AI is showing up in new-business pitches in different ways, either low-key with minimal mention or a clear part of agency abilities, used in their workflow. While the approach to AI differs, agency executives do agree that AI is not an emphasis, with Kevin Mulroy of Mischief USA saying, "The tech itself should fade into the background in favor of the idea or the experience."

VML's JJ Schmuckler adds, "I don't think clients will ever ask for the core, the soul of their brand platform to be bespokely created by AI."

LinkedIn and NBCUniversal have partnered to enable business-to-business marketers to target prospects using its first-party data across NBC's entire connected TV inventory, including Peacock, as well as adding CTV offerings via Paramount, Samsung Ads and Roku. "You can buy the audiences that you're targeting on LinkedIn, you can target those same audiences on these various CTV platforms," LinkedIn's Penry Price says, adding that marketers will be able to measure performance via partnerships with Kantar and iSpot.

Google's parent Alphabet is considering acquiring HubSpot, an online marketing software company, per Reuters sources. The acquisition, which reportedly would be Google's biggest, would expand the tech giant's capacity for customer relationship management and cloud computing if it can clear antitrust hurdles.

Free ad-supported TV channels have more appeal than streaming subscriptions for 69% of users in an LG Ad Solutions survey, and 42% prefer QR codes and other interactive features. Tony Marlow, LG's chief marketing officer, said that the response marks "a seismic shift in [customers'] CTV habits."

Short-form video remains the most effective format on social media, a 2024 HubSpot report found, and 67% of marketers plan to spend more on it. Audio content will get the same or more spending from 91% and 87% plan to increase or maintain investment in shoppable media.

TikTok and Instagram use different methods and metrics to appeal to users, with TikTok being more interactive and Instagram more visual. Both platforms benefit from continual posting from marketers to remain top-of-mind, which requires creativity and consistency.

The advertising world is coming out in force to celebrate Monday's solar eclipse, including SunChips activation from Tombras that features astronaut Kellie Gerardi touting a limited-edition flavor that's being given away exclusively during the four minutes and 27 seconds of maximum totality. Agency Marcus Thomas created a humorous "Greetings From Sunny Cleveland" video that imagines the city's top sights and attractions shadowed by the eclipse.

Colleagues' confusion about your intentions due to different interpretations of a word like "strategic," for example, put a dent in performance. Ensure that others understand your views and vision by being specific on terms and definitions, as well as looking for alignments and conflict, writes Robyn McLeod of Chatsworth Consulting Group.