AGP Executive Report

Creator Campaigns: Social media creators are explaining party platforms and shaping local-election debates, extending political messages beyond rallies and traditional ads. Marketing Tech: Salesforce agreed to acquire Braze for $5.66 billion, adding real-time customer data and AI-powered marketing capabilities to Marketing Cloud. Media & Ads: CBS News is partnering with a betting app on sponsored election coverage, a high-profile blend of news and commercial content. Audience Shifts: INQUIRER.net reports 70% of Filipino respondents got news from social and video platforms, while use of news sites and apps fell to 42%—a challenge for publishers trying to build lasting audience habits. Marketing Skills: WFA research identifies strategic thinking as marketing’s biggest skills gap, even as teams face pressure to move faster with AI.

AI in Campus Marketing: University of Houston student senators proposed banning generative AI in university ads after AI-made Family Weekend promotions drew criticism over their impact on student artists and campus connection. Marketing Tech: Salesforce agreed to acquire Braze for $5.66 billion, adding real-time customer data and AI-powered marketing capabilities. Skills Gap: New WFA research identifies strategic thinking as marketing’s biggest skills gap. Media & Platforms: Meta delayed new terms as publishers challenge AI scraping, while CBS News sold sponsored election coverage to a betting app—putting platform practices and ad partnerships in the spotlight. Brand Strategy: Coca-Cola is reshaping its marketing amid an agency roster shake-up, and creators at PluggedIN 2026 discussed IP ownership and more sustainable brand partnerships.

Political Advertising: Toronto mayoral candidates sharply increased social-media spending in the race’s final stretch. Olivia Chow spent more than $30,000 on Meta ads in one week, compared with Brad Bradford’s nearly $13,000, with both campaigns targeting specific voter groups. Marketing Skills: Strategic thinking is the biggest skills gap for marketers, according to new WFA research, putting sharper focus on planning and decision-making as the industry changes. Agency News: HUL and Mindshare led the Emvies 2026, while WPP Media took the top network honour. AI and Marketing: Salesforce’s $5.66 billion deal for Braze points to a bigger push into AI-powered, real-time customer marketing. Coca-Cola is also reshaping its marketing as it reviews its agency roster. Advertising Standards: India’s consumer protection authority fined Britannia Rs 1 lakh over its “100% Whole Wheat Bread” claim, finding the product contained 62% whole wheat flour and ordering the company to stop the ads. Media and AI: Meta delayed new terms as news publishers push back over AI companies scraping their content.

Agency Moves: Former Virgin Music Group communications chief Liz Morentin launched Greenvalley Media & Marketing, advising entertainment, media and tech companies. Patrick Ta Beauty also named Angela Simpson CMO and Carolyne Rapp VP of creative. Platform Policy: Meta delayed new commercial terms until Nov. 20 after publishers raised concerns about the company using website content for AI and advertising products. Marketing Tech: Salesforce agreed to buy Braze for $5.66 billion, expanding its AI-powered marketing push. Media Watch: FCC Democrat Anna Gomez urged broadcasters to resist pressure over election coverage. AI & Measurement: Marketers are weighing how AI changes campaign testing, even as nearly three-quarters of teams say they haven’t grown while facing pressure to move faster. Brand Business: WPP Media Australia and New Zealand retained Coca-Cola amid a global reshuffle.

Media Accounts: Coca-Cola has appointed Omnicom to handle its North American media business, while WPP retains the global account. Publisher Fight: The UK News Media Association is urging the competition regulator to pause Meta’s new business terms, which it says would force publishers to allow unrestricted website scraping for AI products and could hurt local outlets reliant on Facebook traffic. Marketing Tech: Salesforce plans to buy Braze for $5.66 billion, adding real-time customer data and messaging capabilities to its Marketing Cloud. AI Creativity: Nvidia has invested in video-generation startup Higgsfield, whose rapid growth reflects rising demand for AI-made content in advertising and media. News Habits: A Reuters Institute report found trust in news in the Philippines fell sharply as more people turned to social platforms and video for updates.

Marketing Tech: Salesforce’s $5.66 billion deal for Braze aims to strengthen Marketing Cloud with real-time customer event processing, underscoring the race to build smarter, more responsive marketing platforms. AI’s Price Tag: Forrester warns rising AI costs could squeeze B2C marketing plans, while BCG’s Lauren Wiener says brands must connect with people and become legible to AI agents. Data and Trust: Meta faces a record $25 billion fine in New Mexico over Facebook data practices, a major reminder that consumer trust and data handling carry serious stakes. Communications Leadership: Six in ten chief communications officers say the function hasn’t caught up with its mandate, highlighting a gap between rising expectations and teams’ ability to deliver.

AI Marketing Tools: Impact Factory’s new plug-in brings campaign strategy, ad creation, video and website production into ChatGPT, Claude and other assistants, with APIs for developers. Picsart also launched a studio for creating and running Google Ads. AI Search Visibility: A study of 50 fast-growing software firms found five were absent from all four AI search tools tested, underscoring that strong Google growth doesn’t guarantee a place in AI answers. Marketing Budgets: Forrester warns rising AI costs could squeeze B2C marketing plans, as teams face pressure to move faster without growing headcount. Ad Regulation: Canadian MPs are advancing a bill to restrict sports-betting ads amid concerns about gambling harms. Marketing Platforms: Salesforce’s $5.66 billion deal for Braze signals a major push to strengthen AI marketing and real-time customer engagement.

Marketing Tech: Salesforce agreed to buy Braze for $5.66 billion, adding real-time consumer event processing to its marketing platform as it pushes deeper into AI. Demandbase also launched AI agents for business-to-account marketing, while BigGeo introduced a tool for building digital audiences from real-world visits. Holiday Push: Target’s new holiday campaign puts gift-giving at the center of a playful “academy” concept; TikTok Shop is lining up three weeks of Black Friday and Cyber Monday promotions. Media Watch: FCC Chair Brendan Carr threatened broadcasters over their coverage of polls, raising fresh concerns about regulatory pressure on newsrooms. Streaming Ads: YouTube and Tubi lead rivals in viewers’ ad-exposure time, according to a new look at the streaming landscape.

Small-Business Marketing: Google’s new Gemini tools help small firms create brand-consistent marketing, engage customers and make sense of financial records. Brand Experiences: Reply unveiled an AI-powered immersive space where audiences can interact with products and brand stories. Marketing Tech: Salesforce agreed to acquire Braze for $5.66 billion, strengthening its push into AI-powered marketing. Publisher Ads: impact.com launched contextual ads for publishers. Media Policy: Maryland’s new government advertising policy puts local news first.

AI and Advertising: A Cint survey finds 74% of U.S. consumers believe brands should disclose AI use in ads. Just Eat’s AI-generated menu images trial has also raised broader concerns about AI creative. Marketing Tech: Salesforce’s reported move to buy Braze raises questions about the future of Marketing Cloud, while StackAdapt says top programmatic performers are twice as likely to expand their channel mix. Brand Strategy: Applebee’s CMO Michelle Chin wants to make dining out feel easy again, and Amica’s new Jayson Tatum campaign spotlights preparation on and off the court. PR and Communications: Sundance named Tracy Brady its chief marketing, brand and communications officer; publicity veterans Laura Puig and Michelle Ciciyasvili launched Maeve Communications. Experiential: Wawa and the 76ers kicked off a partnership with fan promotions and a donation to Philabundance, tying sports marketing to local community support.

Global Campaigns: Courvoisier has launched “Pass The Courvoisier,” its first global campaign in nearly 20 years, spanning TV, social, out-of-home, retail and live events. The work puts shared hospitality and spontaneous moments at the heart of the brand. Marketing Operations: Malaysia’s football association is looking to bring media, marketing, communications, digital and commercial teams together, while pursuing two new corporate sponsors. PR Practice: At a session for more than 100 communications professionals, The Sun Malaysia urged PR teams to pitch useful, timely stories tied to consumer concerns and wider public interests—not hard sells. Brand Trust: Coronation’s new South African campaign revisits its “trust is earned” message amid rising misinformation and declining confidence in online news. Media Discovery: Apple’s planned AI upgrade for HomePod could make voice assistants a more conversational route to music, radio and podcasts. Creative Work: Uber Japan is using comedian Hollywood Zakoshi and an outsize 99% first-ride discount to turn a taxi promotion into entertainment for young professionals.

AI-Powered Marketing: Optimove launched Content Studio, bringing AI-assisted creation, personalization and brand checks into one workflow across channels. But marketers at MAICON warned that teams still need people trained to judge AI output as automation expands. AI Accountability: A separate analysis argues brands often make vague claims about customer-facing AI; the Presto Automation case shows how a performance metric can mislead when it leaves out human agents. Marketing Law: Hanes lost its latest bid to dismiss a proposed class action over marketing emails, while a separate appeals ruling said marketing texts are not “telephone calls” under the law at issue. Media Ownership: UK regulator Ofcom warned that an Abu Dhabi-linked bid for Telegraph Media Group could threaten press accuracy and freedom of expression.

Purpose-Led Marketing: NEZO Salt and Aster Clinics are taking breast cancer awareness into everyday shopping across four Gulf markets, with QR codes linking women to free breast exams. Brand Campaigns: Cadbury’s Diwali work turns familiar neighbourly spats into a story of goodwill. JYSK is pairing its new Hull store opening with discounts and treats from a local café, while Nestlé brings KitKat White back to convenience and wholesale after the bar drew 100,000 new category shoppers in its previous run. Media & AI: Meta’s revised terms could let it scrape news sites to train AI, raising fresh concerns for publishers. Marketers are also weighing how AI platforms may shape brand narratives. Marketing Legacy: Frank Mancuso, the former Paramount and MGM chief, has died at 93. A marketing and distribution executive, he helped pioneer the use of music videos and soundtracks to promote films.

Media Cuts: NZME is planning job reductions across its newsroom and product teams as it responds to tough conditions and subdued ad revenue, adding to cuts at RNZ and Stuff. Platform Trust: Meta temporarily suspended the No Kings Instagram account during U.S. protests, blaming an automated response to frequent posting and apologizing; organizers say they still want an explanation. Marketing Honors: Ghana’s CIMG named Ghana Stock Exchange chief Abena Amoah Marketing Woman of the Year and Japan Motors’ Salem Kalmoni Marketing Man of the Year; Joy News’ #NoToGalamsey campaign won New Media Campaign of the Year. Publisher Rights: Meta’s revised terms may allow it to use news sites’ content to train AI, raising fresh concerns for publishers. Ad Budgets: UK marketing budgets have climbed to a two-year high, with growth reported across channels.

Ad Safety: The National Trust pulled its TikTok ads after the platform’s AI published unauthorised videos, raising fresh questions about brand control and placement. Campaign Tech: Adobe is adding AI agents to Marketo to clean campaign lead data, while its Coworker tool connects campaign data with creative teams. Publisher Rights: Meta revised terms amid concerns it could use news content to train AI, renewing tensions between platforms and publishers. Brand Campaigns: The National Lottery is marking its biggest Lotto changes in eight years with “You’ll See The Signs.”

Platform Rules: Meta revised its commercial terms after backlash over language that appeared to allow news content to train AI. The updated wording limits crawling to advertising and business products, though automated access remains permitted and publishers can still use robots.txt. App Store Marketing: Apple now lets developers add branded images and 5-to-30-second videos to app headers, search results and event cards, opening new promotional space beyond standard app screenshots. Search & Measurement: Marketers are rethinking traffic dashboards as Google changes how people discover brands, while AI search adds another visibility challenge. Ad Industry Moves: Clear Channel has brought in two TV executives to reshape its outdoor advertising business, as festive campaigns face growing pressure to prove their return on investment.