Ad executives start warming up to in-person events, survey finds

Compared to earlier this year, U.S. advertising executives are more positive about the idea of attending, sponsoring or creating in-person events, though not until later this year.

By Robert Williams • May 12, 2021

Yum ramps up transformation with new tech deals. How will they impact marketing?

Broader trends in the QSR category and changing media consumption habits could herald a bigger focus on performance marketing, experts suggest.

By Peter Adams • May 12, 2021

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AI and Marketing Data

Top stories that underscore the key role of artificial intelligence, generative and otherwise, for many CMOs looking to better manage troves of data. 

By Marketing Dive staff

WPP taps Microsoft for virtual production platform, signaling hybrid working models will endure

Supported by Azure, Cloud Studio will help the agency group cut down on traditional studio work as part of its efforts to improve sustainability. 

By Peter Adams • May 10, 2021

WPP bets on first-party data services with Choreograph launch

A new division combines data units from GroupM and Wunderman Thompson and is already working with Walgreens Boots Alliance.

By Peter Adams • May 3, 2021

Verizon sells media business after struggle to dent digital advertising duopoly

Apollo acquiring the unit behind AOL and Yahoo is another signal that navigating digital media hasn't gotten easier even as the channel now dominates consumer habits.

By Peter Adams • May 3, 2021

Apple revenue up 54% as services hit all-time high

Its increasingly essential Services business saw 27% revenue growth to $16.9 billion on the quarter as subscriptions hit 660 million.

By Chris Kelly • April 29, 2021

Kantar deepens data pool with Numerator acquisition reportedly valued at $1.5B

First announced in April and now completed, the transaction squares with how Bain Capital has been looking to ramp up Kantar's data-driven transformation.

By Peter Adams • Updated July 6, 2021

Branded content, influencer marketing make up biggest slice of digital ad budgets

The need for advertisers to quickly move up and down the purchase funnel is driving a shift in budget allocations, an Advertiser Perceptions survey found.

By Robert Williams • April 22, 2021

How brands are fumbling sustainability — and how they can get it right

Some brands lean too heavily on marketing to drive sustainability, while newer green brands can have more fun with messaging because of their more holistic approach.

By Chris Kelly • April 19, 2021

What advertisers stepping into the gaming arena should know

The sub-segments within the gaming audience and the opportunities to reach them will continue to evolve, writes Merkle's Kimberly Dutcher.

By Kimberly Dutcher • April 19, 2021

Brands could lose fickle Gen Zers over poor digital experiences

Eighty percent of younger consumers said they're more willing to try new brands online since the pandemic began, a survey by Sitecore found.

By Robert Williams • April 16, 2021

How PepsiCo leverages startup expertise to keep pace with digital tech trends

Recent partnerships through the PepsiCo Labs venture focus on virtual experiences and new methods of product integration, speaking to a need to think beyond traditional ads.

By Peter Adams • April 16, 2021

Dollar Tree sets up retail media network amid boom for discount category

Chesapeake Media Group is supported by new technology partnerships with Swiftly Systems and Aki Technologies.

By Peter Adams • Updated April 16, 2021

GumGum secures $75M funding round as interest in contextual targeting heats up

Investment from Goldman Sachs will go toward an "aggressive" M&A strategy as the ad-tech company capitalizes on demand for cookie alternatives.

By Peter Adams • April 13, 2021

What AVOD's growth means for marketers in search of evolving consumers

As viewer interest in ad-supported video on demand accelerates, marketers are trying to determine how to navigate the channel and avoid new walled gardens.

By Chris Kelly • April 13, 2021

Are in-house ad agencies choking the talent pipeline?

The advertising industry is experiencing a talent crisis of immense proportions that's likely to continue unless changes are made now, writes WorkReduce CEO Brian Dolan.

By Brian Dolan • April 12, 2021

Teen love for Nike appears to be unshakeable

The brand continues to rank No. 1 among this cohort, which is also concerned about racial equality and the environment, Piper Sandler found.

By Daphne Howland • April 9, 2021

Publicis partners with The Trade Desk as cookie deprecation threatens data ambitions

Epsilon, the ad holding group's data-marketing arm, will pair its identity solution with Unified ID, a cookie alternative that continues to gain traction.

By Peter Adams • April 8, 2021

IAB: Digital ad revenue rose 12% in 2020 amid rebound from pandemic

Digital video saw the highest growth at 21% to $26.2 billion, expanding its share of total internet ad revenue to almost 19%.

By Robert Williams • April 8, 2021

EMarketer: Amazon's share of US digital ad market hits 10% for first time

Google's ad business is most threatened by Amazon's growth as marketers shift their search spending to reach online shoppers.

By Robert Williams • April 7, 2021

Attention marketers: Building vaccine confidence is key for a 'return to normal'

Given the positive data about COVID-19 vaccines, growing understanding among the public is ultimately a marketing and communication challenge, writes Gartner's Tim Barlow.

By Tim Barlow • April 5, 2021

With $155M in fresh capital, Harry's looks to add more brands

A year after its deal with Schick owner Edgewell was called off, the company behind Harry's, Flamingo, Cat Person and Headquarters is expanding.

By Caroline Jansen • April 1, 2021

Digital ad sales to top two-thirds of total spend for first time in 2021, Magna forecasts

Ad spending is expected to grow 6.4% this year and reach $240 billion due to an economy buoyed by a new stimulus package, the decline of COVID-19 and the return of sports.

By Chris Kelly • April 1, 2021

Study: Brand activism sways buying behavior, brand impression for 58% of consumers

Opinions on the reasoning behind brand activism were mixed, with 31% of respondents saying companies are cashing in on the culture war.  

By Chris Kelly • March 25, 2021

Brands grow bolder with marketing M&A to fill steep orders on data, e-commerce

An emergence of "asynchronous buyers" like Yum Brands and Walmart speaks to how marketers are asserting more control in the face of an uncertain future.

By Peter Adams • March 23, 2021