The holiday season is fast approaching and Americans are ready to spend. Adults in the US plan to spend an average of $2,100 dollars, up 7% from last year, according to Bank of America’s holiday shopping survey. And six figure earners, those who make between $100,000 and $199,000 a year and say they’re gonna spend more, is up 17% from last year. Here’s a number you might not recognize – small businesses make up 99% of all businesses in the U.S., consistently accounting for around 40% of...

Donald Trump was once again elected as the President of the United States last week, becoming the first president since Grover Cleveland in 1892 to win back the presidency after losing a re-election bid. One tech company is 3 for 3 in successfully predicting who would become the president in the last 3 elections. That company, Resonate, relies on consumer data and intelligence to deliver data-driven insights. So, what’s the secret to its success? Resonate uses AI modeling to analyze 15,000...

On the eve of election day in the U.S, the number of news outlets reporting on the races is continuing to dissipate. A recent report from Northwestern University found 127 newspapers across America closed down in 2023, leaving nearly 55 million Americans with limited or no access to local news. This continues the expanding trend of news deserts we’ve seen over the years, as now more than half of counties in the U.S. have one or zero local news outlets. Still, the report finds there is some...

More and more, brands are under pressure to figure out if they should attach to cultural or social issues, or stay out of those issues all together. Some of that pressure comes from consumers themselves. A recent survey from sustainability consultant BSR and Morning Consult found that U.S. consumers are four times more likely to say companies need to do more to promote social justice. There are examples of brands successfully leaning into so called 'corporate social responsibility', but...

More non-traditional advertising companies have entered the ad game recently with their own media networks, from Uber to United Airlines leveraging their deep amounts of consumer data. Now PayPal is the latest entrant, led by the architect of Uber’s ad business Mark Grether. With over a trillion dollars of digital transactions running through PayPal every year, 400 million active accounts, and 35 million merchants on the platform, Grether believes this 360° view differentiates PayPal from...

Upfront deals are now being activated now that the fall season is underway – the traditional moment when TV networks launch their prime shows. But as we’ve seen in recent years, streaming platforms and companies have become an emerging force in the upfronts market. One of the main players in the streaming market is Roku, which has seen big growth in revenue recently. The company’s overall revenue was up 14% year over year, according to its latest earnings report. On this episode of The...

The Current is on the ground at Advertising Week in New York, speaking to top-level marketers about the industry's biggest topics, from the future of streaming to retail media networks and potential impending fallout from the Google antitrust adtech trial. On this episode of The Current Report, UM Worldwide's chief product officer Andy Littlewood breaks down why he thinks AI is advancing past being simply a buzzword, moving into an age of intelligence, how the definition of being a large...

Now that the Google antitrust trial focused around digital advertising has ended, the next move will be the Department of Justice and Google coming back to the courtroom November 25 for closing arguments. Marketecture's Ari Paparo, who has covered the entire trial, dives into what he thought of Google's defense, what the ruling might be and what the next steps could be for the digital advertising industry.

Google is in the middle of its defense during the third week of the DOJ's adtech antitrust trial. On this episode of The Current Report, attorney Tom Blakely shares why he believes the government has a strong case.

The Fed dropped interest rates last week for the first time in 4 years. So what's it all mean for marketers? On this episode of The Current Report, we're diving into what verticals could be affected the most with Noble People's Steven Frey.

The NFL will exclusively stream at least one game a week this season, as Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, Peacock and ESPN are all streaming partners. Live sports rights in the U.S. are estimated at $30 billion in 2024, according to a report with S&P Global, with more of those rights moving to streaming. On The Current Report, Chris Brooklier speaks with the author of that report, Scott Robson, about why rights have gotten so expensive and why it's changing the TV landscape.

We’re just a week away from the start of the U.S. government’s antitrust trial against Google, the second one taking place this year. This one alleges that the company is illegally monopolizing the adtech market. The trial comes hot on the heels of another DOJ antitrust case, whose verdict in August charged Google with monopolizing the search engine market. In the lead up to this second trial, the Department of Justice has unsealed a number of documents that offer a glimpse into how Google...

Political campaigns have long been challenged with evidence that their ads or messaging is working. Now, tech from Swayable’s James Slezak is making that measurement possible in real-time. Hear more on this week’s episode of The Current Report.

Momentum has been high for Democrats since Kamala Harris became the party's nominee a month ago. But how do Democrats keep that going into election day? And what strategies are they using to target swing voters? Middle Seat's Elizabeth Bennett shares her wisdom in this special episode of The Current Report, from the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

Exverus Media's managing director Talia Arnold joins The Current Report to break down how much the agency's clients focus on brand safety (in light of GARM shutting down), advertising against the news and why successful brands take a long term approach to strengthen their messaging.

After a judge ruled against Google in a landmark antitrust case around search, calling Google "a monopolist," we are covering the fallout. Part of that is how news publishers could be affected, which is why we're talking with Josh Brandau, CEO of AI company Nota. Nota provides AI tools to news publishers so they can be more efficient. Brandau has deep experience across the advertising field — from being the CMO and CRO of the LA Times, to stops at ad agencies Pereira O’Dell & Essence...

The Olympics magic is back as NBCUniversal is getting record viewership and advertising revenue. This year's games in Paris is showcasing the power of Peacock and streaming overall. We break down how all the ways to watch the Olympics is extending how generations, including Gen Z, connect with the historic event.

Nearly a week after Google sent shockwaves by halting its plan to deprecate third party cookies in the Chrome web browser, @IAB Tech Lab CEO @Anthony Katsur thinks cookies will still go away eventually. Hear why on this episode of The Current Report.

Days out from the opening ceremonies on NBC and Peacock, we highlight how programmatic is carrying the torch for the first time this Olympics. Listen to The Current Report for more.

FAST platforms like Tubi, Pluto TV and The Roku Channel have made a fast rise in the streaming world. So how can they make their next jump to grab viewers attention? Live sports has big potential. Listen to this episode of The Current Report for more.

AdFontes Media’s Lou Paskalis joins The Current Report to break down the recent Stagwell study that revealed it's safe for brands to advertise alongside news content. Plus, Netflix is phasing out its cheapest ad-free tier for existing subscribers.

At this year's Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity, Dramamine took home a Grand Prix award for its "The Last Barf Bag" documentary. This week on The Current Report, we're going behind the scenes on the campaign with Prestige Consumer Healthcare's VP of marketing Randi Jachino.

A.I. is a divisive topic in advertising, particularly amongst creatives. From Cannes Lions 2024, Pereira O'Dell's chief creative officer Jason Apaliski shares why he's supportive of A.I. "There could be doom and gloom of what it means for the industry and the world and the jobs, but I see it as one that's an opportunity. [It's] a tool that if you can take advantage of now, you'll see the benefits of it."

Streaming was the star of upfronts week this year, but what's it going to take for it to fully take over the upfronts process? Horizon Media's Samantha Rose gives her take on the latest episode of The Current Report.