Peak Performance
When it comes to shifting spend to an AI-based buying product, Amazon has mostly followed Google’s platform playbook, even naming its product Performance+, a near clone of Google’s Performance Max.
Where Amazon differs, though, is that its AI advertiser products are housed in its DSP, not the self-serve Amazon Ads product, notes Dan Salmon of the equity boutique New Street Research. The DSP is more of an enterprise solution, whereas Amazon Ads is the self-serve platform with more bidders. Those are the types of small ad accounts that make up more than one million Performance Max buyers.
Salmon writes that he has “been confused about why AMZN has pushed its branded AI automations into the DSP rather than separately through the self-service platform, like its competitors.”
Only recently has Amazon revealed that it will consolidate both legacy ad APIs, from the DSP and Amazon Ads, into one offering. And even more recently, Amazon announced a Prebid integration.
Amazon’s recent ad tech news “marks a distinctly different path than GOOGL and its open bidding effort and suggests that AMZN is seeking closer integration and interoperability between its ad tech and the open internet, versus GOOGL’s approach.”
Retail Plus
Retail media isn’t just about advertising. It’s part and parcel of a whole new web of membership, subscription and credit card-based partnerships that power the mobile economy.
For example, Bloomberg reports that Disney+ will carry new benefits like free trials of DoorDash’s DashPass membership and Duolingo. DashPass now comes with a subscription to HBO Max with ads and offers a free year of its service when people switch to a Chase credit card.
Last month, Uber One, the $10 monthly ride-sharing membership, announced a partnership with OpenTable, which is owned by Bookings, a travel and bookings giant that also owns Priceline and Kayak, along with a promo deal with Capital One.
The Walmart+ membership program features a cash-back deal with Expedia, a Paramount+ with ads subscription and even a Burger King savings deal – for those who download the BK app or are part of its online loyalty program.
Ad revenue is sometimes part of these partnerships. And, presumably, these companies are sharing data to assist with attribution and measurement. But the point is that companies with large, logged-in user bases easily generate shared value because they possess up-to-date credit card info (or bring a credit card into the benefits hub).
Notably missing are news subscriptions, which apparently entice no one.
Not All Rainbows and Butterflies
Advertisers don’t seem very proud to support Pride Month this year.
Throughout 2025, advertisers have been pulling back on DEI spend, and it’s more evident than ever during a month that has long been filled with marketing moments. An April poll from Gravity Research revealed that 39% of brands plan to reduce their spending on Pride-related marketing this year – a 30% uptick from 2024.
No respondents planned to increase their Pride-related spending.
LGBTQ+ influencers and creators are feeling the effects, as they struggle to lock in the partnerships that they depend on for income. Many are turning to other sources of revenue like affiliate marketing or personal businesses.
Still, there’s a silver (rainbow?) lining for the brands that choose to stick with their Pride marketing. It’s an opportunity for them “to really double down and scoop up loyalty and deeper engagement with those audiences,” Raul Rios, head of strategy for the creative agency Saylor, told Digiday.
Those brands are “set up to win,” he added. Hopefully, they’ll keep the creators afloat with them.
But Wait! There’s More
Inside MarkeTeam.ai, which is automating ad ops [AdMonsters]
Target’s DEI pullback might be devastating the retailer’s sales, but at least its ad business is still thriving. [Digiday]
The New York Times finally signed a data licensing deal with an AI LLM operator. And it went with Amazon. [Digiday]
Disney announces hundreds of layoffs in marketing and publicity for film and television, as well as corporate financial operations. [Variety]
Meta announces plan to enable fully AI-created ad campaigns by the end of 2026. [The Guardian]
Speaking of Meta, the company is also planning to use AI for risk assessment functions instead of human employees. [Fortune]
