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.
Pinterest Teams with tvScientific to Tap High‑intent CTV Audiences
Pinterest has joined forces with tvScientific to deliver high‑intent, purchase‑ready audiences to connected‑TV (CTV) devices. The partnership extends Pinterest's ad inventory beyond its traditional web and mobile properties, giving advertisers a new channel to reach shoppers as they stream video. The move reflects growing demand for data‑driven CTV advertising solutions.
Cars.com Deploys AI‑Generated VIN‑Specific Video Ads, Boosting Sales by 47%
Cars.com rolled out its AI‑powered VIN‑specific video advertising platform in March, delivering nearly 10,000 unique video assets to shoppers. Early data show a 35% rise in dealer website visits, a 45% jump in foot traffic and a 47% lift in...
Apple and Google Thwart California “Based Act,” Preserving Digital Ad Data Practices
Apple and Google successfully blocked the California‑based “Based Act” after an intensive lobbying campaign, preserving their existing data‑collection frameworks. The defeat halts a bill that would have limited platform advantages in app stores and search, a move that could have...
Impact.com and Rakuten Join Forces to Build a Unified Performance Marketing Ecosystem
Impact.com and Rakuten have announced a strategic alliance that will merge Impact's affiliate‑marketing technology with Rakuten Advertising’s global network and Rakuten Rewards’ consumer data. The partnership will make Impact.com the core platform for Rakuten’s performance‑marketing services, creating a single ecosystem...
Adobe Acquires Semrush to Boost AI-Driven Brand Visibility
Changes might be coming. The acquisition is complete -> Adobe Completes Semrush Acquisition, Strengthening CX Enterprise with Enhanced Brand Visibility Capabilities "By combining with Adobe’s Customer Experience Orchestration business and the new Adobe CX Enterprise, we (Semrush) are better positioned...
FreeWheel Launches New Partner Portal
FreeWheel unveiled Partner Portal, a unified hub that lets approved partners create, test and scale applications on its Streaming Hub for premium publishers. The portal streamlines API access, sandbox environments and deployment, cutting the need for bespoke integrations. Early adopters...
The View From HQ, Episode 1: Mark Zagorski
DoubleVerify launched a new video series, "The View From HQ," with its first episode featuring CEO Mark Zagorski. In the interview, Zagorski outlines the company’s expanding footprint in social‑media and connected‑TV (CTV) verification, the emerging opportunities and risks of AI‑driven...
SEO Isn’t Just About Being Seen — It’s About Being Believed and Chosen
Wil Reynolds, founder of Seer Interactive, warned that SEO’s traditional focus on visibility is insufficient in an AI‑driven search era. He argued that marketers must move from being seen to being believed and ultimately chosen, emphasizing that high rankings alone...
Our Deal Management Agent: Bringing Scaled AI-Adoption to PMPs, PGs, and Auction Packages
PubMatic’s Deal Management agent, launched last August, automates the configuration of private marketplace (PMP) and programmatic guaranteed (PG) deals using natural‑language prompts. The AI tool has already powered over 1,000 deals, cutting setup time by roughly 87% and handling millions...
Traditional Listening Misses Video; Syncly Reads Every Frame
There's a big problem with most social listening... They don't reallyyy read video. Sure, they'll index AROUND the video, grabbing captions, hashtags, @ mentions, but they often can't notice what's INSIDE the video—like when a creator holds up your product or...
Snapchat Brings AI-Powered Conversational Advertising to Its App
Snapchat is rolling out AI Sponsored Snaps, interactive ads placed in the app’s Chat tab that let users converse with brand‑run AI agents. The format builds on existing Sponsored Snaps, which already deliver 22% higher conversion rates and roughly 20% lower cost‑per‑action....
TALKERS News Notes
Nielsen Audio and Triton Digital announced a partnership that embeds Triton’s Podcast Metrics Demos+ into Nielsen Media Impact, giving advertisers a unified tool for planning podcasts alongside TV and digital. Seaboard Networks will distribute the one‑hour wrestling‑themed show “Wrestling with...
JWX and StackAdapt Partner To Give Advertisers Access to Consumer and Content Signals for Ad Targeting
JWX announced a partnership with StackAdapt, integrating its code‑on‑page video inventory and more than 21 billion monthly consumer and content signals into the AI‑driven advertising platform. The collaboration gives advertisers direct access to premium video supply and deep contextual data, turning...
15 Proven App Ad Formats Driving 8‑Figure Growth
These app ad formats are crushing for my clients. Some of these helped my clients scale to 8-figure in revenue. These are the 15 proven formats that you need to run to scale your ad account. Want a copy? Like + Comment "app"...
DOJO AI Secures $6 Million Seed Round to Deploy Agentic Marketing Platform
DOJO AI closed a $6 million seed round at a $30 million valuation, led by Armilar with Heartfelt VC participation. The funding will accelerate the rollout of its agentic marketing platform that automates data‑driven decisions, aiming to cut customer‑acquisition costs by 40%...
Integral Ad Science Unveils IAS Total TV Suite, Bringing Linear‑TV Transparency to CTV
Integral Ad Science rolled out IAS Total TV, a new measurement suite that delivers show‑level transparency for connected‑TV ads on Disney, NBCUniversal, Paramount and Prime Video. The platform combines content insights, media‑quality verification and supply‑path data, aiming to curb $1 billion...
AI Ads Need Governance, Not Blind Automation
Would you use an LLM to file your taxes without reviewing them? Hear the conversation of two people building AdTech discussing exactly that—inside a Zen lounge. Yes, this actually happened. On this episode of Preach on the Beach, @HannahKasoff and @JeremyBloomHere...
IAB Tech Lab Updates OpenRTB to Better Define Live Content
IAB Tech Lab announced updates to the OpenRTB specification that introduce new optional fields and clarify existing ones to more precisely label live, real‑time, and first‑broadcast content in bid requests. The changes also refine substitution macros, giving demand‑side platforms clearer...
Generative AI Tools for Marketing in 2026: From Standalone Apps to Agentic Workflows
The 2026 Martech landscape now hosts over 15,000 AI‑enhanced tools, moving from simple assistants to autonomous agents that can make decisions and act. A new Model Context Protocol (MCP), adopted by OpenAI, Google DeepMind and dozens of vendors, provides a...
Consultwebs Forecasts 2026 Digital Marketing Shift: GEO, E‑E‑A‑T and AI‑Driven Search Volatility
Consultwebs released its 2026 Digital Marketing Forecast, warning that Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) and AI‑driven search will make “zero‑click” prompts the norm. The report urges law firms and broader marketers to double down on E‑E‑A‑T, first‑party data and human‑centric content...
Exclusive: Rakuten and impact.com Form Strategic Alliance to Scale Connected Performance Ecosystem
Rakuten and impact.com announced a strategic alliance that makes impact.com the exclusive technology platform for Rakuten’s advertising and rewards businesses. Over time, Rakuten will migrate all of its customers onto impact.com’s infrastructure, creating a unified, global affiliate‑marketing ecosystem. The partnership...
Pixalate’s March 2025 Top Grossing CTV Apps
Pixalate released its March 2026 Global Top Grossing Connected TV (CTV) Apps report, covering the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and Mexico. In the U.S., Hulu topped open‑programmatic ad revenue on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV and Samsung Smart TV, with $70 M on Roku alone....
Metaprofile Rolls Out metaADS For Scene-Level Contextual Ad Targeting In CTV
Metaprofile has launched metaADS, an AI-driven contextual ad placement engine that scans dialogue and narrative structure to identify high‑value ad moments at the scene level in film and TV content. The platform delivers scene‑level metadata—including emotional tone, narrative significance and...
Back‑Button Vignette Ads Risk Google Spam Penalty
So, I've had some people ping me about an interesting 'back button hijacking' situation wondering how Google will treat it. Vignette Ads, which most people hate with a passion, include additional triggers that a site owner can activate. One trigger...
Near‑Zero Hit Rate Forces Relaunch Pause Until Meta Fixes
Same here. For the accounts seeing the degraded performance the hit rate is near 0. We keep notes and just plan to relaunch when things improve whenever Meta figures out the issues
What A Lead Generation Conference Taught Me About Fixing Ad Ops
eHealth, an online insurance marketplace, transformed its lead‑generation model by moving from a single‑transaction focus to a lifetime‑value approach, assigning each customer a primary advisor and tracking renewals, add‑ons, and retention. This strategic shift lifted the company from near‑$100 million annual...
New to PPC? 7 Tips to Build Skills and Confidence Fast
The article offers seven practical tips for newcomers to pay‑per‑click (PPC) management, emphasizing curiosity, community learning, and balanced use of AI. It warns against over‑reliance on platform certifications and the allure of every new feature, urging marketers to focus on...
Debunking the Myth That Retailers Have a Demand Problem in Retail Media
Retail media growth isn’t hampered by a lack of advertisers; it’s limited by weak sales execution. Most ad spend comes from existing endemic brands, so retailers must convert those supplier relationships into media revenue. Integrating trade and media teams creates...
Google Shopping Ads Tests Pricing In Superscript
Google is piloting a new typographic treatment for the cents portion of product prices in its Shopping Ads, displaying the cents in superscript (e.g., $99.99 becomes $99⁹⁹). The test was first identified by analyst Sachin Patel, who shared screenshots on...
AdMarketplace Is Piloting Performance Ads In AI Chat
adMarketplace has launched the beta version of AI Discover, a performance‑ad product that inserts sponsored placements directly into AI chat conversations. During a six‑month alpha with Opera’s AI assistant, the system delivered over 2 million ads across roughly 700,000 queries, revealing...
AdMarketplace Is Piloting Performance Ads In AI Chat
adMarketplace has launched the beta version of AI Discover, a performance‑ad product that inserts sponsored placements directly into AI chat conversations. The pilot builds on a six‑month alpha with Opera’s AI assistant Aria, during which more than 2 million ads were...
Sid McGrath and Tom Drew Launch Creative and Strategy Service
Sid McGrath and Tom Drew have launched a new creative and strategy service that deliberately distances itself from the traditional agency model. The venture, described as “deliberately not an agency,” entered the market with three founding clients already on board....
How Debenhams Quadrupled Retail Media Revenue with Mirakl Ads
Debenhams revamped its retail media offering by adopting Mirakl Ads, a platform built for marketplace sellers. Leveraging AI‑driven hybrid search and multi‑armed bandit algorithms, the migration of 1,300 campaigns and 6 million products was completed in three weeks. Within two months,...
Netflix Expands Ad‑supported Tier, CPMs Fall to $20s, Ad Revenue up 16%
Netflix has rolled out a broader ad‑supported subscription tier, cutting CPMs to the low $20s and prompting a 16.2% jump in quarterly revenue to $12.25 bn. The move signals the streamer’s shift from experimental ad sales to a core revenue pillar.
VIOOH Expands Programmatic DOOH Reach Across Brazil’s Major Cities With We OOH Partnership
VIOOH, the global premium DOOH supply‑side platform, has partnered with Brazil’s We OOH to bring programmatic access to its extensive digital billboard network. The deal unlocks 320 screens that generate more than 1.3 billion monthly impressions, roughly 5% of the country’s...
My Instore Radio Launches Reporting Feature to Track In‑Store Audio Campaigns
My Instore Radio unveiled a reporting feature that lets retailers see exactly how often each in‑store audio message plays and match that data to foot‑traffic patterns. The tool, available across single‑ and multi‑location setups, aims to turn a traditionally opaque...
Walmart’s Expanded Data Offering to Agencies and Advertisers Gets Closer to Self-Serve
Walmart Data Ventures is rolling out the Scintilla Media Data Feed, an API that gives agencies and advertisers direct, secure access to Walmart’s first‑party operational and retail data. The feed expands the existing Scintilla offering with nearly 500 omni‑channel metrics,...
Ready, Set, Upfront
Amazon is preparing its third upfront event in New York, positioning its DSP as a one‑stop shop for premium TV advertising. The company will showcase cross‑publisher reach through Fire TV, shopper data from its e‑commerce platform, and an identity graph...
Ready, Set, Upfront
Amazon is preparing its third annual upfront event in New York, joining Netflix as a digital‑first challenger to traditional broadcasters for premium TV ad budgets. The company will showcase a full‑stack offering that combines Fire TV inventory, Amazon’s e‑commerce shopper...
Snapchat Users Will Soon Be Able to Chat Directly with Agentic Ads Served to Them Via DM
Snapchat will soon let its 900 million monthly active users chat directly with AI‑powered branded Snaps that appear in the Chat tab. The new "agentic‑ad" format turns a standard promoted Snap into an interactive conversation, where users can ask travel, retail...
Microsoft Prepares AI Max for Search Pilot Across Bing and Copilot
Microsoft Advertising will open an AI Max pilot in May, extending AI‑enhanced query matching and URL routing to Bing and Copilot Search campaigns. The tool adds brand, term and messaging controls, plus real‑time search‑term and asset reporting for advertisers who opt‑in....
Stagwell Eyes SaaS Growth With Agent Cloud Launch for SMBs
Stagwell’s Marketing Cloud has launched Agent Cloud, a new AI‑driven platform that bundles ten specialized marketing agents into a single toolkit for small and medium‑sized businesses. The offering is positioned as a subscription‑based SaaS solution that lets lean teams run full‑funnel...
Digest: Meta Eyes CTV for Ad Growth; News UK Builds Synthetic Audience Tool for Advertisers; Musk & Altman Clash Over...
Meta Platforms is quietly probing connected‑TV advertising, holding talks with supply‑side firms like Magnite and FreeWheel to extend its performance‑driven ad model beyond mobile and desktop. News UK has launched Times ExplorAItion, a synthetic audience planning tool that blends subscriber...
![AEO In 2026: Which Content Formats Earn AI Citations & How to Produce More [Webinar] via @Sejournal, @Hethr_campbell](/cdn-cgi/image/width=1200,quality=75,format=auto,fit=cover/https://cdn.searchenginejournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/2-5-222.png)
AEO In 2026: Which Content Formats Earn AI Citations & How to Produce More [Webinar] via @Sejournal, @Hethr_campbell
Search Engine Journal announced a webinar on Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) for 2026, focusing on content formats that earn citations in AI models like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini. The session, led by Conductor experts Shannon Vize and Pat Reinhart, will...
Outdoor Media Introduces 3D Hologram Advertising in Oman
Outdoor Media Oman, a SABCO Media company, launched a 3D hologram advertising solution using Hypervsn PRIME L9 units at Oman Avenues Mall and Markaz Al Bahja Mall. The immersive displays run hundreds of loops each day, letting brands such as BIMA...
ChatGPT Just Turned On Pay-Per-Click. Why SaaS Affiliate Programs Should Pay Attention!
OpenAI has moved its ChatGPT advertising from a CPM‑only model to a cost‑per‑click (CPC) system, allowing advertisers to bid $3‑$5 per click through a self‑serve manager launched on April 15. The minimum spend dropped from $200‑$250 k to $50 k, making the channel...
Publicis Groupe Hong Kong Adds Rhys Turner as Head of Creative Technology
Publicis Groupe Hong Kong has appointed Rhys Turner as its inaugural Head of Creative Technology, a role created to embed AI, data and innovation into the agency’s creative work. Turner, an Australian technologist with two decades of experience spanning agency,...
Gatorade Benches the Ad Shoot and Lets Son Heung-Min Do the Sweating
Gatorade announced it will not shoot new ads with Son Heung‑min for the first half of 2026, opting to recycle the 2025 campaign assets. The decision, shared via Instagram, emphasizes letting the Tottenham forward concentrate on physical and mental preparation...
The Rise of the Micro Influencer
Brands are shifting spend from mega‑influencer campaigns to micro‑influencers and creator networks, using community‑focused brand trips instead of lavish influencer outings. Smaller creators are delivering higher engagement rates and more authentic storytelling. Meanwhile, Estée Lauder secured JPMorgan financing to fund its...
How Wrangler Used Spotify and Out-of-Home Advertising to Show up at Stagecoach
Wrangler expanded its Stagecoach presence beyond the festival grounds by deploying out‑of‑home billboards, airport signage and a Desert Rodeo sponsorship, while also running targeted Spotify ads on artist‑curated playlists. Brand ambassadors Lainey Wilson and Cody Johnson wore Wrangler onstage, and...