium CTV activation is evolving through supply path innovation, AI enabled workflows,...
Amtrak Is Trying to Attract Riders by Mimicking Car Commercials
Amtrak is revamping its advertising by parodying luxury‑car commercials, a tactic highlighted by chief commercial officer Eliot Hamlisch. The campaign, part of the "Retrain Travel" series, aims to reposition passenger rail as a faster, more comfortable alternative to driving and...
Retail Media Silos, Measurement, and Misconceptions Continue to Stymie Growth
Retail media spend is projected to near $70 billion in 2024, yet growth remains uneven. Amazon and Walmart dominate the market, using scale and first‑party data that smaller retailers can’t easily replicate. Executives at an ADWEEK House forum highlighted persistent challenges...
Advertising Plus-Size Clothing with Non-Plus-Size Models Is Unacceptable
If your company advertises plus size clothing and then have non plus size women modeling it. It’s a no.
Santander Gets Ant and Dec Moving in First Campaign by Publicis
Santander appointed Publicis as its global media and creative agency starting in January 2025. The first activation features British TV icons Ant and Dec in a multi‑channel campaign designed to refresh the bank’s image. Publicis will oversee media buying, creative...
Cut Meta Book Ads When CPC Exceeds $0.15
Meta ads for your books- what should your cpc be? If I have any cpc over .15 - I cut the ad. If they creep up around .10c or more, they’re on my radar of “maybe” cut. Do low cpcs...
Omnicom Routinizes Agentic Buys, Compresses Media Supply Chain
Omnicom has moved its home‑grown OMNI platform from pilot to routine use, employing an agentic media‑buying protocol that enables direct, agent‑to‑agent transactions with publishers. The approach, described as a way to shorten the media supply chain, is powered by the...
Ndovesha AI Launches Unified AI Agent Platform for Marketing, Content Creation and Digital Growth
Ndodesha AI unveiled an expanded all‑in‑one AI agent platform that lets businesses generate marketing assets, automate content creation, and launch digital properties from a single workspace. The suite includes agents for social media images, ad creatives, videos, logos, landing pages,...
Seychelles Launches Global Sustainability Campaign Targeting Eco‑Luxury Travelers
Seychelles Tourism unveiled a sustainability‑driven global marketing push on April 16, 2026, partnering with Beautiful Destinations to court high‑value, low‑impact travelers. The initiative expects about 15 million digital impressions and blends social, TV and radio channels with real‑time analytics.
Want a Pop Star Collab? Brands Need to Be Ready to Take Risks
At an ADWEEK House panel during the Possible conference, leaders from Maybelline, Nespresso, creative agency Croing and Latin Grammy‑winner Joaquina discussed how brand‑pop‑star collaborations have evolved. They emphasized that successful partnerships now require genuine artist‑brand alignment, deeper creative involvement, and...
Meta's China Risk Low Despite $21.8B Ad Spend
What is Meta’s China exposure? China has ordered Meta to reverse its Manus acquisition, threatening technology transfers and advertising revenue. It invites an interesting question: what is Meta's exposure to China? Despite an estimated $21.8BN in advertising revenue in the country,...
Agent‑Driven Automation Redefines Modern Ad Operations
Agents, Automation, and the Future of Ad Operations Joseph Hirsch and Frans Vermeulen of Swivel join @HannahKasoff and @JeremyBloomHere from Marketecture Media at @PossibleEvent to share how Swivel is helping reshape ad operations through agent-driven workflows, automation, and natural language...
My Instore Radio Adds Reporting Tool to Measure In‑store Audio Ads
My Instore Radio unveiled a reporting feature on April 27, 2026 that lets retailers see exact playback counts and match them with foot‑traffic data. The tool, available for single‑ and multi‑location clients, aims to turn in‑store audio from a guesswork...
Google Monopolizes Ad Stack, Siphoning Data and Revenue
Incredible data on revenue shift from services you choose to interact to surveillance capitalists. Google, as an adjudicated illegal monopolist over the ad stack, captures an extraordinary amount of this value - revenue and data - to fuel its interests...
Vignette Ads Trigger Google Penalty, AI Mode Sticky
It's New 4/29 - AdSense Vignette Ads Trigger Google Penalty, AI Mode Gets Sticky & Preview Impact Of Negative Keywords https://t.co/K7mBjwqDdd with @gregfinn and @mordyoberstein - the most annoying show ever
How Brands Block AI Crawlers & Then Pay To Get Seen: The Protection Paradox via @Sejournal, @Billhunt
The article defines the "Protection Paradox": B2B brands lock premium content behind lengthy forms, which removes it from search and AI discovery, then pay third‑party aggregators to surface the same ideas for a fee. This self‑tax leads companies to buy...
Introducing Industry Benchmarks: Contextualize Your Marketing With Competitive Insights
Branch introduced Industry Benchmarks, a new feature that delivers vertical‑specific competitive insights for app marketers. Powered by the Ivy AI, the tool provides daily‑updated comparisons of paid and organic install shares, CTI ratios, and spend efficiency against industry medians. Benchmarks...