Walmart raked in $6.4B from ads last year. Execs see plenty runway ahead.

Marketplace offerings and Vizio provide additional U.S. growth opportunities while recent structural changes are meant to support global expansion.

By Peter Adams • Feb. 20, 2026

Microdrama apps stand out on mobile: Here’s what the numbers say

Last year, mobile users spent 5.78 billion more hours on short drama apps compared to the previous year, according to Sensor Tower data.

By Sara Karlovitch • Feb. 20, 2026

Explore the Trendline➔

Top 5 stories from Marketing Dive

From the continued rise of artificial intelligence to the emergence of new digital channels, here's a look at key trends driving marketing in 2025.

By Marketing Dive staff

Loyal customers think brands place more value on new shoppers, survey finds

Customers want brands to recognize them as loyal customers, and they’re looking for more than discounts or rewards, according to EY’s Patricia Camden.

By Bryan Wassel • Feb. 20, 2026

Unilever changes its brand discovery calculus with Google Cloud AI pact

A new deal sees the CPG giant trying to account for the impact agentic commerce will have on marketing as Unilever reorients around technology.

By Peter Adams • Feb. 17, 2026

Roku says it’s growing video advertising faster than broader OTT market

The platform’s Ads Manager expects to see a boost from AI tools while a major partnership with Amazon Ads is still only in the “early innings.”

By Peter Adams • Feb. 13, 2026

Super Bowl 2026: Viewership, engagement and ads analysis

Breaking down all the key stats from the big game’s ads, including cost, reach, social engagement and more.

By Sara Karlovitch • Feb. 9, 2026

Amazon enables communication between ads platform and AI agents

The Amazon Ads MCP Server acts as a translation layer between AI agents and the Amazon Ads API to turn simple prompts into structured campaigns. 

By Aaron Baar • Feb. 9, 2026

Amazon’s annual ad revenue passes $68B, boosted by full-funnel strategy

The company realized about $12 billion in incremental revenue last year as services like Prime Video contributed meaningfully to growth.

By Peter Adams • Feb. 6, 2026

Maintaining brand relevancy: Here’s what the numbers say

Public perception may be a key indicator of brand performance, according to a report from The Harris Poll company QuestBrand.

By Sara Karlovitch • Feb. 6, 2026

YouTube annual revenue tops $60B as Google’s focus expands beyond ads

Traction for subscriptions like YouTube Premium is growing in a way that could hurt ad revenue but boost the overall business, executives said.

By Peter Adams • Feb. 5, 2026

Publicis wants to be an AI marketing MVP. Now comes the hard part.

Despite AI’s promise in media and creative, executives acknowledged the tech is difficult to scale and fails to deliver measurable value in most cases.

By Peter Adams • Feb. 3, 2026

VML: Marketing must balance consumer anxiety and hope in 2026

Marketing trends, such as microdramas and consumers who are expressing a sense of “dysoptimism,” are identified in the agency’s “Future 100” report.

By Peter Adams • Feb. 3, 2026

IAB seeks to standardize interoperable media measurement

Artificial intelligence risks reinforcing the black-box decisions that marketers are forced to make with current measurement systems, per a new IAB report.

By Aaron Baar • Feb. 2, 2026

3 advertising stats from Meta’s record holiday ‘25 period

AI-driven improvements to ads ranking and learning models boosted clicks and conversions during the key Q4 window, which drew record demand. 

By Peter Adams • Jan. 29, 2026

Unpacking the marketing industry trends forecast for 2026

Marketers must remain resilient as they navigate ongoing challenges, including an uncertain economic backdrop and the advancement of AI.

By Marketing Dive staff • Jan. 29, 2026

Optimizing your media mix for 2026

What 2025 media investment trends reveal about where brands should spend in 2026.

By Justin Jefferson, VP, Strategy & Insights • Jan. 26, 2026

P&G prioritizes data, AI to tackle fragmented ‘new media reality’

As it looks to deliver sharper marketing and capitalize on channels like retail media, the CPG giant is emphasizing data as an industry advantage. 

By Peter Adams • Jan. 23, 2026

AI has changed holiday shopping: Here’s what the numbers say

AI-driven traffic in the retail industry surged 693% year over year in November and December, according to new data from Adobe.

By Sara Karlovitch • Jan. 23, 2026

Netflix targets $3B in ad revenue while Warner Bros. deal looms

Discussing the planned $83 billion acquisition, executives pointed to the rising threat of YouTube for advertising and subscription dollars.

By Peter Adams • Jan. 21, 2026

How brands can assert control as AI rewrites advertising’s playbook

As promises of one-stop, AI-powered solutions proliferate, marketers will need to navigate the changed ecosystem and separate reality from hype.

By Chris Kelly • Jan. 20, 2026

AI is accelerating measurement theater and creating ‘ghost ships’

“Ghost ships” are technically flawless models that never influence real decisions — WPP Media’s Jeffrey Kennedy explains how to avoid them.

By Jeffrey Kennedy • Jan. 15, 2026

How Macy’s Media Network navigates complex ‘coopetition’ with Amazon

The platform, among the first major retail media networks to pilot Amazon’s Retail Ad Service, has drawn in 175 new brands since August. 

By Peter Adams • Jan. 14, 2026

Streaming widens sports marketing field: Here’s what the numbers say

Airing games across both linear and streaming platforms can help boost performance, according to Nielsen data.

By Sara Karlovitch • Jan. 9, 2026

Instacart unveils clean room solution in latest bid to CPG advertisers

Data Hub provides deeper insights into first-party grocery shopping data and customer behaviors, including lifetime value and repurchase frequency.

By Aaron Baar • Jan. 8, 2026

PubMatic debuts agentic platform to address programmatic’s AI headaches

AgenticOS is intended to cut down time spent on campaign setup and troubleshooting while freeing up focus for more high-level strategy. 

By Peter Adams • Jan. 5, 2026