Each day, New Digital Age gathers the most interesting marketing and ad tech news from around the world…
HOLDCOS
Digiday – Michael Bürgi, 29th June 2026
Media Buying Briefing: The holdco tech heads expound on the ups and downs of building AI
The topic of AI was inescapable no matter where you went during last week’s Cannes Lions, and very much was said on panels, along the Croisette and in the suites and meeting rooms of the big hotels. Digiday even hosted a video interview series whose primary topic was AI’s disintermediation effect on how CPG marketers and their agencies try to reach consumers these days.
AI
New York Times – Marty Swant, 28th June 2026
Advertisers are good at getting human attention. Can they stand out to AI?
At Cannes Lions, marketers grappled with how to influence AI chatbots.
SOCIAL MEDIA
The Guardian – Ashifa Kassam, 27th June 2026
Social media bans go global: big tech faces a reckoning after Australia’s crackdown
As a host of countries move to rein in social media use by children, could this be technology’s big tobacco moment?
The Guardian – Dan Milmo, 28th June 2026
‘Tech firms are losing the public’: social media age bans near tipping point
UK is latest country to set minimum age for social media access but big tech is fighting back globally against curbs
DIGEST
ExchangeWire – Sheila Obeng-King, 29th June 2026
In today’s Digest, we discuss Sky agreeing to ITV Broadcast Acquisition, a study finding that YouTube creator content is shaping AI assistant answers, and Carat being named Media Network of the Year amid the industry’s AI-driven shift
AFFILIATE MARKETING
Modern Retail – Melissa Daniels, 27th June 2026
Listener mailbag: How AI and Substack are changing affiliate marketing
Few areas of digital marketing have exploded in recent years as much as affiliate marketing. What’s more, it’s actually proving effective: eMarketer in September said that affiliate marketing would drive more than $210 billion in U.S. e-commerce sales that year. By 2028, that figure is expected to hit over $287 billion.
RETAIL MEDIA
Campaign – 26th June 2026
Retail media’s next challenge: turning data into action
Retail media has no shortage of data. The challenge now is to turn insight into action quickly enough to drive better decisions, stronger campaigns, and measurable growth.
STREAMING
Decision Marketing – 29th June 2026
Channel 4 partners with CACI for Geo Mapping platform
Channel 4 has joined forces with consumer and market intelligence specialist CACI to unlock smarter geotargeting of audiences as part of its major drive to bolster TV advertising services.
Modern Retail – Mitchell Parton, 29th June 2026
Streaming is the next frontier for Walmart’s, Kroger’s ads businesses
Streaming is becoming an important part of many retail media networks’ growth strategies, as retailers believe that shopper data can help advertisers prove their TV ads lead to sales.
