If It Ain’t Broke, Don’t Flix It
When Netflix introduced its in-house ad tech on stage at AdExchanger’s CTV Connect event in March, ads VP Nicolle Pangis said the streamer plans to move beyond traditional TV modes of thinking.
To date, however, advertising on Netflix, despite its ambitions, can be best described as, well, “boring,” according to LightShed Partners.
But Netflix has a few potential differentiators, including its new AI-powered, cinematic-style advertising that can place brands directly in the worlds of popular shows.
One spot promoting Netflix features the Duolingo owl as a Squid Game Pink Guard kidnapping someone who’s been derelict on his daily language lesson. There’s also a Google Shopping ad crossover with “Emily in Paris” and a TurboTax brand engagement with RAW, the wrestling show owned by Netflix.
“Imagine infusing a proprietary AI model with Netflix IP, and you can immediately start to think about how a tech-based media company such as Netflix can change the game for advertising rather than simply replicating what everyone else has done to date,” LightShed writes.
Danger In The Amazon
Gen Z shoppers increasingly turn to Google over Amazon for online shopping, Business Insider reports.
That insight comes from research by investment firm Morgan Stanley, which analyzed shopping behavior across Google, Walmart, ChatGPT and other online destinations.
In September 2024, Morgan Stanley’s data indicated that 21% of 16- to 24-year-olds used Google Search first when they already knew a product to purchase, while 41% started with Amazon. As of March, however, those numbers were almost even, with 30% hitting Google and 34% going to Amazon.
Philipp Schindler, Google’s chief business officer, credits this increase to the launch of AI overviews and a 10% rise in adoption of Google’s Lens feature, which identifies an object in focus and connects it to items currently for sale.
But it’s also possible that users might not be actively turning toward Google so much as they’re turning away from Amazon. Roughly 2.6 million daily active users appear to have defected from Amazon between 2022 to 2024, and customer satisfaction is down in recent years compared to a decade ago.
Although, speaking of AI, ChatGPT’s share of attention has increased as well. It’s now the default price and comparison shopping tool for 5% of 16- to 24-year-olds, compared to 2% in September.
X Marks The Spot
The Trump administration is currently reviewing a proposed merger between Omnicom Group and Interpublic Group, two of the world’s biggest advertising agencies. The conversation includes a somewhat unorthodox consent decree: No political ad boycotts allowed.
The decree would prevent the merged company from boycotting platforms on the basis of political content, two anonymous sources told The New York Times.
This is part of a larger effort “to use federal agencies to root out what it considers political bias in corporate America against conservative voices and causes,” the Times reported.
It’s also another example of the government flexing its power in favor of Elon Musk in particular, despite the recent fallout with Trump. X’s leadership has aggressively pressured advertisers to spend on its platform and threatened to sue those that don’t.
Democratic senators, meanwhile, say they intend to scrutinize the Omnicom/IPG deal. They’re worried that if it does breeze through, it could indicate that Omnicom reached a “quid-pro-quo deal” in exchange for ad commitments to X.
But Wait! There’s More
The top 25 marketers of 2025. [The Hollywood Reporter]
How Latino and multicultural ad agencies are responding to ICE’s LA raids. [Adweek]
Vox Media’s Union has reached a tentative agreement with management, preventing a strike that would have started on Friday. [H/T @voxmediaunion.bsky.social]
ChatGPT convinced an accountant he was living in the Matrix and advised him to swap out his anti-anxiety medication for ketamine to escape. It’s just one example of a chatbot reinforcing delusional thinking among vulnerable users. [NYT]
PayPal is launching a new tool that curates audience segments based on their purchase history. [Digiday]
You’re Hired!
IRIS.TV appoints former P&G marketer Gerry D’Angelo as its newest strategic advisor. [LinkedIn post]
