Tinuiti

IVT Threatens Budgets; Netflix Live; Publicis Middle East Hit

This Week in Charts reports that invalid traffic (IVT) is costing marketers significant digital budget, per a Lunio survey showing three-quarters of marketers lose over 5% of monthly digital spend to IVT. Publicis reported €3.77 billion in net revenues for Q2 2026, with year-on-year organic growth in every region except Middle East & Africa (-8.3%) due to war. Tinuiti data shows Reels ads accounted for more than one-third of Instagram ad impressions in Q2 2026, nearing Stories (39%). DoubleVerify research finds Latin American consumers (56%) are most receptive to shoppable ads in streaming, versus 38% in EMEA and North America. Market moves included Paramount shares down ~10% after a judge temporarily blocked its proposed Warner Bros Discovery acquisition, Stagwell down ahead of half-year results, Nexxen shares up strongly, and Apple hitting an all-time high.

Marketers Slow to Use AI for Influencer and CTV

Digiday+ and Modern Retail+ surveys of more than 100 marketing professionals in Q1 2026 find marketers are adopting AI faster for social and retail media than for influencer and connected-TV (CTV) channels. Only 25% use AI for influencer marketing—mostly for data analysis (75%), content creation (63%) and outreach (56%)—while 82% report not using AI in CTV campaigns; among the 18% who do, common uses include data analysis (69%) and content creation or ad buying (54%). Brands and agencies cite authenticity and consumer-trust concerns about virtual influencers. The reporting highlights vendor and platform activity (Beekman 1802, Bezel, Later, POP.STORE; Amazon and Roku tools) and research advances such as VOID, an AI video tool demonstrating advanced editing and object removal.

Amazon Launches Alexa+ Agentic Ads for External Merchants

Amazon announced Alexa+ Agentic Ads at Cannes Lions, a new shoppable, agentic conversational ad format that lets users complete purchases inside the ad without leaving the experience. The format — timed to Prime Day and beta-testing with partners including Papa Johns and The Orchard (a Sony subsidiary) — uses LLM-driven natural conversation to answer customer questions and carry transactions on Echo Show and other Alexa surfaces. Amazon previously folded its Rufus shopping assistant into Alexa+ to create Alexa for Shopping. The company and beta partners are still validating metrics such as transaction completion rates and pricing. The move follows broader industry shifts toward agentic shopping driven by Google and OpenAI, with OpenAI projecting growing ad revenues that signal rising advertiser interest in AI-native commerce experiences.