TikTok

People Inc.’s referral traffic from Google search is down 70% over the past two years, and by 22% in Q3 alone. But its digital revenue is still growing, albeit slowly.

A generic label tells consumers that AI was used to build an ad, but leaves them to guess where reality ends and fiction begins.

Podcasters can open their inventory to programmatic demand to complement their direct-sold host-read ads and monetize their back catalogs.

An AI agent can stay inside its budget and still spend too much. It can log every decision. But the evidence of performance can still arrive after the money is committed.

How legit is “annualized revenue run rate” as a metric?; YouTube discusses new creator marketplace tools; and AI agents keep bypassing safeguards.

Where teens were once swept into the same cohort as 18-34, brands will have to have separate strategies and tactics to engage them. And this shift comes just as Gen Alpha comes of age.

TikTok users can now include polls and videos in comments; vertical video app Shortical introduces AI ads; and Meta’s upcoming personal agent may cause more problems than solutions.

The great Meta migration is in full swing. Ex-Meta employees are, filling the ranks at Open AI, TikTok, Amazon Ads and Roku and bringing their expertise with them.

Meta alumni are on the move – and they’re bringing the world’s most successful ad playbook with them to the next generation of would-be ad platform greats, with OpenAI at the top of the list.

Disney got some cash back in its pocket after the OpenAI deal fell apart – but the company still plans to lean into AI.

Kraft Heinz’s deal with Disney represents a food marketing trend; how buying location data is a legal loophole for the government; analysts rain on OpenAI’s ad parade.

Retail media ramps up CTV partnerships to extend ecommerce audiences off-site; LaLiga’s piracy crackdown hits legit sites in Spain; and OpenAI mulls third-party ad measurement.

Communications leaders are reshaping the C-suite; Executive turnover continues at The Trade Desk; TikTok Shop earns dedicated RFP budgets.

There’s a lot of healthcare data out there. The challenge is knowing how to access and make use of it while complying with privacy regulations.

TikTok announces a wide array of new tools for advertisers, and they all have one thing in common: a focus on building its ecommerce business.

The DOJ targets another Google Search ad scam; ICE relies on “advertising intelligence” and support from Palantir to ramp up deportations; and TikTok now lets you book vacations in its app.

It seems like all the streaming services are getting into vertical video these days. But ads aren’t on the menu yet.

Surprise! Platforms ignore users opting out of ad tracking; the marketing machine claims credit for Geese’s popularity; and Meta’s MAGA-friendly moderation makes an unforced error.

Not unlike last year, the mood during TikTok’s NewFronts presentation last week felt like cautious optimism, if not outright relief.

Yahoo is not like other companies promoting AI buzz; Elite “clippers” turn longform content into short, shareable clips; The Army prepares to reset ad business.

Samsung teases a shoppable TV integration with Amazon; hackers target AI search users for marketing account takeovers; and new research shows young news audiences are “social-first.”

Influencers aren’t all on board with shoppable ads; Americans are buying less makeup; and Madison and Wall predicts growth (unless everything falls apart).

There are more pharma ads on CTV, but are they even targeted?; Gen Z longs for the ad-free TikTok of yore; and Meta buys a social network for AI agents.

Enjoy this weekly comic strip from AdExchanger.com that highlights the digital advertising ecosystem … 

Agentic commerce can’t stop, won’t stop; Perplexity is officially done with its ads business; and AppLovin may launch its own social media platform.

Brands allocating a sizable chunk of their marketing budgets outside of Google and Meta achieve the best customer acquisition costs, proving that diversification is a performance strategy.

TikTok may be doubling down (again) on Shop; bots are scraping content they’re banned from; and Walmart is allegedly selling counterfeit products.

It’s hard to break into the ad platform big leagues; AI platforms debate the value of ads; and vibe coding isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

People Inc. is offsetting a 50% decline in Google search traffic through off-platform growth and its highest digital revenue gains in five quarters.

The MRC’s auction transparency standards aren’t intended to force every programmatic platform to use the same auction playbook – but platforms do have to adopt some controversial OpenRTB specs to get certified.