New tricks for dance videos, Winter Olympics sell-out (besides the curling team), Gemini learns how to sing, and much more in today's BCS food fight.
Agency Moves & Holding Company Restructuring
Acadia Returns Media Rebates to Clients — Independent agency Acadia paid 53 clients their share of six-figure publisher rebates, launching a campaign against the industry's "Silent Rebate Economy" it pegs at $40B annually. Sources: LBBOnline
WPP Consolidating Creative Agencies — WPP will merge Ogilvy, VML, and AKQA under a single "WPP Creative" brand, with job cuts expected. New CEO Cindy Rose details the plan Feb. 26. Sources: MediaPost
McCann Wins Kroger Creative AOR — Kroger picked McCann as its new creative agency of record, replacing DDB New York and keeping ~$391M in ad spend under the Omnicom umbrella. Sources: Archyde
Media, Measurement & Audiences
Nielsen: TV Viewing Hits 12-Month High in January — U.S. TV viewing rose 3.7% over December, fueled by a 49% cable sports surge (ESPN up 82% from CFP coverage), returning dramas, and cold weather. Streaming held a 47% share. Sources: Media Play News · Hollywood Reporter
Roku Hires Snap/Meta Vet Patrick Harris — Roku named Patrick Harris (ex-Snap, ex-Meta) as SVP Global Media Revenue as its ad-driven platform revenue hit a record $4.15B in 2025. Sources: Deadline · Campaign Live
Only 8% of Americans Think They Should Pay for News — Pew Research found 45% believe advertisers should fund journalism, while keyword blocking now affects 30% of U.S. news inventory. Two-thirds of Americans have stopped getting news from a specific source. Sources: WARC
Milano Cortina 2026 Ad Sales Set Records — NBCU sold out Winter Olympics inventory early, with 70–75% of Super Bowl advertisers also running in the Games. Luxury brands like Moncler, Ralph Lauren, and Armani are treating the slopes as a brand runway. Sources: Creative Bloq · iSpot
Regulation & Industry Policy
Media Matters Fights FTC Advertiser Boycott Probe — Media Matters filed appellate briefs arguing the FTC's investigation into alleged coordinated advertiser boycotts of right-wing media is a retaliatory First Amendment violation. The FTC is probing 16+ organizations including IAS, IAB, and WFA. Sources: MediaPost Columbia Global Freedom of Expression
DEI Investment Declining Across Advertising — Ad Age reports diversity spending is quietly being walked back, with Black agency leaders flagging a "quiet phase" of commitment reversals and continued representation gaps in Super Bowl advertising.
AI & Technology in Marketing
Google Adds AI Music Generation to Gemini — Google launched Lyria 3 in the Gemini app, letting 750M+ users create 30-second songs from text or photos with SynthID watermarking. The move pressures AI music startups like Suno. Sources: TechCrunch · Music Ally
Taboola Hires Amazon/NBCU Exec as CBO — Taboola tapped Krishan Bhatia (ex-Amazon, ex-NBCU) as Chief Business Officer to lead its AI, CTV, and performance advertising push. Sources: Globe Newswire via Manila Times
B2B Buyers Now Expect B2C-Style Digital Experiences — EMARKETER reports millennials and Gen Z now make up 71% of B2B buyers; AI tools are the top investment priority for 2026, while video and display gain share at the expense of search. Sources: EMARKETER
Brand Strategy & Marketing Trends
Brand Marketing Is the #1 Budget Priority — A Digiday survey found 73% of marketers are increasing brand marketing spend in 2026, making it the top priority even as revenue optimism has cooled from last year. Sources: Digiday via Spicy Creator Tips
America250 Driving Brand Campaigns — With the U.S. semiquincentennial building toward July 4, brands from Chevrolet to Brand USA are launching themed campaigns, plus a Gen Z startup competition with $25K prizes. Sources: Brand USA · American Legion
Content Loyalty Programs: The Next UGC — Ogilvy says brands are rewarding customers with perks for posting brand content on social. A Nestlé Milo pilot in Vietnam recruited 2,600 creators and generated 78M video views. Sources: WARC
2026 Brand Identity Trends — Analysts highlight adaptive minimalist visual systems, employer branding as a core strategy, and authenticity-through-action as the defining identity themes for 2026. Sources: The Branding Journal
Content Creation & PR Tactics
Press Releases Evolve as Local SEO & AI Visibility Tools — Structured, keyword-aligned press releases now function as multi-channel digital assets for local brand authority, search indexing, and AI discoverability. Sources: EIN Presswire
Dance-Style Video & Animation Edits Gain Brand Traction — Short-form dance- and animation-inspired video formats continue to grow as a storytelling tool that blends entertainment with marketing. Sources: EIN Presswire
About Mike Bawden
Mike is a marketing and branding professional with over 40 years of experience. Beginning in his family's advertising agency, he later purchased the company and became its CEO.
Today, he serves as Senior Vice President of Marketing and Brand Strategy for TAG, a leading Midwest agency specializing in advertising, marketing, branding, and digital promotion. He has also taught marketing and advertising at area universities and lectured around the world on branding, marketing, and public relations.