WPP Media's mid-year update likens AI to a "gold rush" financed by the ad industry. But that doesn't explain why ad industry growth will be decelerating, not accelerating during it.

Brand-building is about making yourself appealing to the 95% who are not in-market for your brand today, but will be in the future.

A quarterfinal appearance or better for the U.S. men's team could create one of the most valuable audience events in American sports outside of the NFL and drive record demand for soccer ad inventory, elevate sponsorship opportunities, and accelerate soccer's position within the broader U.S. sports marketing landscape.

In the old days, Nielsen could make a new media supplier "currency." These days, it's MRC accreditation. Point-of-Care is a case in point.

The long-time Horizon Media digital chief's next new gig is Chief Strategy Officer of Media Consulting Group, which has some unique, and differentiated ways of curating programmatic inventory, he says.

Too many brands still approach sports marketing transactionally: a logo on a jersey, a tentpole event, or a media buy designed to maximize impressions. These tactics may generate reach, but reach alone is no longer enough.

The good news is the percentage of advertisers concerned about the "transparency" of their media agencies has gone down since the ANA first benchmarked the issue in 2014. The bad news is it remains a significant level of concern and has been growing due to the rise principal media-buying.