Agency reporters Brian Bonilla and Ewan Larkin break down the key topics, trends and questions to watch at this year's Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. From how industry mergers including Omnicom-IPG will shift agency priorities to the rise of independent agencies, they describe what factors are impacting the awards, events and conversations on the ground this year.

Plus, they discuss why the presence of social media creators is on the rise, how sports marketing is showing up and the top questions they're seeking answers to at Cannes.

Dig deeper on the topics mentioned in this week's episode:

~Everything to know about Cannes Lions 2026

~Cannes Lions 2026 schedule

~The Cannes Lions creator playbook

~Enter Ad Age's 40 Under 40 by July 23

~Listen to Ad Age's Marketer's Brief podcast

Watch this episode and see additional resources for marketers at AdAge.com/cmo.

In the first episode of the Ad Age CMOs on CMOs series, Andrea Collins, CMO of Hippo, and Liz Vanzura, CMO of Solo Stove, break down how they're implementing AI into team workflows, and how marketers can start discussing AI implementation with teams mindfully. They also dig into grassroots marketing tactics and the power of bringing your brand to consumers.

CMOs on CMOs is a new series from Ad Age. Each episode will feature two marketing leaders, discussing the trends, changes and trials of their work. Stay tuned for more episodes in the coming months.

For years, the 2026 FIFA World Cup has been must-buy media inventory for marketers. But numerous controversies as well as the bigger-than-ever nature of the soccer games have presented new challenges and considerations for brands.

Creativity Editor Tim Nudd and Senior Marketing Reporter Jon Springer discuss trends that have emerged across World Cup creative, sports marketing trends on the rise versus on the outs and how recent fan disruptions from ticket prices to geopolitical disruption have impacted brand plans.

Plus, they reveal the first-ever Ad Age Insider World Cup Marketing Award winners, including the most unique work, best brand strategy and best World Cup campaign. Listen to discover which brands took home trophies.

Dig deeper on the topics mentioned in this week's episode:

~Everything brands need to know about World Cup marketing

~How brands are using access to break through World Cup clutter

~See Coca-Cola's unique AI activation

~See Air Transat's pricing-themed OOH campaign

~Watch Adidas' campaign starring Timothee Chalamet

~Inside Nike's star-studded World Cup spot

~See McDonald's World Cup collectors' cups

~These brands nailed World Cup work this year

~Enter Ad Age's 40 Under 40 by July 23

~Listen to Ad Age's Marketer's Brief podcast

Senior Technology and AI editor Garett Sloane breaks down Publicis Groupe's acquisition of LiveRamp, including why it matters for brands and first steps for auditing your ad tech stack. He discusses the impact of data ownership on future AI development, how to leverage greater transparency with ad tech partners and the meaning of a composable ad tech stack.

Dig deeper on the topics mentioned in this week's episode:

~Publicis-LiveRamp deal reshapes data landscape—what it means for rival agencies and the industry

~Publicis-LiveRamp deal sparks agency scramble for alternatives

~How to lock in your ad tech stack before the Publicis-LiveRamp deal closes

~How to submit for the 2026 Healthcare Marketing Impact Awards

~Listen to Ad Age's Marketer's Brief podcast

The industry is transforming in real time as AI growth impacts workflows, output and career paths from one moment to the next. Industry leaders are continually refining uses of AI platforms, best practices for prompting and how to communicate new tech initiatives to teams. As Ad Age honors trailblazers in innovation with the 2026 Tech Power List, reporters and editors share their tips for where AI use can go right and wrong in marketing.

This ICYMI roundup features Tech Reporter Asa Hiken, News Editor E.J. Schultz, Creativity Editor Tim Nudd, Influencer Reporter Gillian Follett and Senior Agency Reporter Lindsay Rittenhouse. They offer tips and tricks for topics ranging from consumers' primary AI fears to worst-case brand scenarios and the new talent pipeline conundrum.

Listen to each episode in its entirety:

~Your AI ad playbook: red flags, hard lessons and brand wins, with Asa Hiken

~What's driving marketing impact: lessons from award-winning campaigns, with Tim Nudd

~Decoding 2026 hype vs. reality for marketers, with E.J. Schultz and Adrianne Pasquarelli

~'Fruit Love Island' brand lessons: skip this viral trend, with Gillian Follett

~Agency hiring in the AI era: What grads need now, with Lindsay Rittenhouse

The checklist for effective marketing leadership has grown exponentially more complex—balancing trust and efficiency, growing loyalty in an age of skepticism and ensuring transparent agency relationships. Ad Age reporters share advice on all of these topics, and more, in this special edition of Ad Age Insider, which surfaces critical insights for CMOs across recent episodes.

This ICYMI roundup features Creativity Editor Tim Nudd, Reporter Erika Wheless, News Editor E.J. Schultz, Senior Reporter Brian Bonilla, Reporter Ewan Larkin and Executive Editor Judy Pollack. Together, they make the case for why the power of the idea is more important than ever in an AI-saturated market, what Gen Z brand loyalty actually requires from marketers and what questions every CMO should be asking their agency right now.

Listen to each episode in its entirety:

~What's driving marketing impact: lessons from award-winning campaigns, with Tim Nudd

~Winning Gen Z brand loyalty—quality, service and community, with Erika Wheless

~Decoding 2026 hype vs. reality for marketers, with E.J. Schultz and Adrianne Pasquarelli

~How to win new business in 2026, with Brian Bonilla

~What are media rebates? Agency transparency in the hot seat, with Ewan Larkin

~How to win the Ad Age A-List, with Judann Pollack

Consumer Trends Reporter Erika Wheless discusses the top factors that influence brand loyalty with Gen Z—including product quality, sustainability and customer service. Plus, the brands Gen Z considers luxury from Coach, Louis Vuitton and Gucci to Nike, Adidas, Lululemon, Amazon and Target. She breaks down tactics brands are using to translate product quality into marketing, brand missteps that have been called out by young consumers and tips for building brand loyalty with Gen Z.

Dig deeper on the topics mentioned in this week's episode:

~The data on how brands can build loyalty with Gen Z

~How brands have successfully implemented product quality messaging

~How rising gas prices are impacting brands

~Get tickets to Ad Age's Small Agency Conference

~Listen to Ad Age's Marketer's Brief podcast

Media Reporter Brandon Doerrer breaks down the trends defining this year's TV upfronts, including top questions to look out for from NBCUniversal, Disney, Amazon, Netflix, Warner Bros. Discovery and more. He discusses how factors from outcomes-based measurement to agentic AI buying tech and short-form video formats in streaming will play into negotiations. Plus, how CMOs can ensure transparency around principal media buying in dealmaking.

Dig deeper on the topics mentioned in this week's episode:

~2026 TV Upfronts calendar

~What agentic AI means for upfront negotiations

~TV measurement changes impacting the upfront

~Magnite's agentic media buying test with Disney

~What to ask about media transparency and the upfront

~Apply for the Ad Age Mid-Size Brand Leaders award

~Listen to the Marketer's Brief podcast

Senior Agency Reporter Lindsay Rittenhouse breaks down the complex entry-level job market, with examples of how agency leaders are rethinking junior work as AI automates tasks traditionally done by early-career hires. She digs into what skills recent grads need on their resume right now, the gap employers are finding in formal marketing education and how to stand out as the number of applicants far outweighs opportunities in the current market.

Plus, data that shows why the ad industry isn't struggling as much as Wall Street thinks it is, and how the CEO-CMO relationship has evolved.

Dig deeper on the topics mentioned in this week's episode:

~How agencies are reshaping junior-level roles and training in the AI era

~How to land a junior ad agency job—what leaders say works as roles change due to AI

~Listen to Ad Age Insider's 2025 episode on AI and entry-level roles to hear how much has changed

~Get tickets to Ad Age's Small Agency Conference

~Listen to Ad Age's Marketer's Brief podcast

Creativity Editor Tim Nudd breaks down trends and lessons from award-winning campaigns for Nike, The New York Times, ChatGPT, Anthropic and more. From comedy's comeback to experimental experiential and a focus on exceptional craft, he reveals what CMOs need to know from the 2026 Ad Age Creativity Awards. And he shares a few close-calls that led to surprising prizes awarded by this year's juries.

Plus, why brands like Ugg, Owala and Claude are gaining equity with Gen Z. And how to win Ad Age's new Mid Size Brand Leaders award.

Dig deeper on the topics mentioned in this week's episode:

~See Ad Age's 2026 Creativity Award winners

~See Ad Age's 2026 A-List winners

~Listen to Ad Age's Marketer's Brief podcast

Tech Reporter Asa Hiken gives a vibe check on how advertisers are feeling about OpenAI two months after it launched ads on ChatGPT, and how the AI company is stacking up against competitors Google's Gemini and Anthropic's Claude. Plus, he gives advice for developing a brand AI strategy as products develop, and reacts to a live test of how paid ads may influence organic chat results.

Dig deeper on the topics mentioned in this week's episode:

~The state of ChatGPT ads post-launch

~Why ChatGPT's Instant Checkout faced challenges

~Lessons from OpenAI sunsetting Sora

~Listen: AI search strategy 101

~Apply for Ad Age's Mid-Size Brand Leaders award

~Listen to the Marketer's Brief podcast