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.
Rakuten TV Signs Up to Barb Measurement
Rakuten TV Enterprise has signed up for measurement by Barb, the UK broadcaster‑owned joint industry committee. The move brings its ad‑supported video on demand and FAST channels under the same independent methodology used by public service broadcasters and major streaming services. Initial Barb data shows Rakuten reaches roughly two million UK viewers, with a sizable share of younger audiences and FAST users not watching traditional or competing FAST channels. The partnership underscores Rakuten's push for transparency and standardized metrics in a fragmented streaming market.
Meta's Ad Policy Gaps Let Scam Ads Target Seniors, Report Finds
A Center for Countering Digital Hate report reveals that 30 repeat scam advertisers delivered 215 million ad impressions to seniors on Meta’s platforms, despite the company’s claim of removing 159 million scam ads last year. The findings raise fresh regulatory and legal...
AEG Shot This Spot Through a Lasagna Dish
AEG launched a 30‑second TV spot for its N.E.W. Favorit dishwasher, filming the entire commercial through a glass lasagna dish that had just completed a wash cycle. The concept mirrors Apple’s “Shot on iPhone” campaign but pushes the idea further...
Screencore Expands Its Global Programmatic Infrastructure with the Launch of SuiteDSP
Screencore has launched SuiteDSP, an omnichannel demand‑side platform that adds CTV, video, native, display and mobile buying to its existing programmatic suite. The company now serves more than 150 markets, 30,000 publishers and delivers over 2 billion ad impressions each month...
Digest: Alibaba Pushes ‘Chat-to-Buy’ With Qwen AI; Amazon Data Coming to Netflix Inventory Next Week; Instagram Eyes Long-Form CTV Push
Alibaba is embedding its Qwen AI assistant into Taobao and Tmall, enabling chat‑to‑buy experiences where users can search, compare, and purchase via text or voice. Amazon’s shopping data will be integrated into Netflix’s ad inventory in the UK and EMEA...
The 90-Day AI Search Sprint: How To Rebuild Your Marketing For 2026 Visibility via @Sejournal, @Hethr_campbell
Search Engine Journal’s 90‑Day AI Search Sprint offers a step‑by‑step playbook for brands to capture visibility in emerging AI‑driven search platforms such as Gemini, Claude, and Perplexity. The program outlines current AI search signals, a phased framework for auditing, experimenting,...
EBay Promoted Listings Rule-Based Campaign Listing Exclusion
eBay has added a rule‑based campaign listing exclusion option to its Promoted Listings platform, allowing sellers to omit specific items even when they meet campaign criteria. Advertisers can enter individual item IDs or bulk‑select up to 10,000 listings to exclude,...
IAB Australia’s Gai Le Roy Says Industry Must Create New Jobs To ‘Supplement AI’
IAB Australia CEO Gai Le Roy told a Cairns panel that the media and advertising sector should focus on creating new roles that work alongside AI rather than replacing staff. She warned that many firms are already cutting teams while AI tools...
CAPIs Won't Solve CTV's Outcomes Problem Until Another Key Issue Is Fixed
Netflix announced a conversion API for its ad‑supported tier, signaling a push toward performance‑based measurement in CTV. However, the article argues that without reliable placement verification—knowing exactly which shows or genres an ad ran against—conversion data remains shaky. Current CTV...
Is There a Right Way to Sell Skincare to Kids?
Generation Alpha’s tween market is prompting a wave of new skincare brands while forcing legacy beauty giants to rethink how they market to children. Companies like Sincerely Yours and Yes Day target early loyalty, whereas major players adopt anti‑marketing tactics to calm...
Why Duluth Trusts AI Agents with Bidding, but Not Brand Storytelling
Duluth Trading Company is using AI agents to handle ad‑bidding and creative‑iteration tasks while keeping brand storytelling under human control. Marketing director Ellie Uberto told the Digiday Programmatic Marketing Summit that the AI‑driven workflow frees the team to focus on...
Speed Ads Outpace Safety Messages, IIHS Study Finds
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) found that 43% of U.S. vehicle ads in 2018, 2020 and 2022 emphasized performance traits such as speed, power and traction, while only 8% highlighted safety. Performance‑themed ads rose from 14% to 19%...
Screendragon Launches AI Hub to Embed Custom AI Agents in Live Workflows
Screendragon announced the AI Hub, a new capability that lets enterprise marketing and agency teams create and run custom AI agents directly inside live workflows. The launch aims to shift AI use from ad‑hoc experiments to controlled, revenue‑impacting execution across...
Google’s AI Overviews Cut CTR by 58%, Prompting Immediate Updates
Google announced five changes to its AI Mode and AI Overviews after Ahrefs reported a 58% CTR decline on top‑ranking pages. The updates—inline links, article suggestions, hover previews, and more—are positioned as a fix for the “click crisis” that has...
Zero‑Click Search Drives Marketers to Sharpen GEO Targeting Strategies
Marketers are reacting to AI‑driven zero‑click search, which has cut organic referral traffic by up to 25%, by tightening geographic targeting and adopting new AI‑monitoring platforms. A recent survey of 142 brand and agency professionals shows 37% see upper‑funnel traffic...
Meta Sees Sharp Drop in Instagram Feed and Stories Traffic
Meta's performance this month has been incredibly odd. We're seeing a LOT of really poor traffic coming from IG. This is both Feed and Stories.
New Online Rules Target Scam Adverts
Thailand has introduced new electronic‑transaction regulations requiring social media platforms to verify advertiser identities before ads are published. Published on May 5 and effective 180 days later, the rules mandate facial‑matching verification with government‑issued documents and a 90‑day data‑retention period, while...
Google Overhauls GA4 Attribution Model in April 2026, Prompting Major Reporting Adjustments
Google announced a comprehensive redesign of its GA4 attribution logic effective April 2026. The change adds granular conversion controls, richer cross‑channel reporting, and tighter integration with Google Ads, compelling marketers to overhaul measurement frameworks and budget allocation models.
How ACKO Drove 13% More Conversions & 50% Drop in Calls with GenAI
ACKO, India’s digital‑first insurer, deployed a homegrown GenAI chatbot to replace high‑pressure phone calls. Using Amplitude’s funnel, cohort and experimentation tools, the bot delivered an 88% cut in answer latency and a six‑fold reduction in launch time for new conversational...
Amazon Flexes Its Reach With Star-Packed Upfront
Amazon held its third annual upfront on May 11 at New York’s Beacon Theatre, drawing hundreds of ad executives, agency reps, and brand marketers. The 90‑minute, star‑studded event featured DJ Diplo, Kacey Musgraves, Oprah Winfrey, NFL quarterback Matthew Stafford, and Arnold Schwarzenegger,...
Pinterest Recommendation Engine Update Aims For Enhanced Ad Relevance
Pinterest unveiled a Contextual Sequential Two‑Tower Model that injects real‑time browsing signals into its ad candidate generator, delivering a 3‑10× lift in per‑user ad relevance and boosting median relevance by roughly 275‑300%. The upgrade addresses a prior shortfall where less...
Advertisers Shift $13.2B to Streaming, Favor Sports and Spectacle at Upfront
Advertisers entering Upfront are prioritizing sports, streaming and large‑scale spectacles, driving $13.2 billion in streaming commitments—a 17.9% jump from last year—while broadcast primetime dollars dip 2.5% to $9.1 billion. The shift pressures networks to deliver mass‑audience events, with Disney’s $10 million Super Bowl...
How the Shuffle Crypto Trend Is Shaping Streaming, Sponsorship, and Entertainment Coverage
The Shuffle crypto platform has become a touchstone for how streaming services, sponsorship models, and entertainment coverage are evolving. Ad‑supported tiers on major streamers now attract fintech, crypto and esports brands, while writers’ rooms embed Web3 plotlines to keep shows...
OpenAI Rolls Out ChatGPT Ads Manager Beta, Opening New Channel for Marketers
OpenAI today launched a beta version of Ads Manager, a self‑serve portal that lets advertisers run campaigns inside ChatGPT. The platform relies on conversational context rather than keyword matching and promises transparent labeling and user‑controlled data use.
Google Ads to Auto-Link YouTube Channels Starting June 10
Google Ads will automatically link eligible YouTube channels to ad accounts starting June 10, 2026, eliminating the manual linking step. The change gives advertisers native access to organic video metrics, such as view counts and subscriber growth, directly within the...
NBCUniversal Peacocked Its Ad Performance Prowess On Its Upfront Stage
NBCUniversal’s 2026 upfront highlighted a shift toward performance‑driven advertising, unveiling the Performance Insights Hub slated for full client rollout by Q4. The hub aggregates measurement data from partners like VideoAmp and Instacart, which NBCU says delivers a 5.5× return on...
Thailand Mandates Biometric IDV for All Social Media Advertisers to Curb Scams
Thailand’s government has issued a new regulation mandating biometric identity verification for every social‑media advertiser, including foreign entities, using facial recognition linked to a national ID or a recognized digital ID. The rule also obliges platforms to retain advertiser records...
Identify AI Citation Gaps to Boost Search Visibility
🤖 Want to Improve Your AI Search Visibility? @semrush Enterprise AIO has one of the easiest ways to identify quick wins for AI citations... coincidentally called "Improve AI Visibility". 😉👇 It lists the URL sources that most strongly influence your...
Facebook Deep Linking for Fintech: A Practical Guide and Best Practices
Fintech marketers depend on Facebook for high‑intent traffic, but the platform’s deep‑link handling can turn qualified clicks into costly drop‑offs. Paid ads support direct app redirection and deferred deep linking, while organic posts open in Facebook’s in‑app browser, which on...
Netflix Lifts Ad‑free Plan to $19.99, Marking a Streaming‑cable Tipping Point
Netflix announced that its standard ad‑free subscription now costs $19.99 a month, a move that highlights the growing importance of ad‑supported viewers. The price hike follows a broader industry shift toward hybrid revenue models as streaming services compete with traditional...
To Make the Most of Retail Media, Brands Need to Break Out of Its Silos
Retail media networks (RMNs) have become a go‑to channel for brands because they tie ad impressions directly to purchases, offering clear bottom‑funnel results. However, most campaigns are run in isolation, relying solely on retailer‑owned shopper data that only reflects existing...
Google Ads Cuts Historical Data Access to 37 Months, 11 Years for Summary Reports
Google Ads announced that, starting June 1, 2026, hourly, daily and weekly performance data will be retained for only 37 months, while monthly, quarterly and annual aggregates will stay available for 11 years. The change impacts UI and API access,...
TikTok Launches £3.99 Subscription for No Ads in UK
TikTok is rolling out a paid, ad‑free tier in the United Kingdom, charging roughly $5 per month. Starting Monday, users aged 18 and older will be prompted to decide by 11 November whether to pay for an ad‑free experience or continue...
TikTok Announces New Ad-Free Subscription for UK Users
TikTok is launching a paid ad‑free tier in the United Kingdom, priced at £3.99 per month (about $5.07). The service will be available to users aged 18 and older over the next few months and promises not to use subscriber...
X Launched An Ambitious Advertising Overhaul- Why Should Affiliate Marketers Pay Attention?
X, formerly Twitter, has rolled out its most extensive advertising platform overhaul, introducing a redesigned Ads Manager, AI‑driven Performance+ tools, and expanded contextual targeting. The revamp also adds tighter brand‑safety adjacency controls and greater transparency over ad placements. While the...
Eulerity Introduces Industry-First Paid-to-Organic Agentic Layer, Expanding Access to TikTok and Open AI in a Unified AI Marketing Platform
Eulerity unveiled an industry‑first paid‑to‑organic agentic layer that ties together paid media, organic signals and large‑language‑model interfaces such as TikTok and OpenAI. The new layer lets brands activate, optimize and scale campaigns across both traditional social channels and emerging AI‑driven...
Union‑Funded $221K Anti‑Spencer Pratt Ad Fuels Backlash on X
A Los Angeles County Federation of Labor‑sponsored independent committee spent $221,000 on a digital ad opposing mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt, prompting heated reactions on X. Critics argue the ad may inadvertently boost Pratt’s profile, underscoring the volatility of political digital...
DIRECTV Makes Upfront Week Its Own Campaign
@DIRECTV Advertising came up with a pretty clever Upfronts campaign this year. The idea is simple: Upfront Week already reflects what @DIRECTV does every day by bringing the entire TV ecosystem together in one place. So they turned the week itself...
Avoid CPC Sponsorships; Brand Building Isn’t Just Clicks
Turned down newsletter sponsorship offers from Lovable and Superhuman this month bc the pricing was CPC, and that feels a bit too transactional for my taste. Brand-building and visibility with hyper- relevant audiences does not always translate cleanly to cost...
Amazon Owns Full‑Funnel Advertising with Proprietary Data
Two upfronts in… Both highlighted “Full Funnel” advertising and we are not yet at Amazon that owns the phrase leveraging a wealth of proprietary outcome data Here is how Amazon explains Full Funnel advertising https://t.co/QZkAa6yZ05
Lachlan Murdoch Debuts Live at Fox Upfront Pitch
🔥 1st time Fox’s Lachlan Murdoch has ever taken the stage to kickoff their upfront pitch to advertisers $FOXA @21CF https://t.co/GecQ4tcGKf
April 2026 Digital & Email Marketing Highlights You Missed
The Last Word on April 2026: A roundup of #digitalmarketing and #emailmarketing articles, posts, and social buzz you might have missed last month… https://t.co/jTTjJyhPjt https://t.co/Y5PKtr2dSV
Amazon Uses Tech to Combat Ad Fatigue
Amazon wants to conquer 'ad fatigue'-- the result of seeing the same commercial stream on your screen again and again -- with technology... https://t.co/SCHcp5ugM8
Media Buying Still Thrives Despite Doom Predictions
"This runs counter to the popular narratives right now: "media buying will be dead soon""
Real Data: AEO Tool Case Study Graph Validated
This is another graph of one of the public case studies on an AEO tool's website. You can't make this stuff up https://t.co/nijVGcj2K2
Google Rolls Out FAQ Rich Result Removal and Ads Updates
It's New 5/11: FAQ rich results gone, Google site reputation abuse adjusted by @mordyoberstein - @gregfinn says AdSense backs down & @TheMarketingAnu covers the new Google Ads features https://t.co/a603FZRWPu
High CPA Doesn't Mean Cut Top‑Spending Ad
Most media buyers looking at this would turn off the top spending ad because the CPA is the highest.
Top YouTuber Hosts Advertiser Event Amid Upfronts Week
Scoop: As the TV world amasses in NY for Upfronts week, the world's biggest YouTuber is throwing his own shindig to woo advertisers. Details: https://t.co/lo6bZMGakz
TikTok's £3.99 Ad‑free Tier
TikTok is letting UK users pay to remove ads. If this removes all the Ninja coffee machine ads, it might be worth £3.99 a month 😅 https://t.co/KvkM2Wt2w7
Amazon Tackles Advertisers' Pain: Repeating Streaming Ads
Amazon Squares Off Against Advertisers’ Biggest Challenge: Streaming Commercials That Run Over and Over https://t.co/SCHcp5ugM8 via @variety