Hello Marketers!! Today’s issue dives into several topics shaping how we work in 2026: email’s resurgence as brands reinvest in owned channels, how customer AI agents are rewriting the rules of the marketing funnel, and the 4 social trends every team should prepare for next year. We’ll also break down what’s happening with ad-tech transparency, Meta’s EU compliance moves, why global ad spend is still climbing, and more. Let’s explore the rest of today’s stories below…

4 major trends to know: (1) Social SEO becoming the new top-of-funnel as users search on TikTok, YouTube, and Reddit; (2) Multi-platform engagement turning into the default expectation as custumers bounce across platforms; (3) Social customer care becoming critical for brand reputation as users treat social as the primary support channel; and (4) Reddit communities gaining power in shaping authentic, high-intent decisions. Why it matters (POV): Brands need to optimize for discovery, organize content across ecosystems, treat support as marketing, and show up authentically in the communities that actually drive decisions.

Programmatic buyers are pushing hard for a transparency reset after discovering big hidden take rates, unclear SSP economics, and supply paths no one can fully audit. Some see 65% of the spend disappear before reaching publishers. Agencies are cutting SSP partners, demanding log-level data, and tightening contracts as CTV, retail media, and AI-driven optimization make the ecosystem even more questionable. Why it matters (POV): With performance pressure rising, we can no longer afford “black box” buying. Transparency isn’t a nice-to-have; it’s becoming the minimum requirement to control costs, validate quality, and prevent AI from amplifying existing inefficiencies.

EU users will be given a choice between full personalized ads (with full data sharing) and a limited data-sharing option with less personalization. It’s a change required under the EU’s Digital Markets Act, following Meta's fines and warnings for non-compliance. The new options roll out in January. Why it matters (POV): This could weaken Meta’s targeting ability in the EU markets and put more pressure on creative quality and broader audience strategies. CPMs may fluctuate as user data signals shrink. This means that brands must build a strong creative game, AKA more personalized creatives that resonate with your audience segments.

Google quietly released a new tool called Investment Strategy, a centralized 7-day forecasting model that shows how removing budget caps across campaigns could impact conversions, revenue, or clicks. Unlike the Performance Planner’s long-term view, this tool is built for short-term scenarios, ideal for rapid budgeting decisions during high-volume periods. Why it matters (POV): It gives us a way to model spend vs. performance. Google often overestimates returns and can’t account for your actual constraints, margins, or product dynamics. Treat it as directional guidance, not an autopilot button, and validate everything with real results.

Over the next year, Roku predicts that 100% of the streaming audience will see ads. For growth marketers in 2026, CTV will remain an important “safe space” as AI creates widespread disruption in the search and social channels. Plus, easier access to self-serve CTV ad buying tools and targeting options will lead to a surge in locally-targeted streaming campaigns.

Read our guide to find out why growth marketers should make sure CTV is part of their 2026 media mix.

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New research shows 65% of brands plan a major reinvestment into email as AI reshapes marketing operations. It pushes marketers back toward owned channels. Organic social, loyalty programs, SMS, and retail media continue to perform strongly, while CTV spending accelerates and podcasts emerge as the most under-tapped channel with 78% of leaders seeing big 2026 potential. Why it matters (POV): We are moving away from over-reliance on platforms and rebuilding durable, direct customer systems. AI will accelerate execution, but retention, community, and owned channels can sustain your brand.

Global ad revenues grew far above forecasts, driven by the AI boom, marketer resilience, and advertising’s rising centrality in the world economy. Digital channels now capture 83.7% of all ad spend, with giants like Google, Meta, Amazon, and Microsoft consolidating power as commerce media, social, and search all accelerate. Why it matters (POV): 2026 will be defined by deeper AI adoption and tighter platform dependencies.

Users spotted what looked like branded ads from Target and Peloton, but OpenAI insists these weren’t ads. After backlash, they admitted the feature “fell short” and paused any ad-related initiatives as the company enters a “code red” phase to improve product quality. Why it matters (POV): This incident shows how sensitive users are to commercial content inside AI assistants. However, AI ad placements are coming at some point, but trust and user experience will dictate how fast and how far they roll out.

After losing to Netflix’s earlier offer, now backed by Gulf state funds and major banks, the all-cash bid from Paramount would value the deal at over $108B, setting up a public showdown involving Big Tech, Hollywood, and even President Trump, who says he’ll be “involved” in the approval process. Why it matters (POV): This reshapes the ad ecosystem that marketers depend on. Fewer major studios means fewer inventory partners, tighter control over premium content, and likely higher CPMs across streaming as consolidation reduces competition. 

TLDR: AI agents now act as shoppers, filtering options, comparing products, and shaping decisions before a customer ever reaches a website. Brands must become legible to machines, not just persuasive to humans.

Half of consumers already use AI-powered search (e.g, ChatGPT, AI Overview), and 40-55% rely on it to make purchase decisions. The funnel is disrupted from being search → compare → into a single AI-mediated step.

How to Implement: Treat AI agents as a new distribution channel. Start by identifying new metrics like AI visibility, agent-sourced traffic, and brand presence in LLM outputs. Build intelligence systems: track how LLMs surface your products, map the AI-powered funnel, and create a scorecard of factors that influence recommendation ranking. Then run rapid influence experiments, such as updating product schemas, rewriting category pages in agent-friendly formats, strengthening earned media, expanding reviews, and monitoring how AI responses change weekly.

Pros: Higher-intent traffic (and purchase intent) and stronger trust signals.
Cons: Loss of visibility into the early funnel, harder attribution, dependence on external AI systems.

I recently ran an A/B test on Meta Brand Partnership and found that NOT tagging the brand in a creator’s post dropped CPA by 20%. The reason is simple: the content feels more authentic. When the brand handle isn’t visible, the creator’s audience treats it as a genuine post, not a sponsored push.

— Sam C.