YouTube is doubling the watch time and engagement thresholds creators need to qualify for its Partner Program starting February 2027, a shift that matters less than it sounds since brands are already striking direct deals with creators regardless of their eligibility status. Plus, The Variable acquired Gen Z and Gen Alpha-focused agency Carson+Doyle; Athleta launched "My World, My Rules," aiming to reverse a sales decline; Nielsen will begin applying Latency Adjusted DASH Universe Estimates to its Big Data Plus Panel currency, changing how TV and streaming viewing gets weighted; and Spotify and Uncommon New York turned real user playlist titles into outdoor ad headlines across New York, Miami, and Los Angeles.

Host Parker Herren breaks down what each story means for marketers navigating creator partnerships, agency M&A, TV measurement shifts and brand repositioning. Subscribe for weekly industry news roundups, plus biweekly deep-dive conversations with Ad Age reporters.

Dig deeper on the topics mentioned in this week's episode:

~The Variable acquires a Gen Z marketing agency—behind the move

~Athleta's first campaign with Invisible Dynamics underscores its female-first brand identity

~Nielsen announces latency tweaks for DASH universe estimates

~How YouTube monetization is changing for the platform's smaller creators

~Spotify features users' playlist titles as headlines in witty OOH campaign

Ad Age senior tech editor Garett Sloane unpacks why AI dominates earnings calls at companies from Meta and Google to Colgate-Palmolive, Amazon and Booking Holdings even if it's not yet moving the bottom line for most. The conversation covers AI search and chatbots reshaping consumer discovery, ChatGPT's ad business outlook, agentic commerce experiments and the slow, standards-limited rollout of agentic ad buying across PubMatic, Criteo and Magnite.

Sloane and host Parker Herren discuss where the AI hype-to-results gap is widest, and why even the companies racing forward are still working with incomplete data on what's actually working. They dig into why ChatGPT ad spend remains experimental, what a real agentic buying breakthrough would take and the state of the "AI bubble" conversation. Subscribe to Ad Age Insider for more conversations that turn Ad Age's reporting into what marketers actually need to know.

Dig deeper on the topics mentioned in this week's episode:

~AI is reshaping ad infrastructure but hasn't boosted company results just yet

~ChatGPT beefs up ad measurement, but gaps remain for buyers

~Amazon's AI shelf—what brands must do to compete for visibility

This week: PepsiCo is running a global agency review focused on building out AI marketing capabilities, with Omnicom, Accenture, Deloitte, and Publicis Sapient all vying for the assignment.

Plus, Google enlists creatives Susan Credle, Tiffany Rolfe and Jayanta Jenkins to make AI-generated ads using Flow and Gemini to shift industry sentiment on AI; OpenAI's CMO for business argues ChatGPT is letting non-marketers like engineers make ads; Kick launches Kick Ads with tiered brand suitability controls, betting advertisers will trust its content moderation despite past controversy; and Garage Beer and Liquid Death team up on a music video and pee-collection stunt urging fans to help cool AI data centers, with Jason Kelce starring.

Host Parker Herren breaks down what each story means for marketers navigating AI's shift from hype to operational strategy, creative trust in generative tools, platform brand safety and the culture war brewing around AI. Subscribe for weekly industry news roundups, plus biweekly deep-dive conversations with Ad Age reporters.

Dig deeper on the topics mentioned in this week's episode:

~PepsiCo is conducting an AI marketing transformation review

~3 top creatives made AI spots with Google—will they help ease the stigma?

~OpenAI's business CMO says with ChatGPT everyone's a marketer

~How Kick is addressing brand suitability for cautious buyers

~Garage Beer and Liquid Death want you to cool AI data centers—with your pee

Dollar Tree named independent agency Tombras its first-ever creative agency of record ahead of a September brand campaign—what it reveals about the shift from performance marketing to full-funnel brand building. Plus, Quality Meats co-founders launched cannabis beverage Herb Light, using retro beer nostalgia to help THC drinkers understand dosage before they try it; OpenAI expanded ChatGPT's ad infrastructure with new partners including Kochava, though brand safety and independent verification tools are still missing; creator economy veterans launched JERi, a new agency built to give creators a seat at strategy and planning instead of just execution; and Columbia Sportswear closed its eight-month flat earth campaign with adam&eve/TBWA, handing out consolation gift cards after no one could prove the earth is flat.

Host Parker Herren breaks down what each story means for marketers navigating full-funnel brand building, emerging ad measurement channels, and the creator economy's shift toward strategic partnership. Subscribe for weekly industry news roundups, plus biweekly deep-dive conversations with Ad Age reporters.

Dig deeper on the topics mentioned in this week's episode:

~Dollar Tree chooses Tombras as its first creative agency of record

~Quality Meats founders move into cannabis—inside their Herb Light launch

~ChatGPT beefs up ad measurement, but gaps remain for buyers

~A new creator agency with an advisory board model gives talent a seat at the strategy table

~Columbia Sportswear calls off 'Expedition Impossible' but has consolation prizes for Flat Earthers

Erika Wheless, consumer culture and brand behavior reporter at Ad Age, breaks down the consumer trends shaping the back half of 2026, and how they connect to the brands gaining the most ground with Gen Z. The conversation covers why credibility is starting to matter more than authenticity, with audiences favoring "frontline authority" voices—actual employees and experts—over traditional influencer marketing, plus AI's growing role in that shift. It also digs into Gen Z's renewed appetite for physical ownership, from DVDs and game cartridges to novelty popcorn buckets and dumb phones, and why that's less nostalgia than a response to rising costs.

Host Parker Herren presses Wheless on what's driving purchase decisions among older Gen Z shoppers now managing real budgets, and which brands—AliExpress, Aldi, Longhorn Steakhouse among them—are winning by leaning into affordability and collectible, shareable experiences. Subscribe to Ad Age Insider for more conversations translating Ad Age's reporting into insight you can actually use.

Dig deeper on the topics mentioned in this week's episode:

~4 consumer trends for brands to watch in the second half of the year

~20 brands catching Gen Z's attention right now and how they are doing it

~20 brands catching millennials' attention right now

~Movie marketing for the TikTok generation—how theater chains are trying to reach Gen Z

~Buy tickets to Ad Age's Business of Brands conference

~Listen to Ad Age's Marketer's Brief podcast

This week on Ad Age Insider's Weekly Report: McDonald's opens up about how an overloaded promotional calendar, stacking a K-pop Demon Hunters tie-in, value messaging, beverage launches, and a FIFA World Cup push, confused customers and dragged down second-quarter sales, and what it reveals about the real cost of promotional saturation and the discipline brands need to know what to cut. Plus, the Martin Agency wins Subway's creative account after pitching a single "brutally simple" idea in its final review; Yahoo Sports leans on Robert Griffin III and BBDO for a college fantasy football push as part of its broader brand revival; Japan Airlines starts running paid ads on ChatGPT and adopts "share of model" as a new visibility metric as AI search reshapes travel discovery; and Lemonade and Cash Studios reward safe drivers in Texas with a message board that only lights up for cars going the speed limit.

Host Parker Herren breaks down what each story means for marketers navigating promotional overload, long-term brand platforms versus campaign-by-campaign thinking, authentic talent partnerships, and the shift from clicks to AI visibility as a marketing metric. Subscribe for weekly industry news roundups, plus biweekly deep-dive conversations with Ad Age reporters.

Dig deeper on the topics mentioned in this week's episode:

~McDonald's rethinks crowded promotional calendar

~Martin wins Subway's creative account

~Inside Robert Griffin III's back-to-school Yahoo College Fantasy Football ad

~How Japan Airlines will track its new ChatGPT ad strategy

~Lemonade's 'Slow Sign' salutes the 10% of Texans who drive the speed limit

~Vote for the best campaign of July 2026

This week on Ad Age Insider's Weekly Report: creators like Alix Earle are increasingly chasing equity stakes instead of traditional brand deals, and what it reveals about creators becoming long-term business partners rather than just marketing assets. Plus, Popeyes names Stagwell's Anomaly as its new U.S. Creative Agency of Record following a sales decline and roster overhaul; Equinox pulls an AI-generated out-of-home ad after Asian creators call out racist and sexist stereotypes; Apple quietly expands its ad terms to run beyond its own properties and rolls out an AI-powered bidding tool; and Lego and Olivia Rodrigo launch a global scavenger hunt built around Lego vinyl records.

Host Parker Herren breaks down what each story means for marketers navigating creator ownership models, AI representation risks in campaign production, agency roster overhauls, and the tension between privacy positioning and ad revenue growth. Subscribe for weekly industry news roundups, plus biweekly deep-dive conversations with Ad Age reporters.

Dig deeper on the topics mentioned in this week's episode:

~Inside the rise of creator-brand equity deals—and how they're reshaping creator marketing

~Popeyes names Anomaly its US creative agency as part of a broader roster overhaul

~Equinox pulls AI ad after creators call out racist Asian stereotypes

~How Apple's ads business could move beyond the App Store and its other properties

~Lego and Olivia Rodrigo send fans on a brick-built vinyl treasure hunt

The leaders of the 2026 Ad Age Small Agency Awards—Judy Pollack, Brian Bonilla and Ewan Larkin—break down what actually separated this year's winners from the pack. They dig into why small shops are ditching billable hours for outcomes-based and equity models and how agencies like Conscious Minds and Zambezi rebuilt their entire structures to compete at scale. They also talk about why social-first, technology-driven creative work, from CAPTCHA microsites to intern jackets, is what's winning clients over right now. Tune in for the full breakdown of consolidation, reinvention and what clients are actually paying for in a leaner ad economy.

Host Parker Herren presses the judges on where the industry goes next: expect more shops merging into "super indies," pitches built around certainty rather than promises and creative-first agencies pushing into media and production to avoid getting boxed into one lane. Listen to hear what it takes to survive—and win—as a small agency in 2026. Subscribe to Ad Age Insider so you don't miss what's next.

Dig deeper on the topics mentioned in this week's episode:

~See the winners of Ad Age's 2026 Small Agency Awards

~Read Ad Age's Small Agency Playbook

~Apply to join Ad Age's Small Agency Network

~Listen to the Marketer's Brief podcast

This week on Ad Age Insider's Weekly Report: Taco Bell's Cyclospora outbreak and what it reveals about crisis communications, food safety, and brand trust. Plus, four Madwell alumni launch independent agency Five Cherries; ChatGPT's advertising platform shifts toward conversion-based pricing; creators Grant Gibbs and Ashley Gill talk brand partnerships without sanitizing their content; and Plato's Closet's immersive back-to-school campaign with agency Tombras.

Host Parker Herren breaks down what each story means for marketers navigating food safety and crisis response, the shift toward senior-led independent agencies and creator partnerships built on trust over reach. Subscribe for weekly industry news roundups, plus biweekly deep-dive conversations with Ad Age reporters.

Dig deeper on the topics mentioned in this week's episode:

~How the cyclosporiasis outbreak is testing Taco Bell's brand

~Four former Madwell executives launch their own agency

~How ChatGPT advertising works now—and what marketers still need

~'A Twink and a Redhead' on landing brand deals without sanitizing their risqué comedy

~Plato's Closet built a high school hall inside a store for kids to test their outfits

This week on Ad Age Insider's Weekly Report: Starbucks leans into culture over explanation with its 'Pink Energy' platform, built around the fan-favorite Pink Drink. Gary Vaynerchuk takes a personal stake in affiliate marketing agency Paul Street. Forward deployed engineers are embedding directly in agencies for AI development. Bayer tests predictive AI targeting that outperforms standard demand-side platform benchmarks. And the 2026 Emmy nominees for Outstanding Commercial include Apple, Nike, Adidas, Coinbase and Levi's.

Host Parker Herren breaks down what each story means for marketers navigating AI adoption, affiliate marketing growth and culture-first branding. Subscribe for weekly industry news roundups, plus biweekly deep-dive conversations with Ad Age reporters.

Dig deeper on the topics mentioned in this week's episode:

~Starbucks builds a summer platform around Pink Drink

~Gary Vaynerchuk on why he's investing in an affiliate marketing agency

~How brands get more from AI with forward-deployed engineers

~How Bayer's head of media is using AI-powered predictive targeting and navigating AI search

~Adidas, Apple, Coinbase, Levi's and Nike earn Emmy nominations for best ad