IAB: US digital ad spend will grow 6% this year amid broader slowdown

Paid search and social media are the fastest-growing digital ad categories, while spending on traditional channels like linear TV, OOH and print will plunge.

By Robert Williams • Sept. 3, 2020

75% of people unlikely to use branded hashtags, survey finds

User-generated content is cost-effective but has low participation, with 73% of consumers saying they're unlikely to create branded videos.

By Robert Williams • Sept. 2, 2020

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

Gen Z remains elusive and cause-driven under pandemic, putting legacy laggards at risk

The generation's brand awareness "bucket is leaking," Morning Consult found, while digitally oriented companies are seeing their favor rise with the cohort.

By Peter Adams • Aug. 31, 2020

Big CPGs struggle to gain market share during COVID-19 despite sales boost

IRI data shows while large manufacturers grabbed shelf space at the height of the pandemic, upstarts are taking advantage of out-of-stocks and demand for variety to win it back. 

By Christopher Doering • Aug. 31, 2020

Kantar: Back-to-school advertising drops 70% on national TV

Only six retailers are advertising this year, compared with 100 in 2019, and the creative's tone has changed to highlight personal safety and logistics.

By Robert Williams • Aug. 28, 2020

Marketers spend $100M on ads as live sports return to TV

However, Microsoft, LVMH, Expedia and Sprint are among the brands that didn't return to advertising during live sports.

By Robert Williams • Aug. 26, 2020

Forrester: Brands must integrate DTC, wholesale retail teams as digital commerce grows

Brands including Mars and Deckers are already taking steps to provide a more consistent customer experience and partner better with retailers.

By Chantal Tode • Aug. 25, 2020

Video impressions rose 40% on CTV platforms in Q2, study says

The findings suggest that inventory previously available only through premium publishers showed up on exchanges as marketing budgets have been cut during the pandemic. 

By Dianna Christie • Aug. 21, 2020

Retailers' back-to-school ads resonate by empathizing with uncertainty, study finds

Ads from Kohl's, Walmart and others address uncertain times with upbeat messages during a markedly different back-to-school season.

By Dianna Christie • Aug. 13, 2020

What COVID-19 did to customer loyalty

As retailers grappled with out-of-stocks, research found that 75% of consumers opted to shop alternative brands.

By Caroline Jansen • Aug. 12, 2020

71% of marketers expect virtual events to continue beyond 2020, survey finds

While many business functions work well virtually, lead generation remains a key challenge for media and marketing executives.

By Dianna Christie • Aug. 6, 2020

Brands continue to lean heavily on programmatic advertising, IAB says

Almost one-fifth of brands moved programmatic buying completely in-house in 2019, while more than half transitioned to doing so partially.

By Dianna Christie • Aug. 4, 2020

When change is the only constant, data access matters more than ever

With the right permissioned information at hand and available for analysis, marketers can make better revenue-driving decisions.

By Alice Stratton • Aug. 4, 2020

Google's ad revenue falls 8% for 1st decline in 26-year history

YouTube eked out a 5.8% gain in ad revenue, while Alphabet's growing cloud computing business helped to offset bigger declines in ad sales.

By Robert Williams • July 31, 2020

Walmart fortifies fledgling ad platform with omnichannel analytics offering

Procter & Gamble, Mondelēz and Clorox beta tested Performance Dashboards, which could better position the retailer against rivals like Amazon and Google.

By Peter Adams • July 30, 2020

Current events fuel higher consumer expectations, concerns for marketers

Three paradigm-shifting events have fanned consumers' wants and needs in 2020, driving higher expectations for 98% of brands, writes Brand Keys' Robert Passikoff.

By Robert Passikoff • July 30, 2020

McDonald's boosts marketing budget $200M to drive recovery

The increase comes after the company slashed marketing spend by 70% in Q2, giving it a "sizable marketing war chest" for the remainder of the year. 

By Robert Williams • July 30, 2020

1st certified brand safety officers quickly put to the test

Graduating from the Brand Safety Institute's new certification program during a pandemic and just before racial justice protests erupted, these experts help advertisers navigate difficult waters.

By Graham Vyse • July 28, 2020

45% of consumers have changed brand preferences during pandemic, study finds

Consumer preferences are shifting in support of brands that prioritize the health of consumers and employees, as well as advancing diversity and inclusion.

By Dianna Christie • July 27, 2020

Face masks in ads viewed favorably by consumers, study says

When ads have subtle mentions of masks, 48% of viewers expressed positive sentiment toward a brand, while 33% reacted negatively and 19% had neutral or mixed feelings. 

By Robert Williams • July 27, 2020

Coca-Cola plans to boost marketing as lockdowns ease and sales drop 28%

The beverage giant's plans include eliminating "zombie brands," ramping up advertising investment and scaling e-commerce and digital efforts.

By Robert Williams • July 22, 2020

Back-to-school advertising activity drops 50% from last year, study says

As consumers continue to avoid in-store browsing, many back-to-school campaigns are moving to TV this year.

By Dianna Christie • July 21, 2020

65% of Americans think brands should take a stand against racism, study says

Nearly two-thirds of Americans aren't completely sure that removing racist brand mascots or labels will make a big difference, with 31% saying companies should first get rid of racial bias within their organization.

By Dianna Christie • July 17, 2020

NBA, Sprite find more reward than risk with BLM ads, study says

As more brands wade in with messaging related to the racial justice movement, new research shows ads can be empowering without being exploitative.

By Dianna Christie • July 15, 2020

ANA: Content marketing budgets jumped before pandemic

The percentage of advertisers expressing a "strong commitment" to content marketing doubled to 52% from 26% two years earlier.

By Robert Williams • July 15, 2020