CMO TLDR: Google, Walmart, and the NewFronts AI Arms Race
The AI Ad Economy
Google Folds Gemini Deeper Into DV360 to Automate Media Planning and Buying
Google is turning DV360 into a full-stack AI media buyer, embedding Gemini across planning, optimization, and attribution in its most aggressive automation push yet. Marketers can now upload a media plan and have Gemini automatically translate it into a live campaign setup, while a new Ads Advisor agent builds custom dashboards and flags creative rejections with recommended fixes. The move tightens Google’s grip on buy-side infrastructure, binding its DSP ever more closely to YouTube inventory and first-party measurement.
Google Is Pitching Buyers On Gemini And YouTube Creators At The NewFronts
YouTube’s Creator Partnerships Hub now features a Gemini-powered AI search tool that lets advertisers find relevant creators through natural language prompts, a feature that threatens the cottage industry of third-party influencer matching vendors. Advertisers can also buy YouTube pause ads and creator takeovers through DV360 for the first time, consolidating more spend inside Google’s walled garden. Google’s new Confidential Publisher Match identity model aims to cut overfrequency across CTV inventory, tackling a persistent pain point for streaming advertisers.
CTV & Streaming
Vizio Helps Walmart Cut A Bigger Slice Of The CTV Ad Pie
Walmart and Vizio used their first combined NewFronts event to announce unified account logins across Vizio’s smart TV operating system, creating a single identity framework that links streaming behavior directly to retail purchase data. With new Vizio TVs now requiring a Walmart account for activation and Onn TVs migrating to Vizio’s SmartCast OS, the combined footprint could reach 25% to 30% of all U.S. households. The integration sets up closed-loop CTV attribution powered by real shopper data, a direct challenge to Amazon’s Marketing Cloud model.
Tubi’s New Ad Push: Exclusive Access Through Amazon DSP, New Interactive Formats
Tubi rolled out Scene Sense, a contextual targeting tool that reads scene-level visual cues, tone, and sentiment to serve display ads aligned with what’s on screen when viewers pause. The FAST platform, which hit profitability for the first time in 2025, also unveiled an exclusive Amazon DSP partnership offering first-look access to Tubi’s 10% unique, incremental streaming audience. New measurement integrations with Kochava and InMarket now let studio advertisers track actual ticket sales through Fandango, connecting ad exposure to box office outcomes.
Programmatic
Higher Programmatic CPMs Drove 44% Revenue Growth For The Guardian US
The Guardian US grew programmatic revenue 44% year over year in February, and none of that lift came from traffic gains. The publisher rebuilt its operations around daily data monitoring, real-time alerts, and a deliberate shift toward private marketplace deals and curated packages that signal quality to buyers. It’s a counter-narrative in a market where most publishers are scrambling to offset AI-driven search disruption; the Guardian’s playbook says focus on impression value, not volume.
Quick Links
TikTok Rebrands Its Advertiser Pitch Around Full Funnel Ambition
Two months after resolving its U.S. legal saga, TikTok has unveiled a new global positioning, “Watch it. Love it. Want it,” formalizing its case as a unified discovery to conversion platform rather than just an awareness channel. The move signals TikTok’s intent to capture bigger, longer-term ad budgets by going head-to-head with Meta and YouTube on full-funnel performance.
Amazon Plans First of Its Kind Audio Ad Deal in the U.K.
Amazon and DAX, the digital audio arm of U.K. media giant Global, plan to unveil an audio advertising partnership that layers Amazon’s first-party retail signals onto Global’s radio and streaming inventory. The deal extends Amazon’s data enablement playbook across the Atlantic, following similar tie-ups with Spotify, SiriusXM, and iHeart in the U.S.
Philadelphia Cream Cheese Pulls Dollars From Search
Kraft Heinz’s Philadelphia Cream Cheese has phased out Google paid search entirely, redirecting spend to retail media networks and e-commerce search where purchase intent is highest. The brand spent $31.8 million on U.S. digital advertising in 2025 with zero Google search activity, a bellwether for CPG brands rethinking the value of branded search in a fragmented discovery landscape.