Author: Geek Planet

[ad_1] This article is part of our Confessions series, in which we trade anonymity for candor to get an unvarnished look at the people, processes and problems inside the industry. More from the series → Advertising industry professionals have been eyeing the creator economy — not only to understand it for their work with clients but also for themselves, as more agency employees consider becoming creators. Agency-based creators aren’t limited to the creative departments, either. Some employees outside of creative, like one marketing associate who works for a digital agency, have dabbled in becoming creators too. “It turns you into…

[ad_1] For years, the dominant platforms of the internet have treated content moderation as both shield and scalpel — eulogized as “trust and safety,” enforced by a mix of algorithmic blunt force and human discretion, and backed by sprawling bureaucracies tasked with adjudicating whether a buttock or a stray word crosses the invisible line. Substack, the subscription publishing platform, is taking a different tack.  Rather than tinkering with the machinery of enforcement, it’s betting that the real problem lies not in the rules, but in the incentives — that a system built around advertising and virality will inevitably reward outrage, and…

[ad_1] In this saturated market, brands are hoping new mascots will tickle consumers’ nostalgia and help them stand out from the competition. In the last few months, Domino’s pizza launched Mac Scott, a penne-shaped mascot, fast-casual restaurant chain Cava rolled out Peter Chip, a pita chip with googly eyes, and candy brand Hi-Chew introduced Chewbie, the brand’s first official, self-described “ambiguous mascot with a big personality.” This is after Instacart’s first-ever Super Bowl ad this year featured notable brand mascots like Chester Cheetah, the Old Spice man, Mr. Clean, the Energizer Bunny, and the Kool-Aid Man. “They make more sense…

[ad_1] Generative AI tools keep finding their way deeper into the world of agencies in varying ways — but their main value seems to still be in saving time and money for creative output and execution. The latest example, Digiday has learned, comes from Brandtech Group’s Pencil unit, which is charged with offering AI-driven creative marketing solutions for a number of clients. Pencil is collaborating with Google to integrate the latter’s AI-based video generation model, Veo 2, into its offering.  The integration accesses Google’s AI models, such as Gemini for text generation, Imagen 3 for image creation and Google Cloud’s ABCD…

[ad_1] President Donald Trump’s tariffs are already warping the outlook for ad spending, casting a long, uncertain shadow over the year ahead. The full impact remains to be seen — especially since he delayed most tariffs for another 90 days — but early projections point to a market that’s already bracing for impact. Magna’s latest forecast paints the picture: the digital heavyweights — Google, Meta, Amazon and others — collectively brought in $271 billion in U.S. ad revenue last year. These so-called “digital pure players”, spanning search retail media, social, video and audio are now projected to grow by 9.1%…

[ad_1] In the measured language of quarterly earnings calls few phrases say more with less than “cautious but competitive”. That’s how Publicis Groupe CEO Arthur Sadoun described the mood among advertisers as tariffs cast a long shadow over the global economy and subsequently ad spending.As President Trump administration’s tariffs keep the world guessing, marketers are starting to weigh the consequences: thinner margins, shakier pricing and the return of financial scrutiny across every marketing line item. No one’s pulling out. But no one’s doubled down either.  “To be clear, our clients are going to wait to see if there is more…

[ad_1] As President Donald Trump leans on tariffs as a global bargaining chip in trade negotiations, the digital services tax (DST) is back in the spotlight — this time as politicians across Europe weigh it as a potential point of leverage.Below we break down what the DST is, how the U.S. has responded to it so far and what it could mean for the advertising industry. What is the digital services tax? The DST is a levy that’s been imposed by certain countries on revenue generated by digital services like social media platforms, search engines or even online marketplaces. Currently,…

[ad_1] When the economy wobbles, most marketers ease off the gas. Amazon is telling them to floor it — on its ads, naturally.It’s a predictable pitch from a media owner. But Amazon isn’t just any seller of ad space. It can draw a straight line from impression to impact — be it a sale or a sentiment shift. That’s compelling in any climate but especially when every marketing dollar has to prove its worth.  “The depth of Amazon’s customer data and its massive scale and reach are substantial advantages in this environment,” said Sky Canaves, principal analyst, retail and e-commerce at eMarketer.…

[ad_1] The only thing clear at the moment in forecasting economic conditions across the marketing ecosystem is that you pretty much can’t. At least that’s the message being delivered by executives who swung by the Digiday Studio at the Possible conference on Day 1, which got underway in Miami on Monday. Some speakers, including Zeta Global founder and CEO David Steinberg, were at least encouraged that marketers haven’t yet slashed their budgets, and are instead still holding in a wait-and-see pattern. “Right now, everyone I’m talking to has changed nothing — I haven’t seen any cutbacks and I haven’t personally…

[ad_1] AI agents are no longer just experimental tools — they’re rapidly becoming indispensable intermediaries in how people search, shop, and interact online. As platforms like Google, OpenAI, and Perplexity race to roll out agentic AI, the advertising industry is bracing for a shift that could redefine consumer journeys and reshape digital marketing strategies.Despite all the hype, many marketer’s generative AI investments are still modest or even nonexistent. One Gartner survey of more than 400 marketing leaders found that 27% of CMOs reported their teams had little or no adoption of generative AI. However, it’s still early — both in…