Edition #533
What makes CTV exciting, Criteo has 1,000+ advertisers in its ChatGPT pilot & WealthSimple’s The Trade Show.
I didn’t get CTV initially, we did some work, helping measure early CTV campaigns. I mean, as a consumer, I got it. But I didn’t get the hype around the advertising side. And that only really clicked for me in the last 6 months. And maybe I’m slow on the uptake.
But CTV enables advertisers to do the early digital marketing tactics and tricks that were creative & fun but actually worked too. That’s what the excitement is about.
Ronan had this story about Meta exploring CTV as audience extension. And yes, 100%, this makes sense. If I can reach my audience in that medium, and get that cross medium effect, lovely.
Can you imagine, when (or if) LinkedIn did audience extension?
The story I think CTV companies need to tell better though is, where are those ads showing up, in what apps, shows, experiences. And what is their unique (data-led) story around that. Bring those exciting tactics and strategies to life.
We also hear some murmurs of new ad formats to come in ChatGPT. Through the Kargo announcement, then an interview with the team. I’m curious to see!
Notable stories this week
- Meta eyes CTV expansion to fuel its next wave of ad growth.
- Google Ads launches new tools for mapping incrementally.
- Why workplace comedy is becoming a serious brand strategy.
- Nexxen and ADvolution Bring Influencer Engagement to Programmatic Political Campaigns
- Amazon weighs ‘hybrid mode’ i.e. AI overviews on retail site.
- OpenAI is now sharing its users data with advertisers.
- Ad market optimism persist despite macro volatility.
- The balance of power in influencer marketing is shifting.
- Johnny Harris on building a journalism project that doesn’t sell out.
- TV advertising, decentralized.
- OpenAI launches self-serve ad platform.
- Snap says its $400m deal with Perplexity amicably ended.
- Some micro influencers find promising security in brand ownership over sponsorships.
- Kargo announces integration with ChatGPT, unlocking access to emerging AI-native advertising opportunities.
- Taboola’s next act: an AI answer engine for publishers.
- As X shuts down Communities, Acorn debuts an alternative that puts creators in control.
- Netflix doubles down on vertical video on mobile, launches ‘Clips’ feed.
- Yahoo pairs with Kochava to pitch ‘agentic’ DSP workflows.
- From ad tech tax to AI data brokers: the new middlemen keep 100%, publishers say.
- Instagram is testing voluntary ‘AI Creator’ labels.
- The state of generative AI in the creator economy.
- OpenAI will launch new ad formats.
- Making tech giants pay for news was a success the first time around. It can be done again.
- The audio industry is grappling with the rise of Podslop.
- Future of marketing briefing: YouTube’s creator data play is an on-ramp not a destination.
- 5 themes that defined Possible 2026.
- After Ankler’s Substack exit, other outlets have quietly explored other platforms.
- Do News Publishers that block AI crawlers get cited less often by AI?
- X to lean into streaming.
- Despite enthusiasm over its ChatGPT tie up, Criteo’s shares slide on downgraded revenue forecast.
- Axios Local ramps up expansion again as part of ‘path to profitability’
- One year on, Google’s AI Max has pushed up search budgets and costs.
- F1’s high fashion moment is just getting started.
Deals/M&A
- James Murdoch’s Lupa Systems eyes Vox Media assets.
- Ziff Davis buys four brands from Recurrent Ventures. Launches a lifestyle group.
- DAZN acquires ViewLift to bolster its case for NBA, NHL teams.
- Amplitude takes over Statsig from OpenAI.
Campaign of the week
- The Trade Show from WealthSimple.
Smartest commentary
- “We’re reducing marketing to inputs and outputs, and in doing so, removing the perceived need for judgment, taste, and orchestration. f we continue to define AI purely through efficiency, we’re almost willing ourselves into obsolescence.” –Sam Lewis, SVP Creative & Media, DEPT.
Datapoints of note
- More than 1,000 Criteo clients signed up for its ChatGPT pilot.
- 44% of Roblox’s top 1,000 creators are already using Roblox Assistant or third party AI tools via MCP to plan, build, and test experiences.
- NYTimes passes 13m subscribers.
- AI driven traffic to Shopify stores is up 8x YOY, AI powered orders are up 13x. New buyer orders are converting 2x higher than other channels.
- Around 75% of sites blocking OpenAI or Google AI bots still appeared in AI citations.
Events
- Watch this space.
That’s it for this week.
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