Nvidia’s pivot to platform play and sovereign cloud deals made it the control layer for the AI economy in 2025.
AI took over search, ads, and discovery in 2025 as YouTube and CTV became the new centers of gravity for consumers and marketers. Our top 20 stories of the year highlight an evolution toward an AI-first world where attention and advantage move faster than ever.
Tech titans invest in each other, accelerating AI buildouts—but the loop may snap under pressure or regulation
New data shows traditional SEO success no longer guarantees visibility inside generative AI answers. Ahrefs found that fewer than 9% of ChatGPT and Gemini citations come from URLs ranked in Google’s top 10 results—meaning more than 90% of high-ranking organic pages never appear in AI responses. Instead, LLMs lean heavily on community-driven sources like Reddit, YouTube, Wikipedia, Yelp, and TripAdvisor, dramatically reshaping early-stage discovery. With LLM usage exceeding one billion monthly users, brands that do not participate in open forums risk disappearing from AI-mediated journeys. Marketers must treat GEO as a distinct discipline, not an extension of SEO.
The most impactful ads of 2025 stirred debate and dollars: From Sydney Sweeney to Katseye to Coca-Cola.
Pharma’s intangible value drops as others climb: While other sectors gained ground, pharma lost value, driven by individual company setbacks and policy pressures.
Gaming ads offer high engagement in a market that is underutilized relative to its potential.
In 2025, Apple doubled down on AI while refocusing on device, ecosystem, and design differentiation, seeking to stay ahead in a maturing smartphone market and a global regulatory maze.
54% of digital shoppers would choose store credit over a cash refund if they got a bonus, like $105 in credit for a $100 return, according to an August survey from Narvar.
On today's podcast episode, we give out our '2025 Retail Awards' for the 'Must-Visit Store of the Year', 'Glow-Up of the Year', 'AI Power Move', 'Collab of the Year', and 'Campaign of the Year'. Listen to the discussion with Vice President of Content and host Suzy Davidkhanian, Senior Analyst Blake Droesch, and Analysts Arielle Feger and Rachel Wolff.
Tailoring marketing to Gen Alpha is proving critical for brands looking to capitalize on their emerging influence.
Instagram's explosive EU audience growth compared with Facebook's slowing momentum means advertisers should follow suit.
As consumers become adept at ignoring ads, avoiding dreaded ad fatigue requires brands to prioritize creativity and interactivity.
On today’s EMARKETER Miniseries—AI-Driven Media Management—we explore the core building blocks of AI innovation, what partnering with Amazon Ads looks like in practice, and advice for leaders or teams who don’t come from technical backgrounds but need to build or use AI systems. EMARKETER Senior Director of Content Jeremy Goldman speaks with Adam Epstein, co-founder and CEO of Gigi. Listen everywhere you find podcasts, and watch on YouTube and Spotify.
The share of consumers who view generative AI as a negative disruptor in the creator economy has nearly doubled, jumping from 18% to 32% since November 2023, according to a July survey from Billion Dollar Boy and Censuswide.
Industry leaders believe 2026 will be about the evolution of shopping. Consumers have changed the way they discover products and consider purchases, whether on social media or through genAI-powered conversational searches. In the upcoming year, retailers will be leveraging data to support more relevant in-store experiences and adapt dynamically to individual shopper journeys. Here are some important ways that marketing experts see this happening.
Retailers faced a challenging year as economic factors, new technologies, and changing consumer behaviors reshaped the landscape. Here are our top five stories from this past year and what they meant to a tumultuous industry.
Audiences say TV is the most acceptable place for advertising, but amid the shift to digital for younger buyers, a balanced approach is critical.
"Creativity is not just a nice-to-do activity, but in fact, it's something that is a critical life skill for kids and an incredible kind of a joyful moment of expression for adults," said Victoria Lozano, CMO at Crayola, on a recent “Behind the Numbers” podcast. For more than 120 years, Crayola has been woven into childhoods. Now in the second year of its "Campaign For Creativity," the iconic brand is expanding its mission beyond art supplies to position creativity as an essential skill for today's digital-native children.