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SEPTEMBER 16, 2026 |
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In this edition: |
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TOP STORY |
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AI is rewriting the shopping journey, and marketers have to follow it. That means watching how brands show up in large language models (LLMs), and how they engage customers arriving through AI-driven searches. This is the “intelligence revolution.” |
“The intelligence age is gaining steam,” said Stephanie Paterik, vice president of insights at EMARKETER, in her keynote presentation at
this week's Future of Digital Summit. “One billion weekly ChatGPT users worldwide is a number that OpenAI hit just this month. Sixty-nine percent of CEOs around the world tell us that AI is changing their business, not just how they send an email or craft, you know, a report, but how they are fundamentally operating.” |
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The US is absorbing the bulk of AI infrastructure spending. Of the $1.4 trillion invested in AI infrastructure, $1 trillion has landed in the US alone, per EMARKETER.
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IN THE NEWS |
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Prime Video’s short-form news push could open new local ad inventory. Amazon Prime Video is following other streaming platforms’ footsteps by pushing into short-form video. |
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Novig's Sydney Sweeney campaign wins attention—and backlash. Novig’s first national advertising campaign generated lots of attention for the little-known sports prediction platform, but its provocative Sydney Sweeney spot shows the risks of using controversy to gain attention. |
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Facebook ads offer marketers a lower-cost complement to Google campaigns. Facebook ads are getting cheaper and more effective, according to an analysis from WordStream of about 1,800 Facebook ad campaigns over the past year. |
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ANALYSIS |
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Malls’ efforts to reinvent themselves with experiential formats and Gen Z-friendly initiatives are bringing shoppers back. |
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Indoor, outlet, and open-air shopping centers have each posted positive YoY visit growth for the past three months, with particularly strong gains for indoor and open-air formats, according to Placer.ai. |
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PODCAST |
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We discuss what back-to-school tells us about the holiday shopper, ways AI could show up during holiday shopping, and one holiday change retailers still have time to make in their digital strategy. “Reimagining Retail” is made possible by Verve. |
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QUIZ |
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What function did the most consumers say AI helped them with during their last AI-assisted purchase? |
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A) Finding the best price or deal B) Comparing specific products or brands C) Checking or summarizing reviews D) Finding where to buy |
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