Amazon turns Alexa ads into checkout lanes: Alexa+ Agentic Ads lets users buy inside AI conversations, collapsing the journey from promotion to purchase.
Meta’s spotlights AI at Cannes: The company is leveraging its scale to advance automated ads, but marketers still need strong creative and clear guardrails.
AI answers become a brand battleground: Contentful’s AEO tool reveals how AI forms brand perceptions and suggests fixes to improve visibility.
Agentic AI ads arrive: Cannes moves AI agents from demos to deals; buyers orchestrate systems as autonomous media buying nears scale.
Google expands YouTube tools: New creator, trend, and AI insights tie planning, content, and ads into one fuller-funnel workflow.
Peacock TV was the only major streaming service to grow its average daily household viewing time, climbing from 2.0 to 3.0 hours between December 2025 and February 2026 to tie Netflix and Hulu, according to a February survey from Comscore.
Duolingo has spent the past year proving it can sell ads without breaking what makes its app work. Now it's pushing further into rewarded video with a new format that gives free users something they'd otherwise have to pay for. The company announced Pre-Lesson Energy Sponsorship ahead of Cannes Lions, a format that places a 30-second opt-in video ad at the start of a free user's first daily lesson. Complete the view, and the app unlocks 30 minutes of unlimited Energy, the resource that powers lessons and normally depletes unless you subscribe.
For years, retail media potential seemed limitless as growth skyrocketed while retail media networks launched one after the other. Today, retail media is entering a fundamentally different growth phase. During an afternoon eventat Cannes produced by EMARKETER and Sensor Tower, our analyst Sarah Marzano described an industry transitioning from expansion at all costs to a greater focus on efficiency, differentiation, and measurable outcomes.
Bass Pro, RH, and Ralph Lauren are turning to hospitality to build deeper customer connections.
Gen Alpha favors in-person buying over digital convenience.
Walmart broadens TV access: A proposed Vibe.co deal would bring self-serve CTV tools to smaller brands and marketplace sellers.
Reddit's ad upgrade: Community-powered formats blend peer proof with targeting, making Reddit a key conversion checkpoint.
Local teams and focused store growth aim to avoid rivals’ missteps.
Credit, delivery, digital tools, and acquisitions help Home Depot chase high-value contractor spending.
Preferred Hotels & Resorts strengthens its perks but compounds redemption complexity.
Browser dominance could help autofill features chip away at Apple Wallet’s market share.
More in-person seminars tie fraud protection to loyalty, trust, and growth.
More young adults struggle with financial strain, creating an opening for banking products.
CVS MinuteClinic’s new $49 virtual GLP-1 program matches Walgreens on price, but differentiation will still be difficult in a crowded telehealth weight loss market.
Doctors remain in charge of steering condition and treatment decisions, but have the added responsibility of interpreting chatbot guidance.