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Retailers and the tech firms powering some of their RMNs are racing to give ad buyers access to more off-site inventory in formats ranging from CTV to digital out-of-home to in-store. But on-site has plenty of headroom left, as this new data from our forecast shows.

Reddit finally sees the value in being a search engine: Improvements to its in-app search are crucial if it wants to capture more user attention.

On today's episode, we discuss how concerning Google's drop in search ad revenues is, the likelihood of Google getting broken up by the US Department of Justice, and the main reason YouTube is struggling. "In Other News," we talk about which cookie alternatives are emerging as favorites and the significance of Microsoft adding ChatGPT's AI technology to its search engine, Bing. Tune in to the discussion with our analyst Evelyn Mitchell.

Discovery鈥攏ot influencers鈥攊s what separates TikTok and Amazon鈥檚 ecommerce businesses: The retail giant is trying to replicate TikTok鈥檚 success via its 鈥淚nspire鈥� video feed.

Is Apple the next advertising titan? Apple committed to developing its ad business in 2022, but it faces stiff opposition from other Big Tech giants.

The digital advertising landscape is shifting and it鈥檚 every person for themselves in a fight to the top. Let鈥檚 get to know the players and place our bets on who will win the battle royale for ad dollars.

Government resistance against TikTok intensifies: The list of states banning TikTok on government devices keeps growing. Could intensifying scrutiny lead to an all-out US TikTok ban?

Amazon muscles in on Google and Meta鈥檚 ad throne: Retail media and Prime Video propelled the company to a blockbuster 2023鈥攁nd 2024 looks even brighter.

Amazon is growing into an advertising titan: The company鈥檚 ad revenues jumped 26% in Q3 thanks to football and a strong hold on retail media.

Calendar context: With the invention of Prime Day, Amazon created an industrywide retail holiday consumers can now count on in the summer each year. Last year, Amazon also launched its Prime Early Access Sale in October. 鈥淲e now have three key tentpoles,鈥� said our analyst Andrew Lipsman on 鈥淏ehind the Numbers: Reimagining Retail,鈥� referring to Prime Day, the Prime Early Access Sale, and Black Friday. But spring remains untapped. 鈥淎 question I get is, 鈥業s Amazon going to do more of these?鈥� And I think the answer is yes, eventually,鈥� said Lipsman.

Prime Day advertising had a higher ROI than last year: Amazon worked out kinks from 2022鈥檚 event that will help it secure relationships with sellers.

Companies like Google and Microsoft are racing to incorporate generative AI into their search engines, while Grammarly and Shopify are using it to round out their offerings. We asked our analysts what generative AI-driven changes we can expect for advertising. 鈥淚 think transparency is one of the bigger issues surrounding generative AI,鈥� said Insider Intelligence analyst Gadjo Sevilla.

鈥淯nderstanding how consumers are spending their time and money is paramount to your business being successful,鈥� our analyst Jeremy Goldman said on 鈥淭he Future of Digital 2024鈥� webinar. Here are three shifts in media consumption, purchasing behavior, and mobile usage, and how each is prompting new advertising strategies in streaming, social search, and gaming.

Which networks should brands be paying attention to as they refine their retail media strategy? From the king of them all to the ones that are just catching up, here are five retail media networks to keep an eye on this year.

Brands were abuzz at eTail West 2023 in Palm Springs this week, talking about tech, loyalty, and integration. Here are our top five takeaways from brands like GNC, Poshmark, and Spanx.

As the DOJ鈥檚 antitrust trial over Google Search continues, the ad giant could be at real risk of having to alter its search business. 鈥淭he DOJ has a really strong case here,鈥� said our analyst Evelyn Mitchell-Wolf on our 鈥淏ehind the Numbers鈥� podcast. 鈥淚t's not looking great for Google.鈥�

The influencer landscape is more crowded than ever, even as creator funding dries up. Leveraging smaller influencers will help your brand focus a limited budget toward a targeted audience. 鈥淲e鈥檝e had sleeper hits [with] micro-influencers,鈥� said Fernish CMO Evelyn Krasnow, speaking at eTail West 2023 in March. Finding the right influencers is 鈥済oing to be trial and error,鈥� said Krasnow. Here are tips for finding smaller influencers who can reach niche, targeted audiences.

It鈥檚 official. The Cyber Five (the five-day period between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday) have not lost their touch. Let鈥檚 dig into the data as retailers take a deep breath and ready themselves for what鈥檚 shaping up to be a pretty busy holiday season.

Generative AI has the potential to completely transform how media and advertising industries work. But it will remain on both industries鈥� margins if it fails to overcome skepticism and even hostility from consumers, publishers, and advertisers.

More than 40% of AI and machine learning (ML) decision-makers worldwide highlighted improvements to their product or service quality as their primary driver for developing AI and ML applications, per a survey by S&P Global Market Intelligence. The same group of decision-makers also agree that cost savings in both IT and operational efficiencies (39%) and increasing innovation (39%) are primary drivers.

Expanding audience reach requires targeting the correct consumers. While true one-to-one advertising is still a dream, similar outcomes can be achieved by reaching the right audiences through affiliate marketing, paid social, and buy now, pay later (BNPL). 鈥淭his whole trend around personalization really applies to audiences as well,鈥� David Gill, vice president of consumer insights at Rakuten Advertising, said during our recent 鈥淢aster the Holidays with Winning Performance Marketing Strategies鈥� Tech-Talk Webinar. Data from affiliate marketing and social platforms can be used to identify which kinds of consumers brands should be reaching out to in order to expand their customer base.

Gen Z is Pinterest鈥檚 largest and fastest-growing demographic, according to the platform. To cater to its younger consumers, Pinterest is focusing on inclusivity, search, and AI-powered curation. Here are five key stats from a recent Pinterest report on Gen Z and what they mean for brands trying to reach Gen Z consumers across digital channels.