Observed Signal · Nov 30, 2025 · Analysis · Source: State of Streaming · Impact: 2/5 · Sentiment: Positive
Brands Stuck in Siloed Ads as Journeys Converge
Kristin MacGregor, Global Chief Commercial Officer at Smartly and a former Google Managing Director, argues that rising consumer convergence between social feeds and connected TV (CTV) requires brands to stop treating channels as isolated silos. As multi‑screen, always‑on journeys grow (the piece notes that by 2025 nearly four in five adults will use devices simultaneously), many marketers still replicate identical creative across CTV and social instead of adapting assets to each context. MacGregor highlights that only 16% of marketers use identical assets across channels, calls for “smart adaptation” and an approach she terms “intelligent, infinite creative,” and says AI and creative automation can scale high‑quality variations while preserving brand governance. Smartly cites a case where creative automation helped The Times double campaign cost‑efficiency, illustrating measurable ROI from tailored creative strategies. The article frames the shift as strategic and economic, emphasizing cost barriers for bespoke video variations and the performance gains from smarter creative workflows.
Highlights a measurable creative optimization gap between CTV and social (16% stat) and argues AI-driven creative automation can materially improve campaign efficiency and cohesion—relevant to advertisers, creative teams, and ad‑tech vendors.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- Kristin MacGregor is Global Chief Commercial Officer at Smartly and a former Managing Director at Google with 17 years at Google.
- The article cites that by 2025 nearly four out of five adults will engage with devices simultaneously.
- Only 16% of marketers are using identical assets across CTV and social channels, per Smartly's cited data point.
- Smartly used creative automation with The Times to achieve a 2x improvement in cost‑efficiency for its campaigns.
Connected Companies & Entities
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Related Market Signals & Shifts
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Make CTV the Heart of Your Omnichannel Strategy
The article argues that connected TV (CTV) should be the centerpiece of omnichannel marketing. Citing a survey with Advertiser Perceptions, it notes that more than half of CTV/streaming TV advertisers already combine social media, streaming audio, or digital display with CTV, and that nine in ten advertisers view omnichannel capabilities from CTV partners as important. Measurement remains challenging due to cross-channel attribution and fragmented reporting. The piece prescribes a three-pronged approach: (1) adopt a CTV-first mindset with omnichannel as the multiplier, (2) demand unified measurement linking exposures to business results, and (3) lean into smart curation to ensure premium, brand-safe inventory. The overarching message is that platforms must deliver seamless experiences and measurable outcomes as 2026 approaches, and that advertisers who act now will be best positioned to thrive in a fragmented media landscape.
Yapily CEO Prefers Sidelines amid Open Banking Consolidation
Yapily, a UK-based open banking infrastructure startup backed by Lakestar, reported improved financials for 2025, with turnover rising from £6.7m to £16.7m and a swing from a £16.2m loss to a £355,000 profit. CEO Stefano Vaccino attributes growth to a lean operation and increased revenue from existing customers including Revolut, Intuit, Adyen, and Google. The company, profitable since 2025, last raised a $51m Series B in 2021 led by Sapphire Ventures. Amid expected consolidation in the open banking sector, Vaccino stated a preference to remain on the sidelines and focus on organic growth. He highlighted upcoming catalysts such as Commercial Variable Recurring Payments (CVRPs) and the EU's Financial Data Access (FiDA) framework, while noting recent acquisitions like Paypoint's purchase of obconnect and TrueLayer's acquisitions of in3 and Zimpler.
SPUR launches AI content tracking standard, invites OpenAI, Google to board
A coalition of media organizations including the Guardian, Financial Times, BBC, Sky, and the AP has released a new standard for tracking how AI tools use publishers' content. The Standards for Publisher Usage Rights (SPUR) initiative published its content telemetry standard on October 2, 2026. The standard creates a process to track and report when content is retrieved, grounded, cited, presented, and engaged with by AI tools, and report usage back to publishers. SPUR has invited OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Meta, and Microsoft to join its new AI Licensing Advisory Board to help shape implementation. The board aims to ensure tracking rules work for both publishers and AI companies. SPUR is also developing agent tooling for AI companies to adopt the standard, supporting transparent reporting and licensing. Pilot programs with tech and AI companies are planned.
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