• CMO TLDR
  • Posts
  • CMO TLDR: Your Weekly Marketing Brief

CMO TLDR: Your Weekly Marketing Brief

Weekly Digest - July 11, 2025

Author

Peter Brendan
July 11, 2025

CMO TLDR: AI's Double Edge: Empowering Marketers, Undermining Publishers

The AI-Driven Future of Advertising

Google Rolls Out AI Max to Give Advertisers More Control Over Search Automation

Google is launching AI Max, a new suite of search advertising tools that promises to deliver more automation while giving marketers greater control and transparency compared to its existing Performance Max product. The system uses AI to expand keyword targeting, optimize ad copy, and direct users to more relevant landing pages, with Google claiming advertisers typically see 14% more conversions at similar cost levels. The rollout comes as Google faces pressure to balance automation with marketers’ demands for visibility into how their advertising dollars are being spent.

Alaska Airlines Tests Google's Meridian to Prove Ad Spending Works

Alaska Airlines is testing Google's open-source marketing measurement tool Meridian to better understand which advertising channels drive bookings, particularly as the airline expands into Asia and Europe. The company is using the free tool alongside its existing measurement methods to evaluate harder-to-track channels like connected TV and out-of-home advertising that don't show up well in traditional online attribution models. The move comes as more brands look for cost-effective alternatives to expensive marketing measurement services, though the Google tool still requires significant data science expertise to implement.

AI’s Content Land Grab Meets Growing Resistance

Cloudflare Blocks AI Crawlers by Default, Forcing Companies to Pay for Content

Cloudflare announced it will block AI crawlers from accessing website content without explicit permission, becoming the first major internet infrastructure provider to make this the default setting for new domains. The move forces AI companies to obtain consent and potentially pay for content access, with over one million customers already opting to block crawlers since the feature launched in beta last year. Major publishers, including Condé Nast, Reddit, and The Atlantic are backing the initiative as they seek compensation for content that AI systems have been scraping for free to train their models.

Google's AI Overviews Cut Publisher Traffic Despite Growing AI Platform Referrals

Google's AI Overviews now appear in about 20% of U.S. desktop searches but are driving "zero-click" searches that hurt publishers, with news sites seeing no click-throughs rise from 56% to nearly 69% since the feature launched in May 2024. While AI platforms like ChatGPT and Perplexity are sending more referral traffic to publishers, this growth isn't offsetting the broader decline in search-driven visits, which fell 6.7% year-over-year to 11.2 billion global visits in June. The trend reflects the growing challenge for publishers as more than 35% of Americans now use generative AI tools that provide answers without directing users to original sources.

Linda Yaccarino stepped down as CEO of X after two years of trying to restore advertiser confidence at Elon Musk's social media platform, with analysts calling her departure unsurprising given Musk's continued dominance over the company's operations and messaging.

WPP appointed Microsoft's chief operating officer, Cindy Rose, as CEO to replace Mark Read and lead a turnaround at the struggling advertising giant, which has seen its market value plummet two-thirds and lost major clients, including Mars' $1.7 billion media account to rival Publicis.

French consent management platform Didomi acquired rival Sourcepoint in a deal backed by private equity firm Marlin Equity Partners, combining two of the biggest players in the privacy compliance space as they look to better serve enterprise clients navigating complex data regulations across multiple markets.

Streaming platforms like DAZN are pouring billions into sports rights to unlock the advertising goldmine of addressable audiences in live sports environments, with the 2025 global streaming spend on sports reaching $62 billion as programmatic advertising and data collaboration become the key to monetizing logged-in viewers.

Soccer fandom is evolving beyond traditional geographic and generational boundaries, with 72% of Gen Z fans prioritizing athletes' cultural relevance over performance, creating lucrative marketing opportunities for brands as 70% of soccer fans report higher interest in companies that support their favorite teams ahead of the 2026 World Cup.

Out-of-home advertising hit a record revenue of $1.98 billion in Q1 2025 for its 16th consecutive quarter of growth, prompting the industry to launch a new agency council aimed at elevating OOH from a tactical afterthought to a strategic centerpiece of brand campaigns as digital formats now account for 34% of total spend.

Key Article Takeaways - TLDR

  • AI is fundamentally reshaping search monetization. Google's AI Overviews are driving zero-click searches that hurt publishers, while AI platforms like ChatGPT are reducing overall search volume. Though Cloudflare's new default blocking of AI crawlers may generate some publisher revenue, marketers should prepare for search to become a less dominant channel as AI adoption accelerates.

  • Out-of-home advertising continues to grow. OOH has now 16 consecutive quarters of growth, reaching $1.98 billion in Q1 2025. OOH is very useful as a tactical play, especially around tentpole events, but marketers will need to leverage MMM to properly measure OOH's impact and ensure it's delivering against strategic objectives.