How can a deal as monumental as the one between Netflix and Warner Music genuinely push the medium forward? To Chris Watling, founder of Baby Teeth, the answer comes down to artistic integrity, risk-taking, and bravery.

What are your non-negotiables when working on a creator campaign? For Jordan Howlett, it's making sure he can actually interact with the folks he's working with. Join the convo with us at Social Media Week April 14-16 in NYC 👉 https://adweek.it/4bFuOkA

Big brands are returning to their founding stories to reset after losing focus, and it is paying off.

"Unilever’s decision to combine its foods business with McCormick & Company isn’t a retreat from food, but a re-focus on areas where it can naturally make more money." Javier E. Rodriguez Horta, senior consultant at CvE, gives his take on the recent restructuring at Unilever.

Agentic commerce dominated the conversation at this year’s Shoptalk, showing up everywhere from panels to private chats, But despite the buzz, no one in the ecosystem has figured out how it will actually work, since consumer behavior and the needed infrastructure are still unclear.

Director Billy Boman has leaned heavily into using AI tools in his work, directing AI videos for Google, Universal Music, and Klarna. Now, he's sharing his rules for using AI in his creative and professional endeavors. https://adweek.it/4sNSQQO

The basic cable network ranker and cable news report for the week of March 23 is in, and Fox News was the only big three cable news network to grow in total viewers and the Adults 25-54 demo, during primetime and total day. Read more 👇

Publicis Groupe has acquired sports and culture-focused agency 160over90 as the holding company eyes sports marketing as its next big growth area. Publicis purchased the agency in full for an undisclosed sum, pending regulatory approval. Read more 👉 https://adweek.it/4dpwFeW

🧵 Amanda Nguyen has been partnered with e.l.f. Beauty for almost two years, with a joint commitment to democratizing access to opportunity and uplifting underrepresented voices.

Ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft in Pittsburgh (April 23–25), the NFL teamed with Steelers legends Cam Heyward and Jerome Bettis for its new ad, “Smash the Glass,” in which Bettis stops Heyward from taking a sledgehammer to a Super Bowl ring display. Read more 👉 https://adweek.it/417J3sr

Pringles’ new spot “Pringlelina: A Love Story,” created by BBDO New York and directed by Thomas Ormonde, follows a young man who builds his dream partner from stacked Pringles, echoing the brand’s earlier Super Bowl ad “Pringleleo” starring Sabrina Carpenter. Read more 👉 https://adweek.it/4sK6mol

Nvidia is pitching real-time, high-end AI video to advertisers and entertainment studios, showing at Runway’s AI Summit how its latest platform can generate and update scenes instantly as prompts change.

After more than 50 years, the U.S. is returning to the moon as NASA prepares to launch the four-person Artemis II test mission on Wednesday. Here's how most major networks are covering the historic launch. 👇

YouTube is telling upfront week marketers, “Good luck, babe.” Its upcoming Brandcast 2026 will hit Lincoln Center in NYC on May 13 at 5:30 p.m. ET, hosted by Trevor Noah with Chappell Roan headlining, plus appearances from creators like Alex Cooper, Kareem Rahma, and Quenlin Blackwell.

Don’t worry, we thought it was funny. Social media managers: Don’t miss the chance to use reactive social to your advantage. Learn more this month at Social Media Week in NYC, April 14–16 👉 https://adweek.it/4bFuOkA

BRB, grabbing a Loverboy 😉 Entrepreneur and Summer House star Kyle Cooke stopped by ADWEEK House: Austin to talk about his beverage brand Loverboy, how he weaves it into the show, and how the series handles product placements.

Former NFL star Cam Newton and Detavio Samuels, CEO of Revolt/Offscript Worldwide, told ADWEEK at the 2026 IAB NewFronts that brands need to rethink how they connect with sports fans by investing early in athlete creators. Read the full interview 👉 https://adweek.it/416tPUA

After controversy over The Trade Desk’s fees, rivals are trying to win business from uneasy advertisers: Publicis told clients to stop using the DSP after an audit alleged unauthorized and misapplied fees, and while The Trade Desk denied the claims, Omnicom now plans its own third-party audit.

🚨 Calling all current and aspiring chief marketers 🚨 The Marketing Vanguard Newsletter is here. 👉 Sign up here https://adweek.it/4dBc73d

EXCLUSIVE | Spotify announced Tuesday that it is rolling out interactive carousel ads to attract more marketing dollars across the funnel, from brand awareness to sales, as user preferences shift toward a more visual experience.

In 2010, “Mayogate” showed how culturally charged mayonnaise is: a report that Obama ordered mayo was later corrected to mustard, even as most U.S. households stock mayo and a loud minority loathes it. Today the category is heating up.

Redfin is promoting the idea that home means community by staging a “for show” open house at Cleveland’s Rocket Arena as part of its “Own the Dream” campaign.

In 2025, KPop Demon Hunters became a global hit, breaking @netflix.com records and winning two Oscars, and now McDonald’s along with Wieden+Kennedy New York have extended the story with an official “Battle of the Fans” campaign. Read more 👉 https://adweek.it/4dZCT58

TVNewser’s cable news report for the week of March 16, 2026 shows MS NOW as the only network to grow in total viewers in primetime and total day, though it also saw demo declines likely tied to March Madness.

EXCLUSIVE | Amazon first introduced Sponsored Ads in its Rufus AI shopping assistant in 2024, but a leaked pitch deck, confirmed by Amazon, offers new details on measurement and pricing.

We asked a number of female founders how social media has transformed their businesses, and here’s what they had to say. Join us at Social Media Week in NYC April 14–16 for sessions, workshops, and creator-led insights. Get your tickets 👉 https://adweek.it/4bFuOkA

Commerce and Sustainability Editor @klundster.bsky.social was on the ground at Shoptalk and is sharing her learnings based on conversations with dozens of retail media practitioners, adtech vendors, analysts, social platforms, and more.

@ms.now announced that Peter Alexander is joining the news outlet as a Washington D.C.-based anchor, chief national reporter, and breaking news anchor. The now former chief White House correspondent for @nbcnews.com will helm MS NOW’s 11 a.m. ET hour. https://adweek.it/4s0Ub5m

EXCLUSIVE | CourtAvenue is acquiring data and marketing technology consultancy GTX Solutions, as the independent agency looks to deepen its enterprise data capabilities amid rising client demand for AI solutions. Learn more 👇

Many brands are rolling out campaigns tied to The Devil Wears Prada 2, but one stands out to Nataly Kelly, CMO at Zappi: TRESemmé being the “signature hair brand” of the film.

At its first NewFronts event, Uproxx TV pitched itself as “creator television,” touting Comscore data that ranks it a top-10 CTV entertainment property with 160M+ monthly viewers and a majority watching on TV screens, and outlining a strategy of TikTok-ready CTV shows powered by “super creators.”

Bob Schmetterer, former chairman and CEO of Euro RSCG (later Havas Worldwide) and a founding partner of MVBCS, has died at 82. Read more about the legacy he leaves behind: https://adweek.it/48bFLrU

OpenAI is extending its ChatGPT ads pilot beyond April and preparing to expand internationally, starting with Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, as it continues testing sponsored messages, targeting, and measurement ahead of any broader rollout.

This week’s standout ads mix the personal and political, the funny and sincere, from Aerie’s AI-free authenticity and Yahoo Mail’s inbox anxiety spot to Springsteen’s legal-battle voiceover, plus KFC’s chicken devotion challenge and Peroni’s timeless Italian pitch.

Meta came to IAB NewFronts touting AI-driven ads and creators as the new prime time, but the pitch landed amid legal and operational turmoil: juries in Los Angeles and New Mexico found the company liable in major cases, and Meta confirmed layoffs as it shifts resources to AI.

Over the past few weeks, X has cut more than 20 nontechnical roles, including global marketing chief Angela Zepeda, an ad industry veteran hired in 2024. https://adweek.it/4uSApf2

During an emotional interview with her former co-anchor Hoda Kotb, Savannah Guthrie announced she will return to Today on Monday, April 6. “When times are hard, you want to be with your family. And I want to be with my family,” said Guthrie. Read more 👉 https://adweek.it/4uUEkYR

Do you use search engines the same way you use answer engines? Ekta Chopra, chief digital officer at e.l.f. Cosmetics, has noticed that people are doing just that. E.l.f. now must work harder to stay visible, she said.

OpenAI pulled the plug on its viral video platform Sora earlier this week, less than a year after its splashy debut—by which point much of the creative industry had already moved on. Read more 👉 https://adweek.it/4c5VPho

Day 3 of the 2026 IAB NewFronts brought agency teams, brand marketers, and media buyers a packed slate of pitches across the ad-partner landscape. With all those presentations in mind, here are three takeaways from this year’s IAB Mainstage. 👇

Google and news publishers have long relied on each other but have grown increasingly at odds as Google sends less referral traffic. Now, Google is testing rewriting publishers’ headlines, a move many media executives see as an unacceptable unilateral editorial decision.

As AI pressures agency business models, Horizon Media is testing performance-based pricing over billable hours, naming Bhavana Smith COO and elevating three presidents to help shift compensation toward measurable client results.

EXCLUSIVE | WPP has appointed Guillaume Epstein as global head of commercial, a newly created role meant to simplify how the company works with clients by standardizing pricing, contracts, and client negotiations across its global network. https://adweek.it/4rVFQqU

🗣️ What Francis Roberts said! 🗣️ It's what you do in between the viral moments that really builds a community. Build your IRL community with us at Social Media Week ➡️ https://adweek.it/4bFuOkA

AI can do a lot, but it can’t manufacture realness. That’s the point of Pamela Anderson’s new “100% Aerie Real” campaign with Aerie, which builds on the brand’s pledge not to use AI-generated people or bodies in ads and its long-standing stance against retouching. https://adweek.it/4mc2b2p

ABC World News Tonight, NBC Nightly News, and CBS Evening News closed out winter and entered spring with some good news: all three recorded no viewership losses in total viewers or the Adults 25-54 demo for the week of March 16. Get the full scoop on the full evening news ratings below 👇

The Female Quotient is increasing its presence at this year's Cannes Lions with FQ Beach and Camp, an expansion of its FQ Lounge set-up on the roof of the Hôtel Martinez. The space will host an outdoor stage with daily programming, brand activations, and gatherings that forward The FQ’s mission.

A Los Angeles jury found Meta and YouTube liable for a teen’s depression and anxiety, awarding “Kaley” $6M in a precedent-setting verdict that could help similar cases sidestep Section 230 by targeting allegedly addictive design features. Both companies are weighing appeals.

Principal media buying has shifted from a quiet agency practice to a highly visible flashpoint, spanning everything from traditional channels like broadcast, cable, radio, and outdoor to digital and programmatic marketplaces. Read more from Doug Ray 👇

Indeed has named Stagwell’s 72andSunny its global creative agency of record, expanding a years-long project relationship into a broader partnership spanning creative, strategy, brand marketing, and product marketing.