Mike and Emily Riley Review the Week in Ad News

Tariff panic, Adalytics fallout, the fate of the open web, and TikTok weirdness.

Takeaways:

Tariffs & Ad World Uncertainty 📉: Tariffs are causing major uncertainty in the ad world, leading to revised advertising forecasts and impacting consumer confidence.  

Phases of Economic Impact ⏳: The economic impact unfolds in two phases: initial uncertainty causing advertisers to pull back, followed by potential supply chain disruptions affecting product availability.  

Consumer Behavior 🛒: Consumer behavior is unpredictable, especially concerning how different demographics will react to economic pressures.  

Ad Tech Fraud Persistence 🚨: Ad tech continues to grapple with fraud, particularly in attribution, raising concerns about the effectiveness of brand safety measures.  

Brand Safety Challenges 🛡️: Brand safety is compromised by advertisers' demands for both safety and cost-effectiveness, pushing ad tech companies into risky situations.  

The Open Web's Future 🌐: The open web faces threats from declining search traffic and brand safety issues, but advertisers still follow audiences to the open web where valuable content remains.  

WPP's Data Play 📊: WPP's acquisition of InfoSum raises questions about the neutrality of data platforms and the ongoing shift of agencies towards becoming tech and data-driven.