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The Great AI Readiness Divide in Marketing
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📈 Taboola Expands “Realize” Platform With Major Publisher Partnerships
Taboola announced expanded partnerships for its performance-advertising platform Realize, teaming with publishers such as TIME, Gannett | USA TODAY Network, the Weather Channel Digital, and Slate. They expect to pay over US$ 1.5 billion to publishers in 2025. The move signals a shift beyond native advertising into broader display inventory access for performance campaigns.
Why it matters
Performance ad platforms are expanding inventory and partnerships—advertisers gain more access to premium publisher sites beyond search/social.
For marketers, this means new display-opportunity formats via publisher networks tied to performance outcomes.
It signals competition for ad budgets—not just Facebook/Google—but adtech players building broader ecosystems.
Brands should evaluate how new ad-platform partnerships could extend reach via high-quality publisher inventory while maintaining measurement/ROI tracking. Read more.
🚀 “Are Digital Ads the Enemy of Advertising?” – A Critical Take from Fast Company
An opinion piece in Fast Company argues that the digital-ad ecosystem—dominated by optimization, algorithm-driven media, and formulaic formats—is limiting creative innovation. Brands like Coca‑Cola and Spotify (and Google’s ad-platforms) serve as examples of how “safe” digital ads can become homogenous and fail to deliver brand-building resonance.
Why It Matters
As media formats become more optimized, the risk is commoditisation of creative—ads may deliver clicks but lack brand differentiation.
Marketers must balance performance metrics with brand-storytelling and creative distinctiveness—especially when “digital” becomes formulaic.
This commentary signals a right-now opportunity: experiment with formats that escape algorithmic molds (native storytelling, experiential, immersive).
Be aware: running “just the usual display ad” may not build long-term brand equity—creativity still count. Read more.
🏷️ The Great AI Readiness Divide in Marketing
Reporting from the MAICON 2025 conference, the article shows that while many marketing teams talk about AI, actual maturity varies sharply. Some teams have scaled AI across functions; others are still “just getting their toes wet.” Key blockers: budget constraints, alignment issues, skills. Smaller teams appear to move faster thanks to agility.
Why It Matters
AI marketing is not just about tools—it’s about organisational readiness, culture, and alignment to business outcomes.
Marketers should assess where they fall on the AI-readiness curve (pilot stage vs scaled deployment) and address gaps (skills, governance, measurement).
Those who move from experimentation to measurable impact may gain a competitive advantage.
Don’t assume that bigger budget equals better readiness—smaller agile teams may scale faster today. Read more.
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💡 Today’s Insight
Le Chameau’s Shopify Migration Demonstrates e-Commerce Efficiency
Heritage footwear brand Le Chameau moved its online store to Shopify and reported a 65% reduction in total cost of ownership, with the migration completed in just 5 weeks. The move enabled faster responsiveness to customer needs (such as custom boot sizes), smoother returns/exchanges, and improved agility in site changes. They also estimated savings of £160,000-£170,000 by accelerating the project.
Key Takeaways
Platform transition can deliver major cost savings and operational gains.
Speed matters: an accelerated migration (5 weeks) gave business process advantages.
E-commerce performance is not just about features—it’s about agility, data access, and customer-experience flows.
Brands serving niche/high-value customers (custom sizes, heritage products) benefit especially from streamlined commerce platforms.
Marketers should consider whether underlying commerce tech is holding back customer experience (returns, sizing, etc.).
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