And now the ANA knows which half. Its Q1 programmatic benchmark reveals advertisers are stratifying into two distinct "lower" and "higher" performing groups.

So far, AI is just another tool for persuading humans, but when consumers hand off to AI agents, humans will be out of the loop. That's not something marketers have faced before. Humans have always been the target. Until now.

"We're moving beyond the old model where great work required layers of outside agencies, long timelines, and huge production budgets. With AI, stronger in-house teams, and smarter production models, brands can now create at a much higher level, much more consistently."

That's what I asked Brandience's Brian McHale when he briefed me on the agency's new AI-generated "Synthetic Market Research & Testing" system.

Let me say the quiet part out loud: Publicis-LiveRamp is not a tech deal. It's not even a data deal. It's the repositioning of a major holdco from a neutral agent to a vertically integrated martech and business transformation enterprise.

Pocketbooks are taking a hit, but affordability is not only about price. It's also about how people regard the system itself and the world-at-large. Lower prices won't fix this.

The accreditation process is comprised of two distinct parts: a pre-audit phase; and the audit itself, with actual accreditation being granted once voted on by audit committee members and their board.

More than anyone I've known, Bill Duggan was made-for-advertising. I mean that in the good way. The question is whether advertising can make another Bill Duggan.

"That's not a sustainable chart," the 4As' Matt Kasindorf concluded, using his hands as the best gestural explanation for the decline in agency compensation fees and the rise in principal media-buying.

ORLANDO -- In advance of this week's Association of National Advertisers' Advertising Financial Management Conference here I spoke with Ralph Pardo, CEO of Omnicom Media North America and a speaker at the event, about today's ever-changing media environment. My first question: What excites him most about media.