Marketers Use AI for Analysis and Content, Not Ad Buying
Marketers increasingly deploy AI for low-stakes work while keeping humans in control of spending decisions, according to a Digiday survey of more than 100 advertisers.
Data analysis and content creation rank as the most common uses. Among marketers running social campaigns, two-thirds use AI for data analysis and 57% for content creation. Only 32% use it to buy ad placements-the same percentage who let AI handle retail media buying.
The gap reflects real anxiety about autonomous decision-making. Brands worry AI could make poor media-buying choices that tank performance, leaving them liable for the damage. They're comfortable delegating grunt work-generating stock creative, parsing data-as long as humans review the output first.
This distinction matters: marketers see AI as an assistant, not a decision-maker, especially when money is on the line.
Agencies Bet Big on Youth Culture Through Acquisitions
Ad agencies are buying expertise to reach Gen Z and younger audiences in authentic ways. Havas acquired experiential youth culture agency Archrival, folding it into Havas Play, a division focused on creators, gaming, music, sports, and live events.
Accenture Song made a similar move this week, buying creator-focused agency Whalar. The deal signals that large agency budgets are finally moving into creator marketing at scale, according to SI Global, an M&A firm.
This is a pattern. Since 2023, Havas has also acquired Wilderness, WPP bought The Goat Agency, and Publicis added Influential and Captiv8. Agencies prefer buying creator expertise to building it in-house.
LinkedIn Pivots Toward Creator Economy
LinkedIn is building influencer tools to compete with YouTube and TikTok. The professional networking platform plans to launch a creator dealmaking marketplace, subscription features, and paid experience purchases-like consulting sessions-during its 2027 fiscal year, which begins in July 2026.
The company is still in early stages with creator tools, but the direction is clear: LinkedIn wants a piece of creator monetization. The shift marks a significant departure from its roots as a job-hunting and career-advancement platform.
Data Partnerships and Infrastructure Moves
OpenAI announced a data partnership with LiveRamp using the latter's conversion API hub, expanding how AI systems access marketing data.
Separately, OpenAI is in talks to lease a $500 billion data center in Ohio from NVIDIA. The facility would require 10 gigawatts of energy-roughly 4.5 times the Hoover Dam's capacity-and could increase U.S. total emissions by 0.5%.
In Utah, AI super PACs have spent more than $1.3 million to influence state congressional primaries over a proposed $100 billion data center project.
Other Moves
- Media agency Mile Marker acquired creative agency LIFT.
- Disney promoted Brette Lipari to VP of advertising sales.
- TV and streaming networks are laying groundwork for outcome-based buying.
- The Trump administration urged the UK to reconsider a proposed social media ban on under-16 users, citing compliance burdens on American companies.
For marketers looking to understand how AI for Marketing fits into strategy, the pattern is clear: use it to augment human judgment, not replace it. And for those focused on social platforms, AI for Social Media continues to reshape how brands reach audiences.
Your membership also unlocks:
