AI agents may be the hottest thing in enterprise tech right now, but anyone who has experimented with them knows they can sometimes behave with… enthusiasm. Too much enthusiasm. Whether it’s issuing refunds no one asked for or ordering enough office supplies to stock a warehouse, AI agents can—and do—go off-script.
The programmatic advertising world has spent the past decade chasing automation. What it hasn’t enjoyed nearly enough of is accountability. With an estimated $26.8 billion in ad spend wasted each year due to opaque supply chains, hidden fees, and sub-par inventory, the industry keeps circling the same problem: automation without transparency breeds inefficiency.
For years, marketers have debated whether streaming TV can deliver measurable impact beyond the reach advantage. Universal Ads’ latest study, conducted with MediaScience, answers with a confident yes—and then piles on numbers that should make social-only advertisers slightly uncomfortable.
In a move that underscores how quickly measurement expectations are rising across retail media, Ibotta has teamed up with ABCS Insights to give CPG brands independent proof of what their promotional dollars are actually doing. And according to the first batch of studies, the answer is clear: Ibotta’s promotions are driving above-benchmark sales lift, outperforming many other digital media and promotional tactics across categories like salty snacks, pet food, and carbonated beverages.
National CineMedia (NCM), the largest cinema advertising network in the U.S., is stepping deeper into the premium moviegoing experience. The company has acquired Spotlight Cinema Networks—the only U.S. cinema advertising firm focused exclusively on art house, luxury, and dine-in theaters.
Retail media is booming, and AI is quickly becoming the engine behind the sector’s next wave of growth. Into this fast-moving landscape steps GoWit—again—with fresh capital and an even bigger appetite for expansion.
FanServ, the Sports-only Private Marketplace powering PlayFly’s Home Team ADvantage, is stepping up the game for live sports advertising. The company today announced Stadium, a platform designed to help advertisers plan and execute campaigns across local sports inventory with unprecedented precision and scale. FreeWheel, the leading streaming ad technology provider, has been named the preferred ad serving partner for the platform.
billups, the world’s largest independent Out-of-Home (OOH) technology and managed services company, is turning heads in the advertising world with the launch of audrai, an AI-powered agent designed to optimize planning and performance for OOH campaigns. The company’s technology-first approach has already fueled its expansion across 20+ countries, building momentum in the UK and EMEA markets.
Nextdoor Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: NXDR) is making a bold play in the local advertising arena. The company has unveiled a suite of AI-driven ad tools and new video formats within its Nextdoor Advertising Manager (NAM) — all aimed at helping brands connect more effectively with real people in real neighborhoods.
The advertising industry has entered its “AI orchestra” era—and Innovid is conducting the performance. The independent ad software platform unveiled Innovid Orchestrator™, a first-of-its-kind AI orchestration system designed to connect creative, delivery, measurement, and optimization into one intelligent workflow.
