Advertising Week New York opened on Monday, October 5, at the Penn District in Manhattan, bringing together marketers, agencies, platforms and media companies for one of the industry’s major autumn gatherings. A trend guide published by Digiday on the eve of the event captured how quickly the conversation has shifted in a year. Here are the themes shaping this year’s agenda and why they matter for brands.
1. Answer engines are the new search
The arrival of OpenAI as a significant advertising seller is the clearest sign of change. Ads inside ChatGPT reached a $1 billion annualized run rate within about 200 days, and agencies are now building playbooks for “answer engines,” AI assistants that respond to questions directly rather than returning a list of links. Brands want to know how to appear in those answers, both through paid placements and through content the assistants trust.
2. Is the shopper a bot?
For years the industry worried about whether ad impressions were seen by humans or bots. The new concern is whether the customer is a bot. As AI agents begin researching and completing purchases on behalf of people, retailers and brands are rethinking product data, pricing and promotions for an audience of software as well as humans.
3. Creators move up the org chart
Top creators are increasingly treated as strategic partners rather than event speakers, with some taking senior titles inside media companies. At the same time, a market is emerging for AI-generated user-style content, raising fresh questions about authenticity and disclosure.
4. Retail media partnerships beat solo pitches
Connected TV makers and media sellers are teaming up with retailers to combine audiences with purchase data. The pitch is simple: brands want proof that ads lead to sales, and retailers hold that data.
5. Measurement over showmanship
Companies are sending measurement specialists and researchers rather than only senior sales executives, a sign that advertisers want evidence of results before they commit budgets. Podcast and audio sales are moving into private deal rooms, and gaming inventory, including from Microsoft’s Xbox, is increasingly sold directly to advertisers.
The money behind the trends
The industry enters this period on solid footing. WPP Media’s midyear forecast projected global advertising revenue would grow 8.9 percent in 2026 to about $1.3 trillion, with AI-powered search advertising expected to grow from about $5 billion this year to more than $100 billion by 2030.
What brands should do now
- Audit how your products appear in AI assistant answers.
- Clean up product feeds and structured data for AI shopping agents.
- Set clear disclosure policies for AI-generated creative and creator content.
- Prioritise partners who can show measurable sales impact.
Follow the ad industry in our Marketing section.