Adweek

How Time Turned Events Into Its Biggest Revenue Driver The business is on pace to generate more than 50% of its total revenue in 2026

Time has largely completed its digital pivot by becoming an events-led business: events and their digital extensions are on pace to generate over half of total revenue this year, up from 28% in 2023, and nearly 80% of ad revenue.

How Washington's AI Power Struggle Became a Marketing Headache As Anthropic sues the Department of War and OpenAI deepens ties with Washington, industry leaders are watching the geopolitical alliances behind AI platforms.

The escalating dispute between Anthropic and the United States Department of War is becoming more than a government procurement fight.

For advertisers and tech buyers, it’s an early signal that the AI platforms powering future media and commerce may increasingly be shaped by geopolitical alliances.

AI Hasn’t Cut Marketing Jobs, But It Has Made Them Harder New data shows layoffs tied to AI remain limited, even as expectations for faster, higher-volume output have risen

AI is not eliminating marketing jobs at scale, but it is reshaping them. NewtonX data for ADWEEK shows most organizations saw little to no AI driven headcount reduction.

The Points Guy's Nick Ewen Has 28 Credit Cards. Here's How He Tracks His Benefits Points maxxing is for the spreadsheet warriors.

Americans carry about four credit cards on average, but The Points Guy editor Nick Ewen says he has 28, and he has spent two decades squeezing value from them to travel widely on miles, credits, and points. bit.ly/4b5ouTu

AI Is Moving Faster Than Agency Contracts Survey data shows AI reshaping agency workflows while most contracts, pricing models, and governance policies remain unchanged.

In an ADWEEK and NewtonX survey, nearly two-thirds said AI is meaningfully affecting their day-to-day work, yet 39% of agency contracts don’t mention AI at all and 27% address it only broadly.

McCann's Tyler Turnbull Enjoys Skiing for the Challenge—and Family Time McCann global CEO Tyler Turnbull spends his winters in the mountains of Canada. Catch him if you can.

McCann global CEO Tyler Turnbull thrives on high-pressure challenges, from intense early-career agency work to pushing his limits on the ski slopes of Ontario.

10 AI Marketing Trends for 2026 From agentic workflows to AEO shifts, Shiv Singh analyzes the impact of AI on brand trust and creativity.

From CES to Davos to the AI-heavy Super Bowl ads, one thing came through loud and clear: AI has moved past being a shiny new feature.

Here are 10 trends that Shiv Singh, CEO of Savvy Matter, sees colliding right now.

Can Buzzy Marketing Bring Back JCPenney? CMO Marisa Thalberg Is Betting on It As Thalberg approaches one year on the job, a check-in on a challenging turnaround.

JCPenney’s CMO Marisa Thalberg’s first year in the position has focused on repositioning the 123-year-old retailer with witty, social-first campaigns, aiming to make shoppers feel savvy about getting style and quality at a good value.

In 2026, Brands Are Virtue Signaling About AI Advertisers from Equinox to Almond Breeze take clear stances on the tech amid AI backlash.

In 2026, more brands are publicly rejecting “AI slop” and tech gimmicks to position themselves as authentic alternatives, with campaigns from Equinox and Almond Breeze joining earlier moves by Dove, BMW, and Aerie as ADWEEK expands its running list. bit.ly/4qRMpL0

An Irish Comedian Turned the Big Arch Launch into a Global Burger War A routine product launch became a global cultural moment, but not a single dollar of paid media made it happen.

McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski Instagram taste-test for the Big Arch stayed quiet until Irish creator Garron Noone stitched it on TikTok Feb. 25, triggering parodies and brand pile-ons that turned the launch into a global. https://bit.ly/4rWU77u

Stagwell Sees Record New Business as Rivals Merge Stagwell reported modest 2025 revenue growth but said first-quarter 2026 new business is shaping up to be the strongest in its history as CEO Mark Penn pointed to opportunities created by industry con...

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🏦 Full-year adjusted diluted EPS of $0.83

🏦 Full-year adjusted EBITDA of $422 million. This is a 17% margin on net revenue

📈 Full-year net revenue of $2.43 billion (+6%)

📈 Full-year 2025 revenue of $2.9 billion (+2%)

🏦 Q4 adjusted diluted EPS of $0.30

🏦 Q4 adjusted EBITDA of $129 million. This is ~20% margin on net revenue

📈 $651 million in Q4 net revenue (+3%)

📈 $807 million in Q4 2025 revenue (+2% year over year)

Here are the numbers 👇

The remarks came alongside Stagwell’s latest financial results, which showed modest revenue growth and stronger profitability.

“I can say with some confidence that our Q1 2026 net new business is shaping up to be the strongest in the history of the firm,” Penn said during Stagwell’s fourth quarter and full year earnings call Tuesday.

🧵 Stagwell expects first quarter 2026 new business to be the strongest in its history, giving the holding company reason to be optimistic about the year ahead, according to CEO Mark Penn.

Ikea's Global Campaign Is a Love Letter to the Feeling of Home Ikea’s global campaign wants to remind people that there’s no feeling like home.

Read more on the campaign here 👇

Ikea is hitting us in the feels this morning 🥺

The centerpiece of its new campaign features a wistful cover of Carole King’s “Home Again” performed by Lucy Dacus, showing people around the world ending their busy days—working at a restaurant, leaving school—and making the journey back home.

Still thinking about last year’s Social Media Week. 💫

Social Media Week 2026 is on the way, and we’d love to see you there.

Grab your tickets now! https://bit.ly/3P19du4

Gap Turns Its Spring Campaign Into a Music Video With Young Miko Gap collaborated with Grammy-nominated Puerto Rican rapper Young Miko to create a music video for its Spring 2026 campaign.

¿Qué es la que hay? 🖤

Gap is at it again—this time with Young Miko starring in the brand's Spring 2026 campaign.

Calvin Klein's Spring 2026 campaign featuring Dakota Johnson leans back on its time-tested formula: big stars and provocative imagery.

Read more on the campaign 👉 https://bit.ly/46TyDA5

MNTN Hires TikTok and NBCUniversal Veterans to Chase the SMB Market The performance TV company has hired Garland Hill as its first chief revenue officer and Peter Blacker as its global head of premium content

EXCLUSIVE | The connected TV platform MNTN has hired two senior executives to accelerate its push into the small and mid-sized business market: former TikTok growth chief Garland Hill and former NBCUniversal streaming head Peter Blacker.

Paramount Could Face a High Cost for Changing CNN David Ellison has said CNN's ‘editorial independence' will be maintained.

Paramount Skydance’s potential bid for Warner Bros. Discovery assets, including CNN, is rattling the news business amid fears that corporate or political pressure could influence CNN’s newsroom.