‘Setting Up A Cottage Industry:’ California’s Delete Act Raises Concerns Over Motivations

California’s hotly debated Delete Act (SB 362), if passed, could upend the ad-tech data broker market. The proposal appears to be moving quickly, coming in less than a year after the Consumer Privacy Rights Act (CPRA) went into effect in January. And, since it’s a legal matter about privacy, you can bet there are a…

Google’s New GenAI Marketing Tools Speed Up Campaign Planning and Buying

At the annual Google Cloud Next conference in San Francisco, the tech giant announced a generative artificial intelligence-powered marketing solution that aims to speed up the time it takes for marketers to build and serve marketing campaigns. Google is collaborating with GenAI platform Typeface and customer data platform GrowthLoop to introduce the GenAI Marketing Solution…

Early Numbers Show How GenAI Can Reduce Agencies’ Carbon Footprint

In May this year, WPP partnered with chipmaker Nvidia to create ads using generative artificial intelligence. Now, numbers are emerging on how environmentally beneficial AI is for campaign creation. The agency’s transition to AI-powered content production could save up to 93% of its carbon footprint compared to that of traditional production, according to the agency….

What the Next Short-Form App Will Have to Do to Match Twitter’s Star Power

Text-based social media appears to be back in the Wild West. With X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, inching toward obscurity and a number of contenders stepping onto the field, we’ve been left with more questions than answers. Apps like Threads, Bluesky, Truth Social, Mastodon and Spill are all picking up users, and people…

Shipt and Issa Rae Champion Underrepresented Voices With an Ad Created by Interns 

For Howard University students Serenity Owens, Avery Harrell, Gavin Kelley and Kayla Collins, a summer internship with the marketing team at Shipt proved not only to be invaluable on-the-job training. It was also a back-to-school flex to say they created a national commercial with the help of Issa Rae. The Target-owned delivery service enlisted the…

Jameela Jamil Isn’t Perfect, So She’s Giving Grace to ‘Problematic’ Brands

Trigger Warning: This article contains references to eating disorders In 2018, Jameela Jamil opened Instagram and clicked the “search” icon button. It led her to the “Discovery” tab, where up popped an image carousel showcasing famous women with numbers written across their body. The figures detailed each woman’s weight and measurements. After interacting with that…

Shutterstock Outlines Its Vision for Giphy’s Potential Ad Offer

The launch of Giphy’s native advertising platform, set to be revealed at the end of this year, will be worth hundreds of millions of dollars, proclaimed its new owner Shutterstock’s chief executive Paul Hennessy during the company’s most recent quarterly earnings call. Shutterstock acquired Giphy from Meta in May in a cut-price deal of $53…

Ad Industry Hasn’t Shaken off the Economic Slump, but Green Shoots Are Sprouting

This summer has given the ad industry several reasons to be cheerful. Not only is “out of office” season well underway, but after a cloudy start to 2023, the market’s outlook is slightly sunnier, too. The ad revenues of major tech platforms, responsible for driving a downward trend in previous quarters, are sprouting green shoots….

How The Guardian US Fetched Ad Revenue Hike of 42% Despite Broader Downturn

The U.S. outpost of the general news publisher The Guardian finished the first quarter of its fiscal year, which ended June 30, with advertising revenues up 42% year over year, according to senior vice president of advertising Luis Romero. The hikes buck common trends most publishers are seeing. The publisher wouldn’t share financial specifics, but…

Behind the Scenes of the Technicolor Fiat Ad That Broke Every Rule in the Book

At the end of June, Olivier Francois, the CEO of Italian car brand Fiat made a bold declaration: “Fiat will no longer produce gray cars.” It was a brave statement, given the shade’s popularity among drivers in Europe. However, it was made even braver because Francois made the rallying cry sitting inside a Fiat 600…

Why This Sportswear Brand Turned Andy Murray’s Hip X-Ray Into A Billboard

Since its 2016 launch, premium sportswear brand Castore has built its name through partnerships with teams and athletes. Deals with England Cricket, Tennis star (as well its own investor) Andy Murray and the Oracle Red Bull racing crew have helped the business reach a billion that’s teetering on $1 billion. Now the British-founded business has…

Unilever Says the ‘Jury Is Out’ on Generative AI, For Now

With 400 brands to sell across 190 countries to millions of consumers, Unilever certainly recognizes the potential generative AI tools such as ChatGPT or Dall-E could play in helping it produce ads that shift products at scale. At any given time, the Ben & Jerry’s owner has around 300 applications of AI supporting its supply…

The Ad Industry Has Made Little to No Progress on Workplace Inclusion Since 2021

The advertising industry has failed to make any tangible progress since 2021 in building workplaces that are diverse, equitable and inclusive according to the World Federation of Advertisers’ (WFA) Global DEI Census. Following on from the marketing body’s inaugural 2021 study, the 2023 report interviewed 13,000 marketers from 160 brands and agencies across 91 countries…

How Apple Built a Brand That Has Risen Above All Others

With a market cap of $2.89 trillion, Apple remains the world’s most valuable company. It should come as no surprise, then, that the device, technology, entertainment and services behemoth is also a brand darling. For the second year in a row, Apple has topped Kantar’s BrandZ Global Rankings with a valuation of $880 billion. Apple’s…

Top 100 Global Brands Declined in Value by 20% Since 2022

Despite turbulence brought on by an uncertain economy, Big Tech continues to lead the way in overall brand experience. Kantar’s annual BrandZ list, out today, sees Apple, Google, Microsoft and Amazon in the lead. For the second year in a row, Apple has claimed the No. 1 spot. The BrandZ list assesses brand value in…

Time Hires Mark Howard as Its New Chief Operating Officer, Ushering in ‘Time 3.0’

The general news publisher Time has hired media executive Mark Howard as its new chief operating officer, according to a memo shared by chief executive officer Jessica Sibley. Howard, who will relocate to New York for the position, begins Monday. In the role, Howard will oversee operations including print, digital, technology, consumer marketing, ecommerce, licensing,…

Global Ad Spend on the Rise, but Digital Growth Is Slowing

Advertising spend is expected to grow globally this year, with inflation driving it to $727.9 billion and $3 of every $5 going to digital channels over the next three years. However, according to Dentsu’s latest biannual global forecast, digital spend is likely to slow to single-digit growth in the future. Dentsu is predicting a 3.3%…

Long Averse to Advertising, Tesla Takes a U-Turn. Here’s Why It Matters

“Brand decides to advertise” might seem like an unusual headline, it’s one that’s taken over the business press following Tesla’s annual shareholder meeting in Austin, Texas. That’s because after two decades eschewing conventional advertising in favor of word of mouth, emails, incentivized referrals, and a front-facing founder and chief executive in Elon Musk, the brand…

Where Major Social Media Platforms Are Spending Their Ad Budgets

By now, creators and the general public alike know that just because a social media platform is popular today doesn’t mean it will have the same buzz tomorrow. Or even still exist. “At the end of the day, the strength of social is defined by the diversity of its audience,” said Gregory Aston, director of…

Guinness’ Surprising St. Patrick’s Day Message: Drop the Booze

St. Patrick’s Day and Irish stout Guinness go hand in hand; across Ireland and beyond on March 17, you’re bound to see crowds of revelers holding pints of the black stuff. But as the holiday rolls around this year, Guinness’ unexpected suggestion is to go easy on the booze. The Diageo-owned beverage brand is launching…