Many in the marketing and tech world have dismissed the Phia scandal as just another affiliate fraud story. But it’s not.

But some ad buyers wonder if branded content undermines the core value prop of driving sales.

There is much angst about the state of advertising. Various commentators in the industry and in the general media have bemoaned a creativity crisis, which is attributed to everything from short-termism to artificial intelligence to the fragmentation of media. There is some evidence that advertising’s persuasive power has declined in recent years. It is less [...]

Kraft Heinz recently announced a planned split into two separate companies with the goal of improving operating performance and accompanying shareholder return for each of the successor entities. This announcement has generated significant coverage in the business and financial press, with much of this coverage focusing on the challenges Kraft Heinz has faced related to [...]

From all my years in research and consulting, I think I’ve learned a thing or two about marketing worth sharing. Enduring fundamentals, mostly yet often overlooked. So, this year, I want to share some snippets for your consideration. I hope they’re helpful. This week’s thought: Reference points line up everything. This article is part of Branding [...]

Marketing leaders often focus on creative execution as the key to advertising success. But the most effective campaigns don’t start with creativity; they start with strategy. The brands that achieve long-term impact don’t just sell products; they embed themselves into consumer psychology, cultural conversations, and purchasing behavior. When executed well, advertising becomes a force that [...]

Attention matters. Marketing doesn’t work unless and until consumers pay attention. As the Advertising Research Foundation summed it up, attention is the “crucial bridge” between ad delivery and ad impact. How attention works and how to measure it are front and center nowadays, with big initiatives by trade groups like the ARF, WARC, IPA, MRC, [...]

Publicis Groupe sails serenely onwards, just about the only thing that looks like disturbing its progress is Donald Trump banning French companies from operating in the US (don’t laugh, he just hasn’t thought of it yet. Good job France isn’t going to win the World Cup.) In Q2 2026 Publicis clocked 4.8% net organic growth, [...]

Publicis Groupe sails serenely onwards, just about the only thing that looks like disturbing its progress is Donald Trump banning French companies from operating in the US (don’t laugh, he just hasn’t thought of it yet. Good job France isn’t going to win the World Cup.) In Q2 2026 Publicis clocked 4.8% net organic growth, [...]