Content maintenance is no longer optional if brands want to stay visible in generative engines and chatbot answers. Over 70% of pages cited by ChatGPT were updated within the past 12 months, per AirOps’ The Silent Pipeline Killer report, making content renewal and refreshing a must for relevance in AI outputs. Brands that treat content as an ongoing performance lever, not just a one-time project, will earn sustained visibility and trust in generative AI (genAI) results. For CMOs, that means rethinking content strategy as a living ecosystem, where freshness is the new SEO.
Holding company Publicis Groupe reported a strong Q3 2025, growing organic net revenues 5.7% YoY, above analyst growth expectations of 5.19%. The company now expects 2025 revenues to grow between 5% to 5.5%, up from its previous forecast of 4% to 5%. Publicis’ heavy AI push and performance-driven strategy means it is well-positioned to continue growing while rival agencies struggle to remain competitive amid economic turbulence.
Ad tech leader PubMatic and self-service connected TV (CTV) ad platform MNTN have teamed up to give smaller advertisers access to prime CTV property, per Adweek. Smaller advertisers can take advantage of the PubMatic-MNTN deal to initiate or accelerate investment in a high barrier to entry format with proven results as CTV evolves into a more inclusive marketplace.
After months of public and regulatory pressure, Instagram announced a sweeping overhaul of how teens experience the platform by applying the same “PG-13” principles used by the film industry. Its goal is to limit exposure to adult or explicit content and curb the backlash over teen well-being. Instagram’s PG-13 turn marks a new phase in platform governance where safety, not scale, defines success, and where brands must earn trust in a shrinking, more sheltered teen arena. Brands now need to create more nuanced campaigns to reach younger users without running afoul of guardrails or further alienating minors.
As the murky economic climate leads consumers to adjust their spending priorities, they're looking for luxury brands that can sell them more than a status symbol. Some 88% of high-income consumers now define status by knowledge rather than material possessions, according to a new report by Team One’s Global Affluent Collective.
Out-of-home (OOH) advertising is evolving into a dynamic, data-rich medium that blends physical and digital engagement. Speaking at Advertising Week New York, OAAA’s Anna Bager and Vistar Media’s Lucy Markowitz described how AI, measurement, and social media are redefining OOH’s role in omnichannel marketing. Digital formats now make up over 36% of total OOH revenues, while programmatic buying and AI-driven creative optimization are transforming static screens into responsive canvases. Partnerships like TikTok’s “Out of Phone” show how viral content can extend into public spaces. The next phase of OOH will be defined not by size, but by intelligence and interactivity.
While marketers fixate on generative AI’s impact on search, the real risk is invisibility. AI crawler traffic jumped 96% YoY, with GPTBot’s share soaring from 5% to 30%, per Cloudflare, yet traditional search traffic flatlined. Thousands of AI crawls now yield only a handful of source links, making it urgent for marketers to optimize for AI bots, not just Google. Brands that address crawl inefficiencies now will gain search visibility, AI discoverability, and revenue edge over competitors that haven’t adjusted. Anticipating shifting search dynamics can help brands stay discoverable no matter how the algorithms evolve.
47% of US banking decision-makers say their institutions have already rolled out generative AI, up from 10% in 2023, said data from EY-Parthenon.
Once seen as a revenue channel, commerce media is fast becoming the connective tissue between brands, retailers, and consumers. The industry’s focus is expanding from monetization to meaning, a theme that resonated throughout Advertising Week New York.
At Tech Futures 2025 in New York last week, IBM general manager of corporate strategy Roger Premo and VP of AI and automation Nick Fuller outlined how enterprises and brands can scale AI responsibly—and profitably. Acting as “client zero,” IBM has improved its run rate by $3.5 billion—about 8% of its revenues—through internal AI adoption. Brands that treat AI as a business transformation, not a tech trial, will move faster from proof of concept to profit. Align leadership vision with a disciplined data strategy, invest in unified platforms, and embed governance from the start.
At Philadelphia’s 1682 conference, Coca-Cola’s Benny Lee and Hershey’s Andy Hunt shared how two of the world’s oldest CPG brands are transforming retail through creativity, data, and AI. Coca-Cola is evolving from selling beverages to designing experiences—using AI to power global design systems and create immersive in-store storytelling through products like Y3000. Hershey’s is closing the gap between physical and digital by embedding data into every stage of retail, from aisle feedback to retail media KPIs. Both executives envision the store of the future as dynamic, data-driven, and human-led—where AI supports storytelling, not automation.
A US-TikTok deal could be on thin ice again amid heightened trade tensions after President Trump threatened a 100% tariff on Chinese imports. Beijing has promised to respond to the tariffs accordingly—putting the popular short-form app’s US future at risk weeks after Trump signed an executive order to keep the app operational. Brands must recognize TikTok’s ongoing strength as a cultural engine among younger demographics, but continue viewing cross-platform strategies as a necessity, not a nice-to-have.
OpenAI announced a blockbuster deal to design its own AI chips in collaboration with Broadcom, continuing a trend of AI companies seeking partnerships and investments to own both ends of the AI stack, per The New York Times. OpenAI’s Broadcom deal is a turning point in AI strategy—from chasing smarter models to securing the power that fuels them. For enterprises, this is the moment to pick sides. The competitive advantage in the next decade belongs to those who align with partners that control their infrastructure, not just their algorithms.
As Google’s Chrome and DuckDuckGo integrate AI tools into their browsers, Perplexity has launched its own, built with agentic AI capabilities from the ground up—Comet. When perusing products, Comet can take complex natural-language requests and surf review sites, listicles, and news articles to find top options. For users looking for an AI-first experience, Comet is a promising entry that blends active assistance with traditional web functions. However, given Perplexity’s recent scaleback on advertiser initiatives, AI search may not be the next frontier for ad formats. Continuing investments in traditional search options like Google Search is crucial to ensuring visibility.
Salesforce’s launch of Agentforce 360 is a sign that agentic AI is moving into the marketing stack, signaling that automation is becoming a core capability rather than a future experiment. Agentforce can help CMOs decide how far to push agentic AI across their marketing stack. To move from experimentation to deployment, CMOs should start with focused pilots in high-volume touchpoints like chat or email with clear success metrics, such as resolution time or customer satisfaction.
Nearly half (46.9%) of US brand and agency marketers plan to invest in marketing mix modeling (MMM) over the next year, according to a July survey from EMARKETER and TransUnion.
Perplexity is taking a step back from its advertising initiatives amid struggles to monetize AI search. Marketers should pause planned investments in AI search until search ads are measurable and proven to be effective. AI adoption may be growing, but there remains no clear evidence that ad formats in AI search provide returns.
Pharmacies and prescription drug discounter GoodRx are in talks with the Trump administration about joining its planned direct-to-consumer (D2C) prescription drug portal called TrumpRx. Pharmacy retailer and GoodRx participation could determine whether TrumpRx stays a niche effort or evolves into a consumer prescription drug marketplace. Pharma marketers joining the platform should build on existing pharmacy and GoodRx partnerships, and focus on creating consumer-friendly e-commerce and telehealth experiences.
Nearly all of healthcare professionals' (HCPs) medical content consumption is happening via digital channels and sources, according to a July 2025 M3 MI study. Healthcare and pharma brands have recognized that they must meet time-strapped HCPs on online channels, many of which allow drug advertising. Drug and medical device marketers can deliver more effective and personalized information to clinicians once they gain a better understanding of their preferences for consuming online medical content.