Kalshi

Vote for Ad Age July 2026 Best Campaign

Ad Age published a reader vote for the Best Campaign of July 2026, asking subscribers to choose one winner from 25 finalist ads released between July 1 and July 31. Voting is open until 12 p.m. ET on Thursday, Aug. 6, with results revealed on Friday, Aug. 7. The article lists the 25 finalists with short descriptions and agency credits, featuring work from brands and companies including Apple, Back Market, Beefeater, Anthropic (Claude), Degree, Kayak, Skims, Starbucks, Xfinity and others. The piece highlights creative approaches across formats (video microseries, OOH, digital spots, branded content) and cites the agencies and directors behind each entry.

AI Infrastructure Demand Remains High

This a16z Charts of the Week piece analyzes multiple datasets showing sustained, historically high demand for AI infrastructure—data center power/cooling machinery, GPUs, and related services—while exploring signals of supply-side friction. Vertiv reported $3.27B in Q2 revenue but missed guidance, blaming timing and supply-chain congestion. Census and NY Fed data show large increases in orders and higher supply-chain pressure, while import volumes for most data-center categories remain stable. GPU rental and contract rates (including H100 12-month pricing) have risen materially, and indicators of AI token spending are mixed. Labor data show remote hiring remains elevated, and entry-level tech postings are a small share of total postings.

Publishers Threaten to Block Google Crawlers

Publishers are again threatening to block Google’s crawlers and de-index themselves as AI-powered search features increasingly answer queries on-platform, reducing referral traffic and ad supply. While some publishers — especially those with subscriptions or diversified traffic — are modeling life without Google referrals, most remain dependent on search and fear the traffic and revenue losses that de-indexing could cause. Historical attempts (e.g., Axel Springer in 2014, Spain’s publishers) show rapid traffic declines after restricting Google. Reuters says it is continuously evaluating the trade-off. Google has agreed to comply with the U.K. Competition and Markets Authority ruling to give publishers an opt-out from AI features while keeping search placement, with implementation due next year. Industry data cited include a reported publisher ad supply drop of up to 40% in Q2 2026 and other metrics from NewzDash, Cloudflare and HasData.