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The trend: At Cannes Lions 2025, Meta, TikTok, Google, and others made clear that AI-powered ad automation is no longer an experiment—it’s the plan. The news: Meta and TikTok each emphasized agency relationships, but both platforms expanded generative AI tools that let brands generate and manage campaigns without intermediaries. Amazon, Comcast, and Google are doing the same, pushing toward platform-native, self-serve ad models. Our take: As automation replaces traditional support services, agencies face existential pressure. To stay relevant, holding companies will need to prove they offer value that AI can’t replace—fast.

The news: Adobe and Amazon are redefining how marketers produce video ads by launching new generative AI tools aimed at small and mid-sized businesses. Adobe Express for Ads, unveiled today, supports direct publishing to platforms like Google, Meta, and TikTok, while Amazon’s AI video tool can transform product pages into multiple ad variants. These tools cater to resource-limited advertisers seeking scale and performance. Our take: The video ad market is maturing fast—and AI is making it more accessible. As more marketers pilot GenAI tools, early adopters will gain an edge in personalization and efficiency, turning creative experimentation into reliable results.

The news: Reddit rolled out two AI-driven ad tools—Reddit Insights and Conversation Summary Add-ons—to tap into its massive archive of user conversations to help brands reach more audiences effectively, per Reuters. Reddit is using generative AI (genAI) to distill user sentiment and track subreddit trends for sharper ad targeting. Our take: Where Meta and Google rely on targeting individual users, Reddit is spotlighting group dynamics and a shift toward community-led marketing. If these tools succeed, they could offer a new avenue for how brands approach discovery, feedback, and brand perception.

On today’s podcast episode, we discuss Meta’s capacity to weather the tariff climate, how Meta plans to redefine advertising, and what happens if it is forced to sell Instagram and WhatsApp. Join Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson, Vice President and Principal Analyst Jasmine Enberg, and Senior Analyst Minda Smiley. Listen everywhere and watch on YouTube and Spotify.

Nearly $30 billion in ad spend will skip the ad triopoly: Meta, Google, and Amazon will see pullbacks as advertisers explore other options

The news: Instagram and TikTok are working on plans to develop connected TV (CTV) apps to mimic the success of YouTube’s big-screen push, per The Information. Our take: Advertisers may be hesitant to spend on placements before user adoption is proven. TikTok and Meta should prepare for initial losses and, to ensure a robust content pipeline for TV, introduce new simple editing tools or financial incentives to help creators optimize vertical posts for the horizontal big screen.

The news: Tech giants like Meta, Google, and Amazon are building tools that let brands bypass ad agencies entirely—automating the creation, placement, and optimization of ads, per The Wall Street Journal. Yes, but: Strategy, storytelling, and brand stewardship can’t come from algorithms. Even with automation, brands need creative direction, long-term planning, and cross-channel cohesion—roles agencies are uniquely positioned to play. Our take: To stay relevant, agencies must move up the funnel. AI can optimize and target, but it can’t craft brand strategy or narrative. The edge belongs to firms that lead with insight, creativity, and cohesion.

The news: Global ad spend growth is slowing but staying positive, with WARC projecting a 6.2% rise to $1.16 trillion in 2025 and MAGNA forecasting a 4.9% climb to $979 billion. Retail media is outpacing linear TV for the first time, and Alphabet, Meta, and Amazon continue to control the majority of digital revenues. Measurable channels like short-form video, retail media, and ad-supported VOD are gaining ground. Our take: Amid economic pressures and trade concerns, advertisers are prioritizing performance, shifting budgets geographically and platform-wise. With elections, AI, and major global events on the horizon, platforms that prove outcomes—not impressions—will shape the next era.

Meta under fire on multiple fronts: Teen-targeting claims, a high-stakes FTC trial, and Chinese advertiser pullback could reshape the company’s ad model.

Meta introduces new AI ad capabilities: The changes include more investments in Andromeda, new tools for Advantage+, and more genAI use cases.

Threads makes ads available globally: The Meta platform benefits from steady growth and a safer brand image than X.

Temu pulls its Google Shopping ads: The escalating US-China trade war puts the company’s business model at risk and threatens ad giants like Meta and Google.

Meta defends past acquisitions in FTC trial: The case could force Instagram and WhatsApp divestitures, disrupting ad buying and reshaping tech merger norms.

An EU tax on Meta could mean higher ad prices: The EU may take retaliatory measures against Trump’s tariffs that could shake up the advertising world.

Last week, Best Buy Ads launched Social+, an offering that allows brands and agencies to leverage Best Buy’s first-party data for social media campaigns. The tool is currently only available for Meta campaigns on Facebook and Instagram, but will expand to other social media networks in the future, per a press release.

Zuckerberg wants Trump to slow the EU’s advertising crackdown: Meta is pressuring the administration to fight back against EU fines.

Meta, TikTok, and X in hot legal water: The platforms are facing suits in the US and EU that could have implications for how advertisers invest.

Google and Meta landed slightly below expectations in Q3, allowing a collection of hungry competitors to inch ahead. But overall, the ad industry remains healthy. Sports events drove streaming and CTV to record gains, and retail media continues to be the sector’s fastest-growing ad channel.

With Facebook’s ad growth slowing, Meta is paying influencers to revive the platform—but can cash alone compete with TikTok and Instagram’s cultural dominance?

"You're spending a lot of money. Do you know where your ads are?'" Jonah Goodhart, co-founder and CEO of Mobian, said on our "Behind the Numbers" podcast, evoking the classic PSA. Meta announced in January it would replace fact checking with Community Notes, worrying advertisers about brand safety.

Social, search, and CTV ad spend trends in Q2: Meta, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Google, and Microsoft show strong performance overall, driven by AI, innovative ad formats, and global expansion—highlighting the increasing importance of digital advertising across various platforms.