#branded-audio

#branded-audio

"Any time you have to explain your name, you're essentially apologizing for it," says Alexandra Watkins, the founder of naming firm Eat My Words. Her deal-breakers for names include 'looks like a typo' and 'hard to pronounce.'

The Top Spenders list shows a near-even split of companies which raised and lowered their investment from the previous month, indicating varied strategies among advertisers.

The study surveyed 1,226 marketing decision-makers who work for businesses of different sizes and industries throughout the U.S., U.K., Australia, and Canada.

Men's Wearhouse developed an audio-only campaign with its measurement and media agency, Ovative Group, and activated it through The Trade Desk's Kokai platform. The core message of the campaign was that 'you can get whatever you need at Men's Wearhouse,' highlighting three parts of the brand's offerings: its 'everywhere look' for a typical day, suits and wedding attire.

Performance has always been the foundation of commerce media because it tied spend to measurable behavior. From sponsored search to sponsored products, the category scaled by delivering outcomes that could be directly attributed to transactions. Automation, AI-driven optimization and closed-loop measurement accelerated that model and made outcomes-based buying the norm. Outcomes still matter. But as AI reduces friction and increases competition, outcomes alone no longer create separation.

This year has been volatile for brands. With tariffs taking effect, the job market slowing, and consumer spending barely keeping pace with inflation, it's no surprise that ad spend has slowed in tandem. Amidst economic uncertainty and an onslaught of unanswered questions, brands are increasingly looking for demonstrable ROI in their marketing and design budgets. Some may choose to invest in a costly new campaign or commit to a new brand identity, while others will default to slashing their budgets altogether.

To paraphrase a quote credited to poet and author Maya Angelou, people forget what you say and do, but they never forget how you make them feel. That understanding is becoming increasingly relevant in modern marketing, where differentiation is driven as much by emotional experience as by execution. For agencies, this means thinking beyond deliverables to the full experience clients and audiences have at every touchpoint.