February Industry Chatter: AI-Powered Ads, Threads Monetization, and Super Bowl Success
Marketing never stops moving. Wpromote's monthly Marketing Industry Chatter newsletter will keep you up-to-date on the biggest headlines, updates, and trends in the wide world of marketing and media—with the expert insights you need to take action.
February may be the shortest month of the year, but that doesn't mean it can't make a big impact when it comes to marketing. With brands making major strategic shifts and industry trends gaining momentum, there’s no time to slow down.
From Amazon's latest AI offering and the addition of ads on Threads to Nielsen’s latest measurement shake-up and the power of emotions in Super Bowl ads, here are the key updates you might've missed!
Amazon launches AI-powered tool for smarter video ad targeting
What you need to know: Amazon recently unveiled Brand+, an AI-powered targeting tool. The new feature in Amazon DSP optimizes ad targeting across video using shopping, browsing, and streaming data.
Brand+ works alongside Performance+, an AI tool Amazon launched last year,? to refine targeting to ensure campaigns reach the consumers most likely to engage and convert. Advertisers can run Brand+ campaigns on Amazon-owned platforms like Prime Video and Twitch, as well as third-party publishers like BuzzFeed and Fox Corp.
Beta testing showed a 10% increase in sales and a 70% boost in website traffic, reinforcing AI’s role in optimizing TV ad performance.
What you need to do: One thing’s clear: AI isn’t going anywhere. Platforms like Amazon, Google, Meta, and TikTok continue to roll out AI-powered tools focused on more advanced targeting, bidding, and creative execution. To win, brands need to prioritize testing these different AI tools to find the right ones for their strategy.
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Meta rolls out ads on Threads, starting with the US and Japan
What you need to know: Despite previously stating it would wait until Threads reached a billion users, Meta is rolling out a limited test of ads with select brands in the US and Japan.
Advertisers can extend their existing Facebook and Instagram campaigns to Threads with a simple checkbox in Meta’s Ads Manager, eliminating the need for additional creative assets or extra resources.
Meta will use data from Threads, Instagram interactions, and external sources to personalize ads, while users will have options to customize, skip, hide, or report ads within the app.
With 300 million monthly users and momentum to surpass X, Threads ads are likely to expand quickly, aligning with Meta’s broader push for AI-driven advertising and revenue growth.
What you need to do: Threads ads offer brands a new opportunity to diversify their social media mix and reach their consumers on a platform where competition is relatively low–and since Threads is a Meta property, brands can extend their campaigns across the entire ecosystem using business manager. We’ve yet to see how ads will be incorporated, but it might be worth testing this new option: being an early adopter could mean lower ad costs and higher visibility.
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Super Bowl ads see record effectiveness and emotional impact
What you need to know: System1 data shows 2025 Super Bowl ads had the highest effectiveness in six years, with stronger emotional engagement and an average star rating of 2.9, up from 2.7 in 2024.
Ads that balanced storytelling and humor performed best, with a record number of four- and five-star rated spots, reinforcing the importance of emotional connection in high-stakes advertising.
Short-term sales impact varied, as some ads focused on immediate consumer response, measured by System1’s Spike Rating, while others prioritized long-term brand-building.
Advertising trends shifted toward inclusivity and purpose-driven messaging, with brands reducing reliance on celebrities and traditional comedic formats to better connect with evolving audiences.
What you need to do: While it doesn’t make sense for every brand to advertise during the Super Bowl, consumer reactions to these ads can signal trends in advertising overall. Whether your brand snagged a spot during the big game or not, consider what Super Bowl messaging resonated with your target audience and take advantage of those overarching trends to stand out during other major events.
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AppLovin exits gaming in favor of AI-powered adtech platform
What you need to know: AppLovin is selling its gaming business for $900 million to focus entirely on AI-driven advertising, streamlining operations and strengthening its machine learning capabilities.
The Axon AI platform will play a central role, using predictive algorithms to refine ad targeting and expand beyond gaming into broader digital advertising markets. This transition increases profitability by shifting to a higher-margin, automation-driven ad model while reinvesting in advanced AI to enhance ad performance and efficiency.
Expanding self-serve AI tools will simplify campaign management for advertisers, positioning AppLovin as a strong competitor to major digital ad platforms like Meta and Google.
What you need to do: As new AI offerings continue to pop up, it’s more important than ever for brands to decide how they want AI to fit into their marketing strategy. Testing out the different capabilities each AI platform offers will give you an idea of what you need, what you don’t, and what you should be looking for.
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Nielsen moves away from panel-only TV ratings
What you need to know: Nielsen is phasing out panel-only TV ratings, replacing them with its Big Data + Panel product, which combines traditional panel data with set-top box and smart TV data.
The move follows Media Rating Council (MRC) accreditation of Big Data + Panel and aims to modernize TV measurement, but Nielsen faces increased competition from VideoAmp, Comscore, and iSpot.
Advertisers and agencies see the shift as long overdue, but there are still concerns over pricing, vendor competition, and whether Nielsen can regain market dominance after losing ground in recent years.
Some major media companies, like Paramount, are moving away from Nielsen in favor of alternative measurement providers, signaling a broader industry shift toward multi-currency measurement solutions.
What you need to do: Nielsen’s shift from panel-only data represents a more comprehensive approach to TV measurement, combining traditional panel insights with third-party data from smart TVs and other digital sources. As the media landscape continues to shift toward streaming and cross-platform viewing, advertisers have greater flexibility to reach audiences where they actually consume content–making ad buying smarter and more data-driven than ever before.
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Tech revenue exec | Proven leader in Sales and Customer Success | Third culture kid
1 周Would not have expected those Super Bowl results with so many people tuning out in the second half. Great find.