Digiday Daily

February 16, 2026

Three days before the first ads were set to appear inside ChatGPT, the marketers testing them received a brief update: the launch date had shifted from Feb. 6 to Feb. 9. No explanation came with it – just a scheduling change from a company still working out how openly it wants to talk about becoming an ads business.

The timing raised eyebrows

TOP STORY

Marketing on Platforms

‘Being very careful’: Weeks after unveiling ad plans, OpenAI works to control the message

A month into its ad strategy, OpenAI tries to balance growth and trust.

OTHER THINGS TO KNOW

Panelists at 4As Gaming Day underscored that the term “gamer” feels increasingly outdated and often unnecessarily creates distance between people and the behaviors they already participate in daily. Partner insights from Activision Blizzard Media.
Leaders need new frameworks for handling the human-agent hybrid workforce. This means rethinking foundational assumptions about expertise, collaboration and career development. Partner insights from BetterUp.
Discounts are like empty calories — revenue without positive contribution. A unified incentives marketing strategy aligns internal teams around a shared strategy to build customer lifetime value and increase profits. Partner Insights from Talon.One.

MEDIA & PLATFORMS

WTF is Markdown for AI agents?

AI systems prefer structured formats or APIs to ingest and surface content more efficiently. And “markdown” has quickly become the common language used by AI systems and agents.

PARTNER INSIGHTS FROM CHANNEL FACTORY

What the next phase of suitability means for brands

The discussion around brand suitability has matured. The first phase focused on safety, and the second shifted to suitability. The industry is now entering a third phase, where brands expect more customization, control and accountability.

Member exclusive

Media Buying Briefing: Attivo breathes new life into Hill Holliday and DNY with senior media hires

Ex-Mediacom execs Sasha Savic and Anush Prabhu will lead Attivo’s expanded U.S. agencies, with a combination of tech and expanded media offerings.

MARKETING

Member exclusive

Future of Marketing Briefing: AI's branding problem is why marketers keep it off the label

The reputational downside is clearer than the branding upside, which makes discretion the safer strategy.

Marketing on Platforms

Why brands are shifting toward ‘less precise, more accurate’ gauges for paid social

AI modeling and an understanding that there’s more to life than the last click are changing the way clients evaluate paid social investments.

PARTNER INSIGHTS FROM NPR

How a new tool is reshaping media optimization strategies, shifting budget to podcasts

Podcasts provide a distraction-free, lean-in experience, ideal for complex messaging where trust and attention are paramount. A new tool provides the empirical evidence teams need to move budget into the podcast space more confidently.