Managing Director, Digital Paid Media, GMMB

Erica Monteith

What will the world look like in three to five years when cookies deprecate and how can brands peek over the cookieless horizon and start thinking about long term digital strategy?

Does the death of cookies mean the rebirth of digital media?

Polaris’ Chief Customer Growth Officer talks with The Current Podcast about how many of the company’s customers are multicultural and have preferred style over performance.

Polaris’ Pam Kermisch on marketing past assumptions in the powersports space

Ads leveraging consumers’ financial transactions could change the game. But is retail media getting too crowded?

Big Finance wants a piece of your retail media budgets

A bevy of CTV ad campaigns show the power of first-party data in cookieless CTV environments.

German CTV marketers are seeing serious results with first-party data

How marketers can deliver meaningful changes in their media buying approaches.

Progress over perfection: 7 steps to tackle your campaign emissions now

In a strategic move toward live streaming, Warner Bros. Discovery’s Max is betting big on news and sports as the cornerstone of its live content strategy.

Trump–Biden face-off highlights Max’s emphasis on live coverage

This week, we're going behind the scenes on the grand-prix winning Dramamine campaign with Prestige Consumer Healthcare's VP of marketing Randi Jachino.

Inside Dramamine's Grand Prix winning documentary The Last Barf Bag

PMG’s founder and CEO shares his views on A.I., live sports and how streaming will become even more personalized.

5 minutes with PMG's George Popstefanov

For carbon-emissions measurement to take flight in the digital advertising world, brands and publishers must be held accountable for their actions.

Shutting out high-emitting publishers won’t clear brands’ carbon conscience

Helen Johnson, SMG exec shares the challenges she sees hampering retail media’s development in the U.K. and beyond, from fragmentation to a lack of standardization around measurement.

5 minutes with retail media powerhouse SMG’s Helen Johnson

It’s time for the major advertising industry bodies to step up and play an essential advocacy role to ensure competition, consumer protection and growth.

A funny thing happened on the way to an advertising conference

Infosum's Brian Lesser shares why the ad industry must ensure that privacy standards are not just superficial claims but are embedded in actual practices and technologies.

Why it’s time to stop paying lip service to privacy

Aluma Insights’ Doug Montgomery, a 20-year veteran of the entertainment and retail businesses discusses the evolution of the retail playbook.

5 minutes with veteran retail analyst Doug Montgomery

Pandemic-induced consumer behavior shifts and some relaxed regulations could indicate opportunities for long-term growth in e-commerce alcohol sales.

61% of total U.S. alcohol ad spend is digital

The rate at which Americans are purchasing smart TVs has jumped over the last four years, suggesting built-in access to streamers has major appeal to viewers.

79% of U.S. households now own a smart TV

Fresh data indicates Americans surveyed increasingly prefer ads with their streaming plans over commercial-free subscriptions.

66% of U.S. streamers would rather watch free video content with ads than pay for ad-free subscriptions

Retail media shines in 2023’s digital ad revenue surge despite industry concerns, according to IAB’s 2023 Internet Advertising Revenue Report. 

Retail media ad revenue hit $43.7 billion in 2023, surging 16.3%

New data suggests an opportunity for streaming services to focus their attention on winning back those who canceled, at a time when the metrics of success are shifting.

32% of U.S. streaming cancellations are ‘won back’ after 6 months

Streaming’s premium environment lifts brand impact and outperforms social media across all points along the purchase decision journey, according to a new report by Magnite.

71% of TV viewers in Southeast Asia watch ad-supported streaming

Viewers are increasingly turning to smaller streamers to satisfy their appetite for original programming.

Smaller streamers’ share of global demand for originals increased 36% in a year

A new report surveying 150 U.S. agency and brand leaders reveals the industry is tipping further toward connected TV (CTV).

63% of U.S. advertisers are prioritizing CTV at least as much as linear TV during upfronts

CTV is the fastest-growing form of advertising this political season, as marketers see potential for the presidential election, as well as congressional and state races.

U.S. political CTV ad spend projected to grow by 600% this presidential election cycle

As connected TV grows as an advertising channel worldwide, all eyes are on the global streaming industry — and the local broadcasters looking to stay competitive.

What advertisers need to know about the state of CTV around the world

How CTV advertisers can benefit from 5G FWA devices bringing streaming to millions in India’s smaller towns and rural areas.

The little 5G devices powering India’s streaming revolution

A new women’s sports network from iHeartMedia reflects the opportunities for advertisers in audio.

Audio networks are betting big on the power of women’s sports content

Roku offers scale, reaching an estimated 120 million households in the U.S., along with a low barrier to entry for fans on its free ad-supported platform.

Roku–MLB partnership marks a first for live sports on FAST platforms

Streaming became a larger force at the upfronts this year, with Amazon and Netflix presenting to advertisers and NBCUniversal, Disney, and Fox giving significant time to streaming services.

Streaming takes over the upfronts with Netflix’s NFL news and the Great Rebundling

Brand building in the age of AI and omnichannel media will require perhaps more independent thinking, creativity, and patience than ever.

Four takeaways from top CMOs at Cannes Lions

Walmart and McDonalds explained how they’re using data-driven insights and entertaining ways to get people to buy.

McDonald's, Walmart on the ROI upside of creative paths to purchase

At the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity, Axios and Deep Blue Sports+Entertainment sponsored The Women’s Sports House where the rise of women’s sports was apparent.

‘Nobody was talking to them’: Brands show their love to women’s sports at Cannes Lions

Advertising leaders call on brands to reinvest in news, as journalism looks for new monetization strategies in the face of several existential challenges.

At Cannes, advertising leaders sound the alarm on the state of news

Media buying agencies note a shift in ad dollars toward digital channels, especially CTV and video, as advertisers look for better ROAS, engagement, and flexibility.

Despite pressure to tighten budgets, marketers still invest in authenticated digital channels like CTV

The State of the Open Internet Report reflects the growth and value of top publisher destinations on the open internet over time.

The value of the open internet is growing in the eyes of advertisers

A new report by Stagwell surveyed thousands of American adults about ads placed next to various news topics. It found little for brands to be concerned about.

A new study aims to convince advertisers that the news is brand-safe

During this election year, growing levels of misinformation on social media are giving rise to advertising alternatives like CTV.

As U.S. election looms, political advertisers shift focus to CTV

How a leading traditional broadcaster is approaching the connected TV (CTV) revolution.

Nine’s programmatic boss Jordan King on the future of Australian TV

Chief marketing and digital officer for L’Oréal in South Asia-Pacific, the Middle East and North Africa, Bradshaw-Zanger is focused on brand equity in a mobile-first marketplace.

L’Oréal’s Lex Bradshaw-Zanger on brand-building in a mobile-first marketplace

At Ford, Jennifer Brace’s role is to prepare the automaker for all the potential scenarios and consumer trends that could impact the company’s success in the future.

Meet Ford’s Chief Futurist, who prepares for at least 4 futures at once

General Motors’ lead of diverse media strategy and investment says that one day, she would like diversity ad spend to simply be part of how companies look at their overarching media strategies, instead of existing as a line item.

GM’s Brianne Boles-Marshall is on a mission to support Black-owned media

The Guardian US has increased its ad revenue 42 percent year over year. Luis Romero, the head of sales in North America, shares insights into his strategy: branded content, green ad dollars, and leaning into lifestyle/sports coverage.

The Guardian U.S.' SVP of ads on brand strategy, green ad dollars, and soccer

The Guardian US' SVP of ads on brand strategy, green ad dollars, and soccer

Marketers should be asking themselves the hard questions as they consider new channels, says Johnson & Johnson’s Andrew Jude Rajanathan.

Johnson & Johnson's EMEA media lead on how the consumer health giant is approaching marketing as inflation bites

Lee Walsh, Uber’s global head of media, offers insights on the company’s brand marketing around its new membership program Uber One, and explains why the company is embracing the upfronts as it moves media spend to connected TV.

Lee Walsh, Uber’s global head of media, on marketing across 10,000 cities

One of the innovators of programmatic advertising talks about the importance of measuring emissions in digital advertising.

5 minutes with Brian O’Kelley

Commentary gems from along the Croisette at this year’s Cannes Lions.

Overheard at Cannes Lions 2024

Advertisers gathered along the Croisette at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity to discuss — and often debate — the hot topics of the moment, such as AI and brand safety.

Cannes Lions 2024: Much ado about AI, Olympics frenzy and Elon Musk’s apology tour

GARM and Ad Net Zero announced a long-awaited framework during Cannes Lions that could push the ad industry to a more sustainable future.

Sustainability lights a fire under Cannes Lions

During a transformative year for the advertising industry, there were plenty of memorable and creative campaigns that could make waves at Cannes Lions.

The top campaigns we’re watching for at Cannes Lions

As the 2024 Cannes Lions Festival approaches, AI’s role has shifted from a hot topic to an essential tool. The ad industry is embracing AI’s utility over its novelty.

Beyond the buzz at Cannes Lions, AI becomes the new norm

If you say “AI” enough times, will it become reality?

3 big insights from OMR 2024, Europe’s top marketing summit

The 2024 IAB NewFronts sees news publishers sound off on brand safety lists, women’s sports enter the scene and a cluster of new CTV offerings.

The IAB NewFronts puts a spotlight on news publishers and women’s sports in a critical year for both

Universal measurement standards for carbon emissions are set to be released by GARM and Ad Net Zero this year at Cannes Lions.

Sustainability could get a boost when universal standards come out at Cannes Lions

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The most critical innovations in advertising are happening on the open internet — identity, the future of TV, retail media, and beyond. Born inside The Trade Desk, The Current is a news platform dedicated to covering the latest in modern marketing — all from the front lines. Speaking to the marketing world’s most influential players, we explain what these seismic shifts mean, how they are happening, and why they are taking place.

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As Generative AI rises and Google deprecates third-party cookies, digital news outlets have an opportunity to create more direct relationships with readers.

With AI looming as a threat to news sites, publishers push back

A wave of retail data is sweeping Europe, with advertisers increasingly relying on it amid cookie deprecation and an evolving regulatory landscape.

Retail data has taken over Europe. Now what?

During this year’s Forward ’24 event, advertisers shared how they are leveraging live sports as it moves into streaming.

How streaming is changing the game for live sports and advertisers

The electronics giant saw a major improvement in online to offline sales attribution after implementing a custom solution leveraging Unified ID 2.0 (UID2).

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