Every year, as adland descends on the south of France for Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, there are a few topics that dominate the conversation. This year’s two hottest topics—creators and AI—didn’t deviate much from 2023, but the way each showed up on the Croisette and at the Palais did.
Linear TV has been the bread and butter of upfront advertising. Although linear TV is declining, upfront spending will outlive it as commitments shift to digital inventory.
We look at the social media trends that hold Gen Zers’ limited attention spans.
Incrementality has always been the holy grail of retail media, said Zach Darkow, senior director, marketing activation and measurement at The Home Depot. But as the digital advertising landscape grows more complex, incrementality has become more important than ever.
Young consumers want faster, easier access to funds than traditional lending options currently offer.
Shein moves one step closer to a London IPO: The retailer filed confidentially to go public in the UK as it struggles to navigate tensions between the US and China.
Target looks to its online marketplace to drive growth: The retailer’s new partnership with Shopify could expand its selection online and in stores, while also boosting its retail media business.
Magazine Luiza helps AliExpress expand its foothold in the Brazilian market: The two struck an unusual deal to sell on each others’ platforms.
The ad industry’s AI use hits a high point: A majority (91%) of agencies implement the tech while the workforce grows uneasy about job security.
Netflix with ads is trailing streaming rivals: The service is struggling to compete with recent entrant Amazon and has lowered CPMs.
Age, politics drive US media trust differences: As social media commands a bigger part of news diets, traditional publishers look to deepen their digital footprint.
EU competition regulators accuse Apple of DMA violations and excessive store fees. Consequences could include fines up to $38 billion and delays to its AI pivot.
Apple’s new tolerance for game emulators is good for gamers and could help appease regulators’ gatekeeper concerns.
Y Combinator and 140 AI startups oppose California’s Senate Bill 1047, fearing its restrictions will stifle innovation and harm talent retention.
Formula One and Amazon strike an AI partnership: Amazon’s AI deal with the NFL has attracted interest from F1, and its streaming rights will soon be up for grabs.
Although its servers need a lot of energy and water to operate, Microsoft is putting its focus on AI innovation rather than subsea research.
US omnichannel retail media ad spend will hit $129.93 billion in 2028, according to our forecast, up from $54.85 billion this year.
For advertisers—and consumers—the biggest shopping season has begun. But claiming a piece of the forecasted $1.37 trillion sales pie may mean stretching out promotions, expanding payment options, and investing in website and app enhancements.
“I wish more brands would take more small swings to see what kinds of new experiences, products, interactions they can create [with generative AI],” said Jenny Nicholson, founder at creative AI agency Queen of Swords. The agency worked with wedding planning site Zola to develop its Split the Decisions chatbot last year.