Deep Dive
Industry insights from our journalists
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Courtesy of Walmart
How the best marketing campaigns of 2025 navigated uncertain times
The savviest marketers cut through chaos with strategies and tactics that portend where advertising could head next year.
Chris Kelly, Jessica Hammers, Peter Adams and Sara Karlovitch • Dec. 9, 2025 -
Courtesy of Urban Outfitters
How Gen Z is reshaping holiday marketing — and what brands can do about it
The cohort’s reliance on social media and influencers for product discovery remains, while new levels of comfort with retail media and AI take shape.
Jessica Hammers • Nov. 19, 2025 -
Courtesy of Amazon
Will Amazon’s AI-powered one-stop shop for advertising change the game?
At its UnBoxed conference, Amazon showcased new tools it claims provide unprecedented flexibility in buying and intelligence for advertisers.
Chris Kelly • Nov. 17, 2025 -
Courtesy of Amazon
Inside Amazon DSP’s growing bid to marketers — and threat to competitors
Execs from Amazon and across the industry weigh in on a key part of the company’s surging ad business.
Chris Kelly • Nov. 10, 2025 -
E.l.f. Cosmetics/Oberland
Inclusive marketing ‘in paralysis’: How brands can reject the standstill
Diverse representation continues to present a major opportunity for brands and could become even more of an expectation during the end-of-year period.
Jessica Hammers • Oct. 27, 2025 -
Getty Images
6 gaming takeaways for marketers from Advertising Week New York
Despite its immense popularity with younger consumers, gaming still only commands a fraction of ad dollars.
Sara Karlovitch • Oct. 21, 2025 -
FG Trade Latin via Getty Images
How legacy CPG brands can crack the social-first marketing code
Ten-figure acquisitions, new agency experiments and organizational changes are underway, but the real key may be relinquishing a sense of control.
Peter Adams • Sept. 3, 2025 -
Courtesy of American Eagle
How to win back-to-school marketing as American Eagle’s big bet blows up
Though spending forecasts are bleak, value-focused messaging and smart social media plays could help brands transcend the turbulence.
Jessica Hammers • Aug. 12, 2025 -
Spencer Platt via Getty Images
How CMOs tackled challenges in H1 2025 — and what they must do next
Already beleaguered CMOs are being forced to be more agile than ever in the face of a new round of challenges like trade wars and artificial intelligence.
Chris Kelly • July 8, 2025 -
Courtesy of State Farm
7 successful marketing campaigns that met 2025’s chaos with determination
As marketers rushed to respond to new tariffs, outside-the-box brand refreshes, classic TV ads and other tactics helped set them apart.
Peter Adams and Jessica Hammers • July 8, 2025 -
Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
How restaurant chains are updating their marketing menus in tough economy
Brands including McDonald’s and Starbucks are taking big swings with creative campaigns, evolving loyalty strategies and digital technology investments.
Chris Kelly • May 28, 2025 -
Slaven Vlasic via Getty Images
5 years of media evolution provide few answers to brands’ chaotic 2025
Planning around tariff disruption echoes the pandemic, a moment the industry did not always meet with agility or savvy investment decisions.
Peter Adams and Julia Himmel • May 6, 2025 -
Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
What’s next as Google keeps cookies amid challenges to its dominance
The decision to not move forward with an opt-out option arose out of an “evolution” of the industry and regulatory environments, said a Google official.
Chris Kelly • April 23, 2025 -
Courtesy of Nike
Just did it: Women-focused Super Bowl LIX ads score as other marketers falter
Nike’s first big game ad in 27 years and other purpose-driven spots won the night, while ads built on celebrities, humor and politics had an uneven showing.
Peter Adams and Chris Kelly • Feb. 10, 2025 -
Courtesy of Tums
As Super Bowl’s cultural cachet grows, brands look beyond in-game ads
Avocados From Mexico, Tostitos and Twix are among the brands looking to engage with tuned-in consumers without paying millions for an in-game ad.
Chris Kelly • Feb. 6, 2025 -
Courtesy of Grocery TV
What marketers can expect as CTV and retail media converge in 2025
Expectations are high that the two synergistic and growing channels can deliver on the promise of full-funnel, data-driven digital marketing.
Chris Kelly • Jan. 31, 2025 -
Getty Images
How generative AI’s role will evolve in 2025 as marketers probe its utility
The fast emergence of disruptors like DeepSeek could cater to marketers’ desire for tech that produces concrete outcomes at lower costs.
Peter Adams • Jan. 29, 2025 -
Anna Moneymaker / Staff via Getty Images
How marketers can stay reactive as a TikTok ban looms
Contingency plans are coming into focus as the Supreme Court weighs a decision that could ban the ByteDance-owned app in the U.S. on Sunday.
Jessica Hammers • Jan. 16, 2025 -
Getty Images
10 marketing predictions for 2025 as new era of productivity dawns
With global ad spending set to surpass $1 trillion, marketers must navigate myriad challenges, including an uncertain regulatory landscape, with finesse.
Peter Adams, Chris Kelly, Jessica Hammers and Sara Karlovitch • Jan. 7, 2025 -
Courtesy of Levi's
Nostalgia-washing: How brands can look back without getting hung up to dry
As marketers continue to look for inspiration in campaigns and culture of the past, the savviest will focus on brand truths to make meaningful connections.
Chris Kelly • Dec. 10, 2024 -
Courtesy of Gap
7 top campaigns from 2024 and the tactics that drove success
These breakthrough strategies propped up brand results, serving as examples for marketing leaders feeling the pressure to do more with less.
Peter Adams, Jessica Hammers, Sara Karlovitch and Chris Kelly • Dec. 3, 2024 -
Courtesy of True Religion
‘Merry and bright’: How marketers are evolving for ambitious holiday shoppers
Amid record spending intentions by shoppers, holiday marketing campaigns reflect more diverse media mixes and experiments with artificial intelligence.
Jessica Hammers • Nov. 13, 2024 -
Courtesy of Aloft Hotel
Brands lean into fractious election with messages of unity and humor
With tensions running high, some consumer brands are trying to make an emotional connection and avoid landing in hot water.
Christine Blank • Oct. 29, 2024 -
Permission granted by FCB
What FCB’s stealthy data unit says about the future of agency creativity
FCB/Six is seeing double-digit growth at an otherwise sluggish time for the industry, speaking to rising client demand in areas like CRM and loyalty.
Peter Adams • Sept. 23, 2024 -
Courtesy of Grocery TV
What will it take to unlock in-store retail media?
The technology is advancing rapidly, but without a consistent way to measure the impact of ad campaigns, grocers and CPGs may be left grappling with data, according to experts.
Peyton Bigora • Sept. 13, 2024
