The Decline in Ad Spend on Professionally Produced News Content

Global ad spend on professionally produced news content has dropped significantly according to recent research from WARC Media.

The report was based on WARC's dataset of advertising and media intelligence from around the world. The forecast for 2021 is a 33% decrease from 2019.

In the US, automotive and retail ad spend has decreased in newsbrands while news publishers are targeting tech, healthcare, direct-to-consumer, and B2B advertisers.

The decline in spend on professionally produced news content is part of a larger shift towards user-generated content, with only 51% of global content ad spend expected in 2025 according to GroupM data, as cited by WARC.

About the research: The report was based on WARC's dataset of advertising and media intelligence from around the world.

Human Content: What It Means & Why It's Important

In a world full of robotic and forgettable brand messages, standing out means sounding human. People want to hear from real people who understand their problems and frustrations. Human content creates trust, sparks emotion, and makes real connections.

Personality, emotion, and relatability are key components of human content. It's not overly polished or sanitized, and it uses language and examples that people recognize. Storytelling is also important, as it helps people remember information and creates a connection with the audience.

In the age of AI, it's more important than ever for brands to be human. Trust is the ultimate differentiator and human content helps build that trust by showing empathy, communicating values, and creating emotional equity. The most successful brands in the future will be the ones that sound the most human.

The Top Challenges Facing Senior Marketers in 2025

Senior marketers are facing increasing pressure from their CEO and corporate board. Demonstrating the impact of marketing actions and focusing data and analytics are top challenges.

Research conducted by The CMO Survey in early 2025 polled 281 marketing leaders, with top challenges being data analytics and cross-functional support for new investments.

Since 2024, focusing data and analytics on important marketing problems has grown in importance. More senior marketers are feeling pressure from their CEO, CFO, and corporate board in 2025 compared to 2023.

What Microsoft's New Email Deliverability Requirement and Recommendations Mean for B2B Brands

Microsoft's new requirement for high-volume senders will primarily affect B2B marketers and requires a DMARC policy, aligning with Google and Yahoo's requirements.

The four recommendations from Microsoft, including compliant sender addresses and transparent mailing practices, may become future requirements and impact B2B brands' use of cold email.

Most B2B brands likely comply with the DMARC requirement, but should take the recommendations seriously as they could become requirements in the future and impact email deliverability.

AI Update, May 16, 2025: AI News and Views From the Past Week

Catch up on select AI news and developments from the past week or so (in no particular order). Apple is reportedly exploring AI search providers like OpenAI and Perplexity for Safari, signaling a potential break from its $20B/year default search deal with Google.

OpenAI has launched "OpenAI for Countries," offering nations help to build AI infrastructure aligned with democratic values. The initiative includes localized ChatGPT, national data centers, startup funding, and AI safety standards.

A balanced AI copyright report by the US Copyright Office was followed by the sudden firing of its head by the Trump administration, prompting legal and political disputes. A shift in default search engines could fragment search behavior, requiring marketers to broaden optimization efforts beyond Google to new AI-native search platforms.