The era of mass-market viral moments has ended as social media fragments into niche subcultures, leading brands to embrace "fractured virality." Marketers now focus on engagement, user-generated content and sparking conversations across multiple communities rather than merely accumulating views. "A good idea or a viral video is not enough -- it has to inspire other people to create, or talk, or do something. That's the threshold now," says Janni Widerholm, group creative director and head of social at TBWA\Chiat\Day.

The new transparency initiative by the Media Rating Council will shed light on the inner workings of digital ad auctions, long criticized as a "black box." The standards establish baseline disclosure requirements covering auction mechanics, pricing strategies, rule updates and reporting practices. By offering greater visibility into how programmatic ad auctions function, the initiative seeks to help advertisers optimize their bids, validate outcomes and reduce media spend waste.

Brands like Almond Breeze, Dollar Shave Club and Equinox are leveraging generative AI not just to create content, but to satirize the often absurd results produced by the technology. These campaigns intentionally showcase "AI slop" — quirky or over-the-top AI-generated visuals — to both poke fun at the technology and highlight their brand values. Marketers clarify that their approach isn't anti-AI, but rather a commentary on its current use in advertising.

Paramount+ plans to integrate short-form video and user-generated content on mobile devices in the first quarter, in a bid to compete with social media platforms, according to internal documents. The project, part of a broader internal effort known as Project Eagle, is focused on quickly bringing a million short-form clips to the platform, an executive said.

Radio broadcasters are adapting to the increasing prominence of connected television and over-the-top advertising by bundling broadcast audio with connected TV and over-the-air inventory, according to Mediaocean's 2026 Advertising Outlook. The approach positions radio as a point of entry into premium video, addressing challenges such as fragmentation and orchestration while leveraging radio's operational advantages in terms of measurability and accountability.

UpScrolled has surged in popularity on Apple's App Store as users seek alternatives to TikTok amid concerns about potential censorship under new American ownership. The app, founded by Issam Hijazi in 2025, emphasizes fairness and transparency, allowing users to share various types of content with a chronological feed. UpScrolled's mission statement focuses on its commitment to equal treatment and lack of agenda-pushing. The influx of users overwhelmed UpScrolled's servers, but the company is working to increase capacity.

Coca-Cola has launched a global campaign, "All the Feels," for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, positioning itself as a companion through fans' emotional ups and downs. The campaign, created by WPP's Open X with the brand's internal teams, debuts with the TV spot "Bubbling Up," featuring a reworked version of Van Halen's "Jump." Two more ads will follow, and the effort will include social, digital and event activations, plus a partnership with Panini and the FIFA World Cup 2026 Trophy Tour.

Cadillac F1 will unveil its livery in a 30-second Super Bowl ad from Translation during the fourth quarter. The campaign will include a Times Square activation and a social media rollout, and the livery will make its first appearance on the track in Bahrain hours after the game.

A market-wide study by Amplified and Video Futures Collective on the attentive viewing of advertising on Australian streaming video platforms found that audiences paid 79% attention to ads, with 59% active and 20% passive. Videos on streaming sites performed better than linear TV, social media and mobile videos, achieving higher attention levels than YouTube mobile (66%), large-format out-of-home (74%), linear TV (80%), display ads (161%) and scrollable social media (123%). In terms of average attention, cinema beat streaming video by 6%.

The future of digital media is back in Palm Springs from February 1-3, 2026. Join the brightest minds and boldest voices at the 2026 IAB Annual Leadership Meeting, where industry leaders, disruptors, and visionaries gather to shape the year ahead.

IAB has released its first-ever AI Transparency and Disclosure Framework, an industry framework for AI disclosure in advertising that balances transparency with operational efficiency, helping brands, agencies, publishers, and platforms navigate responsible AI use.