How Mars measures the emotional impact of video ads using AI tech

A proprietary tool tracks eye and mouth movements so the company behind M&M's and Skittles can gauge whether a campaign is resonating or needs to be tweaked.

By Peter Adams • Sept. 1, 2021

WPP names Chief AI Officer as part of deal for Satalia

The enterprise solutions provider is folding into Wunderman Thompson Commerce and will serve as a broader "hub of AI expertise" at WPP.

By Peter Adams • Aug. 30, 2021

Explore the Trendline➔

Multichannel Optimization

There’s greater urgency around the need to optimize multichannel marketing efforts and unite channels including retail media, social media and others.

By Marketing Dive staff

Liftoff, Vungle merge to form broad mobile app growth platform

By controlling both the demand and supply sides, the merged company may appeal to app developers who want to depend less on ad tech giants like Facebook and Google.

By Natalie Black (Koltun) • Aug. 26, 2021

Walmart unveils cross-channel ad exchange built on first-party shopper data

Rolling out ahead of the holidays and leveraging The Trade Desk's expertise, the DSP serves as a major test of whether the retailer can scale in ad tech.

By Peter Adams • Aug. 25, 2021

82% of advertisers apply brand values to media spending decisions, survey finds

More than half of advertisers will change how and where they spend media budgets to defund disinformation, and 59% will downgrade a media partner based on trust factors.

By Chris Kelly • Aug. 23, 2021

Why your customers' emotions, feelings and attitudes could be more valuable than your big data

According to a report from Forrester, 93 percent of businesses agree that consumers are more likely to spend money with brands they feel connected to. Having a deep understanding of one's customers is essential to building this connection.

By Paige Musto • Aug. 23, 2021

45% of consumers say Subway should drop embattled Megan Rapinoe, survey finds

The U.S. soccer star, who appears in the chain's latest ad campaign, is facing backlash after kneeling at the Tokyo Olympics to protest racism.

By Chris Kelly • Aug. 18, 2021

Myth busted — Yes, you can measure influencer activations

Marketers can finally prove influencer ROI to increase social commerce spend. Here's how.

Aug. 16, 2021

WSJ: NBCUniversal's Olympics issues could impact future ad deals

Despite strengthening its omnichannel ecosystem, NBCU's fragmented coverage confused consumers and led to its lowest-ever Olympics' ratings.

By Asa Hiken • Aug. 11, 2021

WPP posts 19% growth as clients continue 'fundamental shift' toward digital

Raising guidance for the year, CEO Mark Read said there are "good-sized opportunities" for acquisitions in areas like e-commerce, marketing technology and data.

By Peter Adams • Aug. 9, 2021

Nielsen bets on cookieless measurement in shift away from 'brittle identifiers'

The firm, which claims to track nearly 90% of digital ad spend, will apply machine learning and Google's FLoCs to keep tabs on unauthenticated traffic.

By Peter Adams • Aug. 2, 2021

Chipotle's digital sales rose 10.5% during Q2

The chain's digital presence will likely remain strong as it experiments with online-only product launches and grows its already robust loyalty program.

By Alicia Kelso , Julie Littman • July 21, 2021

Publicis goes all in on retail media with CitrusAd buy

The SaaS platform, whose clients include Macy's and Lowe's, will integrate with Epsilon as Publicis pushes harder on services centered around first-party data.

By Peter Adams • July 19, 2021

Marketing budgets slip in relation to revenue, shrinking to 6.4%, Gartner finds

The firm's latest CMO Spend Survey found that allocations to areas like external agencies continued to drop while investments in digital and commerce remained strong.

By Peter Adams • July 14, 2021

Data privacy evolved at a dizzying pace in H1, with more still to come

Google delayed the death of third-party cookies, but brands, agencies and other partners can't be complacent in finding long-term alternatives and working toward a privacy-friendly future.

By Chris Kelly • July 13, 2021

Marketing in a recovery: H1 2021 by the numbers

With data, privacy and shifting consumer preferences top of mind during the first six months of the year, U.S. digital ad spending is on pace to grow at its fastest rate since 2018.

By Natalie Black (Koltun) • July 13, 2021

Audi Denmark claims 70% conversion rate for cookieless test leveraging 'exclusion lists'

Working with Omnicom-owned agency PHD Media Denmark, the automaker tapped ad-tech firm Semasio for a solution that leverages a mix of audience and contextual targeting.

By Peter Adams • June 30, 2021

Attitudes toward brands evolve again, 1 year after a racial reckoning began

As brands and agencies ramp up their commitments to addressing racial equality, some diversity-related tactics are resonating less, an Engine Insights survey found.

By Chris Kelly • June 30, 2021

Horizon Media embeds behavioral science with brand strategy via new team

The largest independent media agency in the U.S. hired strategist and social scientist Steve Grant to lead its new human intelligence push.

By Chris Kelly • June 28, 2021

Amazon acquires podcast distributor, monetization platform Art19 in chase for audio ad dollars

After buying the network Wondery last year, Amazon Music is trying to round out its podcast advertising tools in a manner akin to rival Spotify.

By Peter Adams • June 25, 2021

What's next for the ad industry as Google gives third-party cookies a stay of execution

Google kicked the can down the road with its latest privacy decision, but brands, agencies and the ad tech industry can't rest on their laurels.

By Chris Kelly • June 25, 2021

Google delays third-party cookie phaseout to 2023

Amid renewed antitrust interest around the world, the tech giant updated and clarified the timeline for a major change to how the ad industry tracks and targets consumers.

By Chris Kelly • June 24, 2021

Successful personalization demands a balance of strategy, tactics, technology and skills

Customers punish brands for undifferentiated experiences and irrelevant communications, putting a high price on executing personalization well, writes Gartner's Noah Elkin.

By Noah Elkin • June 23, 2021

Essence taps new Google AI tool to streamline data science behind media planning

GroupM-owned Essence dished on how Vertex AI enables greater agility and replicability for well-performing models.

By Peter Adams • June 14, 2021

Apple doubles down on privacy, further complicating tracking and targeting

Also previewed at the company's WWDC event was a FaceTime upgrade to help it compete in a videoconferencing market accelerated by the pandemic.

By Chris Kelly • June 10, 2021