In 2026, artificial intelligence isn’t just an experimental tool for marketers — it’s become a central force reshaping how advertising is bought, created, optimized, and analyzed. From campaign ideation to measurement models, AI systems are now deeply integrated into every corner of the ad landscape. Yet while these technologies promise unprecedented automation and personalization, they also introduce new challenges for brands that want to maintain control, transparency, and strategic direction in their advertising efforts. Artificial intelligence has long been heralded as a way to help marketers finally achieve what many have struggled to deliver under traditional approaches: personalization at scale and truly closed-loop measurement. As connected TV, retail media networks, and other emergent channels grow more performance-driven, there’s an expectation that AI will help unify data, creative, and delivery in ways that past tools never could. But realizing that potential is proving to be more complex than many vendors and platforms suggest. At the core of this transformation are a range of AI-powered advertising solutions offered by tech giants and major ad-tech firms. Platforms such as Meta’s Advantage+, Google’s Performance Max, and Amazon’s full-funnel campaign tools aim to automate significant parts of the advertising workflow. Similarly, major holding companies — including WPP, Publicis, and Omnicom — have developed their own AI suites that promise to handle everything from planning to optimization. Even media owners like NBCUniversal and Disney now sell AI-augmented advertising products designed to streamline campaign execution. These tools, while powerful, often function like “black boxes”: highly automated systems that yield outcomes with little insight into how decisions are made. This opacity is acceptable for some advertisers, particularly those focused solely on performance outcomes such as clicks or installs. However, many brand-focused marketers find themselves uneasy about relinquishing so much control to opaque algorithms — especially when those same systems are shaping audience targeting, creative selection, and media buys without clear accountability. One of the key tensions in today’s AI-infused advertising ecosystem lies between automation and brand control. As platforms push toward greater simplification, there’s a risk that brands may lose sight of the strategic rationale behind their campaigns in favor of purely algorithmic optimization. Brand leaders fear scenarios where machine-led decisions, optimized for short-term metrics, might drift away from core brand values or long-term objectives. To avoid this, marketers are being urged to differentiate hype from reality. Not all AI systems are created equal, and not every tool delivers what it promises. Emerging technologies like agentic AI — autonomous systems that can continuously optimize campaigns with minimal human intervention — are particularly hyped. Advocates argue that agentic systems can execute thousands of micro-optimizations in real time, far beyond the capacity of human teams, freeing marketers to focus on high-level strategy and experimentation. According to Upwave CEO Chris Kelly, early adopters of these systems could move faster and learn more quickly than competitors. Yet fully autonomous systems come with their own set of caveats. Successful deployment requires that brands have robust data infrastructures, well-defined APIs, and clear measurement frameworks. Without those foundations in place, agentic AI may optimize toward the wrong objectives or fail to integrate effectively across platforms. Gartner analysts warn that seamless connectivity across disparate systems remains a significant hurdle for many organizations. Another concern relates to identity resolution and data strategy. Even as platforms automate more tasks, brands still must decide how much they rely on platform-owned data versus investing in their own identity systems. Some marketers argue that spending on identity resolution tools — which help link disparate data points back to real consumer profiles — is a smarter long-term play than simply feeding more budget into AI-driven media buys. Amid all this change, agencies continue to play an important role, albeit one that is evolving. With the rise of platform-specific AI tools, brands often need partners who can translate across multiple environments and offer visibility into how different systems are performing. Agencies with the ability to integrate data, creative, and strategy can help brands avoid pitfalls associated with isolated or siloed AI solutions. Ultimately, marketers are being encouraged to approach AI with a mix of realism and strategic agency. That means understanding both the strengths and limitations of automated systems, and being willing to retain human oversight where it matters most — such as defining business objectives, shaping brand narratives, and interpreting outcomes in context. As the industry continues to experiment and standardize around new protocols and frameworks, brands that can balance automation with strategic control are likely to navigate this AI-rewritten playbook most successfully. 📌 Key takeaways: AI is now deeply embedded in advertising, promising personalization at scale but often operating as a “black box.” Platforms and agencies offer AI-driven automation, yet strategic choices about data and identity remain crucial. Agentic AI promises continuous optimization but requires strong infrastructure and human oversight. Brands that assert strategic control — balancing automation with human decision-making — are best positioned for success.

The recent emergence of the agentic web signals a transformative moment for digital marketing — one where autonomous AI systems act on behalf of users to discover, evaluate, and interact with brands. This shift is not merely incremental; it represents a fundamental re-architecting of how traffic flows, how audiences engage, and how brand value is created and measured in a world increasingly mediated by intelligent agents. At its core, the agentic web moves beyond traditional search and passive browsing. Instead of users manually typing queries and clicking through results, they increasingly delegate tasks to AI agents that proactively complete multi-step actions — from planning trips to comparing product pricing to identifying relevant services. These agents use advanced language models and evolving protocols to interpret intent and execute outcomes without human browsing behavior driving the experience. For marketers, this shift brings both challenge and opportunity. On the one hand, agents change how users are introduced to brands; on the other, they create new avenues for brands to be evaluated and chosen based on structured data, service quality, and machine-interpretable signals. The Decline of Traditional Search and the Diversification Imperative Recent industry projections suggest that traditional search traffic could decline significantly — potentially by up to 25% by 2026 — as AI-assisted tools supplant search engines as the primary discovery mechanism. This decline underlines what many marketers have long suspected: relying solely on SEO and search-centric strategies is no longer sufficient. Instead, brands must diversify where and how they reach audiences. Channels such as mobile app ecosystems, connected TV (CTV), digital out-of-home media, and other high-engagement environments have become essential components in a diversified media portfolio. These environments are less susceptible to volatility in search engine rankings and provide more robust measurement and storytelling opportunities. For example, consumers today spend nearly 90% of their mobile time within apps — an audience that traditional browsers and search may no longer capture as effectively in the agentic era. Identifying where attention lives and how agents interact with those environments will be key to sustaining visibility. Data as a Strategic Advantage While diversification broadens where brands can be encountered, data integration ultimately determines how effectively those encounters convert into value. From the perspective of demand-side platforms — like Nexxen and similar DSPs — merely spreading spend across channels is insufficient; brands must unify measurement and insights across every touchpoint. This means adopting privacy-first data strategies that connect mobile, CTV, and other channels into a cohesive ecosystem. Data becomes the infrastructure that informs critical decisions — such as bid optimization, incremental reach analysis, and creative effectiveness — rather than a byproduct of isolated campaigns. By doing so, brands can track not just impressions and clicks, but outcomes and influence across diverse channels, making their media investments more resilient even as traditional search traffic declines. Data then ceases to be a historical artifact and becomes a real-time asset that drives adaptability in a rapidly changing discovery landscape. From Human Browsers to Autonomous Agents The agentic web fundamentally alters the traditional customer funnel. Instead of users discovering a brand through a search query or browsing a website, AI agents may make decisions before human users are even aware of the brand. User intent — whether to book a flight, purchase a product, or find a service — will increasingly be fulfilled by agents that sift through options and recommend (or take action on) the most relevant choice on behalf of a user. This has enormous implications for how brands should structure their digital presence. Websites will still matter, but their role will evolve. Rather than serving as static destinations for browsing, they will need to act as structured, machine-legible nodes that provide clear signals to AI agents about a brand’s capabilities, offerings, and value propositions. To thrive in this environment, brands will need to optimize for intent-based discovery rather than keyword-centric SEO. Content should be designed to answer agents’ queries with precision, structured in ways that make it easy for agents to extract meaning and relevance. The goal is not just human readability but agent readability — ensuring that algorithms can parse and act on information logically and reliably. Quality, Trust, and Brand Representation As AI agents mediate a growing proportion of digital interactions, brands face new risks related to representation. If a brand’s content is unstructured, inconsistent, or difficult for AI to interpret, agents may inaccurately represent the brand’s offerings — potentially harming perception and conversion. To mitigate this, brands must invest in quality content that is structured, trustworthy, and aligned with brand values. Effective content strategies will balance human engagement with machine understandability, ensuring that agents do not misinterpret intent or misrepresent the brand voice. This approach goes beyond volume — it emphasizes precision, alignment, and clarity in content ecosystems. Toward an Agent-Native Future The rise of the agentic web challenges long-standing assumptions in digital marketing. It pushes brands to rethink their digital architectures, adopt data strategies that transcend channels, and embrace new metrics of success that emphasize agent visibility and machine-level clarity. Yet this shift also offers unprecedented opportunities. Brands that align their digital experiences with the expectations of AI agents — and integrate human-centric creativity with machine-readable logic — will be well positioned to lead in a landscape where discovery, decision-making, and value creation are increasingly delegated to autonomous systems. In this agentic era, disruption can become discovery — and the rules of engagement can be rewritten on brands’ terms, not just defined by legacy search paradigms.

Artificial intelligence continues to reshape the digital marketing landscape, but one lingering question has persisted: Can AI-generated advertising truly perform as well as human-created campaigns in the real world? A major new academic study provides one of the most comprehensive answers yet. The research, conducted by a team from Columbia University, Harvard University, the Technical University of Munich and Carnegie Mellon University, analysed real live campaign data and found that AI-generated display ads can deliver click-through rates (CTR) on par with human-made ads — and sometimes even outperform them under the right creative conditions. Breaking the Hype With Real-World Data Much of the existing evidence about generative AI in advertising comes from lab experiments or small pilot tests. What makes this study especially noteworthy is that it used real market data. Researchers analysed more than 300,000 ads, totalling over 500 million impressions and about 3 million clicks, drawn from campaigns running on Taboola’s Realize performance marketing platform. This scale gives the findings stronger ecological validity than most previous research. Rather than running a simple A/B test, the study paired “sibling ads” — matching an AI-generated creative with a human-made one from the same advertiser, running on the same day, with identical objectives and landing pages. This controlled design helped isolate the influence of creative origin itself, ensuring the comparisons were fair. AI Keeps Pace With Human Creatives Across this massive dataset, the headline result was clear: AI-generated ads performed statistically equivalently to human-made ads in terms of CTR. Under loose controls, some AI creatives even showed slightly higher CTRs. Even when the researchers tightened controls to compare like-for-like closely, performance remained similar. Crucially, the study also found no evidence that AI-generated ads attracted low-quality, curiosity-driven clicks — a major concern among advertisers. Conversion rates remained stable regardless of creative origin. This suggests that the efficiency and scale benefits of AI — producing many variants quickly — don’t necessarily come at the expense of engagement or effectiveness. For performance marketers stretched by tight budgets and rapid campaign cycles, that is a significant validation. Perception Matters More Than Origin Perhaps the most fascinating insight from the research is less about AI vs. human and more about how consumers perceive ads. The study included a perception experiment where users judged whether an ad was AI-generated or human-made. The results showed a clear pattern: Ads perceived as AI-generated actually underperformed — even when they were human-made. Conversely, AI ads that were perceived as human-made delivered the highest engagement of all groups, outperforming both clearly human and clearly AI-looking creatives. This reveals a subtle but critical point: consumer reactions are driven more by visual cues and creative execution than by the actual creative origin. Whether an ad was made by an algorithm or a designer mattered less than what it looked and felt like to the audience. What Makes Ads Feel “Human”? The study dug into the creative elements that drove engagement, and one factor stood out: the presence of large, clear human faces. Human faces proved to be the strongest cue for perceived authenticity and trust, significantly boosting CTR. Interestingly, AI tools — at least in this dataset using Taboola’s GenAI Ad Maker — were more likely to include prominent human faces than human designers, which partly explains why AI ads did so well in certain contexts. In contrast, ads that appeared overly artificial — with heavy colour saturation, overly polished visuals, strong symmetry or other “AI-looking” aesthetic traits — tended to be penalised by audiences. These cues reduced engagement regardless of whether the ad was AI-generated or human-created. Creative Strategy Still Matters Although the overall findings are promising for AI adoption, the study also showed that industry context matters. Some sectors, like personal finance and food and drink, showed stronger performance boosts with AI ads, while categories like education showed more muted results. This suggests AI isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution — marketers need to strategically deploy it where it aligns with audience expectations and category norms. Implications for Marketers For performance marketers, the takeaway is both pragmatic and forward-looking: AI can match human creativity at scale. Advertisers can generate thousands of creative variants quickly without sacrificing engagement or conversions. Perceived human-ness drives engagement. Ads that feel authentic and relatable outperform those that look artificial — regardless of who created them. Creative execution still matters. The best results come from focusing on design principles audiences respond to, like human faces and emotional resonance, not just automation. Use AI strategically. Different industries and audiences respond differently to AI creatives, underscoring the importance of audience research and testing. Conclusion: A New Phase of AI in Advertising This study marks a turning point in how the marketing world thinks about generative AI. For too long, debates about AI ads have been theoretical or anecdotal. Now, real-world evidence shows that AI can deliver performance on par with human creatives — provided marketers leverage it with smart strategy and careful design. In an era where speed, scale and cost efficiency are mission-critical, AI-generated ads offer an exciting tool in the marketer’s toolkit. But the real art — and the real advantage — will come from blending data-driven automation with human-centred creative insight.

Marketing technology is entering a new era. For years, brands have relied on traditional marketing automation — systems that execute predefined tasks like sending emails based on triggers or scheduling social posts at set times. But a new wave of intelligence, known as agentic AI, is redefining what marketing systems can do. Unlike traditional automation, agentic AI doesn’t just carry out instructions — it plans, decides, executes, and continually learns, acting more like a smart digital marketer than a scripted tool. Today’s businesses face an increasingly complex customer landscape. Consumers interact with brands across dozens of touchpoints — from email and paid search to social media and in‑app experiences — and expect personalized, relevant interactions in real time. This complexity has quickly outgrown the capabilities of rule‑based automation. Agentic AI doesn’t just follow rules; it autonomously identifies opportunities, adapts strategy, and drives outcomes across the entire marketing funnel. What Sets Agentic AI Apart At a fundamental level, the difference between traditional marketing automation and agentic AI comes down to autonomy, adaptability, and strategic agency. Traditional automation works like a smart assistant that needs detailed instructions. You build workflows: If X happens, then Y happens. These systems are great for repetitive tasks — sending a welcome series after signup or segmenting audiences by static rules — but they can’t think about the next best step. Human operators still define what should happen next, and the system simply executes. By contrast, agentic AI is goal‑oriented and proactive. Given a high‑level objective — such as “increase qualified leads by 20%” — an agentic system defines and sequences the actions required to reach that goal. It does not wait for every command. It evaluates incoming data in real time, makes strategic decisions, and executes tasks across channels. Importantly, agentic AI continuously learns from outcomes, adjusting its approach for better results over time. Rather than reacting to triggers, agentic AI creates and adapts strategy, autonomously managing workflows from start to finish. This includes planning campaigns, allocating budget dynamically, optimizing creative based on performance, and personalizing customer experiences at scale. How Agentic AI Works in the Marketing Funnel One of the most compelling aspects of agentic AI is its ability to operate across the entire marketing funnel — from awareness to conversion and retention — without requiring manual handoffs. Cross‑Channel Strategy and Execution Agentic systems can construct and implement marketing plans spanning paid search, email, social media, and other channels. They continuously monitor real‑time signals like performance metrics, trending search terms, and competitor activity, and automatically adapt the strategy. Early adopters have seen dramatic results; for example, predictive lead scoring powered by agentic AI has reduced sales cycles and significantly improved conversion rates. Automated Testing and Optimization Traditional automation can launch A/B tests, but imperfectly: marketers must design, schedule, and evaluate results before manually implementing improvements. Agentic AI automates this loop, running multiple variants, analyzing live performance, and adjusting elements like messaging, channel mix, and timing all on the fly based on real‑time learning. Real‑Time Budget Management Rather than locking budgets per week or per channel in advance, agentic AI can shift spending dynamically. By identifying top‑performing segments or channels in real time, these systems ensure every dollar goes where it’s most effective — a capability that’s especially valuable in highly competitive or fast‑moving markets. Personalized Customer Experiences Agentic AI’s most tangible benefit for end users is personalization. Traditional automation offers generalized segmentation, but agentic systems tailor experiences at an individual level. They analyze unique behavior, adapt messaging, and even engage with customers directly in their preferred language and channel. Human Oversight — Not Obsolescence Despite its autonomy, agentic AI isn’t designed to eliminate human teams. Instead, it augments them. Marketers remain essential for setting goals, defining brand voice, and making high‑judgment decisions where nuance and ethics matter. AI agents excel at executing and optimizing workflows, but humans oversee strategy, governance, and creative direction. To ensure responsible integration, companies adopting agentic AI should: Define clear human and AI responsibilities. Provide ongoing AI literacy training for teams. Establish governance frameworks to guide ethical and compliant decision‑making. Why This Matters Now The rapid growth of agentic AI reflects broader shifts in both technology and market expectations. According to industry projections, the market for agentic AI is set to increase exponentially in the next decade as businesses demand autonomy, real‑time adaptability, and greater outcomes with smaller teams. For many organizations, traditional automation has already reached its limits. As customers demand more personalized, seamless interactions and competitive differentiation becomes harder to achieve with manual processes alone, agentic AI offers not just efficiency but strategic advantage. Executives and marketers who embrace this shift will find themselves freed from operational bottlenecks and better equipped to respond to market changes swiftly. Those who cling to rigid automation frameworks risk falling behind in a world where speed, relevance, and adaptability are core competitive factors.

In mid-2025, one of the most influential media publishers in the United States — Dotdash Meredith — transformed its corporate identity to become People Inc., a strategic decision that signals a renewed focus on clarity, storytelling and cultural relevance. The change isn’t simply cosmetic; it reflects a deeper shift in how the company positions itself with audiences, partners, and advertisers in an increasingly competitive media landscape. From Merger Complexity to Brand Simplicity When Dotdash and Meredith merged in 2021, the combined corporate name served its immediate purpose. But as the business evolved, company leaders acknowledged that the moniker was cumbersome and lacked resonance with the broader public. In dropping “Dotdash Meredith” in favor of People Inc., the company leaned into its most recognizable and trusted brand — People magazine — to unify its identity and sharpen its cultural footprint. According to leadership, this simplification makes it easier for partners — from marketing teams to advertisers — to grasp the company’s mission and the collective strength of its portfolio. At its core, this shift underscores a broader commitment to human-centered storytelling — a message the name “People Inc.” conveys effortlessly. Leaders believe the revised identity better represents their industry role: a creator of content that inspires, informs, and connects people around shared experiences. What This Means for Brands and Marketers For brands and communications professionals, People Inc.’s rebrand signals a more coherent partner in storytelling. Rather than navigating a complex corporate identity, marketers now have a clearer sense of who they’re working with and what the company stands for. This unified platform is designed to make collaboration smoother and more intuitive, particularly across a vast portfolio of titles. Among these are iconic names such as Food & Wine, Travel + Leisure, Better Homes & Gardens, Verywell, and InStyle — each with its own editorial voice but now brought under the shared People Inc. umbrella. According to Leah Wyar, president of the entertainment and beauty & style group at People Inc., this strategic identity helps brands align their stories with audiences in more resonant and culturally relevant ways. Rather than diluting editorial identity, the company is emphasizing complementary collaboration — where each brand retains its distinct perspective while benefiting from shared insights and scale. A prime example of this collaboration is the People x InStyle flip issue: a single publication with two covers and two distinct editorial voices. One side emphasized People’s strengths in cultural access and relevance, while the other showcased InStyle’s deep authority in beauty and fashion. This kind of intentional editorial dance showed that brands can share audiences meaningfully without losing their unique identities. Reaching New Audiences: Gen Z and Beyond One of the central challenges facing legacy publishers is capturing the attention of younger consumers — particularly Gen Z. In response, People Inc. is shifting its approach to meet audiences where they are rather than expecting them to come to traditional platforms. This means prioritizing authentic, community-oriented storytelling, especially through social media and short-form video, which resonate strongly with younger viewers. More than just broadcasting messages, People Inc. aims to invite audiences into ongoing conversations and create content that feels genuinely reflective of lived experiences and interests. This strategy is rooted in the understanding that Gen Z values authenticity and participation — they don’t just want to absorb stories, they want to be part of them. Sponsored Content That Works For advertisers and partners, People Inc.’s mix of native storytelling and culturally attuned content offers fertile ground. One standout example has been InStyle’s content series The Intern, which integrates a brand partner — Fossil — in creative and organic ways that feel seamless rather than intrusive. By aligning the sponsor’s identity with the narrative arc of the series, the collaboration has achieved substantial engagement, with tens of millions of views and a strong fan following. This kind of work underscores a broader shift in digital publishing: successful content is no longer measured solely by clicks but by meaningful engagement and cultural impact. People Inc. is positioning itself as a partner that helps brands tell stories that audiences choose to watch, share and return to. What Works in Beauty and Style Today Across its portfolio, People Inc. has also gleaned insights into what resonates most with contemporary audiences around lifestyle topics such as beauty and fashion. The most effective content blends expert insight with accessibility, connecting celebrity trends to everyday realities. Stories that offer practical advice or relatable inspiration tend to perform best — especially when they’re rich in visuals and grounded in cultural moments. This reinforces a key lesson for communicators: audiences are drawn to content that is both aspirational and useful. When editorial authority meets practical relevance, engagement deepens and loyalty strengthens — an essential formula in today’s fragmented media ecosystem. Looking Ahead The rebrand to People Inc. reflects more than a name change. It’s a strategic effort to simplify narrative, unify brands, and prioritize human stories in an age where attention is the most valuable currency. For marketers, editors, and audiences alike, it promises a clearer path to connecting — not just communicating — in ways that feel relatable, authentic, and culturally resonant.

Lay’s, one of India’s most recognizable snack brands under PepsiCo, has long been woven into the country’s food culture. Beyond being a simple bag of chips, Lay’s has frequently shown up in local sandwiches, chutneys, and even fusion dishes in online food content—spontaneously and organically. Recognizing this unique cultural moment, the brand shifted from traditional advertising to co-creation with consumers, resulting in a campaign that reimagined the brand’s role in everyday eating and digital culture. At its core, Lay’s recent campaign—titled ‘Ways to Lay’s’—was not born from a conventional marketing brief. Instead, it was inspired by how consumers were already incorporating Lay’s into their own culinary experiments. According to Amit Nanchahal, Head of Corporate Communications at PepsiCo India, this organic behaviour revealed a powerful insight: young Indians were using Lay’s not only as a snack but as an ingredient, a cultural symbol, and a platform for personal expression. This paved the way for a campaign designed to reflect and amplify that behaviour. Understanding the Cultural Context To build a campaign that resonated with its audience, Lay’s began by observing real consumer behaviour. A 2024 Kantar study showed that 78% of young Indians regularly experiment with food, whether by recreating popular street foods at home or fusing familiar dishes with new textures and flavours. For Gen Z and Millennials, food has become more than sustenance—it’s a form of identity and creativity. This blend of tradition and exploration is deeply rooted in India’s street food culture, where innovation, diversity, and hands-on engagement are part of the culinary experience itself. Instead of resisting this trend, Lay’s chose to embrace it. The brand team, along with agency partner Edelman India, seized the opportunity to build on this cultural movement. Rather than dictating how Lay’s should be enjoyed, they created platforms where consumers could share how they were already using it—celebrating authenticity over instruction. Crafting the Campaign Experience The ‘Ways to Lay’s’ campaign was inherently experiential and collaborative. It featured several key elements designed to excite and engage younger audiences: Chef Collaborations: Lay’s partnered with more than 10 leading chefs and food influencers, including names such as Kunal Kapur, Vikas Khanna, Manish Mehrotra, Shivesh Bhatia, and Saloni Kukreja. These chefs were selected not just for their culinary expertise but for their alignment with regional flavours and experimental cuisine. Together, they developed hyper-local, visually engaging recipes that fused Lay’s chips with traditional favourites like dosas, chaats, and rolls. By rooting creative exploration in familiar local tastes, the campaign bridged the gap between street food culture and packaged snacking. Social Challenge: To drive widespread participation, Lay’s launched a social media challenge encouraging consumers to share videos and photos of their own Lay’s-inspired dishes. This social engagement became an organic storytelling engine, turning everyday users into brand advocates and content creators. Experiential Activation: The campaign moved offline with the introduction of India’s first ever Lay’s Food Truck, touring across Delhi and Mumbai. Celebrity chefs hosted live cooking demonstrations, creating real-world experiences that fans could enjoy firsthand. These activations generated strong footfall and extensive live and user-generated content, turning casual consumers into active participants in the brand’s narrative. Impact and Results The campaign delivered meaningful and measurable outcomes across multiple fronts: Increased Consumption: Lay’s saw nearly a 20% lift in meals consumed beyond traditional snacking, indicating the campaign’s success in reframing the brand as an ingredient rather than just a snack. Strong Social Engagement: Over 25,000 user-generated content posts were shared, and campaign hashtags generated over 5 million impressions—a testament to the creative enthusiasm of participants. PR and Media Visibility: The campaign was featured in more than 20 high-quality media stories, 40% of which highlighted its cultural relevance—an indicator of its broader resonance beyond paid promotions. Sales Lift: During the campaign period, Lay’s observed more than 10% increase in trial consumption, showing a direct link between engagement and purchase behaviour. Target Audience Insights Nanchahal points out that for Gen Z, food is closely tied to visual discovery and social sharing. This generation looks to online creators, street food trends, and peer experimentation for inspiration—making them highly receptive to campaigns that celebrate user creativity and content creation. Millennials, while also valuing creativity, gravitate toward authenticity and credible tastemakers. The mix of celebrity chefs and relatable DIY challenges helped the campaign appeal across both segments. He also notes that modern consumers no longer differentiate sharply between paid, earned, or shared content. Instead, they experience campaigns as holistic journeys—a blend of digital content, live experiences, influencer participation, and social buzz. A successful strategy, therefore, integrates these elements to tell a cohesive and compelling brand story. Lessons for FMCG Marketers The ‘Ways to Lay’s’ campaign offers key insights for brands seeking deeper consumer engagement: Cultural embedding matters: Aligning marketing with real consumer behaviour and local trends catalyses participation and emotional connection. Co-creation beats broadcast: Inviting consumers into the creative process shifts the relationship from transactional to participatory. Integration is key: A mix of experiential marketing, social challenges, influencer collaboration, and PR amplification can drive measurable impact across brand metrics. In a competitive landscape where consumers seek authenticity and creativity, Lay’s leveraged culture, community, and creativity to move beyond traditional advertising—turning everyday snacking into a vibrant cultural conversation.

Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL), one of the most storied names in global cruise travel, has unveiled a major evolution of its brand identity ― marking a strategic shift in how it positions itself in a competitive travel market. Partnering with advertising agency Arnold Worldwide for the first time, NCL has launched a new integrated advertising campaign built around a refreshed version of its iconic 1990s tagline, “It’s Different Out Here.” The launch not only signals a creative departure from typical cruise advertising but also reflects a broader effort to reconnect with consumers through emotion, experience and authenticity. At the heart of this initiative is the national campaign titled “For All Maritime.” Unlike conventional travel promotions that focus on luxury amenities and itineraries, “For All Maritime” takes a narrative approach, celebrating the spirit of travelers who reject rigid norms and embrace the freedom, flexibility and human connection that cruising can offer. The campaign’s centerpiece is a cinematic TV spot that contrasts historical maritime tradition with modern cruising attitudes, showcasing a playful juxtaposition of a traditional British Royal Navy ship’s strict customs against the laid-back, “flip-flops cool” ethos of a Norwegian Cruise Line voyage. According to NCL leadership, the revival of the “It’s Different Out Here” tagline is more than a nostalgic throwback ― it’s a deliberate attempt to re-anchor the brand around the values that originally set it apart. Kiran Smith, NCL’s chief marketing officer, described the campaign as a pivotal moment for the company, one that reaffirms its heritage while adjusting to the expectations of modern travelers who increasingly seek meaningful experiences rather than itinerary checklists. The strategic choices behind this campaign reflect broader shifts in the travel and hospitality space. Cruise brands have traditionally relied on showcasing ships’ features ― from pools and specialty dining to entertainment venues ― as their primary selling points. NCL’s latest effort, however, prioritizes the emotional experience of being present, connected and free from rigid plans. This aligns with the evolution of vacationer expectations today, where personalization and unhurried experiences increasingly outweigh spectacle and scale. Arnold Worldwide, the agency behind the campaign, brings fresh creative energy to the project. This work marks Arnold’s first campaign for NCL and is emblematic of a broader brand transformation under Smith’s leadership. Prior to joining NCL, Smith held executive roles at Arnold, which may have helped facilitate a creative partnership rooted in mutual understanding and strategic alignment. The integrated nature of the campaign ensures broad visibility across multiple channels. In addition to national TV spots, “For All Maritime” includes out-of-home (OOH) placements, digital content, social media storytelling and radio advertising. Each element is designed to communicate the refreshed brand identity consistently across touchpoints, building recognition and reinforcing the narrative that cruising with NCL is about freedom, flexibility and forging personal memories ― not simply checking destinations off a list. A key visual and conceptual shift in the campaign is its focus on the traveler’s point of view. Instead of highlighting onboard attractions in isolation, the creative emphasizes the emotional and experiential essence of cruising: the laughter shared over table conversations, the quiet sunrise viewed from a balcony and the sense of connection felt when time slows down enough to savor moments. The visual identity supporting the campaign uses airy, uncluttered design elements that evoke openness and presence, intentionally distinguishing it from the crowded and amenity-heavy imagery commonly seen in cruise advertising. This revitalized brand positioning also arrives at a milestone year for NCL. In March 2026, the company is set to launch its 21st ship, the Norwegian Luna, expanding its modern fleet and reinforcing its commitment to meeting diverse traveler needs. That same year, enhancements are planned for NCL’s private island destination, Great Stirrup Cay in the Bahamas, including the introduction of a new waterpark experience. These milestones provide timely opportunities to expand on the refreshed messaging and showcase the brand’s unique offerings within a competitive category. Industry observers have noted that the cruise market has become increasingly saturated, with competitors emphasizing both luxury and scale. In this context, NCL’s decision to foreground emotional resonance and core values may help differentiate its brand in a meaningful way. Rather than attempting to outdo rivals in spectacle, the campaign’s narrative calls on consumers to rethink what cruising can feel like: an invitation to travelers who want vacations that feel less scripted and more personally rewarding. The campaign’s creative ambition and strategic positioning suggest NCL is navigating the evolving landscape of travel marketing with a broader sense of purpose. By partnering with Arnold Worldwide and reviving a message that underscores freedom and flexibility, Norwegian Cruise Line is making a clear statement: that in an age of homogenized travel offerings, authentic experiences and human connection remain at the heart of meaningful journeys. As the campaign rolls out nationally and across key markets ― including global regions like Australia and Asia Pacific ― it underscores the role of storytelling in modern brand building. For NCL, “For All Maritime” is more than a creative exercise; it’s a strategic repositioning with the potential to resonate with both loyal cruisers and new audiences seeking vacation experiences that are genuinely different.

OpenAI, the artificial-intelligence company best known for its ChatGPT chatbot, is preparing to make a high-stakes return to the Super Bowl advertising stage, underscoring the intensifying competition among AI firms for both consumer attention and market dominance. According to people familiar with the plans, OpenAI will air a 60-second commercial during Super Bowl LX, marking its second consecutive year investing in what has become one of the most coveted advertising platforms in the United States. Super Bowl advertising has long been among the nation’s most expensive and high-profile commercial opportunities, with 30-second slots this year reportedly commanding more than $8 million each. That price does not include the substantial sums companies invest in production and creative development, making a single commercial a multimillion-dollar bet on brand visibility. For OpenAI, this return to the Big Game’s broadcast on NBC signals a bold marketing strategy amid rising competition and mounting pressure to retain its leadership in generative AI. Last year’s ad was the company’s first foray into paid advertising and represented a significant shift in how OpenAI approaches brand building. Instead of relying solely on organic growth from users drawn to ChatGPT’s capabilities, the company is now investing in traditional mass-marketing channels to broaden awareness beyond tech enthusiasts and early adopters. This year’s Super Bowl campaign unfolds in the context of an AI arms race that now includes deep investment in traditional media by several major technology players. Google, Microsoft, Anthropic and Perplexity were among the companies significantly increasing their TV and digital advertising last year, with industry estimates showing that these firms collectively spent more than $333 million on linear television ads in the United States and $426 million on digital advertising in 2025—more than triple 2024’s figures. Anthropic, an AI startup backed in part by Amazon and known for its Claude chatbot, began its own large-scale advertising campaign in late 2025, purchasing TV spots across major sporting events including NFL games, the NBA season and college matchups. These moves reflect the sector’s broader shift toward building recognizable consumer brands around AI tools and services. Despite its extensive user base—reportedly more than 800 million weekly users—OpenAI faces meaningful competitive challenges. Google’s Gemini model, introduced late last year, has outpaced ChatGPT on several industry benchmarks, prompting OpenAI to accelerate updates to its own models to close performance gaps. Meanwhile, Anthropic has focused on expanding enterprise adoption of Claude, an approach that pits it directly against OpenAI in the lucrative business market. Part of OpenAI’s advertising strategy this year appears aimed at repositioning artificial intelligence as not just cutting-edge technology, but a useful, everyday tool for non-technical users. In contrast to prior ads that framed AI as a monumental technological milestone, recent spots have emphasized relatable use cases—such as helping users find recipes or offering fitness and lifestyle tips—making the technology feel accessible and relevant to a broader audience. This subtle shift in messaging reflects a wider challenge facing the AI industry: while adoption continues to grow rapidly, public sentiment toward AI remains mixed. Recent surveys suggest that about half of U.S. adults are more worried than excited about AI, citing concerns about job displacement, misinformation and ethical implications. Only a small fraction of respondents reported feeling more excitement than apprehension about AI’s impact on society. OpenAI’s pivot toward practical, down-to-earth messaging in its advertising mirrors a broader industry trend. Competitors are also crafting narratives intended to ease public anxiety and redefine AI as a collaborative partner rather than a looming technological threat. Anthropic’s marketing for Claude, for example, uses the tagline “Keep Thinking”, emphasizing AI’s role in augmenting human cognition and creative problem-solving rather than replacing it. The Super Bowl platform provides a unique opportunity for companies like OpenAI to reach tens of millions of viewers in a single moment, but it also places them in the midst of one of the most watched and culturally scrutinized advertising environments in the world. With consumers bombarded by flashy commercials from major brands across industries—from entertainment and consumer goods to financial services and automotive—AI companies face the dual challenge of capturing attention and clearly communicating what their technology means for everyday life. For OpenAI, the continued investment in Super Bowl marketing underscores its belief that brand visibility and mainstream familiarity are crucial to long-term growth. The stakes are high: capturing the Super Bowl audience isn’t just about selling a product, it’s about shaping public perception of artificial intelligence at a time when its capabilities and societal impact are evolving rapidly. Whether this high-profile advertising push will translate into sustained engagement or broader acceptance remains to be seen. But one thing is clear: AI companies are no longer content with niche tech sector recognition. They are now competing on one of the world’s biggest stages, seeking to define for the public what the next chapter of computing and human productivity will look like.

In early January 2026, Hilton Worldwide found itself at the center of an unexpected public relations storm after a franchise hotel under its umbrella canceled reservations for workers associated with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). What began as a local incident in Minnesota quickly rippled across social media and national news, prompting sharp backlash — and a swift corporate response from one of the world’s largest hotel companies. The controversy began when the Hampton Inn in Lakeville, Minnesota — an independently owned and operated franchise property within the Hilton system — reportedly canceled bookings for federal immigration agents. Screenshots shared by DHS on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) appeared to show email exchanges in which hotel staff notified ICE personnel that reservations were being canceled and that the hotel was refusing to accommodate them. DHS characterized this as part of a “coordinated campaign” to deny service to federal law enforcement workers, sparking immediate nationwide attention. As the screenshots circulated, calls for a boycott of Hilton hotels escalated. Social media users, commentators and advocates on both sides of the immigration debate weighed in, interpreting the situation through deeply partisan lenses. Some saw the alleged action as principled resistance to federal immigration enforcement, while others condemned it as discriminatory and unpatriotic. Within hours, the story had generated enough traction to threaten Hilton’s broader reputation. Corporate Clarification and Initial Response Faced with growing scrutiny, Hilton Worldwide acted quickly to clarify its position. The company issued a public statement emphasizing a core brand value: that Hilton hotels serve as welcoming places for all guests. Crucially, Hilton stressed that the Lakeville hotel was independently owned and operated under a franchise agreement — meaning the actions of the local property did not reflect corporate policy or values. Everpeak Hospitality, the management group that owns the Hampton Inn in question, also released a statement asserting its commitment to inclusivity and non-discrimination. Everpeak said it had moved to address the issue, would contact affected guests to ensure they were accommodated, and that refusing service based on affiliation was “inconsistent” with its stated policies. Yet, despite these initial assurances, the controversy continued to grow — fueled in part by a video that appeared to show an employee at the Lakeville property refusing service to an individual identifying as government personnel even after corporate assurances of corrective action. In response, Hilton escalated its actions. Removing the Hotel from the Hilton System On January 6, Hilton announced that it would remove the Lakeville Hampton Inn from its franchise system entirely. In a public post on X, the company explained that the franchise had previously assured corporate leadership the issue had been resolved. However, with the emergence of new video evidence suggesting continued refusal of service, Hilton concluded the property was no longer meeting the brand’s standards and values. “We are taking immediate action to remove this hotel from our systems,” Hilton stated, reaffirming its commitment to inclusivity and underscoring that the standards governing guest service apply to all franchisees across its network. The company also noted that it was working with other franchise owners to ensure consistent adherence to brand expectations going forward. Why This Matters for Brand Management Though the incident centered on one property in a small Minnesota suburb, its implications were far broader — particularly in an era where social platforms can rapidly elevate local controversies into national flashpoints. For multinational brands like Hilton, customer perception often blurs the lines between corporate headquarters and independently operated local properties. As communications experts often note, a single outlier can become the narrative for an entire brand if not addressed quickly and decisively. In this case, Hilton’s leadership appeared to recognize the risk early. By moving swiftly to distance the brand from the franchise property and ultimately severing ties, the company reinforced its policy of non-discrimination — while also signaling to stakeholders that it would not tolerate behavior that could harm its reputation. However, the situation also illustrates the complexities companies face when dealing with politically charged issues. In distancing itself from an incident involving ICE agents, Hilton risked disappointing some guests who felt more sympathetic to federal law enforcement. At the same time, clarifying that discrimination of any kind is unacceptable could bolster trust among customers who prioritize inclusivity and equality. Navigating these tensions requires a careful balance of values and strategic communication. Looking Ahead For brand communicators and crisis management professionals, Hilton’s handling of this controversy offers valuable lessons. Rapid, transparent responses can mitigate reputational fallout — but they must be coupled with clear internal standards and strong oversight mechanisms. In today’s media environment, a single franchise location can trigger outsized attention; how a corporate brand responds can either contain the issue or allow it to spiral further. Ultimately, Hilton’s decision to remove the Lakeville property from its system underscores the importance of holding all parts of a brand’s ecosystem accountable to shared values — especially when public trust and corporate identity are at stake.

Instacart has unveiled a major new product designed to help consumer packaged goods (CPG) brands and their agency partners gain deeper, privacy-safe insights into shopper behaviour by combining their own data with Instacart’s first-party grocery shopping signals. The offering, known as Data Hub, was introduced at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2026 and represents a significant step in Instacart’s efforts to strengthen its retail media and data-analytics capabilities for advertisers. Retail media — where brands advertise directly within a retailer’s ecosystem by leveraging rich shopper data — has become an increasingly important part of marketers’ media plans. Analysts forecast strong growth for retail media networks as brands seek ways to optimise advertising performance and better understand consumer purchase paths. However, questions have arisen around transparency and measurement consistency across the landscape. Instacart’s Data Hub aims to address these concerns by providing advertisers with secure tools for integrating first-party data and developing customised audiences and measurement frameworks. At its core, a data clean room is a secure, privacy-compliant environment where advertisers can match their proprietary customer data with a platform’s first-party signals without exposing personally identifiable information (PII). In the case of Instacart, brands will be able to combine their own CRM lists, loyalty data, or audience segments with detailed grocery shopping behaviour captured across the Instacart Marketplace — covering everything from purchase frequency and repeat buyers to brand affinity and customer lifetime value. According to Instacart executives, this blend of proprietary brand data and marketplace insights gives advertisers a more complete picture of how consumers shop and convert, particularly at the critical “last-mile” point of purchase. Ali Miller, general manager of advertising at Instacart, said brands and agencies have been clamouring for access to “trusted, scaled sources of purchase data,” and that Data Hub is designed to help marketers derive actionable insights and inform smarter media strategies. Instacart has already tested Data Hub with a select group of agencies and brands, with participants reporting positive early feedback. Plans call for expanding access to additional partners throughout 2026 as the platform evolves. The initial pilot phase has included collaboration with advertising agencies like WPP Media and technology partners like Pacvue, which support advertisers in activating and measuring campaigns on Instacart and beyond. Why Data Hub Matters for Brands and Agencies Retail media has gained traction partly because it links ad exposure directly to sales outcomes, offering a clearer line of sight into the return on ad spend (ROAS). Unlike broader digital channels where conversions can be harder to track, retail media data ties promotional activity to actual purchasing behaviour. Instacart’s Data Hub takes this a step further by enabling brands not just to see performance, but to understand which shoppers are responding to ads, how often they buy, how loyal they are to specific products, and how they might be reached again across other digital channels. This type of analysis is especially valuable for CPG brands, which often operate with thin margins and need deep customer insights to maximise the efficiency of their marketing investments. By combining first-party data with the rich signals generated by Instacart users — data that includes actual basket composition and purchase history — advertisers can build audience segments that reflect true buying intent and behaviour. They can then activate those segments in cross-channel campaigns, reaching shoppers on social media, search, or other environments outside of Instacart’s own properties. Data Hub also allows for flexible measurement options, including attribution models that better reflect the complexities of omnichannel shopping. Brands can examine how exposure to retail media ads influences purchases over time, including repeat purchases and cross-category buying, helping to establish not just whether a campaign worked, but how it drove business results. A Broader Push to Solidify Retail Media Credibility Instacart’s clean room initiative builds on its existing advertising products. In recent years the company has introduced tools such as the Consumer Insights Portal, which offers self-serve analytics into shopping trends and performance; and it also integrated its retail media data with platforms like TikTok’s Ads Manager, enabling seamless planning and measurement across social and retail channels. The Data Hub also complements ongoing partnerships that extend Instacart’s retail media influence beyond its own marketplace. For example, collaborations with Google have enabled CPG brands to power Google Shopping ads using Instacart’s retail media data, showcasing how third-party platforms can leverage retail insights to drive shoppable search experiences. These developments reflect a broader trend in which retail media networks are expanding their role from simple advertising placements to strategic data partners. By centralising first-party data, providing privacy-safe analytics environments, and enhancing measurement capabilities, retail media platforms like Instacart are positioning themselves as essential conduits between consumer behaviour and marketing performance. Challenges and Opportunities Ahead Despite the potential benefits, retail media — including clean room solutions — must navigate ongoing concerns around data privacy, measurement standardisation, and transparency. Some marketers have raised questions about how retail media performance is reported and whether insights from these platforms are truly comparable to other digital channels. Instacart and other retail media networks must demonstrate that their analytics and audiences are reliable, accurate, and valuable to advertisers’ bottom lines. As more brands adopt retail media strategies and demand sophisticated tools to understand shopper behaviour, the capabilities offered by solutions like Data Hub could become a differentiator in a crowded marketplace. For CPG marketers seeking clarity and performance in an increasingly fragmented media landscape, access to robust, privacy-safe data environments may be the key to unlocking more effective campaigns in 2026 and beyond.

Social media platforms are kicking off 2026 with major feature updates that marketers, brands, and creators should pay close attention to. From Instagram limiting hashtag usage to TikTok expanding accessibility and Snapchat rolling out AI-powered creation tools, these changes could directly impact engagement, reach, and content strategy. Here’s a breakdown of the most important social media updates this week and what they mean for your digital marketing efforts. Instagram Limits Hashtags and Expands Reels to TV Instagram is now limiting hashtags to a maximum of five per post or Reel. The move aims to reduce spammy behavior and encourage more intentional content categorization. For marketers, this means shifting focus from volume-based hashtag strategies to relevance-driven tagging. In another major update, Instagram has launched a TV-optimized Reels experience, allowing users to watch Reels on large screens through supported smart TV platforms. This signals Instagram’s growing push toward lean-back video consumption and opens new opportunities for brand storytelling beyond mobile. Meta Tests Restrictions on External Links Meta is testing a new experiment that limits how many external links users can share within organic posts. Under the trial, users may only be allowed a small number of outbound links per month unless they meet certain criteria. If rolled out widely, this could significantly impact brands that rely on organic social traffic for blogs, landing pages, and third-party content. Marketers may need to rethink distribution strategies and focus more on native content formats. TikTok Launches GamePlan and Improves Accessibility TikTok has introduced TikTok GamePlan, a new set of tools designed for sports teams, leagues, and broadcasters. The feature enables organizations to share schedules, match updates, ticket links, and behind-the-scenes content directly within the app. Additionally, TikTok has strengthened its accessibility features, including improved captions, screen-reader support, adjustable text size, dark mode, and reduced-motion settings. These updates help brands reach wider and more inclusive audiences. Snapchat Introduces AI Animation and Faster Editing Snapchat continues its push into AI-powered creativity with “Animate It,” a new feature that converts text prompts into short animated videos. Alongside this, the platform has rolled out Quick Cut, a faster video-editing tool that syncs visuals automatically with music. These updates make Snapchat more attractive for rapid content creation, especially for brands focused on Gen Z engagement and short-form storytelling. X Launches Mobile Creator Studio X (formerly Twitter) has rolled out a Creator Studio inside its mobile app, giving creators access to monetization tools, earnings insights, analytics, and subscription eligibility in one place. The platform is also testing features like Watch History and improved notification controls, designed to help users rediscover content and improve overall engagement. What Marketers and Brands Should Take Away Hashtag strategy is evolving — quality and relevance matter more than quantity Short-form video is expanding beyond mobile with TV-based viewing experiences Link sharing may become more restricted, making native content crucial AI-powered creation tools are becoming standard across platforms Accessibility updates can help brands reach broader audiences Staying ahead of these platform changes can help brands adapt content strategies quickly and maintain strong engagement in a fast-moving social media landscape.

Global marketing and communications network Stagwell has unveiled ‘The Machine’, an advanced agentic operating system designed to redefine how brands and agencies plan, execute, and optimise marketing in an AI-first world. As marketing ecosystems become increasingly complex—spanning data, creativity, media, and performance—Stagwell’s new platform positions itself as a central intelligence layer that orchestrates AI agents, human expertise, and proprietary data into one unified system. What Is ‘The Machine’ by Stagwell? The Machine is an agentic AI-powered operating system built to manage and coordinate multiple marketing functions simultaneously. Unlike traditional AI tools that focus on isolated tasks, this platform enables autonomous AI agents to collaborate across the entire marketing lifecycle. From strategy development and creative ideation to media planning, analytics, and optimisation, The Machine acts as a continuous learning system—adapting in real time to data signals and campaign performance. How Agentic AI Is Changing Marketing Operations The launch underscores Stagwell’s commitment to agentic AI, a model where AI systems don’t merely respond to prompts but actively anticipate needs, manage workflows, and deliver outcomes. Key capabilities include: Cross-functional collaboration between AI agents Real-time campaign intelligence and optimisation Faster decision-making through unified data access Scalable workflows across regions and markets This shift marks a move away from fragmented marketing tech stacks toward a more integrated, outcome-driven operating system. Built on Proprietary Data and Responsible AI At its core, The Machine is powered by Stagwell’s proprietary data ecosystem combined with advanced AI models. This ensures insights are not only faster but also more contextual, brand-safe, and transparent. Stagwell has emphasised that the platform is designed to augment human expertise, not replace it. By automating repetitive tasks and surfacing actionable intelligence, the system enables marketing teams to focus on strategy, creativity, and innovation. Why This Matters for Brands and Agencies As global brands demand speed, consistency, and measurable impact across markets, platforms like The Machine represent the next evolution of marketing delivery models. With rising expectations around AI governance, efficiency, and accountability, Stagwell’s agentic operating system aims to provide: Greater operational efficiency Improved campaign performance Better alignment between strategy and execution Scalable AI adoption with human oversight Stagwell’s Move Signals the Future of Agency AI Platforms The launch of The Machine places Stagwell alongside other major global agency networks investing heavily in AI-powered marketing platforms. As the industry shifts toward automation-led intelligence, agentic operating systems are emerging as foundational infrastructure for modern marketing organisations. In an era where data, creativity, and technology must move in sync, The Machine signals a future where marketing operates faster, smarter, and more cohesively than ever before.