Mintegral and Insightrackr Reveal 2026 Non-Gaming App And Ad Trends
Mintegral and Insightrackr released the 2026 Global Non‑Gaming App Trends Report, analyzing data from over 100 markets in 2025. The study highlights rapid AI integration, explosive growth in Short Drama apps, and a shift toward ROI‑centric, automated bidding. It also notes rising competition in finance and life‑service categories, with iOS delivering premium revenue despite higher CPI. These findings underscore a more sophisticated, data‑driven approach to user acquisition and monetization across non‑gaming verticals.
15 Smarter Interview Questions For Hiring Digital Marketers In 2026 via @Sejournal, @Brookeosmundson
Hiring digital marketers now hinges on problem‑solving ability rather than platform familiarity. The article presents 15 interview questions that probe tactical, strategic, and cultural competencies, emphasizing AI use, first‑party data, budget prioritization, and communication with executives. It advises recruiters to...
Specsavers ‘Relationship Aid’: Sorry, What Did You Say?
Specsavers launched a Valentine‑themed campaign called “The Relationship Aid,” which humorously presents its Advance 65 hearing aid as a high‑tech intimacy device. Developed by Golin London, the ads run across digital, radio, print and influencer channels, culminating in a reveal...
New York Times Advertising and Magnite Enter Strategic Collaboration for In-App Supply
New York Times Advertising and Magnite have deepened their partnership, designating Magnite’s DV+ platform as the preferred private‑marketplace conduit for the Times’ mobile in‑app ad inventory. The deal gives brands direct, addressable access to the newspaper’s premium app audience, which...
Call to Protect Freelancers, ‘the Lifeblood of the Industry’
Perfect Storm’s “Freelance Landscape” report highlights growing strain between agencies and freelancers amid AI-driven industry upheaval. While 42% of freelancers report reduced agency work and 82% see day rates stagnating or falling, 33% note agencies are increasingly turning to freelancers...
OPINION: Zalentine’s Day – How Gen Z Valentine’s Trends Are Reshaping Retail
Retailers are rethinking Valentine’s Day as Gen Z shifts toward friend‑focused celebrations, coining the term “Zalentine’s Day.” Data shows 60 % of Gen Z will celebrate with friends, favoring authentic, shareable content over traditional romance imagery. Brands are urged to create digital‑first experiences—AR...
Cineverse Acquires IndiCue
Cineverse announced the acquisition of ad‑tech firm IndiCue for up to $40 million, integrating its advertising and monetisation tools into the Matchpoint platform. The deal adds real‑time revenue optimisation across FAST, AVoD, CTV and other ad‑supported streaming channels. Financing combines cash,...
From Probabilistic to Proven: The Deterministic Turn in Audience Data Strategy
TV advertising is shifting from probabilistic to deterministic audience data. Recent studies show IP‑based identity links to the correct household only 13% of the time, undermining reach and measurement. Deterministic signals such as authenticated ISP or publisher subscriber data can...
DealsFlow Launches AI-Powered CRM and Social Media Automation Platform for Small and Medium Businesses
DealsFlow has launched an AI‑powered CRM and social media automation platform tailored for small and medium‑sized businesses. The solution merges Facebook and Instagram inbox management, AI‑driven comment replies, and AI‑generated text and image posts with traditional lead and pipeline tracking...
Ads of the Week: 6 Campaigns That Caught Our Eye, From McDonald’s to DoorDash
Adweek’s weekly roundup spotlights six standout campaigns, from McDonald’s quirky “Horizontal Breakfast” aimed at post‑Super Bowl viewers to JCPenney and Yahoo’s tongue‑in‑cheek takes on modern Valentine’s relationships. DoorDash’s spot captures the panic of gifting gone awry, while an AI‑powered ad...
‘A Brand Trip’: How the Creator Economy Showed up at This Year’s Super Bowl
Brands turned Super Bowl suites into creator‑centric activations, inviting influencers to attend the game and generate content at a fraction of traditional fees. Agencies reported a surge in last‑minute deals, with suite rentals exceeding $1 million but delivering audience reach that...
From Feeds to Streets: How Mega Influencer Haley Baylee Is Diversifying Beyond Platform Algorithms
Haley Baylee, a creator with 10 million Instagram and 16.4 million TikTok followers, has partnered with Intersection’s LinkNYC to display her existing social videos on more than 4,000 free‑Wi‑Fi kiosks across New York City. The arrangement is exposure‑only, with no fee, and runs...
Gen Z Perspectives: NDP 2026, AI Caricatures and Do Mascots Still Matter?
Singapore’s National Day Parade 2026 is issuing a tender to appoint a creative agency that will design and manage a nationwide branding and publicity campaign through August 2026. IKEA Singapore jumped on the AI‑generated caricature craze, turning its popular panda,...
Hasbro Entertainment, Animaj Launch LUMEE
Hasbro Entertainment and kids‑media firm Animaj have launched LUMEE, a joint venture that consolidates their digital advertising inventory and audience insights. The platform offers COPPA‑compliant ad placements across YouTube and Connected TV, leveraging AI‑enhanced production for rapid branded content. LUMEE...
Over 55% of Enterprise Buyers Ask AI First. Is Your Brand On the Shortlist?
Enterprise buyers are increasingly turning to generative AI before traditional search, with 55% of large firms starting research with AI. This shift moves the sensemaking phase—defining problems, categories, and criteria—upstream into conversational interfaces, effectively shaping the Day One shortlist. Reports show...
Future Of TikTok U.S.: A Conversation With Keen's Bradley Keefer
TikTok’s U.S. platform, now under new ownership, suffered early outages and a 150% surge in uninstalls, yet ad spend remained steady. Sensor Tower data shows ad costs fell roughly 36% while ROI climbed 60% year‑over‑year, according to Keen Decision Systems’...
TikTok and Fabulate Team up to Scale Creator Content Across APAC with AI at the Core
TikTok has partnered with Fabulate to embed its Symphony generative‑AI suite into the influencer‑marketing platform, creating a unified workflow for brands and creators across APAC. The integration adds AI dubbing, video generation and licensed digital avatars directly into Fabulate’s SparQ 2.0...
Global Ad and Marketing Spend To Jump By Nearly 10%
PQ Media’s latest forecast shows global advertising and marketing expenditures climbing almost 10% in 2026, reaching roughly $800 billion. The surge is anchored by high‑profile sports moments such as Lionel Messi’s campaigns and the 2026 Winter Olympics in Cortina d’Ampezzo, which...
Comcast Advertising, Adara Launch New Measurement Tools for Travel Industry
Comcast Advertising and Adara have unveiled a joint measurement platform that links Comcast’s premium video‑viewing data with Adara’s first‑party travel booking and revenue data. The solution provides advertisers with direct attribution of TV and streaming ads to actual traveler bookings,...
Albertsons Companies Signs On To Test OpenAI ChatGPT Ads
Albertsons Companies has entered OpenAI’s ChatGPT Ads pilot, joining Target, Williams‑Sonoma and Omnicom in testing conversational advertising. The retailer will run Valentine’s Day‑focused ads that appear when users ask for gifts, recipes or party ideas. Ads will be clearly labeled...
DVLA Brings in ‘Clampy’ in AMV Car Tax Evasion Debut
The DVLA has launched a new anti‑tax‑evasion campaign created by AMV BBDO, featuring a mascot called “Clampy” that personifies the agency’s wheel‑clamp enforcement tool. Two 20‑second films show Clampy confronting motorists who forget to tax their vehicles, ending with the clamp’s...
Google Clarifies Its Stance On Campaign Consolidation via @Sejournal, @Brookeosmundson
In a recent Ads Decoded podcast, Google Search Ads product director Brandon Ervin clarified that campaign consolidation isn’t the end goal; the objective is equal or better performance with less granularity. He explained that Smart Bidding and AI now handle...
PQ: Global Ad Spend Will Climb 8.8%, Composite Rises Three-Tenths Of A Point
PQ Media’s 2026 Global Advertising & Marketing Spending Forecast projects worldwide ad spend to climb 8.8% and total marketing spend to rise 9.8% this year. The new data have been incorporated into MediaPost’s composite forecast, lifting the average industry growth...
IAB Sends 'Direct Buy Addendum' To Public Comment
The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) released the Direct Buy Addendum v1.0 along with updated General and Special Terms for digital advertising agreements, opening a 45‑day public comment window that runs through March 31. The framework is designed to replace bespoke contracts with...
Shelter Homes in on Media Shop Beyond After Review
Shelter has reappointed independent agency Beyond to manage its media account after a statutory pitch, extending a partnership that began in 2019. The two organisations have delivered high‑impact campaigns such as the 2021 “Fight For Home” brand relaunch, which lifted...
Google Search Console: The Ultimate Guide for 2026
Google Search Console (GSC) remains the free, central hub for monitoring a site’s visibility across traditional search, AI Overviews, and the emerging AI Mode. The guide walks users through adding either a domain property—verified via DNS TXT record—or a URL‑prefix...
Stage Two of Roadmap to Support Growth and Development of Programmatic TV in Europe Underway
The European Programmatic TV Initiative (EPTVI) has launched Stage Two of its roadmap, moving from strategic planning to concrete solutions for scaling programmatic TV across Europe. The new phase will produce three core deliverables – North Star principles, reusable core...
AI UGC for Marketing Teams: Definition, Benefits, and How To Use It
Artificial intelligence is reshaping user‑generated content (UGC) for marketing teams, turning raw consumer footage into polished ad assets at scale. AI‑driven platforms now analyze performance data, generate scripts, and edit videos, enabling brands to launch authentic creatives within hours instead...
T-Pain Drops Buffalo Wild Wings-Themed Anthem to Promote LTO
Buffalo Wild Wings teamed with Grammy‑winning artist T‑Pain to launch a brand‑specific anthem, “Let’s Go Buffalo Wild (A Pick 6 Love Song),” promoting its new Pick 6 Meal for Two. The meal bundle, priced at $19.99 nationally, includes two entrées, two sides,...
Amazon Ads Launches Creative Agent for Professional-Quality Ads
Amazon Ads unveiled Creative Agent, an AI‑driven partner inside Creative Studio that lets UK advertisers generate professional video and display ads via a conversational chat interface. The tool taps Amazon’s retail insights and product data to research audiences, brainstorm concepts,...
Mailchimp Unlocks Profitable Ecommerce Marketing
Intuit’s Mailchimp unveiled a suite of ecommerce‑focused enhancements that combine unified data, omnichannel campaign tools, and AI‑driven automation. The upgrades include an expanded Shopify integration, a Site Tracking Pixel, broader SMS capabilities, a consolidated performance dashboard, and migration utilities. Mailchimp...
With AI Backlash Building, Marketers Reconsider Their Approach
Marketers are pulling back on AI‑centric messaging as consumer trust erodes. While 82% of ad executives think Gen Z and millennials view AI‑generated ads favorably, only 45% of those consumers actually feel positive, widening a gap since 2024. Studies show AI‑created...
The APAC Playbook: Connecting Insights, Experimentation, and Personalisation in 2026
APAC e‑commerce marketers are rapidly elevating personalization, with 71% ranking it a top priority and half claiming in‑house technical expertise. However, fragmented audience definitions, limited outcome‑based measurement, and constrained experimentation are eroding ROI and slowing growth. Mastercard’s latest maturity report...
Does Your TV Track You Even Through the HDMI Port? Short Answer: Yes
Smart TVs can monitor content played on HDMI‑connected devices using two methods: HDMI‑CEC metadata and Automatic Content Recognition (ACR). ACR takes pixel‑level snapshots to fingerprint shows, movies, or games, while CEC logs device IDs and usage duration. The article outlines...
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#Outlook: How CMOs Will Measure Success in 2026 [Part 2 of 2]
South African CMOs are redefining success for 2026 amid a sluggish 1.4% GDP outlook. Rather than increasing campaign volume, they will focus on brand purpose, customer loyalty, and measurable commercial impact. Executives highlighted the blend of AI‑driven analytics with human...
Cathay Pacific Appoints Spafax as Exclusive Media Sales Representative
Hong Kong‑based Cathay Pacific has appointed Spafax as its exclusive media sales representative, consolidating advertising sales across its omni‑channel ecosystem. The agreement gives Spafax control over inflight entertainment, onboard publications, digital platforms and experiential formats on more than 200 routes....
TikTok Is Becoming a Core Marketing Channel — Not Just a Social App
The episode explains how TikTok has shifted from a pure entertainment platform to a core marketing channel where users discover brands and make purchasing decisions, with 92% taking action after viewing short‑form videos. It highlights the challenges mid‑size and regional...
Marketers Struggle to Predict AI’s Methods for B2B Purchase Choice
A new Norstat study of 175 UK decision‑makers shows AI tools now dominate the B2B buying journey, with 79% using AI daily or weekly and spending up to four hours each week on AI‑driven decisions. Buyers rely on AI summaries...
What Sesame Street Got Right About Brand Voice on Social Media
Sesame Street’s social media success hinges on three simple principles: a consistent brand voice, treating the brand as a relatable person, and an audience‑first mindset. Eder Reynoso coined the “Cookie Monster rule,” insisting every post sound unmistakably like the brand....
Kotex Serves up Brand Platform, Refreshed Identity with ‘Own Your Flow’
Kotex unveiled a global brand platform called “Own Your Flow,” pairing a refreshed visual identity—highlighted by a bold red palette—with a 90‑second AI‑enhanced video that uses tennis as a metaphor for the pressures women face. The campaign, produced by MJZ...
From Click to Conversation – Why India May Define the Next Retail Era
Retail giants such as Target and Walmart are shifting from search‑based e‑commerce to conversational AI, echoing India’s traditional “conversation‑first” shopping habit. Mastercard research shows 51 % of Gen Z trust AI product recommendations, and Fynd’s Kaily assistant has earned 86 % positive ratings,...
Is Your Brand Visible in AI Search Results? Here’s How to Find Out
The article outlines how brands can verify their presence in AI‑driven search results, recommending automated solutions like Semrush’s AI Visibility Toolkit that scan millions of prompts. It highlights the inconsistency of manual queries—100 identical prompts can produce 100 different brand...
The Growth of AI Influencers and How They Are Being Leveraged to Drive Reels and TikTok Sales
AI-generated influencers such as Lil Miquela, Lu do Magalu, and Noonoouri have transitioned from tech curiosities to major commercial assets, with agencies mass‑producing virtual personas and brands allocating sizable budgets. Ogilvy forecasts that AI virtual influencers will command 30% of...
Thrive Market’s Amina Pasha Believes Brands that Focus on Trust Will Win in an AI-First World
Amina Pasha, CMO of Thrive Market, argues that trust will be the decisive advantage for brands in an AI‑first landscape. The online grocery retailer, with over 1.7 million paying members, is leveraging AI to personalize discovery while reinforcing its mission of...
OpenAI's Fidji Simo on Ads in ChatGPT and Ending the Code Red
In this extended interview, Fidji Simo, OpenAI’s CEO of Applications, explains how the upcoming ChatGPT ad model will resemble Google’s intent‑based system rather than a traditional Facebook‑style feed, with ads remaining a small, transparent part of revenue. She discusses the...
Kochava Launches Atlas Performance™: The Industry’s First Supply Performance System for Premium Publishers and Platforms
Kochava unveiled Atlas Performance, the first Supply Performance System designed for premium publishers and platforms. The solution integrates with existing ad servers, SSPs, and DSPs, delivering privacy‑safe first‑party data ingestion, AI‑driven optimization, and independent outcomes verification. A leading CTV OEM...
No Customer Service in the Evenings at 72% Online Stores
A joint study of the 100 largest Belgian and Dutch online stores found that only 28 percent provide evening customer‑service and just 44 percent use WhatsApp, despite strong consumer demand. Delivery performance remains strong, with 91 percent meeting promised times and over half...
EXCLUSIVE: These Super Bowl Ads Won With AI, but Not Social Media
Emberos’ AI Influence Index reveals that several Super Bowl 60 commercials are ranking highly inside AI chatbots such as ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity and Grok, even when their social‑media engagement lags. The study shows social activity accounts for only 30‑45 % of...
Cowboys, Lassos, and Nudity: AI Startups Turn to Stunts for Attention in a Crowded Market
Lunos spent $3,500 to stage a cowboy lasso stunt in front of Manhattan’s Wall Street bull, using the spectacle to promote its AI‑driven accounts‑receivable automation. The move reflects a broader trend where AI startups, amid a market of over 90,000...
LNER Plays on the Jam to Highlight Ease of Train Travel
LNER has launched a new "freedom all the way" campaign that pits the frustration of motorway jams against the ease of long‑distance train travel. Developed by McCann London, the second‑year effort gives the brand’s red‑haired character Eleanor a distinct Newcastle‑inspired...