Category: Uncategorized
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From Blue Links to Black Holes: How AI Search Threatens Pubs & Vendors
By Karsten Weide, Chief Analyst W Media Research For more than two decades, digital publishers and advertisers have lived in a kind of uneasy symbiosis with Google. Publishers produced the content, Google indexed it, and users clicked through to read it. The traffic supported ad sales, and AdTech vendors built their businesses around enabling that…
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If AI Misrepresents Your Brand, That’s On You: Take Back Control
By Karsten Weide, Chief Analyst How can advertisers make sure that AI chatbots and AI search accurately represent their brand and its values? Here are five steps to take back control. 1. Build a Centralized Brand Knowledge BaseStart by making sure your own house is in order. Create a dynamic, searchable repository with your style guides,…
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When Bots Buy – What Happens To Advertising?
A new kind of buyer is emerging – one that isn’t human, but algorithmic. AI shopping bots act on behalf of consumers, identifying needs, researching products, and making purchases based on user preferences. Unlike familiar tools like Alexa and ChatGPT that respond to prompts, shopping bots operate with autonomy, assessing structured data like product specs…
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PubMatic Q2 2025 Earnings: Beats, Traffic Decline Threat, Stock Down
By Karsten Weide, Chief Analyst Executive Summary PubMatic reported its second-quarter 2025 earnings on Monday, August 11, 2025, delivering results that exceeded both internal guidance and Wall Street expectations. The quarter showcased healthy revenue growth, strategic progress in connected TV (CTV) and omnichannel video, and continued investment in AI-driven capabilities. Yet, despite the strong operational…
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Magnite Q2 2025 Earnings: BEATS, CTV Is Core, Assaulted By Amazon
By Karsten Weide, Chief Analyst Executive Summary Magnite reported their second quarter 2025 earnings on Tuesday, August 6. After a few quarters marked by integration headwinds and uneven income, one of the world’s largest independent sell-side advertising platforms returned to GAAP profitability and delivered steady gains across its core product segments. The results point to…
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AppLovin Q2 2025 Earnings: Shedding Apps Biz, Revenue and Profit Grow
By Karsten Weide, Chief Analyst Executive Summary AppLovin reported its second quarter 2025 earnings on Wednesday, August 6, 2025, leaving little doubt that its transformation from mobile game publisher to pure-play advertising technology leader is complete. The results tell the story of a company that has shed lower-margin distractions, embraced an AI-driven platform model, and…
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The Trade Desk Q2 2025 Earnings: Rock-Solid, Yet 40% Stock price Drop
By Karsten Weide, Chief Analyst Executive Summary Criteo reported its second-quarter 2025 earnings on Wednesday, July 31, marking a quarter of steady topline results, significant gross margin expansion, and strategic progress in retail media and AI-powered advertising. While growth remains modest, and profitability has come under pressure due to higher investment, the company is navigating…
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Criteo Q2 2025 Earnings: Beats, But Retail Media Growth Too Slow
By Karsten Weide, Chief Analyst Executive Summary Criteo reported its second-quarter 2025 earnings on Wednesday, July 31, marking a quarter of steady topline results, significant gross margin expansion, and strategic progress in retail media and AI-powered advertising. While growth remains modest, and profitability has come under pressure due to higher investment, the company is navigating…
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The Top 10 Advertising News from Cannes Lions 2025
The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity 2025, held from June 16–20, was a pivotal moment for the advertising industry. With a record 26,900 award entries and a buzz around AI, retail media, and creative commerce, this year’s festival showcased how brands, platforms, and agencies are navigating a rapidly evolving landscape. From groundbreaking partnerships to…
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The Disney–Amazon CTV Pact: A New Power Play in CTV Advertising
On June 17, 2025, at the Cannes Lions Festival, Disney and Amazon unveiled a far-reaching partnership that could reshape the balance of power in connected TV (CTV) advertising. The deal integrates Disney’s Real-Time Ad Exchange (DRAX) directly with Amazon’s demand-side platform (DSP), granting advertisers programmatic access to Disney’s premium inventory – including Disney+, Hulu, and…