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DECEMBER 22, 2025 |
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Our annual readership survey is now open. |
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Your input directly shapes what we cover, how we format our newsletters, and where we focus in 2026. It takes about five minutes, and everyone who completes it is entered to win one of five $100 Amazon gift cards. |
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TOP STORY |
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This year, marketers were challenged to embrace new channels, use AI with sophistication, and prove how each investment supported their bottom line. |
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There have been undeniable disruptions, like AI search’s impact on SEO, and many marketers had to experiment while attempting to make safe, calculated moves. Using AI without a roadmap and expecting results was a trap marketers fell into this year, according to Rachel Cascia, VP of platform adoption at Epsilon. |
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IN THE NEWS |
YouTube’s AI creator avatars could be a future ad play, if consumers accept them. YouTube is experimenting with AI avatars based on a small group of popular creators via Google’s “Portraits” feature, which allows fans to have conversations with AI versions of real-life creators. Read online |
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Other headlines: |
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Amazon’s evolving partner strategy raises new adtech tensions. Amazon is rethinking how it works with the adtech firms and agencies that helped scale its retail media empire, per Adweek, creating friction across a partner ecosystem that has long relied on broad access to Amazon’s data and infrastructure. Read online
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The Trade Desk trims staff as competition and AI reshape priorities. The Trade Desk (TTD) is cutting fewer than 1% of its roughly 3,900 employees, per company statements, even as it highlights continued hiring momentum with nearly 1,000 additions this year. Read online | | | |
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ANALYSIS |
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After years of athleisure dominating closets, denim jeans are back in the spotlight. |
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As brands reinvest in fit, quality, and cultural relevance, the US denim market is set to reach $21.5 billion by 2028, according to Euromonitor International. |
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“Denim is always going to be around because it can morph,” said Amy Leverton, owner and founder of denim-focused consultancy Denim Dudes. “It has that ability to be whatever it needs to be for whoever. It can be high-end runway, slick and glossy, and it can be punk and streetwear… there’s no other garment like that.” |
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PODCAST |
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On today’s episode, Viasat Ads' vice president of media and monetization Ragu Kamakshisundaram joins us to discuss airline passengers’ receptiveness to ads, share best-in-class examples of contextual campaigns, and explore where in-flight ads are headed next. Tune in on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Follow us on Instagram. “Behind the Numbers” is made possible by Viasat Ads. | | |
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