Agents Of Chaos
AI buzzwords are moving at the pace of, well, AI.
The term “AI” is itself often used as a gussied-up substitute for machine learning or sometimes just as a synonym for algorithmic software products.
The new jargon du jour, however, is “agentic.”
Agentic tech is built on large-language models and can turn normal marketer prompts into automated tasks handled by AI. Things like, “Find me a subset of this audience” or “Populate a data visualization with info from my campaign report.”
According to Jonah Goodhart – co-founder of Moat and, more recently, co-founder of an AI-based contextual ad startup called Mobian – agentic tech will help the programmatic biz “move past the age of randomly picking segments.”
Where’s it moving to?
“An age where we describe who we want to reach and leverage AI to effectively reach those people,” he told attendees at Possible in Miami on Tuesday.
And it’s not at all surprising that we’re seeing more and more advertising-specific agentic AI solutions enter the scene.
The programmatic industry “tends to be the most digitally savvy,” Goodhart said, and also “quickest to examine their digital processes.”
Retail Oriented
Advertisers are getting swept up in the retail media craze – but they might be going a little overboard in their use of retail data, writes Mike Shields in his Next in Media newsletter.
Retailers have good insight into how ad impressions lead to purchases, so advertisers have gotten hooked on this closed-looped attribution, according to Shields.
Retail media networks are leaning into increased advertiser demand for retail data by expanding off-platform and introducing new inventory types, including shoppable formats.
As a result, advertisers are using retail media data across a variety of non-retail channels, like linear TV, CTV and digital out-of-home – “whether media companies think this is a good idea or not,” Shields writes.
After all, some media channels aren’t great at driving purchases and might actually be harmed if their performance is measured using purchase data, Shields posits.
Regardless, advertisers will likely remain addicted to retail data. Economic headwinds from the Trump administration’s tariffs could prompt marketers to double down on performance and attribution, according to Shields.
In other words, retail data will be applied to an even greater degree – whether it’s appropriate or not.
You’re Gonna Hear Me Roar
Sportswear brand Puma figured out what was missing from its marketing, and now it’s ready to pounce.
What had Puma overlooked? Community. The solution? A campaign that launched in March called “Go Wild,” which is the brand’s largest-ever global effort. It’s got new product launches, values-focused celebrity ambassadors, including Rihanna and A$AP Rocky, and local running and lifestyle-related pop-ups.
Puma is also leaning into nostalgia by relaunching a ’90s-era sneaker called the Speedcat. But the brand is keeping up with modern trends by hosting events and collabs tied to major sporting events.
Today’s consumer is focused on more than just “winning at any cost,” Richard Teyssier, Puma’s global VP of brand and marketing, told Glossy. “It’s about chasing that energy inside you and being yourself.”
For example, instead of just focusing on celebrity voices (and don’t get us wrong, we love Rihanna’s voice), the first phase of the campaign features everyday runners sharing their personal stories.
But how is it performing? Well, focusing on the brand is helping generate sales. According to Puma, “Go Wild” is currently ranked in the top 5% for sales effectiveness in the US, Germany and China.
But Wait! There’s More
Major brands like Mastercard and Nissan are pulling their New York City Pride sponsorships this year. [WSJ]
ChatGPT rolls out shopping features [Adweek]. Meanwhile, Meta launches a standalone AI app to compete with ChatGPT. [TechCrunch]
Duolingo declares itself an “AI-first” company and says it will stop hiring humans for contract work “that AI can handle.” [LinkedIn]
Amazon says it did not approve a plan for its Amazon Haul team to list price increases due to tariffs after the Trump administration calls the plan “hostile and political.” [Axios]
Despite better-than-expected quarterly earnings, Snapchat’s shares dropped 14% after the company declined to offer an outlook for Q2. [CNBC]
You’re Hired!
IAB hires Caroline Giegerich as VP of AI. [release]
PepsiCo brings on Jonnie Cahill as CMO of International Foods. [Adweek]
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