This morning, another well-known advertising trade publication published a story questioning whether the Media Rating Council is "still relevant?" My answer: more than ever.

Evidence is mounting that the global ad economy -- at least in the Western World -- is shifting from recovery to expansion, and maybe even a boom. New data shows the major English-speaking markets expanded 25% in the first half and 52% in Q2.

Coming back from a self-imposed news blackout during an "off-the-grid" family vacation last week, the first thing that struck me was how utterly predictable the dumbfounded reaction of the U.S. news cycle can be when it comes to inherently predictable events.

It's little surprise that programmatic advertising underwrites lots of nefarious activities, including ad fraud, organized crime and publishers of misinformation. But who knew it was all being funded by legitimate advertisers? NewsGuard did.

Just a week after publishing our eighth upward revision in Madison Avenue's ad consensus, GroupM says they may prove "to have been conservative."