PODCAST · business
Ad Age Insider
by Ad Age
Every week, Ad Age Insider helps make sense of what's happening across advertising, marketing and media—and why it matters.Hosted by Parker Herren, the show features conversations with Ad Age editors and reporters unpacking the stories they're covering, with context, skepticism and perspective beyond the headlines. From shifts in power and strategy to cultural moments shaping the business of brands, Insider connects the dots across the industry.Subscribe to stay current—and see the industry more clearly.
Episodes
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Weekly Report: Novig's Sydney Sweeney sequel and the controversial marketing question
Novig released a second Sydney Sweeney ad after the first drew criticism and tripled trading volume, and what it reveals about celebrity partnerships. Plus, Vice Media named Shannon Washington president and creative leader of Virtue Worldwide; Apple fixed the Safari change that blocked The Trade...
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Agentic shopping 101: a holiday playbook for marketers, with Brandon Doerrer
Agentic shopping is already shaping holiday 2026, even though most consumers aren't ready to let an AI agent use their credit card. Brandon Doerrer, media reporter at Ad Age, explains how AI shopping agents like Muse and ChatGPT Dots handle product discovery and consideration, and why brands that...
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Weekly Report: How non-pet brands are chasing pet parent spending
Hertz, Subaru and Liquid Death are building pet-focused campaigns and products to tap into surging pet spending, but marketers warn against forcing the fit. Plus, Chemistry acquires design agency Colossus; Apple's iOS 27 update blocks The Trade Desk's ad tools on Safari; mid-size brands drop...
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Company culture, AI overhype and the workforce gap | Catch Up
In the AI era, company culture is the real differentiator. Ad Age's Senior Editor Adrianne Pascarelli breaks down the workforce gap nobody's solved, the AI overhype she's most suspicious of and the influencer disclosure loophole about to blow up in brands' faces. She also shares the three words...
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Weekly Report: Rich Silverstein leaves Goodby Silverstein & Partners
Rich Silverstein is stepping down as co-chairman of Goodby Silverstein & Partners after 43 years, with an AI hotline trained on his voice now fielding creative pitches in his place. Plus, Burger King turns its own product failures into ad material; Meta's Muse and Anthropic's Claude Commerce...
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What mid-size marketer budget strategy teaches every brand, with Adrianne Pasquarelli
Marketing budgets are tight across the board, but mid-size brands—companies roughly between $50 million and $1 billion in revenue—have been finding ways to make theirs work harder. Adrianne Pasquarelli, senior editor of CMO strategy and commerce at Ad Age, digs into how these brands operate with...
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Is spec work overrated or underrated, with X&O co-founders | Agencies on Record
X&O co-founders Brett Banker and Eric Segal play a game of overrated or underrated, dishing on the holding company vs. independents debate, spec work, content creators and more. Check out Ad Age's full conversation with the duo in the first episode of Agencies on Record, a new quarterly podcast...
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How splitting vision from execution powers the sprint model, with X&O | Agencies on Record
Develop the strategic idea, then step back—the client can take it in-house, hand it to another agency or bring X&O back to build it themselves. That's the split that co-founders Brett Banker and Eric Segal say powers their sprint model: five-to-six-day timelines, a top-to-top rule that puts…
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Weekly Report: A plushie data center satirizes AI's environmental toll
Creative studio Basura's satirical "Adopt a Data Center" campaign imagines AI data centers as rescue animals. Plus, Applebee's names BBDO Chicago its new creative agency as CMO Michelle Chin looks to reverse falling same-store sales; Subway casts Will Arnett as America's tempted subconscious in…
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How to bring creators to the brand strategy table | Catch Up
Creators aren't just making content anymore—they're getting pulled into the actual strategy conversation. Ad Age social and influencer marketing reporter Gillian Follett explains how creators are shaping product decisions and campaign direction with brands, not just showing up in the final cut.…
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Weekly Report: US Open creator backlash exposes brands' event strategy gaps
Viral videos of influencers disrupting US Open matches exposed how many brands still lack clear systems for briefing talent, picking the right creators or vetting whether an event even fits their brand. Plus, WPP is set to retain Coca-Cola's global media, data and technology business but won't...
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Creators are now brand strategists, not just talent, with Gillian Follett
Gillian Follett, social marketing and influencer reporter at Ad Age, breaks down how brand-creator partnerships have evolved in 2026, from creators taking on strategic roles in product development and marketing decisions to equity deals reshaping the influencer economy. The conversation covers...
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Weekly Report: Planters hires Mr. Peanut a fixer without a pitch, and why character-driven branding is back
Planters named Martin, the agency behind the Geico Gecko, its creative agency of record without running a formal review, betting on character-driven branding to sharpen Mr. Peanut's point of view. Plus, Callaway ended its Good Good Golf partnership after a controversial ad, exposing gaps in how...
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Will the AI marketing bubble burst? | Catch Up
Catch the full conversation: https://adage.substack.com/p/ai-is-all-over-earnings-calls-ai Ad Age's senior tech editor Garett Sloane joins Parker to answer the question everyone's asking: is the AI bubble about to pop, or are we still just getting started? They get into AI search (AEO), the...
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Weekly Report: YouTube raises the bar for creator payouts
YouTube is doubling the watch time and engagement thresholds creators need to qualify for its Partner Program starting February 2027, a shift that matters less than it sounds since brands are already striking direct deals with creators regardless of their eligibility status. Plus, The Variable...
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AI is all over earnings calls. AI ROI isn't, with Garett Sloane
Ad Age senior tech editor Garett Sloane unpacks why AI dominates earnings calls at companies from Meta and Google to Colgate-Palmolive, Amazon and Booking Holdings even if it's not yet moving the bottom line for most. The conversation covers AI search and chatbots reshaping consumer discovery,...
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Weekly Report: PepsiCo's AI agency review signals a shift from experiments to infrastructure
This week: PepsiCo is running a global agency review focused on building out AI marketing capabilities, with Omnicom, Accenture, Deloitte, and Publicis Sapient all vying for the assignment. Plus, Google enlists creatives Susan Credle, Tiffany Rolfe and Jayanta Jenkins to make AI-generated ads…
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Weekly Report: Dollar Tree shifts to emotional branding as it eyes $1 billion in untapped sales
Dollar Tree named independent agency Tombras its first-ever creative agency of record ahead of a September brand campaign—what it reveals about the shift from performance marketing to full-funnel brand building. Plus, Quality Meats co-founders launched cannabis beverage Herb Light, using retro…
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The consumer trends marketers can't ignore this fall, with Erika Wheless
Erika Wheless, consumer culture and brand behavior reporter at Ad Age, breaks down the consumer trends shaping the back half of 2026, and how they connect to the brands gaining the most ground with Gen Z. The conversation covers why credibility is starting to matter more than authenticity, with...
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Weekly Report: McDonald's admits its promotional calendar backfired
This week on Ad Age Insider's Weekly Report: McDonald's opens up about how an overloaded promotional calendar, stacking a K-pop Demon Hunters tie-in, value messaging, beverage launches, and a FIFA World Cup push, confused customers and dragged down second-quarter sales, and what it reveals about...
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Weekly Report: Creators are betting on equity over paid partnerships
This week on Ad Age Insider's Weekly Report: creators like Alix Earle are increasingly chasing equity stakes instead of traditional brand deals, and what it reveals about creators becoming long-term business partners rather than just marketing assets. Plus, Popeyes names Stagwell's Anomaly as its...
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Small Agencies are Winning Business with these 2026 Moves, with Judy Pollack, Brian Bonilla and Ewan Larkin
The leaders of the 2026 Ad Age Small Agency Awards—Judy Pollack, Brian Bonilla and Ewan Larkin—break down what actually separated this year's winners from the pack. They dig into why small shops are ditching billable hours for outcomes-based and equity models and how agencies like Conscious Minds...
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Weekly Report: Taco Bell's trust test during cyclosporiasis crisis
This week on Ad Age Insider's Weekly Report: Taco Bell's Cyclospora outbreak and what it reveals about crisis communications, food safety, and brand trust. Plus, four Madwell alumni launch independent agency Five Cherries; ChatGPT's advertising platform shifts toward conversion-based pricing;...
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Weekly Report: Starbucks' Culture Play, Predictive AI Targeting, Emmy-Nominated Ads
This week on Ad Age Insider's Weekly Report: Starbucks leans into culture over explanation with its 'Pink Energy' platform, built around the fan-favorite Pink Drink. Gary Vaynerchuk takes a personal stake in affiliate marketing agency Paul Street. Forward deployed engineers are embedding directly...
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2026 ad budget check-in: where media money's moving, with Brandon Doerrer
Ad Age Media Reporter Brandon Doerrer gives a midyear check-in on 2026 ad spend, and breaks down the insights behind the data. He gets into why budgets are holding steady despite the economic pressure, what's happening in the upfronts (Disney's ask was a lot higher than buyers wanted to pay) and...
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Weekly Report: How 2 indie shops beat larger rivals for a $550M account
This week on Ad Age Insider's Weekly Report: how two indie agencies—Butler, Shine, Stern & Partners and Canvas Worldwide—beat holding company giants Stagwell and Publicis for California Lottery's $550 million account. Plus Meta's marketing shake-up as Chief Marketing Officer Alex Schultz moves…
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Weekly Report: Alex Cooper says ad agencies are the problem
In Ad Age Insider's July 2 Weekly Report: inside Alex Cooper's pitch to brands at Cannes Lions; why Mr. Clean is going after beauty creators; how brands are combating conquesting on ChatGPT; how Q3 ad budgets are being spent; and iShowSpeed's collaboration with Expedia. Dig deeper on the topics...
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Cannes Lions takeaways: Lessons for marketers to carry through 2026
On this week's episode of Ad Age Insider, host Parker Herren recaps the news, trends and takeaways that have emerged from the 2026 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. Hear reactions and pitches from companies including Tubi, Microsoft, EA, Google, OpenAI and Anthropic. From how the...
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Cannes Lions pre-brief: indies and creators surge plus key topics, with Brian Bonilla and Ewan Larkin
Agency reporters Brian Bonilla and Ewan Larkin break down the key topics, trends and questions to watch at this year's Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. From how industry mergers including Omnicom-IPG will shift agency priorities to the rise of independent agencies, they describe...
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CMOs on CMOs: Hippo and Solo Stove on AI and grassroots marketing tactics
Watch this episode and see additional resources for marketers at AdAge.com/cmo. In the first episode of the Ad Age CMOs on CMOs series, Andrea Collins, CMO of Hippo, and Liz Vanzura, CMO of Solo Stove, break down how they're implementing AI into team workflows, and how marketers can start...
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Best World Cup campaigns and the new sports marketing playbook, with Tim Nudd and Jon Springer
For years, the 2026 FIFA World Cup has been must-buy media inventory for marketers. But numerous controversies as well as the bigger-than-ever nature of the soccer games have presented new challenges and considerations for brands. Creativity Editor Tim Nudd and Senior Marketing Reporter Jon...
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Publicis-LiveRamp deal: what to know and how to react, with Garett Sloane
Senior Technology and AI editor Garett Sloane breaks down Publicis Groupe's acquisition of LiveRamp, including why it matters for brands and first steps for auditing your ad tech stack. He discusses the impact of data ownership on future AI development, how to leverage greater transparency with…
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AI marketing brief: trust, creativity and careers—ICYMI
The industry is transforming in real time as AI growth impacts workflows, output and career paths from one moment to the next. Industry leaders are continually refining uses of AI platforms, best practices for prompting and how to communicate new tech initiatives to teams. As Ad Age honors...
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CMO Lessons: Brand trust, creative strategy and agency audits—ICYMI
The checklist for effective marketing leadership has grown exponentially more complex—balancing trust and efficiency, growing loyalty in an age of skepticism and ensuring transparent agency relationships. Ad Age reporters share advice on all of these topics, and more, in this special edition of…
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Winning Gen Z brand loyalty—quality, service and community, with Erika Wheless
Consumer Trends Reporter Erika Wheless discusses the top factors that influence brand loyalty with Gen Z—including product quality, sustainability and customer service. Plus, the brands Gen Z considers luxury from Coach, Louis Vuitton and Gucci to Nike, Adidas, Lululemon, Amazon and Target. She...
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Inside the TV upfronts—winners and losers, measurement and AI, with Brandon Doerrer
Media Reporter Brandon Doerrer breaks down the trends defining this year's TV upfronts, including top questions to look out for from NBCUniversal, Disney, Amazon, Netflix, Warner Bros. Discovery and more. He discusses how factors from outcomes-based measurement to agentic AI buying tech and...
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Agency hiring in the AI era: What grads need now, with Lindsay Rittenhouse
Senior Agency Reporter Lindsay Rittenhouse breaks down the complex entry-level job market, with examples of how agency leaders are rethinking junior work as AI automates tasks traditionally done by early-career hires. She digs into what skills recent grads need on their resume right now, the gap...
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What's driving marketing impact: lessons from award-winning campaigns, with Tim Nudd
Creativity Editor Tim Nudd breaks down trends and lessons from award-winning campaigns for Nike, The New York Times, ChatGPT, Anthropic and more. From comedy's comeback to experimental experiential and a focus on exceptional craft, he reveals what CMOs need to know from the 2026 Ad Age Creativity...
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Testing ChatGPT ads—what brands need to know about AI strategy, with Asa Hiken
Tech Reporter Asa Hiken gives a vibe check on how advertisers are feeling about OpenAI two months after it launched ads on ChatGPT, and how the AI company is stacking up against competitors Google's Gemini and Anthropic's Claude. Plus, he gives advice for developing a brand AI strategy as…
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Brand community strategy: turning reach into participation, with Mark Fischer and Sabrina Sanchez
Senior Engagement Editor Mark Fischer interviews Ad Age's communities and Substack strategy leaders Sabrina Sanchez and Parker Herren on how brands are turning consumers into brand builders. Learn how brands are meeting audiences where they are, designing repeatable, low‑lift interactions and...
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'Fruit Love Island' brand lessons: skip this viral trend, with Gillian Follett
Brain rot content has become a staple of virality on TikTok. But brands eager to jump into trending conversations should be wary of "Fruit Love Island" and similar AI-generated posts. Users will be far less kind to corporations than their peers. Influencer and Social Media Marketing Reporter...
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Identity marketing and how beverage brands are winning Gen Z, with Jon Springer
Senior Reporter Jon Springer breaks into the rise of identity marketing, including how soda brands like Poppi, Dr. Pepper and Diet Coke are winning with Gen Z. Plus, how all marketers can incorporate better social listening and fan engagement to turn their branding into cultural currency. And why...
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NewFronts 2026 survival guide, with Garett Sloane, Brandon Doerrer and Gillian Follett
As the industry gears up for a week of presentations from YouTube, Meta, TikTok, Tubi and more, Ad Age reporters break down the topics trending at this year's NewFronts, from AI and agentic tools to creator amplification. Hear how to decipher hype from reality, how digital ad dollars are being...
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How to win the Ad Age A-List, with Judann Pollack
Executive Editor and editorial lead of the Ad Age A-List Judann (Judy) Pollack talks the value of industry awards, and tips for climbing Ad Age's annual list of top agencies. She describes what defines success despite industry challenges, what judges look for in award submissions, the dos and...
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How to win new business in 2026, with Brian Bonilla
Senior agency reporter Brian Bonilla goes deep on the current new business marketplace, including how government policy, tech and AI innovation and industry consolidation are impacting agency account reviews. Bonilla shares current brand needs, explains how those are different from recent years,...
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What are media rebates? Agency transparency in the hot seat, with Ewan Larkin
Agency reporter Ewan Larkin decodes a recent lawsuit against WPP Media that has made agency transparency the industry's buzziest topic. Larkin defines media rebates and principal media buying, explaining how agencies aggregate billions in client ad budgets to negotiate volume deals with platforms...
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Your AI ad playbook: red flags, hard lessons and brand wins, with Asa Hiken
Ad Age Tech Reporter Asa Hiken chronicles the evolution of generative AI use in major brands' advertising, the common mistakes that upset viewers and the checklist every marketer needs to know if they plan to scale generative AI use. Plus, why agencies are rushing to get their clients on ChatGPT,...
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Your 2027 Super Bowl strategy starts here: Big Game takeaways from Ad Age reporters
Ad Age reporters and editors share their top Super Bowl takeaways that indicate elements of winning Big-Game strategies. From the downfall of celebrity slop to the best uses of social media and the risks brands take when they play it safe, take notes on what hit and missed last Sunday so that…
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The Super Bowl ad formula and Olympics marketing trends, with Tim Nudd and Jon Springer
The countdown to Super Bowl Sunday is on. Creativity Editor Tim Nudd and Senior Marketing Reporter Jon Springer discuss the formula for a timeless Super Bowl ad, how marketers are approaching televised events amid political and cultural upheaval, emerging trends across Olympics and Big Game...
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Going viral in 2026: strategy, subcultures and engagement, with Gillian Follett
Ad Age's Gillian Follett redefines going viral for 2026, from how to pivot marketing strategies to the new metrics measuring social media success and emerging platforms brands should dig into. Plus, how to win with subcultures, manage fractured virality and avoid cringe. And the chaos behind the...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Every week, Ad Age Insider helps make sense of what's happening across advertising, marketing and media—and why it matters.Hosted by Parker Herren, the show features conversations with Ad Age editors and reporters unpacking the stories they're covering, with context, skepticism and perspective beyond the headlines. From shifts in power and strategy to cultural moments shaping the business of brands, Insider connects the dots across the industry.Subscribe to stay current—and see the industry more clearly.
HOSTED BY
Ad Age
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Ad Age Insider have?
Ad Age Insider currently has 233 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Ad Age Insider about?
Every week, Ad Age Insider helps make sense of what's happening across advertising, marketing and media—and why it matters.Hosted by Parker Herren, the show features conversations with Ad Age editors and reporters unpacking the stories they're covering, with context, skepticism and perspective...
How often does Ad Age Insider release new episodes?
Ad Age Insider publishes regularly with 233 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to Ad Age Insider?
You can listen to Ad Age Insider on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Ad Age Insider?
Ad Age Insider is created and hosted by Ad Age.
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