May 9, 2025  |  SIGN UP

Jim Cooper
DIGIDAY, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Wrapping up a very busy week as we concluded our Digday Programmatic Marketing Summit, our last of the spring (watch for recaps in the coming days) as well our coverage of the 2025 NewFronts.

Economic uncertainty featured prominently in the NewFronts sessions and networking – most acutely for news publishers that lobbied hard for more marketing dollars in a financially and politically fraught time for them. Broadly, the entire media sector seems to be holding its breath for what’s to come as the third quarter of a chaotic 2025 looms. The 2025 upfront negotiations are up next.

On a more encouraging and interesting note, coverage of how AI is steadily remodeling the foundations of advertising and marketing performed nicely with readers, as did reporting on holding companies (reading the tea leaves on GroupM’s future) and the creator economy (LinkedIn is now a legit force in the sector). Read more below ICYMI – Happy Friday!

ADVERTISEMENT

GENERATIVE AI

In Graphic Detail: How AI is changing search and advertising

AI agents are no longer just experimental tools — they’re rapidly becoming indispensable intermediaries in how people search, shop, and interact online. As platforms like Google, OpenAI, and Perplexity race to roll out agentic AI, the advertising industry is bracing for a shift that could redefine consumer journeys and reshape digital marketing strategies.

MEMBER EXCLUSIVE

Media Briefing: Economic uncertainty and brand safety jitters shadow publishers’ pitch at NewFronts

News publishers have spent years banging the same drum: that hard news is safe for brands and essential for democracy. But for all the talk, advertisers still flinch. Now, tired of noble pleas falling on deaf ears, publishers refuse to back down but know they need to sharpen the message.

SPONSORED BY LIVERAMP

How companies like Fandango and Instacart use first-party data to fuel growth

Companies like Fandango, Instacart and Live Nation are building hybrid business models and embracing data collaboration to unlock scalable opportunities and drive a new wave of growth. But success requires a foundation of interoperability, unified identity frameworks and a phased collaboration strategy.

EVOLVING AGENCIES

After tough 2024 and a Q1 revenue fall, what do clients want from GroupM?

Turning that around will become an even more critical task in a year when new business opportunities might be harder to find, and when the holding company world is consolidating. “The big six are really the big three when it comes to media at this stage,” said Jay Pattisall, vp, principal analyst, Forrester.

SPONSORED BY EXPERIAN

Solving the disconnected booking journey for travel and hospitality brands

Windstar Cruises could see online interactions, but couldn’t link them directly to bookings. Determining which media placements drove revenue was difficult, as was refining who to target and where to allocate spend. A data-driven solution offered the cruise line a way to bridge the gap between marketing investments and real-world results.

Read more

THE CREATOR ECONOMY

LinkedIn emerges as a serious player in the creator economy

B2B influencer marketing agency Creator Match, which launched in early 2024, has made 80 percent of its lifetime revenue in the “past few months,” paying out over $1 million to LinkedIn creators during that period, per CEO AJ Eckstein.

NAVIGATING ECONOMIC INSTABILITY

Buzzfeed, News Corp and New York Times push back on tariff fears in earnings calls

CEOs and CFOs at BuzzFeed, Dotdash Meredith, Gannett, News Corp and The New York Times worked to ease shareholder and market concerns about this year’s economic outlook. Most said they were confident that their businesses could continue to grow amid the uncertain macroeconomic climate. All four companies reaffirmed their quarterly and full-year guidance.

SPONSORED BY OPTABLE

Navigating data strategy in a fragmented landscape

Publishers are preparing for a privacy-first future, but fragmented targeting tools and irregular industry progress complicate investment decisions. Digiday and Optable surveyed 97 media owners to uncover how they approach identity, collaboration and monetization amid the shift away from third-party data.