How 3 small business owners are — and aren’t — using AI to nail their marketing campaigns
5 min read
Exclusive
Only 6% of marketers say AI is paying off in a big way. Here's what the winners are doing.
New research from Bain, shared exclusively with CMO Insider, finds most marketers are still waiting to see the impact of their AI investments.
4 min read
The $200 billion retail media boom is causing headaches for CMOs
The "everything is an ad network" marketing maxim becomes truer by the week. It's also making life more complicated for marketers.
4 min read
Marketing pros say Meta should go all in on its cuddly Muse mascot — and ignore the critics
Brand mascots are one of the oldest mnemonics in the marketing playbook for a reason: they work well.
3 min read
ChatGPT's ads are a lot like San Francisco’s infamous billboards
ChatGPT ads skew heavily toward business software, and there are bright points for the business, according to a new report from the agency Graphite.
4 min read
Politicians are attacking AI with a core message: It's costing you money
Electricity bills and other costs are the focus for political campaigns attacking AI and data centers in ads, according to our review of TV spots.
6 min read
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Citi is jumping into the ad business and entering a fast-growing and competitive market
The banking giant is letting brands target ads to its more than 70 million customers based on their spending habits.
4 min read
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Reddit is ramping up its war on marketing slop
Reddit announced new steps to combat the spam that it sees as a threat to its competitive advantage, Business Insider exclusively learned.
4 min read
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Adtech vet Brian O'Kelley's startup is pivoting to AI agents and rebranding with a new name
Scope3 no more. Enter, Apostra, a startup that wants to replace programmatic advertising with AI agents.
6 min read
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Legal AI startup Spellbook hired a new CMO — and she has strong opinions on avoiding 'creepy' AI marketing
Meltem Kuran-Berkowitz wants Spellbook to become the default brand people associate with managing contracts.
4 min read
OpenAI is enlisting an influencer army to make it look 'good for the world'
OpenAI is hiring influencers to create content that portrays AI as cool and helpful, not scary. Here's an inside look at its marketing strategy.
5 min read
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Taboola is buying a rival adtech company to gain a bigger foothold with lucrative finance clients
Taboola CEO Adam Singolda said the company is on a mission to "monetize everything" outside of closed platforms such as Google and Meta.
3 min read
Google has to make big changes to its advertising empire. Here's what a judge ruled — minus the jargon.
Google won't be broken up, but it will have to rewrite the rules of its adtech empire.
5 min read
Why it feels like every brand is having a scandal right now
There's a wave of brand-marketing scandals blowing up online. Here's a theory about why it feels so frenetic.
4 min read
We got a new clue about Xbox's ad ambitions
Microsoft's Xbox is slowly expanding its ad business. A new patent outlines a system that would find appropriate breaks in gameplay to show an ad.
3 min read
Grindr is betting big on IRL marketing. There’s a very digital reason.
Grindr is leaning into experiential marketing to boost reach on social and calm nervy advertisers.
5 min read
Instagram wants you to pay for its AI photo-editing filters — and it doesn't stop there
I'll admit it: Instagram's AI photo editing tools are good. I caved and signed up for a trial of the new Meta One subscriptions.
3 min read
Sydney Sweeney's nearly nude ad is drawing backlash — but she might have the last laugh
Peak Metrics found the Sydney Sweeney ad campaign for Novig had generated more positive than negative posts online.
4 min read
I'm the CMO of Indeed. Companies are looking to hire a new kind of marketer
Indeed CMO James Whitemore says that while marketing job postings are down, it's the function itself that is evolving, Companies need versatile, business-literate marketers in an AI-driven world.
4 min read
Apple CEO John Ternus posts teaser video hours before the company's annual launch event
Apple CEO John Ternus posted a cryptic teaser video ahead of Wednesday's launch event, where Apple is expected to unveil a foldable iPhone.
2 min read
Why Pepsi's surprise $1.7 billion Publicis deal has Madison Avenue reeling
Publicis stunned Madison Avenue by winning PepsiCo's $1.7 billion account while working for Coke — and pitching for more.
3 min read
Brands are pushing influencers to hide their paid deals
Influencer marketing's open secret: Brands are asking creators not to disclose their paid partnerships.
5 min read
OpenAI CFO Sarah Friar says ChatGPT's ads should be like 'if Google and Meta had a baby'
OpenAI's CFO, Sarah Friar, discussed ChatGPT's ad strategy at a conference, revealing that the company is on track to reach $1 billion in annual revenue.
3 min read
Adtech company The Trade Desk lays off 15% of staff as it restructures into 'smaller pods'
The restructure is expected to affect more than 500 roles at the adtech company, which has faced intensifying competition from Amazon.
4 min read
Google yet again avoided a breakup of its business — but it will have to play nicer
A judge ruled Google doesn't have to sell off parts of its adtech business, but it will face other remedies.
4 min read
Amazon's fight with the FTC contains an uncomfortable lesson for advertisers
Ad insiders advise CMOs to keep calm, check their exposure, and seek independent measurement in the wake of the lawsuit.
4 min read
Sam Altman's 'last resort' is now minting money for OpenAI
OpenAI said its ads business hit a $1 billion annualized revenue run rate: "Advertising is one pillar of OpenAI's diversified business model."
2 min read
Axe is betting Gen Z is ready for a whiff of Y2K
Spray it ain't so: Axe is reviving classic fragrances and winking at the marketing that made it famous.
2 min read
Why is Meta calling out TikTok and YouTube with a flurry of new ads? It's a game of 'reputational jujitsu.'
After a surprise multibillion-dollar settlement, Meta is going on the offensive against TikTok and YouTube in a new PR strategy.
4 min read
Exclusive
The latest sign of influencer commerce heating up: Levanta just raised $22 million
Creator commerce platform Levanta has raised a $22 million Series B round as it looks to drive more influencer affiliate sales on retail sites.
3 min read
What Reddit's ChatGPT citations collapse means for marketers
The SEO community is in a frenzy over data suggesting ChatGPT abruptly stopped citing Reddit. For CMOs, the trend isn't as bad as it sounds.
3 min read
PR pros say Neutrogena botched its response to the Hayden Panettiere backlash. Here's what they think it should do now.
PR pros said Neutrogena responded too late, took too little responsibility, and scored an own goal by disabling comments on its Instagram statement.
3 min read
I’m a marketer who fell into the ‘empire-building’ trap. Now I know a bigger head count doesn’t mean better marketing.
BuildOps CMO Colin Piper once managed a 130-person marketing team. Now he thinks smaller marketing departments can do more.
6 min read
Exclusive
Netflix parts ways with a key ad exec in a leadership shake-up. Read the leaked memo from its ad chief.
Jon Whitticom, an exec who helped build Netflix's ads business, is exiting the company, according to a memo viewed by Business Insider.
4 min read
Coke's Fanta is making its own monsters as brands chase Hollywood-style IP
Fanta is introducing its own Haunted Universe, another example of how brands are becoming media companies and entertainers in their own right.
4 min read
WPP seeks to seal 'highly confidential and sensitive' client information from lawsuit with former exec
WPP says recent lawsuit filed by an ex-employee, is a "naked attempt to leverage an exorbitant payout."
3 min read
Exclusive
Lawsuit alleges Sony investigated WPP's media operation and said it ran a 'global crime scene'
A legal filing alleges Sony hired investigators to probe WPP, who said the agency improperly withheld rebates from clients.
5 min read
The creator economy's hottest debate: Can influencers post AI ads without alienating their fans?
AI companies are hiring influencers and offering hefty paychecks. Creators are left weighing the cost of backlash from their fans.
6 min read
Exclusive
3 execs who sold their company to Martin Sorrell's S4 Capital are suing, alleging they’re owed millions
A lawsuit claims S4 owes three former employees millions of dollars and shares owed to them. S4 declined to comment on pending litigation.
4 min read
Exclusive
Microsoft AI's CMO is leaving as the company rethinks consumer marketing efforts
Andréa Mallard is leaving Microsoft's AI unit after around six months in the role, Business Insider has learned.
3 min read
Seeking nominations for the most innovative influencer marketers for brands in 2026
Business Insider is seeking nominations for top influencer marketers who work for brands. Submit your nomination by September 4.
2 min read
Exclusive
Creator talent giant DBA is buying a boutique management shop to help influencers build their own businesses
Digital Brand Architects is acquiring the talent firm V1sion Ventures as it looks to expand its work in creator entrepreneurship and brand building.
2 min read
The dream of serving ads to AI agents has hit a snag
Perplexity said ads designed to influence AI bots are "deceptive," in response to a recent experiment from the publisher Time.
3 min read
Nielsen's $2 billion DoubleVerify acquisition is a big play for CMOs
Nielsen is looking to broaden its advertiser-direct relationships and push further into helping CMOs plan and allocate their media budgets.
4 min read
Patrón thinks its biggest selling point is what's not in its tequila
Patrón found a creative workaround to rules that bar it from using the words "additive free" in its marketing.
4 min read
Exclusive
$4 billion Vanta has a new CMO who wants to make security compliance marketing 'a little zingier'
Vanta's new CMO, Sarah Scharf, says she wants to build on its brand positioning as a "trust company."
3 min read
YouTube is making it harder for creators to start earning money
YouTube is changing the requirements for creators to be accepted into its primary monetization program.
3 min read
OpenAI will bring ChatGPT ads to Brazil and Mexico, and is adding a raft of fresh features
OpenAI enhances ChatGPT ads with new targeting tools and expansion into Brazil and Mexico, according to an email reviewed by Business Insider.
3 min read
PMI's head of comms explains why AI has made corporate websites more important than ever
Moira Gilchrist, chief communications officer at PMI, talks about why she is focusing on strategic owned content in the era of AI
4 min read