Spark Foundry

Adweek Commerce All-Stars 2026 Celebrates Retail Leaders

Adweek published its inaugural Commerce All-Stars list (June 9, 2026), spotlighting executives and leaders shaping commerce, retail media and commerce technology. The feature profiles leaders from retailers, platforms, agencies and MarTech vendors — highlighting business milestones (e.g., Uber Advertising surpassing $2 billion annualized revenue in 2025; Walmart Connect reaching $6.4 billion in 2025), product and capability launches (Uber Creative Studio, Microsoft’s Copilot Checkout), and trends such as AI-driven and “agentic” commerce, retail media expansion beyond major retailers, and efforts to open retail media to smaller players. The roundup combines measurable outcomes, scaling metrics and case examples across in-store, on-site and offsite retail media, underlining how measurement, first-party data and AI personalization are redefining the shopper journey.

Buyers Seek Outcomes, Flexibility in Upfront Marketplace

With upfront season underway, advertisers and agencies are prioritizing outcomes-based deals that can connect TV and streaming exposure to business results. Industry sources told Digiday that actual upfront contracts had not been finalized at press time; buyers want premium content to deliver measurable business impact, not just scale. Measurement gaps remain the primary barrier to outcomes deals, though industry participants expect AI and agentic tools to assist. Marketers are demanding flexibility amid economic uncertainty and softened budgets, with sports and live events retaining premium value. Legacy media are emphasizing streaming/CTV and sports to compete with Amazon and YouTube, while concerns over brand safety are driving reliance on established IP. OpenAP announced a partnership aiming to standardize linking TV ad exposure to business results, and Disqo published a 2026 Outcomes Report with consumer action metrics tied to TV ads.

Viant-TVision Deal Fuels Call for Unified CTV Measurement

An ADWEEK House Possible panel co-hosted with Viant explored measurement, transparency and buying practices in Connected TV (CTV). Viant’s Chris Vanderhook said marketers want a unified, independent CTV measurement system and noted Viant recently acquired TVision, a company that uses cameras and eye-tracking to measure in-room audience counts and attention. Panelists including TVision CEO Yan Liu, agency and brand leaders from Spark Foundry, Marriott International, Molson Coors and Chobani discussed inventory transparency, the need for clearer supply data in programmatic buys and the continuing importance of creative to capture distracted viewers. The discussion highlighted app- and show-level placement opacity and urged both buyers and publishers to improve supply transparency to scale CTV effectively.