Like the dizzying escalators inside the ominous remains of the Manhattan Mall – Advertising Week’s longtime venue – the ad industry’s current state is a head-spinning mix of nostalgia and uncertainty. Major players like Snapchat and Foursquare dominated conversations and billboards (hello 2016?!), yet the mood oscillated between permacrisis-driven caution and the optimism of a new class of brand innovators.
Anytime you put marketers in a room (err mall), every session is going to feel like the Super Bowl of storytelling. Advertising Week continues to set the big-league agenda, shaping the trends, tactics and talking points for the year ahead. Buzz, brilliance, and a bit of drama, here are a few of the standout themes from this year’s event:
AI-powered personalization takes center stage
AI wasn’t just part of the conversation, it owned it. SurveyMonkey reports 56% of marketers are actively implementing AI, and that percentage is climbing fast. Beyond efficiency gains, AI has the capabilities to predict campaign performance, simulate audience reactions and deliver hyper-personalized consumer experiences. But with innovation comes accountability: data privacy has become the ringmaster guarding consumer trust in a rapidly evolving arena.
Walking the tightrope of brand safety
If digital spend is the acrobat, brand safety is the net protecting it from a hard fall. A whopping 80% of brands express “‘serious concerns’ around how agencies might use AI on their behalf.” Deep fakes, synthetic media, mis/dis-information are escalating, prompting platforms to tighten safeguards.. Marketers are now performing audience gymnastics to maintain relevance while deftly avoiding reputational pitfalls.
The life of a showgirl content creator
Once the stealth move in a brand playbook, influencer marketing is now a headline act, with US spend expected to surpass $10 billion in the US in 2025. This year, creators didn’t just join panels – they led them, cementing their role as modern marketing’s power brokers. The winning formula has shifted from quick-hit collaborations to enduring creative partnerships grounded in authentic storytelling. Saratoga’s bottled water became an unexpected cultural talking point when influencer Ashton Hall turned a mundane product into a viral rebellion against the ordinary – proving the magic of marketing without overtly “marketing” to a key audience.
Advertising Week underscored that today’s marketing isn’t about chasing clicks, it’s about building enduring brands and winning fans for the long haul. With AI shaping strategies and authenticity becoming the main event, marketers have every reason to sharpen their acts for the year ahead.