Welcome to The Refresh, a weekly newsletter from Marketecture Media. Every Thursday we’ll bring you the latest advertising news, commentary, and memes.

• CTV still has a fraud problem (AdExchanger)

• Why brands and agencies are putting AI chiefs in their C-Suites (Digiday)

• Two lawsuits allege the Trade Desk secretly violates consumer privacy laws (AdWeek)

• Rite Aid sued for nearly $7M over alleged unpaid advertising bills (BizJournals)

• Google's latest ad regulations for crypto to take effect from April 23 (Yahoo Finance)

Chaos Is the New Constant: How Marketers Are Bracing

The ad industry is preparing for another bout of economic turbulence but this time triggered by a whiplash of tariff policy shifts. Marketers are flashing back to the early days of Covid for guidance. While no one’s hitting the panic button yet, brand and agency leaders alike say the playbook now demands constant replanning, agility, and scenario-based forecasting.

With marketers toggling between brand and performance strategies, and C-suite expectations shifting toward revenue impact over soft metrics, the CMO's role is evolving fast and P&L is becoming more important than ever.

Buckle up.

Read Digiday

Jeff Green on the AdTechGod Pod?

Jeff Green, my personal White Buffalo, replied to me on LinkedIn. And not only did he reply… he addressed me as Lord. I can now die peacefully. Or better yet, live long enough to have him on my podcast.

Jeff, if you're reading this: will you be on my podcast? 🦬

Note from the editor: Jeff, come on the Marketecture pod, not the ATG pod. 🦖

LinkedIn Post

WPP’s AI Army: 28,000 Agents and One Man’s Mission to Keep Them From Going Rogue

WPP has launched over 28,000 AI agents to assist with media planning, content, and analytics but scale is only half the battle. The Chief AI Officer is focused on building adaptive systems that learn and evolve safely, not just perform tasks. His team is creating AI that operates in real-time environments, governed by ethical frameworks like crowdsourced app “Moral Me” and “neuromorphic” computing.

As more companies race into AI, he warns that untested agents could trigger real-world damage, from misallocated budgets to flawed logic spreading unchecked. With platforms like WPP Open and federated learning in play, the agency aims to guide AI evolution before regulators step in. The future of advertising may not be about influencing people but influencing the agents who influence them.

Read Digiday

Zuckerberg Grilled in Landmark Antitrust Trial Over Instagram, WhatsApp Acquisitions

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg testified in a high-stakes antitrust trial over the company’s acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp. The FTC alleges Meta bought up rivals to kill competition and protect its dominance with a “buy or bury” strategy.

If the court rules against Meta, it could force the company to spin off both apps, threatening a major chunk of its ad revenue. The trial, expected to last eight weeks, could reshape the future of Meta’s empire

Read NPR

LG Ad Solutions Taps Zenapse to Bring Emotional Intelligence to CTV Ads

LG Ad Solutions has partnered with Zenapse to integrate emotional intelligence into its CTV ads using Zenapse’s Large Emotion Model. The multi-year deal aims to enhance personalization and performance across 200 million LG Smart TVs. As CTV ad spend booms, the duo plans to deliver smarter, more emotionally resonant campaigns.

CTV just got in its feelings now your TV knows when you’re sad, hungry, or ghosting your ex’s Netflix login.

Yahoo Finance

Temu Pulls U.S. Ads Amid Tariff Chaos, Disappears from Google Shopping

Temu’s once-massive U.S. ad presence has suddenly vanished. Its share of Google Shopping impressions dropped from 19% to 0% in just days, with TikTok ads also going dark. The sharp pullback follows rising tariffs and political pressure on Chinese imports, forcing Temu to rethink its U.S. strategy fast.

Temu ads always sucked and I saw them everywhere. They burned cash like crazy which I guess is a good thing for advertising. So I am mad the money is gone but I’m not mad I don’t have to see that junk anymore.

Read Adweek

Meme of the week

I decided to do a Jack Black series because I like Jack Black.

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