Ad Age

💡 Ad Age is updating how we accept and review opinion pieces to ensure our readers get the most useful, actionable perspectives on the marketing and advertising landscape. Beginning immediately, all op-ed submissions must be sent exclusively through our new Google submission form. We will no longer accept pitches or drafts via email or direct messages. The new system is designed to streamline the process for contributors and editors, while reinforcing the standards that have long defined Ad Age’s Opinion section: fresh thinking, practical insights and ideas that help marketers work smarter right now. Read on for everything you need to know about pitching an op-ed to Ad Age. 🔗

Brands can win consumers during peak holiday periods by integrating pricing intelligence, media optimization and creative performance into a unified strategy. #ad Read more from our Publishing Partner, PMG. https://lnkd.in/gg7D8a3B

Here are 6️⃣ advertising and marketing stories to kickstart your week, including: ❤️🩹 Behind the fake brand apology trend and why social media experts hate it 🍹 Svedka’s Fembot is returning in the Super Bowl’s first fully AI-generated ad 🍕 Papa Johns hires Leo Chicago as new creative agency

Welcome back to marketing winners and losers! Adrianne Pasquarelli has the download on which brands trended up (and down). 📲 Lowe's Companies, Inc.’s is having some holiday season fun—plus, why apparel brands Quince and xSuit had a rough week. 🔗 Read the full story: https://lnkd.in/gEZ8Z7FG

It’s been a dramatic week in agency land, with Omnicom unveiling a massive restructuring following its acquisition of IPG. This week, Agency Brief has the exclusive on the Almond Board of California’s review decision, plus plenty more. 📰 Want to be included in a future edition? Reach out to Ewan Larkin and Brian Bonilla for consideration.

How programmatic is helping advertisers unlock the full potential of traditional TV ad spots. #ad Read more from our Publishing Partner, Experian Automotive. https://lnkd.in/g8JKNbWz

TV provides a trusted environment for political messaging in a landscape of deepfakes and bot farms. #ad Read more from our Publishing Partner, DIRECTV Advertising. https://lnkd.in/gk-kgXkb

Publicis Groupe is marking its upcoming 100th anniversary with an AI-driven short film that recounts the company’s history from its founding in 1926 through the tumult of World War II and into the present day. “Over the last 100 years, we have gone from a tiny little shop in Paris to the No. 1 player in the industry,“ Publicis Chairman and CEO Arthur Sadoun told Ad Age. ”We might not be the largest, but we are still the most valuable …What we have tried to express through the film is the notion that we are about resilience and reinvention … We have made some very strong bets at moments that were difficult in our history.” Created by Publicis Conseil and produced by Prodigious Paris, “A Lion Never Gives Up” blends live action with generative AI 2D and 3D imaging to retell the Groupe’s defining moments. 🔗 Read the full story from Brian Bonilla to see how Publicis is preparing for the ad industry’s future: https://lnkd.in/g3BiFVun

AI is no longer a buzzword. It’s how marketers plan, predict, and perform. Explore the post-hype AI era in our 2026 Digital Advertising Trends Report. #ad Download this white paper today! Made possible by Smartly. https://lnkd.in/gf9Xjq8s

Discover how trusted audio creators—from radio hosts to podcasters—are driving brand performance. Watch this conversation with Audacy's Jennifer Nelson, Jeff Sottolano, Moira Curran and Ad Age to explore how authenticity, alignment and audio innovation are transforming campaigns. #ad Watch-on demand now! Made possible by Audacy. https://lnkd.in/gDBJsZ3g