Co-branded storytelling is one of the ways advertisers can leverage the strong trust and affinity customers have for retailers, like Target, to deepen consumer connection. By leaning into the Target brand with co-branded retail media campaigns, advertisers can tap into the loyal Target audience and get access to enhanced insights from first-party data.

Chip maker NVIDIA last week launched a pre-roll ad product for cloud gaming that makes video game advertising look a lot more like connected TV (CTV).

Amazon is ditching Just Walk Out in favor of Dash Carts. Not only will the move satisfy customers’ desire for familiar technology, but it’s also creating more ad inventory. Walmart Connect also emphasized its in-store retail media potential last week, with a focus on expanding familiar strategies like sampling and TV screens. This back-to-basics approach might spark more in-store retail media ad spend.

Last week, Apple made news for testing an AI-powered ad product similar to Google’s Performance Max. Apple has been successfully investing in advertising for the past few years. But Google has a multibillion dollar advertising advantage. Even with AI advertising improvements, Apple is nowhere near Google’s ad dominance.

Amazon debuts at Upfront Week, showcasing its ad-supported streaming services and more: It’s a strategic move to expand its digital advertising reach.

Super Bowl LVIII is less than two weeks away. Not every ad has been announced, but we’ve kept watch on the teasers. This year’s Super Bowl will be defined by a potential Taylor Swift appearance, possible Paramount+ complications, and some big swings from brands. Ahead of the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers’ big night, here are five trends we’re watching.

We were on the ground at Advertising Week NY in person recently, and while there were many attendees, it seemed that in-person attendance was far lower than pre-pandemic levels. COVID-19 has cost professional conferences and meetings approximately $211 billion since the dawn of the pandemic, per data from the U.S. Travel Association and Tourism Economics.

Advertising Week New York kicks off next week. Last year, speakers discussed everything from Web3 to connected TV (CTV) to social media. This year, we’ll be watching for updates related to retail media, AI, and social media’s era of transformation.

Last week, YouTube announced excluded themes at Brand Safety Summit, providing a way for advertisers to keep their ads from showing up next to news, gaming, health, or political content by checking a box. The updates should help brands looking to avoid unsavory contexts when serving ads, though this relies on YouTube’s ability to classify these categories correctly.

Google said today it is rolling out its Product Studio tool this week, which uses AI to help merchants create and manage product imagery. If that sounds familiar, it’s because Amazon Ads launched something similar last week. But it’s not just Amazon and Google that are leaning harder into generative AI. Walmart is incorporating the technology into search to give shoppers more relevant results, while Klarna is using AI-powered video to expand users’ time spent with the platform.

The Hershey Co. found a way to apply retail media data from Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups to other consumer packaged goods ads. The company learned that shoppers were buying shapes of Reese’s Cups based on their chocolate to peanut butter ratio, so it made two new products—one for peanut butter lovers and one for chocolate lovers, said Vinny Rinaldi, US head of media at The Hershey Co.

Creator platforms like YouTube have started folding generative AI tools into their products. That means creators and marketers could be using generative AI tools without even realizing it. Advertisers on YouTube have already been taking advantage of AI through recommendations, optimization tools, and other ad solutions, said Tara Walpert Levy, vice president of Americas at YouTube, speaking at Advertising Week New York 2023.

For example, other advertisers may have doubted the idea of a dialogue-free video creative. But for the launch of Nitro Pepsi in March 2022, the brand worked with TikTok creator Khaby Lame, who is known to 162.1 million followers for his silent short skits.

“The misconception in my mind is that you can ignore [generative AI],” Vincent Yates, chief data scientist of consulting firm Credera, said at Advertising Week New York 2023.

Overly complicated ideas don’t go viral on Reels. “Be brutal in the simplicity of your idea,” Rory McClenaghan, group strategy director at Molson Coors’ internal agency, Volt, said at Advertising Week New York 2023. If you can’t explain the Reels idea in four frames or fewer, it’s probably too complicated.

Time spent with connected TV (CTV) by US adults will be within 1 hour of linear next year, at 2 hours and 3 minutes (2:03) and 2:48 per day, respectively, according to our June forecast. CTV usage is outpacing ad spend on most platforms, but spend is growing rapidly as Netflix, Disney+, Max, and Amazon Prime Video push more viewers toward ad-supported tiers. As the CTV ad floodgates open, advertisers need to make sure they’re maximizing ad value by thinking of CTV differently, experts suggested at last week’s Advertising Week New York.

Retail media and connected TV (CTV) are like peanut butter and chocolate, Danielle DeLauro, executive vice president at the Video Advertising Bureau, said at Advertising Week New York last week. “Together, there’s nothing better.”

Advertising Week New York 2023 wrapped up yesterday. This year, conversations moved away from Web3 and NFTs and toward generative AI and retail media. Advertisers were focused on increasing market share and creating shoppable ads. Here are five key lessons we learned from the events.

The vast majority (96%) of Pinterest searches are unbranded, said Brittan Bushman, Pinterst’s director of strategy, during a session at Advertising Week New York 2023. This means that consumers turn to Pinterest to learn what kinds of products are out there, unlike traditional search engines like Google, where they go to refine their search for something they already know exists.

Advertising Week redefines representation: From diverse panels to strategic collaborations, inclusivity is both ethically and commercially prioritized.

Microsoft is picking up ad spend by improving search, social, and video features, as well as improving ad targeting and measurement. The company is also inserting itself into the rapidly growing retail media market. In the last few weeks, Microsoft has announced a slew of updates that will help it expand its business.

TikTok Shop became available across the US last week. The social video platform has a lot to gain in retail and ad revenues, but it risks facing the same challenges Meta has had with social commerce on Instagram—users' reluctance to actually complete purchases in app. But with sister app Douyin setting the blueprint for TikTok’s social commerce endeavors, the platform isn’t starting from scratch. Here’s a look at TikTok’s social commerce strategy and potential in five charts.

Google isn’t looking so good as it prepares for trial with the DOJ: A historic antitrust challenge comes as Google is under fire for multiple advertising controversies.

A more accessible and expansive Walmart+ membership will help the retailer to reach 29 million subscribers this year, while in-store retail media formats could boost ad revenues. A push into B2B, logistics, and international markets may also prove lucrative.

The digitally native generation does not watch TV the same way baby boomers, Gen Xers, and even millennials might. Here are five tips we picked up at NYC Advertising Week that marketers can use to engage Gen Z with TV.