Latest Marketing & Advertising News
Retail Media Networks Overtake Search as Top Performance Channel
Retail Media (RMN) is projected to grow 14.1% and surpass paid search by 2028, capturing over 20% of digital ad spend by expanding into CTV and open web with first-party data. This shift positions RMN as the new leading performance channel for marketers.
Skai's Q4 2025 report notes retail media spend rose 33% with clicks up 34%.
AI Dominates 2026 Marketing with Gen AI Video and Advertising Platforms
86% of advertisers plan Gen AI for video creatives, with 40% of video ads AI-created or enhanced by 2026. AI advertising emerges on platforms like ChatGPT with 800M users, potentially rivaling Google Ads.
Organizations report 5x-10x ROI on AI agents.
Creative Intelligence Market Burgeons for Ad Optimization
Winterberry Group reports rapid adoption of creative intelligence (CI) solutions, poised to transform 60% of creative spend in the next decade. CI enables personalized, optimized content with predictive power across channels like paid social and CTV.
Adoption accelerated 50% in 2025, driven by AI integration.
OOH Advertising Surges with Digital Innovations and Global Spend Boom
Out-of-home (OOH) advertising hits $54.6B globally in 2025, with DOOH leading growth through QR codes and AR interactions. Digital OOH blends traditional billboards with modern engagement, making a roaring comeback.
Worldwide ad spend reaches $1.14T under digital leadership.
Netflix Doubles Ad Revenue to $3B in 2026
Netflix expects to double advertising revenue to $3B in 2026 from $1.5B in 2025, focusing on monetizing ad-tier inventory. Co-CEO notes narrowing gap between ad-tier and standard ARM.
This targets closing monetization gaps amid user growth.
Email Marketing Evolves with AI Tools and Behavioral Automation
2026 email trends include built-in AI for time-saving, smarter automation responding to real-time behaviors, and advanced personalization.
Social Media Trends: Search Mutates, Hashtags Fade, Video Mandatory
Social search evolves on TikTok, Instagram, Reddit feeding AI; hashtags quietly die as discovery shifts. Video becomes baseline, with success tied to intent and emotional insight over volume.
TikTok adoption hits 50%, spend steady at 13-16%.
SEO Shifts to AI Content Baseline, Topic Authority, Multi-Layered Intent
2026 SEO trends make AI content standard; topic authority replaces keywords via pillar pages and internal linking. Search intent nuances by buyer stage, role; video/Visual search core with transcripts and structured data.
Agencies must integrate cross-functionally.
Performance Marketing Prioritizes ROI, Creator Content, CTV Growth
54% increase performance ad spend vs. 22% brand; 84% CMOs prioritize ROI. 61% boost creator content, e.g., Unilever's 20x creator growth; CTV ad spend hits $37B, up 13.6%.
Digital ads 68.7% global spend; mobile 66% US budgets.
Paid Media Strong into 2026: Retail Surge, Social Efficiency, AI Shopping
Skai Q4 2025: Retail media +33% spend, social +9% spend/-6% CPMs, search +7% despite costs. AI-powered shopping mainstream, higher conversions; TikTok mainstream at 50% adoption.
Marketers urged to build AI capabilities now.
Generative AI Elevates PR and Marketing as 2026 Business Priority
Generative AI positions PR as key priority in 2026 with 35 predictions emphasizing sustainable programs. Integrates across workflows for smarter campaigns.
Focus on human-powered storytelling beyond social feeds.