Welcome to The Refresh, your weekly download of what actually matters in advertising. Brought to you by Marketecture Media and written by AdTechGod.
Every Thursday, we bring you the latest news, commentary, and memes that speak the truth about this industry. If it's happening in AdTech, media, or marketing and it’s interesting, it’ll be here.
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Red Seat Ventures Acquires Leading Podcast Subscription Platform Supercast (Fox Corporation)
Super Bowl 60 recap: Rewatch all the top commercials from advertising’s biggest night (CNBC)
Hearst rethinks brand safety to unlock news ad yield (Digiday)
Ad Tech Briefing: Publishers are turning to AI-powered mathmen, but can it trump political machinations? (Digiday)
Reddit Weighs $1 Billion Buyback Against Adtech Deals And Monetization Goals (Yahoo Finance)
Scope3 Cuts Engineering and Sales Staff in Second Round of Layoffs in 5 Months (ADWEEK)
WPP’s Kate Scott-Dawkins on Predicting the Future of Data, AI, and Advertising’s Next Era
Kate Scott-Dawkins, Global President of Business Intelligence at WPP Media, joins AdTechGod to share how agencies use economic signals, advertiser trends, and emerging AI shifts to forecast the future of advertising while helping brands stay ahead in a rapidly changing world.
Sam Khoury on the B2B Creator Business
Sam Khoury, Chief Strategy Officer at Marketecture Media, joins James Borow and Daniel Druger on the ADSN Podcast to discuss the rise of B2B creators and why the shift from social platforms to live events has proven so successful for Marketecture Media.
OpenAI Begins Testing Ads in ChatGPT for Free and Go Users
OpenAI has started rolling out test ads in ChatGPT, targeting users on its free and $8-per-month Go tiers. The company said ads will be clearly labeled and visually separated from chatbot responses. Ad targeting will be based on conversation topics, prior chats, and previous interactions with ads, though OpenAI emphasized that advertising will not influence ChatGPT’s answers.
Users will be able to opt out of personalized ads, and the company pledged to keep conversations private from advertisers. OpenAI also said it will implement safeguards to limit scams and misleading promotions and will not show ads to users under 18. The move comes as competitors take varied approaches, with Anthropic rejecting ads in its Claude chatbot and Google signaling possible future ad integrations in its Gemini AI products.
Amazon’s AI Content Marketplace, Gambling Ad Loopholes, and the Creator Cash Grab
Amazon is preparing to launch a content marketplace that would allow publishers to sell their content to AI companies, according to The Information. While publishers welcome compensation after years of unpaid scraping by large language models, concerns remain that one-time payments will fall short of usage-based models that better reflect how often content informs AI responses. Enforcement challenges persist, with some bots reportedly disguising themselves as human visitors to bypass agreements.
Meanwhile, scrutiny is mounting over targeted gambling ads in the U.S., where lax regulations allow personalized promotions that can exacerbate problem betting.
Finally, YouTube’s biggest creators are diversifying beyond platform ad revenue, launching consumer brands and acquisitions as growth slows and algorithmic personalization limits broad audience reach.
The Seahawks Might Have Won on the Field, but BBDO Won Where It Counts for Marketers
As the creative agency behind the most ads in Super Bowl 60, BBDO delivered six spots for brands including Pepsi Zero Sugar, Instacart, Pringles, Budweiser, Oikos, and Wells Fargo, more than any other creative shop in this year’s Big Game.
“Six Super Bowl spots is a pretty amazing thing,” Chris Beresford-Hill, global chief creative officer at BBDO Worldwide, told ADWEEK. “It’s a huge investment for our brand partners, and we love the pressure of being entrusted to drive the brand and business on the biggest stage, where entertainment is also a must. We’re so proud of our teams for delivering.”
The milestone follows Omnicom’s $13.5 billion acquisition of Interpublic Group, which brought FCB into the fold and added Super Bowl mainstay brands like Budweiser to BBDO’s roster.
Marketecture Live III - Consumers in Control
Where the Industry Gets Honest About What’s Next
Join us March 10–11 at The Glasshouse in NYC for a limited-seat event built for leaders looking for what’s next in advertising.
Brand and marketing leaders looking to stay ahead of consumer shifts and growth channels in 2026 can apply for a complimentary pass.
Agency executives and strategy and media teams exploring what’s next in planning and creative effectiveness can apply for a complimentary pass.
Publishers and groups of 3 or more navigating AI disruption and retail media realities receive special rates.
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