News

Walmart Connect’s full-funnel ambitions come into focus, with Amazon in its sights

Walmart Connect is scaling quickly, with AI investments and the Vizio acquisition shaping its push to rival Amazon’s ad business.

Media Buying Briefing: Dentsu’s new CEO on how he’s going to grow the business again

Takeshi Sano takes over as global CEO, and brings with him a more outgoing and worldly approach to running the Japanese-owned holding company.

Zero-click reality is rewriting the rules of search for brands

Search performance concerns have reached brand boardrooms. Both organic and paid search practitioners are scrambling to find effective responses to the questions posed by AI developments.

As it ramps up push to fund AI bets, Meta makes a new play for agencies

Even in the age of Advantage+, Meta needs agencies.

Can Media Buyers Learn Organic Tricks?; The New Holdco Defaults

What's the deal with viral apps?; Dentsu and WPP are off of OpenPath; and AI coding has its downsides. The post Can Media Buyers Learn Organic Tricks?; The New Holdco Defaults appeared first on AdExchanger.

FTC Proposes Ban on Surveillance Pricing Practices

The Federal Trade Commission proposed new rules to ban surveillance pricing, where companies use personal data and algorithms to charge different prices to different consumers. The regulation would significantly impact how AdTech companies collect and use consumer data for targeting and personalization.

TikTok Expands Search Ads Placement to Compete with Google

TikTok is significantly expanding its search advertising capabilities with new keyword-based ad placements, directly challenging Google's search dominance. The move reflects TikTok's evolution from pure social media to a search destination, particularly among Gen Z users.

European Commission Fines Google €2.1 Billion for Ad Tech Antitrust Violations

The European Commission imposed a €2.1 billion fine on Google for anticompetitive practices in its ad tech business, specifically around its dominance in publisher ad servers and ad exchanges. The ruling may force structural changes to Google's ad tech operations in Europe.

YouTube Introduces Shopping Ads in Shorts

YouTube expanded its advertising offerings by introducing shoppable ads within YouTube Shorts, allowing brands to tag products directly in short-form videos. The move intensifies competition with TikTok and Instagram for social commerce advertising dollars.

El Pollo Loco - Let's Get Loco - 1m15s

2026 Genesis GV70 | No Old Ideas | Genesis USA - 40s

Streaming Ratings, Week of January 19: Stranger Things Recaptures No. 1 Spot

The Tessa Thompson-led miniseries His & Hers dropped from No. 1 to No. 4.

Dept Powers Up Its Global Content Studio With Adobe AI

Dept Studios is the agency's response to growing content demands for brands

Google Ads Surfaces PMax Search Partner Domains In Placement Report via @sejournal, @MattGSouthern

Google Ads PMax placement reporting is now populating with data for more accounts, revealing Search Partner domains and impression counts for brand safety review. The post Google Ads Surfaces PMax Search Partner Domains In Placement Report appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

Microsoft: ‘Summarize With AI’ Buttons Used To Poison AI Recommendations via @sejournal, @MattGSouthern

Microsoft found 31 companies hiding prompt injections inside "Summarize with AI" buttons aimed at biasing what AI assistants recommend in future conversations. The post Microsoft: ‘Summarize With AI’ Buttons Used To Poison AI Recommendations appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

Sleep Number - Introducing ComfortMode - 30s

Watch the newest commercials from Hallmark+, Folgers and Otter.ai

Hallmark+ promotes the new romantic drama “Because of Cupid.”

Rohil Bhansali

Pinterest veteran Rohil Bhansali has been appointed Head of Engineering at Adora, the enterprise performance marketing platform built for the AI era. At Pinterest, Bhansali was the architect behind Pinterest Advertising’s measurement and attribution infrastructure, which processed over 10 billion daily events. In his new role, he will further expand Adora’s engineering organization to solve creative and performance marketing scale for the world’s most well-known and complex brands.

EXCLUSIVE: Ex-Meta Retail Media Lead Steve Biddle Named Chief Commercial Officer at Zitcha

The exec is focused on retail advertising's growth.

How News Outlets Are Covering President Trump’s State of the Union Address

Networks are planning comprehensive coverage for an address that will take place ahead of the midterm elections.

Ticker: MS NOW Signs Deal With Crooked Media

Sean Hannity adds to his busy work schedule with a new twice-weekly podcast.

Gold Medal CTV

The Winter Olympics show us how far streaming live sports has come – and how much linear viewership remains. Plus: CPGs are pulling back on ad spend, as they steer through economic challenges and the ripple effects of policy decisions. The post Gold Medal CTV appeared first on AdExchanger.

Loyal customers think brands place more value on new shoppers, survey finds

Customers want brands to recognize them as loyal customers, and they’re looking for more than discounts or rewards, according to EY’s Patricia Camden.

Microdrama apps stand out on mobile: Here’s what the numbers say

Last year, mobile users spent 5.78 billion more hours on short drama apps compared to the previous year, according to Sensor Tower data.