- AI Does Not Drink Beer -- That's Why It Still Needs Human Oversight in
Media Insider on
02/06/2026
Don't hire a CAIO, but promote an orchestrator who understands how to weave AI into the existing workflow, tools and practices.
- The End Of Manual Marketing: Ready To Be The Pilot, Not The Engine? in
Media Insider on
01/30/2026
We are moving toward full agentic AI-driven automation, both within closed environments and across the broader web.
- Why We Can't Quit Marketing Attribution in
Media Insider on
01/23/2026
We don't stick with the attribution lie because we're stupid; we stick with it because it's safe. Or at least it makes us feel that way.
- The Billion-Dollar Market Nobody Markets To in
Media Insider on
01/16/2026
Big mistake: Only 17% of marketers have a dedicated strategy for the 50+ market.
- Going Meta On Fraud: New Year, Same Problems in
Media Insider on
01/09/2026
As an industry, we are still collectively looking the other way when billions of dollars in ad spend are effectively being set on fire.
- I'd Like A Prescription Against Prescription Meds TV Ads in
Media Insider on
12/31/2025
If you are targeting less than 10% of the U.S. population, you have no reason to be spending money on broad-reaching media like network TV.
- Consumers Say They Don't Trust AI -- But Can't Stop Using It in
Media Insider on
12/24/2025
For consumers, the benefits of AI seem to outweigh concerns about data privacy or algorithmic fairness.
- The 'Emptying' Of Madison Avenue: Yes, But Differently! in
Media Insider on
12/19/2025
The real disruption isn't that a computer can write a tagline. It's that a computer will orchestrate the entire disjointed workflow of modern advertising.
- 2025 Marketing Autopsy: TikTok Lived, Cookies Died, AI Got Sloppy in
Media Insider on
12/12/2025
For me, the marketing term of the year was "AI slop."
- Big, Bigger, Omnicom in
Media Insider on
12/05/2025
The merger is a CFO's and shareholder's dream and a potential marketer's nightmare.
- When It Rains, It Pours: What WPP's Troubles Mean For Marketers
by
Maarten Albarda
(Media Insider on
11/14/2025)
Thanks everyone for sharing your perspectives and comments. @Bill: the ANA has done and continues to do admirable work to pull back the curtain and show what's what. I agree with your recommendations. @Nick: You are ALSO right. Both you and Bill point towards a number of doable and necessary approaches to managing YOUR ad budgets, if you are an advertiser. The challenge, as you point out, is that the "doing" part is often neglected or ignored in pursuit of "empty calories" (cheap worthless reach and pointless frequencies).We can only keep educating. The hard work needs to be owned by advertisers.
- I'd Like A Prescription Against Prescription Meds TV Ads
by
Maarten Albarda
(Media Insider on
08/29/2025)
Hi Ed: I am sorry, but yes, some other categories might also be better off elsewhere. But my point is not just the fact that they are buying a very broad reach medium, but they are also buying at at a volume that becomes obnoxious. Plus... if they did not spend that money on TV ads, it just might lower the cost of medicine by 0.01% (sarcasm!).
- Kaila Colbin, Signing Off
by
Kaila Colbin
(Media Insider on
04/18/2025)
Hey Friday partner! Your voice on Mediapost was unique and will be missed. Kaila 2007 A.D.... and here I was thinking that my start on December 16, 2013 was a long time ago... All the very best with the new venture!
- How Toxic Are A Brand's Social Media Mistakes?
by
Maarten Albarda
(Media Insider on
02/28/2025)
Ed: I agree but the "snafu" is often not an ad but the CMO or social media manager posting without thinking, or a brand making a decision about something (price, flavor, size, etc.) and "the public" not taking kindly to it.
- Report From Ukraine
by
Dave Morgan
(Media Insider on
02/20/2025)
Thank you for your reporting and I could not agree more with your statements and assessment. I, too, am baffled by the lack of leaders to show up. We are witnessing a wholesale dismantling of all things that stand for compassion, human rights and common decency. It is sickening. Slava Ukraini
- 2024: A Media Insider Review
by
Gord Hotchkiss
(Media Insider on
01/07/2025)
Ha! Angst and despair reign! But seriously, thank you for compiling our collective meanderings. I just celebrated my 12th year in service, having written my first media post for Mediapost on Dec. 16, 2013. Here is to a 2025 that will surprise us all... positively (one can hope!).
- X, Former Twitter, Still A 'Hellscape'
by
Maarten Albarda
(Media Insider on
11/22/2024)
Thanks Tony - I was and continue to be a proud and active member to the Advertising: Who Cares group for Trading, Transparency and Trust. Onwards and (hiopefully), Upwards! And yes, you can find me on Bluesky.
- Campaign Commercials: Bad For America, Bad For Us!
by
Adam Buckman
(TVBlog on
11/08/2024)
Hi Adam - totally agree, and did so here: https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/400580/political-advertising-is-terrible-in-both-content.html
- Political Advertising Is Terrible In Both Content And Volume - Why?
by
Maarten Albarda
(Media Insider on
10/25/2024)
Hi Michelle - thanks for the response and the link. I mentioned in the second to last paragraph that political ads almost always get a pass based on free speech, and that the rules that apply to political ads are different from "regular" ads. What I question is their effectiveness - and my assumption is that they "must be" given the rigorous and continuous testing that these ads are apparently subject to.
- Calm 'Newsfeed Anxiety' By Reading Them Less -- And History More
by
Dave Morgan
(Media Insider on
08/15/2024)
I just finished A.J. Baime's "The accidental president" about the first 100 days of Harry S. Truman. An exceptional book - and fascinating insight into 100 days that shaped today's world.