For media planners, this creates both complexity and opportunity. While reach is more dispersed, attention is deeper and less cluttered. Brands that diversify their channel mix can earn trust through relevance and utility, rather than relying solely on brand recognition. But how can they do this effectively?

Omnicom’s OM Intelligence found that excessive ad frequency can create “negative reach,” where overexposure harms brand perception. Its new report also says old rules of thumb for effective frequency no longer apply.

OpenAI is testing a new ChatGPT Ads Manager interface, signaling a shift toward a more scalable, self-serve advertising platform. Advertisers are sharing their experience of a new Ads Manager interface for ChatGPT, signaling a shift toward a more mature advertising platform with real-time campaign control.

For decades, cinema has played a unique role in bringing families together. Long before social media or streaming platforms, it was one of the original shared media experiences – where stories weren’t just watched, they were experienced collectively.

The Federal Trade Commission this morning announced agreements with three big agency holding companies — Dentsu, Publicis and WPP -- to discontinue what the FTC described as "unlawful collusion that imposed uniform standards on brand safety.

Its central finding is clear: longevity, not initial virality, determines cultural impact. While TikTok’s rapid content cycle sees trends rise and fall within days, those that spread across three or more countries are typically rooted in shared emotions, everyday behaviours or repeatable cultural cues.

A major new study has found that social media advertising delivers 11% lower attention and engagement during the day, when consumers are most active out of the home. The findings highlight a clear opportunity for advertisers to get the most from their social campaigns and position out of home (OOH) as a channel to prime and amplify social media campaigns.

Despite evidence suggesting that teen social media bans in Australia are not yet having the intended impact, officials in the EU are pushing ahead with their own plans for teen social media bans. Bloomberg reported that Emmanuel Macron, president of France, is leading the charge to implement EU-wide rules on teen app access.

Connected TV demand is strong, budgets are growing and premium inventory continues to command attention. Yet, for publishers, the growth of CTV has complicated how deals get done. This is the point CTV has now reached, and it explains why the channel is becoming the first proving ground for agentic trading.

The IAB’s 2026 Connected Commerce Summit in New York City felt to me like the retail media industry’s first sit-down explanation to a child who is now a “big kid” and must act accordingly. Not the birds-and-bees-type conversation by any means. But an important reality check. And I’m not the only one to think so.