In a climate of intense pressure to deliver immediate ROI, many companies are reacting by pivoting to "safe" short-term performance strategies. Following a turbulent 2025 marked by the scaling of AI and geopolitical uncertainty, the urge to "hunker down" and focus solely on the next click is stronger than ever.
True
marketers
The Performance Trap: why 2026 is the year marketers must stop borrowing from the future
marketers
performance
Emotional connection and multiple formats in an AI-driven world: what marketers can learn from YouTube Works Awards winners
ai
connection
emotional
marketers
multiple formats
youtube
Go behind the scenes as judges explain the trends shaping excellence in digital marketing, why long-form storytelling is making a comeback and why YouTube is emerging as the focal point for multi-channel campaigns
A quarter of marketers are ‘stressed all the time’
marketers
work life balance
work stress
Research reveals that many marketers are struggling to strike a productive work-life balance, with some failing to detach themselves from their job while on holiday.
Smartly CEO Laura Desmond on AI's Impact: "Without trust, there is nothing" for brands
ai
intelligent creative
marketers
smartly
Authenticity and purpose were high on the agenda at the Smartly Connect Singapore event – and that means brands need to focus on human-centredness as well as embracing AI technology and Intelligent Creative.
Forget templates—Canva wants to run your whole campaign now
ad agencies
cameron adams
canva
canva create
marketers
Unveiled at its 2025 Canva Create showcase in Los Angeles, the platform’s latest tools go beyond design—bringing AI-fuelled production, code-free interactivity and cross-platform localisation into one ecosystem aimed at full campaign execution.
Are traditional metrics like viewability and clicks enough?
double verify
marketers
In an increasingly complex digital-first media environment, metrics that track attention are enhancing traditional measures in meeting the needs of marketers and agencies looking to demonstrate effectiveness and ROI.
“There is an increasing need to pay attention to attention,” says DoubleVerify’s Mark Zagorski
doubleverify
marketers
In a presentation to senior Asia-based marketers, DoubleVerify CEO Mark Zagorski highlighted findings from the upcoming DV Global Insights: 2024 Trends Report slated to be published by this month.
Most marketers feel out of touch with customer data—what went wrong?
b2b marketing
marketers
Despite a growing number of tools and user touchpoints, new research has found that 81% of marketers can’t access customer data to inform campaigns.
How generative AI is empowering marketers
generative ai
marketers
meta
Reshaping the future of the industry and boosting human potential.
47% marketers in India believe AI will make them more productive: LinkedIn report
ai
artificial intelligence
marketers
Marketers believe AI will support their work and free up time to build impactful creative campaigns
When human emotion unlocks the power of marketers’ data
marketers
The combination of both human and data science, alongside tech-powered media planning, is now a reality and fast becoming a marketer’s must-have.
Going the distance during a downturn: Building brands of tomorrow
brands
growth
marketers
meta
Marketing spend is often the first victim of a recession. As talks of an uncertain economy and budget cuts deepen, marketers need to find a way to do more with less, and chart long-term brand growth while meeting short-term milestones. Across multiple studies, data points, and insights, one finding is clear: Companies that invest in brand-building amid a downturn emerge stronger, more resilient, and see more long-term benefits than brands that don’t.
Five areas to improve client-agency relationships
growth
marketers
partnerships
The relationship between brands and agencies needs some TLC. So we carried out global research with both sides to find out how to improve it
Healthcare marketers won’t be left behind in the metaverse
healthcare
marketers
Marketers were slow to jump on the social-media bandwagon, but it’s a mistake they won’t be repeating when it comes to the metaverse.
Social media, programmatic video and display top investment areas for marketers in APAC: Quantcast
marketers
publishers
social
The industry is racing to keep pace with rapidly shifting consumer habits as they embrace digital. Agencies will be pushed to display better ROI and publishers to better understand their audiences using emerging first-party tools.
Two-thirds of marketers say media agencies lack the technical expertise they need
apac
brands
marketers
media agencies
research
top of the charts
In addition, nearly 70% of APAC marketers say they will consider bringing all media investment in-house, according to research from Kepler.
