Tag: Marketing

Who Really Controls the Brand? Highlights from the Las Vegas Women’s Marketing Collective

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Who Really Controls the Brand? Highlights from the Las Vegas Women’s Marketing Collective

Local Roots. National Reach.
October 16, 2026

On October 15, 2026, the Las Vegas Women’s Marketing Collective hosted Local Roots. National Reach., a panel discussion at The Collective, with MassMedia as presenting sponsor. The afternoon brought Southern Nevada’s leading women marketers together for engaging conversation, meaningful connections, and actionable insights from senior marketing executives. And while this is a women’s marketing event, a little friendly joking confirmed that men are welcome, too.

The central question: how do brands maintain a clear, consistent identity while giving local teams the flexibility to respond to the customers, culture, and competitive dynamics of individual markets?

Meet the Panel

Moderated by Jess Guffey (this author), Senior Vice President, Integrated Marketing at MassMedia, the discussion featured three seasoned marketing leaders:

  • Chad Brown, Chief Marketing Officer, Affinity Interactive
  • Kimberly Bender, Vice President of Advertising, Full House Resorts
  • Lani Dorlack, Director of Restaurant Marketing, Port of Subs

Together, they brought decades of experience across gaming, hospitality, restaurants, and franchise marketing, offering perspectives from both the corporate and the local-market side of the brand equation.

Brand Consistency vs. Local Relevance

The panelists agreed that the right balance depends on the industry. For example, casinos tend to have very different identities, so one size rarely fits all. On the other hand, restaurant brands may lend themselves to more consolidation.

For organizations managing multiple brands, the panel noted that local teams often rely on many of the same services, just in different ways. One solution panelists gravitated to was a corporate-led shared services model, in which a single department manages services across all of an organization’s properties or franchisees.

Whatever the approach, two principles stood out. Show local managers that their feedback is valued and incorporated, and don’t alienate your core customer base.

Corporate Strategy vs. Market Agility

The panelists described the real-world challenge of getting local buy-in. In franchise models, corporate teams may need to sell their ideas to a large network of franchise owners. The panel also touched on differences in marketing culture between properties or franchises. Some regional teams assumed that canvassing covered marketing entirely, so part of corporate’s role was educating them on what a full marketing approach includes.

Building corporate marketing from the ground up came up as well. In the past, individual properties often operated on their own and rarely shared with one another. Some panelists hired large agency partners to support a growing marketing program, which had the benefit of supporting their larger brands while also having capacity to take on projects for their smaller brands.

At the same time, structured corporate oversight pays off when local properties are given the room to explore and experiment. If a local team’s project falls short, corporate management can apply those learnings across the brand.

Getting there took trust. Panelists described encountering defensiveness from local management and emphasized that corporate’s role is to advise, not dictate, and to connect properties so they can share what they know.

The same philosophy applied to data. Properties often have different analytics and track different data points, so rather than forcing everything into one system, the panelists recommended letting each property keep the metrics that matter most to them while maintaining enough common options for apples-to-apples comparisons at the corporate level. And instead of telling regions what to do, let them A/B test so they can see the results for themselves.

AI, Personalization, and the Future of Local Marketing

The panelists discussed how AI is now being integrated into nearly every aspect of marketing. However, they offered an important word of caution regarding data privacy: users must be careful about which tools they employ when handling data containing personally identifiable information (PII)—a consideration that is especially critical in casinos and other heavily regulated industries. And in an interesting twist, some regional teams are now using AI to question corporate decisions.

Lessons from the Field

Across the panel, a few themes stood out:

  • Build trust with regional management. Local teams are far more open to collaboration when they trust and understand corporate’s intentions.
  • Position yourself as a support to the regions. Advise rather than direct.
  • Let the data do the persuading. Testing lets local teams discover for themselves what works.

The panelists also closed with career advice, especially for younger professionals: do what’s right for you, and operate with a sense of urgency rather than in a state of emergency.

Women Supporting Women

As a women-owned and WBE-certified marketing agency, MassMedia prides itself on supporting professional women. Serving as presenting sponsor of this event gave our team another opportunity to create space for women in our community to learn from one another, share perspectives, and build lasting connections. Thank you to the panelists and everyone who was able to join the collective for this wonderful event!

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The New Media Map: Where Smart Ad Budgets Go Next

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The New Media Map: Where Smart Ad Budgets Go Next

The New Media Map: Where Smart Ad Budgets Go Next
October 13, 2026

The media map is being redrawn

Media planning used to be simple. Social created demand. Search caught intent. Display and online video filled in the gaps, and linear TV did the heavy lifting for brands with big budgets. The names on the invoices changed a little from year to year, but the shape of the plan stayed the same.

That shape is breaking. Two forces are pulling budget away from the classic media mix and toward a new set of channels that most media plans still treat as “test budget” line items.

Search is fragmenting. The Google search box is no longer the only place people look for answers. They ask chatbots, browse maps apps and dig through online communities, and each of those moments now has a paid layer. Ads inside ChatGPT went from launch to a billion-dollar run rate in roughly seven months, and Apple Maps started selling ads in August.

Commerce data is going everywhere. Retailers know what people actually buy, not just what they click. Amazon and Walmart have turned that knowledge into full-funnel ad businesses that reach far beyond their own websites, onto streaming TV, the open web and even the screens inside physical stores. Delivery apps, banks and travel brands are following the same playbook.

This guide is organized around those two shifts. Part 1 covers search: ChatGPT, Google AI Mode, Apple Maps and Reddit. Part 2 covers retail and commerce media: Amazon DSP, Walmart Connect, the delivery apps and the streaming inventory they sell. After that, we look at how these channels fit a digital marketing strategy across industries, and share a practical framework for testing any new channel without wasting budget. It’s the same playbook we use as a digital marketing agency when clients ask where their next dollar should go.

One caveat: these channels are moving fast. Minimum spends, ad formats, and country availability have changed several times in 2026 alone. Treat the specifics below as a snapshot as of October 2026, and check each platform’s current documentation before you build a plan around it.

Part 1: Search is fragmenting

 

For two decades, “search” meant typing keywords into Google. Today the same intent is spread across LLMs, maps apps and online communities. People ask ChatGPT for advice, open Apple Maps when they’re ready to visit, and add “reddit” to a query when they want real opinions. Each of those moments now has a paid layer, an organic layer, or both. A modern digital marketing strategy has to cover all of them.

ChatGPT: advertising inside the answer

ChatGPT is the fastest-growing new ad channel of 2026, and also the least proven. OpenAI published its ads principles on January 16, 2026 and began running paid ads in the US on February 9. By August 31, the company said ChatGPT Ads had passed a $1 billion annualized revenue run rate, was used by tens of thousands of advertisers, and was available in more than 40 countries.

How the ads work

ChatGPT ads appear as a clearly labeled sponsored card that sits beneath the AI’s answer, not inside it. OpenAI matches ads to the topic of the current conversation, and it has publicly committed that advertising does not influence the answers ChatGPT gives and that conversations are not shared with advertisers (and, as advertisers on the platform, we can confirm). Ads run only for users on the Free tier and the low-cost Go plan. Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise and Edu users don’t see them, which requires deeper thought and strategy around audience alignment.

Targeting is contextual rather than keyword-based. Instead of bidding on “running shoes,” you’re effectively bidding on conversations about training for a first marathon. The intent signal is richer than a keyword, but it’s also harder to plan against, because there’s no keyword report showing exactly what people typed. A newer format lets brands share product feeds with OpenAI so relevant products can surface in shopping conversations.

What it costs

The price of entry has fallen fast. At launch, OpenAI priced ads at roughly a $60 CPM with commitments around $200,000. In April it launched a self-serve Ads Manager and cut the minimum to $50,000. In May, it added cost-per-click bidding, a measurement pixel and a Conversions API. Ad-tech partners have pushed entry costs lower still.

Why marketers are paying attention

ChatGPT is used by nearly three-quarters of the roughly 153 million US adults who use generative AI, and it accounts for about 70% of AI assistant traffic, according to figures EMARKETER compiled in June. Conversations also reveal intent in a way keywords rarely do. Someone who writes “I have a 12-year-old Honda with 150,000 miles, should I fix the transmission or buy something new?” has told you their budget pressure, timeline and decision stage in one message.

The caveats

Measurement is the weak point. Early advertisers got little beyond impressions. Click pricing, the pixel and a LiveRamp partnership are meant to fix that, but the tooling is months old. Trust is the other risk: a January 2026 Ipsos survey found 63% of US adults said ads in AI search results would make them trust the output less. And EMARKETER expects ads in AI chatbots to stay under $1 billion in total 2026 revenue, a rounding error next to search.

How to approach it

  • Buy on clicks where you can. CPC pricing gives you something to compare against your search benchmarks.
  • Craft careful copy. An ad under an answer competes with the answer. Lead with a specific, useful message, not a brand slogan.
  • Invest in organic visibility. What ChatGPT says about your brand in its unpaid answers probably matters more than any ad today. Earned media clips feed LLMs as credible sources about your brand, making public relations efforts more important than ever.
  • Treat it as learning budget. The goal of a test is to understand the audience and general performance, not to hit a scaled ROAS target. Learn from the campaign before deciding if the channel stays in the mix.
 

Google AI Mode: Google’s answer to the answer engine

ChatGPT isn’t the only answer engine selling ads. Google has been showing ads in AI Overviews for some time, and at Google Marketing Live in May 2026 it introduced new ad formats for AI Mode, its conversational search experience.

  • Conversational Discovery ads use Gemini to write ad copy tailored to the user’s prompt, drawing on a brand’s own site and assets.
  • Highlighted Answers place offers inside AI-generated recommendation lists.
  • AI-powered Shopping ads add short explanations of why a product fits what the shopper asked for.
 

A tool called AI Brief lets advertisers emphasize or remove phrases in the AI-written copy. Google is also testing a Business Agent for Leads, which lets people ask a brand’s AI agent questions directly in search.

The practical difference from ChatGPT is access. You don’t buy AI Mode as a separate channel. Eligibility runs through Performance Max, AI Max for Search, Shopping and broad match campaigns you may already be running. That makes it easy to start but hard to isolate. If you want to know how AI Mode performs, push for placement-level reporting and watch your search term data closely. And because Gemini writes the ad from your materials, clean product data and clear site content matter more than ever.

Apple Maps: paid placement at the moment of the visit

Apple Maps is the most local channel on this list, and for businesses with physical locations it may be the easiest win. After thirteen years without ads, Apple Maps began showing sponsored listings to iPhone and iPad users in the US and Canada in late August 2026, with the rollout ramping through the following weeks.

The move had been coming for a while. Apple rebranded “Apple Search Ads” to simply “Apple Ads” in April 2025, a clear sign it planned to sell inventory beyond the App Store. In March 2026 it announced Apple Business, a single platform that replaced Business Connect, Business Manager and Business Essentials, and confirmed Maps ads would be part of it. Adweek reported that Apple’s ad business was on pace for about $8.5 billion in 2026.

How the ads work

There are two placements. Before someone types anything, a sponsored business can appear at the top of Suggested Places. After they search, a relevant sponsored listing can appear at the top of the results, with only one ad per search. The ads look like ordinary listings with a small blue “Ad” badge, and users can’t turn them off.

Advertisers bid in an auction and pay for outcomes such as views or taps. Any business with a physical location and a claimed Apple Maps listing is eligible. Campaigns can be built through Apple Business with largely automated creative, or through Apple Ads for more control over scheduling and geo-targeting. Apple also offered an introductory 15% credit toward future spend, on up to $1,000 a month during the first year.

Privacy is the defining difference from Google Maps. Apple says a user’s location and ad interactions aren’t tied to their Apple Account, and no data is shared with third parties. Targeting relies on the search, approximate location and map view, not a behavioral profile. Some categories are off limits: home services, bail bonds and crypto ATMs can’t advertise in Maps, and medical services are reviewed case by case.

Why it matters

Every iPhone ships with Apple Maps as the default, and Siri and CarPlay route through it. Local searches are some of the most commercially valuable there are. Someone searching “tire shop” or “sushi” is often deciding on their final destination in minutes. For restaurants, retailers, auto services, gyms, banks and hotels, Maps ads add a second local-search channel while auctions are still thin.

The caveats and how to approach it

The ad load is light by design, and reporting is limited by Apple’s privacy model.

  • Audit your listings first. Claim every location in Apple Business and fix hours, categories, photos and phone numbers. The ad pulls from the listing.
  • Start with visit-driven categories such as food, auto, retail and fitness.
  • Measure with visits and calls. Use store-visit studies and call tracking rather than click attribution.
 

Reddit: where people search for real opinions

Reddit belongs in a conversation about search, not just social. It has become the place people go when they don’t trust polished marketing content, and that behavior shows up in two ways.

People search Reddit directly. Many people add “reddit” to Google queries such as “best running shoes reddit” to find candid opinions from real users. Reddit has also built its own AI search, Reddit Answers, which summarizes community discussions in response to questions.

AI answers draw on Reddit. Both Google and OpenAI have struck data deals with Reddit, and AI tools frequently cite Reddit threads when recommending products or services — on Google, Reddit content accounts for over 21% of all AI Overview citations. A thread comparing three brands of mattresses, or describing a bad experience with a local contractor, can shape what an answer engine tells the next person who asks.

That makes Reddit an organic visibility priority first. Monitor the communities where your category is discussed, answer questions honestly from a clearly identified brand account, and fix real problems people raise. Heavy-handed promotion backfires quickly — Reddit users are quick to call it out.

Paid ads come second. Reddit’s ad products work more like social ads than search ads, but they let you reach people mid-research by targeting specific communities and conversation topics. Promoted posts that read like genuinely useful contributions tend to perform best. For considered purchases, such as tech, finance, travel, healthcare and home services, Reddit ads are a sensible way to show up where people are already comparing options.

Part 2: Commerce data is going everywhere

 

Retail media started as sponsored product listings on a retailer’s own website, evolved into screens at the point of sale, and has since become something much bigger. Companies that know what people actually buy, such as retailers, delivery apps, banks and travel brands, now sell ads against that data across streaming TV, the internet, and other digital placements. The broader term for this is commerce media, and in an IAB survey, advertisers rated it as essential to their plans as often as they rated connected TV.

Two platforms lead the category, and a growing group of challengers is close behind.

Amazon DSP: shopper data, pointed at the whole internet

The Amazon DSP is no longer just a way to retarget people who looked at your product on Amazon. It has become one of the most important programmatic buying platforms in the market, especially for connected TV. Spend on Amazon DSP grew 67% year over year in Q2 2026, up from 41% in Q1, according to Tinuiti’s Q2 2026 benchmark report, which covers more than $4 billion in managed spend. Amazon’s total ad revenue hit $21.3 billion in Q4 2025, up 22%.

A demand-side platform lets you buy ads across many publishers from one place. Amazon’s is different because of the data behind it; it leverages signals from hundreds of millions of shopping, streaming and device interactions, plus the ability to tie ad exposure back to purchases. Three moves in the past two years turned it into a mainstream media platform.

  • Prime Video ads. Making ads the default on Prime Video in 2024 gave Amazon one of the largest ad-supported streaming audiences in the US overnight.
  • Roku. An exclusive 2025 deal lets Amazon DSP recognize logged-in viewers across Roku and Fire TV, reaching an estimated 80 million US connected TV households, more than 80% of the total. Roku said early users reached 40% more unique viewers on the same budget while cutting ad frequency by nearly 30%.
  • Netflix. Since Q4 2025, advertisers can buy Netflix’s ad-supported inventory through Amazon DSP in about a dozen countries. Amazon’s discounted fees on third-party streaming inventory mean it can sometimes be cheaper to buy Netflix this way than directly.
 

The pitch is commerce data meets TV-scale reach. You can build an audience of people who bought a competing product in the last 90 days, show them a Netflix or Prime Video spot, follow up with retargeting, and measure the result in sales. For brands that sell on Amazon, closed-loop reporting connects ads to purchases and new-to-brand customers. For brands that don’t, Amazon Marketing Cloud, its clean room, lets you bring your own first-party data and measure against your own outcomes. That’s why cross-category advertisers now use Amazon DSP, even if their product is not sold on the platform.

Walmart Connect: the store, the screen and the shopping cart

If Amazon DSP is the most mature retail media platform, Walmart Connect is the fastest-growing serious challenger. Walmart’s global ad business reached nearly $6.4 billion in fiscal 2026 (February 2025 to January 2026), up 46%. In fiscal Q2 2027 (May to July 2026), Walmart Connect in the US grew 43% excluding Vizio, and global ad revenue grew 38%.

Walmart’s advantage is the store. Roughly 90% of Americans live within ten miles of a Walmart, and most of its sales still happen in physical locations. That lets Walmart Connect tie ads to in-store purchases, not just online, which matters most for grocery, household goods, health and beauty. The business now spans four layers:

  • Onsite: sponsored search and display across Walmart.com and the app.
  • In-store: digital screens at checkout, in aisles and at entrances.
  • Connected TV: Walmart bought Vizio for $2.3 billion in 2024 and now sells its smart TV home screen and streaming inventory with Walmart shopper data. Vizio ad revenue grew at triple-digit rates in fiscal Q4 2026, and it lets Walmart sell to brands whose products aren’t sold at Walmart at all.
  • Offsite: the Walmart DSP, built with The Trade Desk, buys across the open web and streaming using Walmart audiences.
 

In 2026, Walmart opened its data to more platforms and media. A Yahoo DSP and Magnite partnership marked the first time advertisers could use Walmart’s customer data outside the Walmart DSP. Advertisers can now reach Walmart audiences on Spotify and on live linear TV across Warner Bros. Discovery networks such as TBS, TLC and Food Network, all with closed-loop sales measurement. Walmart is also building ads into its Sparky shopping assistant, though it has said it will favor relevance over ad load.

Walmart also reaches a different shopper from Amazon: typically more suburban, more value-focused, and increasingly higher-income as wealthier households trade down.

Delivery apps: the newest billion-dollar ad businesses

Uber, DoorDash and Instacart have quietly become major ad platforms. Uber Advertising has passed a $2 billion annualized run rate. Instacart reported $286 million in advertising and other revenue in Q1 2026 alone. In June, DoorDash merged its ad operations with Wolt and Deliveroo into one global commerce media platform with more than 400,000 advertisers. EMARKETER expects each of the three to top $1 billion in commerce media revenue this year.

These platforms reach people at the moment of a purchase decision, often with location and time-of-day context that traditional retailers lack. Uber can show an ad on the screen of a rider headed to the airport. Instacart’s Carrot Ads technology powers ads on more than 300 grocery retailers’ sites. For consumer packaged goods, restaurants, alcohol and local services, delivery media can work like a digital end cap.

Other commerce media networks

Almost every company with logged-in customers and transaction data now sells ads. Target (Roundel), Costco, Kroger, Home Depot, Best Buy and Ulta run retail media networks. Banks such as Chase sell ads against card-spending data, and travel brands including United, Marriott and Expedia sell against loyalty profiles.

Programmatic streaming, powered by retail data

Netflix, Disney+, Max, Peacock and Prime Video have all built ad tiers, and nearly all now sell through major DSPs rather than only through upfront deals. Netflix alone had more than 90 million ad-supported subscribers when it announced its Amazon partnership. Amazon and Walmart have become two of the most important ways to buy this inventory, because they pair premium TV with purchase data. For mid-sized brands that were priced out of premium TV, programmatic access, lower minimums and retail audiences make streaming a realistic channel for the first time.

Retail media: the caveats and how to approach it

The same strengths and weaknesses show up across every platform in this group.

Measurement is strongest inside the walled garden. Amazon can prove a sale on Amazon, Walmart a sale at Walmart, Instacart a sale through Instacart. Anything that happens elsewhere relies on modeled attribution or your own data. And every platform that sells the ads also grades them, so self-reported results deserve an independent check.

Fragmentation is real. Each network has its own audience definitions, attribution windows and reporting, which makes it hard to compare them or to avoid paying twice for the same customer.

Prices will rise. As more advertisers pile into the same streaming inventory and retail audiences, costs will climb. Several offerings, especially Walmart’s offsite and CTV partnerships, are still in alpha or beta.

With that in mind:

  • Start with streaming reach. For most brands, the biggest new opportunity is Prime Video, Netflix, Roku and Vizio reach with retail audiences.
  • Pick networks by where your customers buy. Amazon for online-heavy categories, Walmart for in-store and value shoppers, delivery apps for food, grocery and convenience.
  • Bring your own data. Use clean rooms such as Amazon Marketing Cloud to match your CRM and conversion data, so you can measure outcomes that happen off-platform.
  • Prove incrementality. Run a test before scaling. Retail audiences can look great partly because they were going to buy anyway — so conducting an isolated test first can prove results.
  • Consider non-endemic plays. If you don’t sell at a retailer, its streaming and offsite audiences may still fit, such as an insurer targeting new homeowners or an auto brand targeting growing families.

Fitting emerging channels into your digital marketing strategy

 

A good digital marketing strategy starts with the customer journey, not the channel list. Instead of asking “should we be on ChatGPT?”, ask where your customers make decisions, then look at which new channels show up at those moments. Most journeys have three.

When they’re researching

Long, specific questions are where answer engines and communities shine. A homeowner asking what a new water heater should cost, a couple planning a weekend getaway and a parent comparing kid-friendly snack brands are all doing their homework in ChatGPT, Google AI Mode and Reddit. At this stage, organic visibility usually matters more than ads. Make sure your listings, reviews, product data and site content are accurate and actually answer the questions people ask. Paid tests make sense where each customer is valuable enough to justify early-stage costs, which is why home services and hospitality brands are often the first to try ChatGPT ads.

When they’re choosing

Once people are weighing options, familiarity and timing win. This is where retail media and streaming TV earn their place. Amazon DSP and Walmart Connect let you reach people who have shown real purchase signals, then reinforce your brand on Prime Video, Netflix, Roku or Vizio. For CPG brands, this is the core of a modern digital marketing strategy: reach recent buyers of a competing product, then measure whether they switched. In a digital marketing strategy for hospitality, a resort can reach likely travelers at home in its feeder markets weeks before they book. Home services brands can use retail signals, such as recent purchases of home improvement products or new-mover audiences, to reach homeowners before something breaks.

When they’re ready to act

The final step often happens on a phone, minutes before a visit or purchase. For hospitality, Apple Maps ads capture “near me” searches for restaurants, bars and attractions, and Uber can reach travelers on the way to the airport. For CPG, delivery apps such as Instacart and DoorDash reach people with their cart open, and Walmart’s in-store screens reach shoppers in the aisle. Whatever you sell, this stage is the easiest to measure, because the path from ad to sale is short.

Check the rules before you plan

Every new channel has its own ad policies, and they don’t always match what you’re used to on Google or Meta. Home services are barred from Apple Maps ads entirely. Casinos and gambling-related hospitality brands face restrictions or extra review on most platforms, including AI chatbots. CPG brands selling alcohol need to confirm age-targeting and category rules on each network before launch. Check each platform’s policies early, because a rejected category can reshape the whole plan.

How to test an emerging channel without wasting the budget

New channels fail in predictable ways. The budget is too small to read, the test runs too short, the success metric is whatever the platform reports, and nobody decides in advance what result would justify scaling. A simple framework avoids most of that.

  • Set aside a fixed innovation budget. Many brands use something like 5% to 10% of total media for new channels. Make it a standing line item so tests don’t compete with proven channels every quarter.
  • Pick one question per test. “Does ChatGPT drive incremental sign-ups at a cost we can live with?” is testable. Asking how the channel performs as a whole isn’t.
  • Decide the success metric and threshold up front. Write down the result that would make you scale, hold or stop, before the first dollar is spent. Use your own business metrics, such as new customers, store visits or revenue, not just the platform’s numbers.
  • Spend enough to read the result. A test that can’t reach statistical significance is just an expense. Ensure a proper testing budget to allow the platforms to truly run the campaign.
  • Run long enough. Most new channels need six to twelve weeks: two to four weeks for the platform’s algorithms to learn, then a stable run period.
  • Give creative its own test. A new channel often needs new creative. A sponsored card under an AI answer, a Maps listing and a Netflix spot all call for different approaches, so don’t judge a channel by repurposed assets alone.
  • Document what you learn. Even a failed test teaches you about audiences, costs and creative. Share it widely so the next test starts smarter.
 

Creative for answer engines: your tagline isn’t enough

What is a tagline, in a channel like this? Traditionally it’s the short, memorable line that sums up a brand, like Nike’s “Just Do It” or Apple’s “Think Different.” Brand taglines still matter for TV and outdoor, but a sponsored card under a ChatGPT answer or an AI-generated Google ad needs more than a slogan. Someone asking a detailed question wants a specific, useful answer.

That changes how to write a tagline for emerging channels. Keep the brand line, but build supporting copy around concrete benefits, proof points and offers that an AI system can match to a real question. Many of the best tagline examples today pair a short brand promise with a plain-language explanation of who the product is for. Test both versions in every new channel, and let the data tell you which one earns the click.

Don’t forget organic visibility

The biggest shift in this list isn’t just on paid. As more discovery happens in AI answers, what those tools say about your brand when nobody is paying matters enormously. Keep your product feeds, reviews, structured data and site content accurate and easy for machines to read. Make sure your locations are claimed and correct on Apple, Google and the delivery apps. In an AI-first world, clean data is media.

This is also where public relations has changed the most — earned media efforts now shape the sources AI tools learn from. Answer engines lean on news coverage, expert quotes, review sites and community threads, so earned media directly influences what ChatGPT and Google AI Mode say about you. Modern PR services, such as placing data-driven stories, securing expert commentary and building authoritative links, now double as AI visibility work.

The reverse is true too. A wave of negative reviews or an old crisis story can surface in an AI answer long after it has dropped off page one of Google. Online reputation repair, which means responding to reviews, correcting inaccurate listings and publishing credible new content, protects every paid channel on this list.

The bottom line

The media map isn’t being replaced overnight. Search and social still carry heavy budgets, and they will for years. The edges of the map are where growth is happening. ChatGPT went from zero to a billion-dollar run rate in seven months. Apple has turned its default navigation app into a local ad channel. Amazon and Walmart are using purchase data to sell streaming TV, and delivery apps have each built billion-dollar ad businesses almost without anyone noticing.

None of these channels is a sure thing. Several are still in beta, measurement is uneven, and prices will rise as competition increases. That’s exactly why now is the time to test. The brands that learn how these channels work while auctions are thin and minimums are falling will have a real advantage when they reach full scale.

Start small, measure what matters to your business, and treat every test as a lesson. The marketers who win the next decade will be the ones who were willing to try the channels everyone else was still watching.

Ready to put these channels to work? Whether you’re mapping a testing strategy, launching your first paid media campaigns, building social and creative that fit new formats, earning the press coverage AI tools learn from, or tracking performance against real business goals, our team can help you find where your next dollar should go.

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Don’t Let Good PR Go to Waste: How to Repurpose Earned Media

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Don’t Let Good PR Go to Waste: How to Repurpose Earned Media

Repurposing Earned Media
September 22, 2026

Getting meaningful media coverage is rarely a quick process. It takes research, story development, pitching, relationship building, interviews and follow-up to secure a single placement. 

Yet once the story runs, many companies give it one social media post and move on. 

That is a missed opportunity. 

Earned media can continue working long after an article is published, particularly when companies know how to repurpose earned media across their broader communications and marketing efforts. A strong media placement can provide material for social content, thought leadership, email campaigns, sales materials and future PR outreach. 

The relationship works in the other direction, too. The content a company already owns, from original research to executive insights, can give a PR team stronger material to bring to reporters. 

The result is a more connected approach to communications, where earned and owned media support one another rather than operating as separate efforts.

What Is Earned Media and How Does It Work With Owned Media? 

Earned media is coverage a company receives from an independent third-party source, such as a newspaper, magazine, trade publication, broadcast outlet, podcast or digital news site. Unlike advertising or sponsored content, the company does not control the final story or how the publication presents it. In other words, it’s earned through “reputation, word-of-mouth, and public relations efforts.”

That distinction can make earned media particularly useful for establishing credibility. A reporter, editor or producer has independently determined that a company, executive, trend or issue is worth covering.

Owned media, by comparison, consists of channels a company controls, including its website, blog, email newsletter and social media accounts. 

The two channels serve different purposes, but they can work together. 

Earned media can introduce an organization or executive to a new audience. Owned media gives the company a place to expand on the subject, provide additional information and continue the conversation. 

That creates a cycle: 

Owned content → PR opportunity → Earned media → Repurposed content → Continued engagement 

The objective is not to publish the same message everywhere. It is to take a useful idea and adapt it for the audience and purpose of each channel.

How Do You Repurpose Earned Media? 

The simplest way to start is to look beyond the finished article. 

Ask what made the story interesting in the first place. Was an executive commenting on an industry trend? Did the story include original research or data? Did the interview reveal a question that customers frequently ask? Did the reporter’s questions uncover an issue worth exploring in greater depth? 

Those elements can become the foundation for additional content. 

Expand an Executive’s Point of View 

A reporter may use only one or two sentences from a much longer interview. The rest of the executive’s perspective does not have to disappear when the article is published. 

An executive’s comment in a trade publication could become the starting point for a company blog post, LinkedIn article or other thought leadership. The executive can expand on the original idea, provide additional context or explain what the trend means for customers and other businesses. 

This also creates a connection between media relations and executive thought leadership. 

Rather than treating each interview as an isolated PR activity, companies can look for recurring themes in their executives’ commentary. Those themes can become the foundation for a longer-term thought leadership program. 

This is one way to think about what a PR agency does beyond securing a media placement. The value is not simply in getting an executive quoted. It can also come from identifying the ideas worth developing, positioning the executive around those areas of expertise and finding additional ways to put that expertise to work. 

Turn Coverage Into Social Content 

A media placement does not always need to be promoted with a post that simply says, “We were featured.” 

Instead, identify the most useful takeaway from the coverage. 

If an executive was quoted in a story about a change affecting the industry, a LinkedIn post could highlight the insight, explain why it matters and direct readers to the full article. 

A particularly strong quote could become a social graphic. Several related quotes from different interviews could support a recurring series around an executive’s perspective. 

The media placement provides the third-party validation. The company’s social channels provide the additional context. 

Create Content From the Questions the Story Raises 

Good media coverage often raises questions that the original article does not have room to answer. 

Those questions can become new owned content. 

For example, a story about changing consumer behavior could lead to a deeper article about what businesses should consider next. A story about a new technology could lead to a practical guide addressing common implementation questions. A story based on original research could lead to additional analysis of the findings. 

The goal is not to rewrite the reporter’s story and publish it on the company website. 

Instead, use the coverage as a starting point and give the audience something new. 

That distinction is important. Effective content repurposing adds value rather than simply reproducing information that already exists elsewhere.

How Can You Maximize Earned Media Coverage? 

Repurposing coverage is only one part of a broader earned media strategy. Companies can also make their media efforts more productive by thinking about potential content assets before a story is ever pitched. 

One useful question for PR and marketing teams is: What can we create from this story if we earn the coverage? 

That question can influence how a story is developed from the beginning. 

If an executive is being positioned as an expert on a particular industry trend, for example, the team can identify related data, customer questions, existing blog content and other resources that could support the story. 

Planning this way makes it easier to extend the value of coverage after publication. The value of earned media doesn’t end when the story publishes. Cision outlines several ways organizations can extend the impact of earned coverage, including incorporating it into owned channels and sharing it with customers and prospects.

Start With Original Data 

Reporters need information that helps them explain what is happening in an industry. 

Original surveys, research and company data can provide that information when they reveal a meaningful trend. 

A company does not necessarily need a large national study. A focused survey of customers or analysis of relevant company data may uncover a useful finding, provided the methodology and limitations are clear. 

That finding can then serve two purposes. 

The company can publish the research as an owned asset while the PR team uses the findings as the basis for media outreach. A specific finding gives reporters something more useful than a broad claim about what is happening in the market. 

The resulting media coverage can then point audiences back to the original research, creating another connection between earned and owned media. 

Develop a Clear Executive Point of View 

Original research is not the only owned asset that can support PR. 

An executive who regularly addresses meaningful industry issues through a company blog, LinkedIn or other channels is building a body of thought leadership that a PR team can draw from when identifying media opportunities. 

That matters because a reporter looking for an expert source needs more than a person’s job title. They need a reason to believe the person can contribute something useful to the story. 

Consistent, substantive content can help demonstrate that expertise. 

It can also make PR outreach more specific. Instead of pitching an executive simply as the CEO of a company, a PR team can point to the issues the executive regularly addresses and explain why that perspective is relevant to the reporter’s audience. 

Give Your PR Team More to Work With 

The same principle applies to case studies, company reports, customer insights and other content. 

Not everything will become a media story, and it should not. 

The PR team’s job is to identify what has genuine news value and what is better suited to owned channels. 

That distinction is important. A company’s marketing content should not automatically become a press pitch. But a piece of owned content may contain a statistic, trend or point of view that becomes much more compelling when viewed through a news lens. 

This is where close coordination between marketing and PR can improve both functions. 

Build an Online Newsroom 

An online newsroom can provide a practical home for the connection between earned and owned media. 

A useful newsroom might include recent news releases, media coverage, executive biographies, company background information, photography and other resources relevant to journalists. 

It can also give the company a central place to showcase meaningful media coverage. 

That serves two audiences. 

For journalists, the newsroom creates an accessible source of background information when researching a future story. For customers, prospects and other stakeholders, this page provides an independent record of where the company and its executives have been featured. 

The newsroom does not need to become a comprehensive archive of every mention. Prioritize relevant coverage that demonstrates expertise, highlights significant company news or supports the organization’s broader positioning. 

Make Earned Media Part of Your Digital PR Strategy 

Earned media also has a place within a broader digital PR strategy. 

A media placement may generate referral traffic when a publication links to a company’s website. Coverage can also increase awareness of a company’s name, executives, products or areas of expertise. 

That does not mean every media mention will directly improve search rankings. Earned media should not be treated as an SEO shortcut, and search performance depends on many factors. 

The larger opportunity is to build a consistent digital presence around credible third-party coverage and useful first-party content. 

For example, a company might earn coverage about an emerging industry trend and then publish a more detailed article on its website addressing the issue. This piece can answer related questions, provide additional context and link readers to relevant resources. 

Both media coverage and owned content now serve different purposes while reinforcing the same area of expertise. 

Look for Unlinked Mentions 

PR teams can also monitor coverage that mentions a company without linking to its website. 

When appropriate, the company can contact the publication and ask whether a relevant link can be added. There is no guarantee the publication will make the change, but identifying unlinked mentions can be a useful part of a digital PR program. 

More broadly, monitoring media mentions can help a company understand where it is appearing online and which topics are generating attention. 

That information can also inform future PR and content decisions.

How Do You Turn Earned Media Into Content? 

The answer is not to copy the coverage. 

Instead, break the story down into its component parts and determine what each audience needs. 

A single executive interview, for example, might produce: 

  • A social post focused on the strongest takeaway 
  • A blog article expanding on the executive’s perspective 
  • An email newsletter featuring the media coverage 
  • A sales presentation using the placement as a third-party proof point 
  • A thought leadership article exploring a broader industry issue 
  • An internal communication recognizing the team’s work 

The underlying message can remain consistent, but the format and emphasis should change. 

A reporter needs a newsworthy story. A prospective customer may want practical information. An employee may appreciate recognition. A social audience may respond to a concise observation. 

Repurposing works when the content is adapted to those different needs.

What Does a PR Agency Do After a Story Runs? 

This is where the role of PR can extend well beyond media relations. 

Securing coverage is an important part of the job, but it should not necessarily be the end of the process. 

A PR team can help identify the most useful elements of the coverage, determine where those elements can be repurposed and coordinate with marketing, content and sales teams to put them to work. 

That might include developing follow-up content, identifying additional media angles, connecting an executive’s comments to a broader thought leadership strategy or finding opportunities to extend the conversation through the company’s owned channels. 

In other words, the question should not only be, “Did we get coverage?” 

It should also be, “What can we do with it now?” 

That shift can make PR a more integrated part of a company’s overall communications strategy. 

Measure What Happens After the Coverage Runs 

Traditional PR reporting often emphasizes placements, reach and impressions. Those metrics can help show the scale of a campaign, but they do not tell the entire story. 

If the goal is to maximize the value of earned media, companies should also look at what happens after publication. 

Depending on the campaign, useful measurements may include: 

  • Referral traffic from media placements 
  • Engagement with social posts featuring coverage 
  • Traffic to related owned content 
  • Downloads of reports or other resources 
  • Form submissions and inquiries 
  • Leads that reference a media placement 
  • Sales conversations influenced by coverage 
  • Engagement with executive thought leadership 
  • Searches for the company or executive 

The right measurements depend on the campaign’s objective. 

For instance, a thought leadership effort may be designed primarily to increase visibility and establish an executive as a source. In contrast, lead-generation campaigns may be focused more directly on website traffic or prospect conversion. 

The important thing is to connect media activity to what happens afterward. 

Build a Repeatable Earned Media Strategy 

Companies do not need to reinvent their content strategy every time they earn a media placement. 

A simple process can make repurposing part of the normal PR workflow: 

  • Capture: Save the coverage in a central media library. 
  • Identify: Pull out useful quotes, data, insights and questions. 
  • Adapt: Determine which elements can become social posts, blogs, newsletters, sales materials or thought leadership. 
  • Distribute: Tailor each piece to the audience and channel. 
  • Measure: Track engagement, traffic and other outcomes tied to the campaign. 
  • Refine: Use the results to inform future PR and content efforts. 

This creates a repeatable system rather than relying on someone to remember to share an article after it publishes. 

It also gives marketing teams a clearer view of the content already being generated through PR. 

Make Every Media Placement Work Harder 

Good PR takes time. Companies should get as much value as possible from the coverage they earn. 

That does not mean turning one article into a dozen versions of the same social post. It means looking at the ideas, expertise, data and questions behind the coverage and finding additional ways to make those elements useful. 

The same principle applies before a story ever runs. A company’s existing research, data and thought leadership can give a PR team stronger material to bring to reporters. 

That is ultimately what a connected earned-and-owned media strategy accomplishes. PR generates third-party visibility and validation, while owned channels provide a place to expand the conversation. 

For companies investing in PR agency services or building an internal communications program, the goal should not be simply to count media placements. 

It should be to make those placements work harder. 

When earned media and owned content support one another, one story can become the starting point for many more conversations.

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The Future of TV Advertising: From Buying Ratings to Building Audience-First Strategies

Posted on by Ryan

The Future of TV Advertising: From Buying Ratings to Building Audience-First Strategies

The Future of TV Advertising: From Buying Ratings to Building Audience-First Strategies
August 24, 2026

We are living in the age of innovation. Traditional advertising mediums like linear TV are certainly being impacted, but that doesn’t mean that those mediums are disappearing. How we use them is evolving. 

That was one of the central themes of a recent fireside chat our Media Director, Kristen Carter, participated in with Kevin Maloy, VP of Advanced TV Solutions at Nexxen, during the Las Vegas Innovation Marketing Association’s Digital Technology & Planning Day. 

For agencies and brands, the evolution of video content and how people consume it has fundamentally changed the way we think about television. TV is no longer a one-size-fits-all medium. The future is about understanding who the audience is, how they consume content, and using data and technology to reach them with the right message at the right time – and ultimately understanding how those investments contribute to business results. 

 

TV Has Evolved – So Has the Way We Plan It 

At MassMedia, we still rely on tried-and-true tools to plan linear TV buys. Resources like SQAD help establish market-specific planning costs and negotiate efficient rates, while Nielsen and Comscore help us understand ratings, audience delivery, and forecast reach.  

The introduction of CTV and online video has made audience intelligence tools and client first-party data an absolute necessity, replacing the ratings and demo-based buying strategies of the past. 

First-party data and audience intelligence tools help us understand who a brand’s best customers are, how they behave, what they value, and most importantly, how they consume media. That intelligence is ultimately what determines the media mix. 

 

Determining The Right Video Mix  

Determining the right video mix starts with two questions: Who are we trying to reach, and what business outcome are we trying to achieve? 

Budget is equally important. Linear television can still be cost-prohibitive in certain markets, particularly for advertisers with limited budgets. CTV has made premium television environments much more accessible, allowing brands to enter the video ecosystem without necessarily making the same investment required for a traditional linear schedule. 

But when the audience and budget support it, linear can still be extremely powerful. 

We saw this firsthand with one of our clients, who was focused on growing singular transactions of $25,000 or more. First-party customer profiles showed that these high-value customers tended to be older and more affluent audience that was still consuming linear TV, so we built a strategy around how that audience watched television. The plan combined addressable cable and streaming with linear programming that over-indexed for the target audience, including premium tentpole environments. 

TV was part of a broader marketing ecosystem, but the markets where the strategy ran consistently experienced growth in $25K+ sales. This campaign served as a powerful reminder that innovation doesn’t always mean replacing traditional channels. Sometimes, it means using better data to make traditional channels work harder. 

 

Fragmentation Makes Integrated Media More Important, Not Less 

The proliferation of media platforms has created tremendous opportunity for advertisers, but it has also created one of the industry’s biggest challenges: fragmentation. Consumers don’t think about whether they’re watching “linear TV,” “CTV” or “digital video.” They simply watch content. 

Media planning and measurement, however, often still operate within those individual channel silos. That makes it difficult to understand true unduplicated reach and frequency across screens, and even more difficult to determine how all those exposures ultimately influence a business result. 

The solution isn’t to retreat into the channels that are easiest to measure. It’s to create a full funnel integrated strategy and measure success based on each channel’s role in driving business results – not simply driving impressions.  

A simple case study from a casino partner provides a great example. The brand’s media mix had historically been concentrated in Google and Meta, so we recommended adding CTV and YouTube to build awareness and support the performance of the bottom funnel channels. Since expanding the mix, website sessions and revenue have consistently increased proportionally to the increased paid media investment and channel mix. 

 

Measuring What Matters 

As the media mix becomes more complex, reporting has to evolve with it. 

Rarely is the booking or the purchase the result of a single touchpoint; rather, it’s the cumulative effect of an integrated media strategy. Yet, one of the reasons brands can be hesitant to invest in upper-funnel channels like TV and CTV is that the impact isn’t always as easy to attribute as a click, lead, or booking from a lower-funnel channel. 

That’s why measurement needs to look beyond last-click attribution. We evaluate upper-funnel channels through signals like website traffic, branded search lift, and overall business performance. Our reporting platform brings those insights together, with media performance, website analytics, CRM, sales, bookings and other first-party data in one view to create a more complete picture of media’s impact. 

Reporting is one of the most important ways we demonstrate success to brands.  The goal is never more data – it’s actionable data that helps all parties understand what happened, why it happened and what we should do next. 

 

So Where Does TV Go Next? 

AI and automation will continue to change how agencies plan, buy and optimize television, but technology alone isn’t the strategy. 

The opportunity is using better technology alongside first-party data and audience intelligence to make smarter decisions about who to reach, where to reach them and how each channel contributes to the business objective. 

The future of television isn’t linear versus streaming. It’s an audience-first video strategy where every channel has a role, and success is ultimately measured by business impact, not impressions.

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Influencer Partnerships That Go Beyond Checking a Box

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Influencer Partnerships That Go Beyond Checking a Box

Thought Leadership - Matthew Swope, Vice President of Public Relations, MassMedia
August 18, 2026

This post originally appeared on the blog of the Las Vegas chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA)

 

It’s easy to take an order: we need 10 influencers at this next venue launch in two weeks.

Teams mobilize. Ten creators attend. Content goes live over a two-day period. The box has been checked.

But did that approach actually produce the desired outcome? And what was the audience experience—scrolling through a sea of nearly identical content on their For You Page?

As communicators, how can we move PR teams out of being order takers, arms and legs if you will, and into strategic partners, peeling back the layers to get to the heart of the ask—and the real why of it all?

That lesson feels especially relevant in hospitality and food and beverage influencer partnerships today.

Most influencer campaigns follow a familiar checklist: build a creator list, negotiate deliverables, host an event, generate posts and calculate reach. But completing the checklist does not necessarily mean the work moved the needle.

Here’s how to reframe influencer partnerships by asking our favorite question: why?


The Initial Request Is Not Always the Real Objective

Clients or internal leaders may communicate their needs through tactics, asking for an influencer event, a certain number of posts, a TikTok campaign or creators above a specific follower threshold.

But those requests are often only the surface expression of a deeper goal.

Maybe the priority is filling reservations during a slower period, creating momentum around an opening, reaching a younger audience or rebuilding excitement about an already established venue.

Our role is to get beneath the request and understand the outcome behind it.

It typically starts with “why?” and is followed with: What does success actually look like? Can we achieve this by hosting an event or one-offs? What would make leadership feel genuinely excited about the investment? What would make the campaign feel bigger than a collection of contracted posts? How will the wider marketing organization be engaging with and utilizing this content?

Influencer strategies tend to be much stronger once those questions are answered.


Start With the Desired Action & Message

The best influencer content should capture attention and inspire action. Whether that’s by clicking out to make a reservation, attending an event, trying a new menu, booking a stay or reconsidering how someone views the brand.

Not every campaign needs to drive an immediate transaction, and oftentimes they won’t, but every campaign should have a clear purpose.

Once the purpose is identified and agreed upon, communicators can determine who the end target is, which platform makes the most sense, and the appropriate influencer to act as a conduit.


Give Creators the Destination, Not Every Turn

Brands should be clear about the message and desired outcomes, but they should not dictate every creative choice. Creators understand the formats, hooks, humor and storylines that resonate with their audiences. That knowledge is part of what the brand is leveraging by engaging in a paid or trade partnership.

The role of a comms team is to provide the strategic foundation: the audience, objective, key message, required facts and brand guardrails. Their job is to translate these baselines into content people will actually choose to watch and engage with.

Creative freedom does not mean operating without direction. It means trusting the creator to find the strongest route to the intended destination.

And, frankly, it’s time for brands to stop nitpicking every frame of influencer content and allow it to reflect the authentic style and voice of the creator.


Sometimes Less Creates More Impact

More creators do not automatically produce more influence.

When dozens of people attend the same preview, capture the same dishes and publish similar content at the same time, audiences quickly recognize the campaign–and they are calling it out. Instead of creating discovery, the volume can make the experience feel manufactured.

Smaller, more bespoke hostings can often produce stronger results. And influencers more and more are asking for one-off experiences, not only to create higher quality content, but to lean into exclusivity and first-looks.

A thoughtfully curated dinner, bespoke itinerary or meaningful access to a chef, founder or creative leader gives influencers a stronger story to experience and tell. It also gives the creator room to find a distinct POV and theme for their content.

The goal should not be to occupy as much of the feed as possible. It should be to give the right storytellers something meaningful enough that their audiences want to act on it.

Did we merely deliver what was requested, or did we peel back the layers to uncover what the stakeholder truly wanted? Did we generate content, or did we create something capable of changing perceptions and moving people to action?

Going beyond checking boxes does not require a bigger campaign or larger budget. It requires a more intentional one.


Follow Matthew Swope on LinkedIn

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Building Brand Conversation: DoorDash’s World Cup Playbook

Posted on by Ryan

Building Brand Conversation: DoorDash’s World Cup Playbook

Food delivery during the World Cup
July 15, 2026
Taste is the new social currency. In an age of mass ads fed to viewers every few posts and overused trends that rarely feel unique, original content is vital to stand out in everyday moments, let alone during culture-driven moments like the World Cup.
 
That’s why major brands like DoorDash are willing to go big on the moment. This year’s tournament brought millions of eyes to the screen and for the delivery app, that meant playing its part. The team had a simple brief: “DoorDash fuels the frenzy in the background for the avid World Cup fan.” Their goal as a team was loftier. According to Head of Social Zaria Parvez, it was to have “#1 SOV against World Cup sponsors that spend 600x more than DoorDash.” A goal like that demands the brand come to play. One of the most effective ways to do that is by creating friction and tension meant to spark conversation.
 
For DoorDash, that started early in the tournament with a campaign led by Zlatan Ibrahimović and a call to all DashPass members to get their share of $5 million in-app credits. While the $5 million was nothing to ignore, what followed the announcement is what really got people talking about DoorDash.
 
Next, a World Cup ticket giveaway with a direct tie-in to the game and a great opportunity for their audiences. But, what got people talking was whether the message it helped amplify was cheeky or a bit tone-deaf. The campaign was led by Brooklyn Beckham, yes, the eldest son of famous footballer David Beckham, who made it painfully clear that there’s tension in the family when he said, “You’re probably wondering why I’m watching the FIFA World Cup from home…It’s a long story.” DoorDash took a risk. Whether or not it was in good taste it got people talking and motivated their audience to open the app to redeem tickets.
 
But, what if a brand tries to tell a story that clearly blurs the lines or even violates FTC rules? Well, DoorDash wasn’t done yet. What started as a “fun” coincidence turned out to be a fully-staged stunt and an undisclosed ad. DoorDash had been live-tweeting moments on X/Twitter and in an attempt to celebrate a New Zealand game, tweeted @TPAIN which at first appeared to be an “honest” mix-up between the famous rapper and the team’s Tim Payne. One tweet could be an accident, but another, and then another, started to look intentional, as seen in the back-and-forth between the rapper and the brand account.
 
The stunt got a ton of coverage across social and PR. Following the exchange, a “reveal” from T-Pain as a #doordashpartner drew nearly 50 million views across their own social platforms.
 
Some praised it. Some called it out. But, at the end of the day it got people talking about the brand and how it was showing up for its audience in big-game moments.

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Trendspotting: Summer 2026 Travel

Posted on by Ryan

Trendspotting: Summer 2026 Travel

Summer Travel
July 8, 2026
Summer has historically been the busiest travel season of the year. While many travelers are keeping a closer eye on their budgets this year, they aren’t giving up vacations entirely. Instead, they’re traveling smarter, prioritizing meaningful experiences, opting for road trips and shorter getaways, seeking out hidden gems, and making every dollar count.
 
To see what summer trends look like beyond the headlines, we asked the MassMedia team to weigh in. Here’s what’s capturing our attention.
 
TREND #1: Investing in Memories
“I’ve noticed that travel has become more of a priority than buying material things. I just returned from a trip to the United Kingdom to visit my sister who lives in northern Scotland, which allowed me to finally see a place that’s been on my bucket list for years. We have family living in Europe during summer, so we turned it into a bigger trip by meeting up in London to explore. I feel like more people are treating travel as an investment in memories and experiences rather than possessions, and I totally get it!” – Alyssa Grock, Senior Account Executive, Integrated Marketing
 
TREND #2: Zara Larsson’s Euro-Summer
“Zara Larsson is the soundtrack of summer and her aesthetic is the ultimate hot girl European vacation. Her pop songs celebrate girls coming together for sun-soaked adventures, seaside cocktails, late-night dancing, and making memories. It’s a celebration of friendship, confidence, freedom, and the kind of summer that feels straight out of a dream.” – Jacki Doroshow, Paid Media Intern
 
TREND #3: Sporting Vacations
“I’m traveling this summer with some friends to see my favorite WNBA team play at their field house. Just like FIFA World Cup travelers visiting the Americas from around the world, many are using sporting events as the centerpiece to build their vacations around.” – Mariana Weber, Senior Social Media Strategist
 
TREND #4: Music-Focused Travel
“I tend to base my summer travel plans around not only seeing family and friends but attending some great shows. This summer, I went to the Kilby Block Party in Salt Lake City to see some of my favorite bands and later this summer I’ll be traveling to Minneapolis and St. Paul for the Minnesota Yacht Club music festival.” – Sean Kenny, Assistant Account Executive, PR
 
TREND #5: The Relaxing Staycation
“I recently took a trip to a tiny mountain town in California called Idyllwild. It is a super small town with one grocery store and one gas station. I can safely say it was one the best trips I’ve taken in years. I’m drawn to environments where I can relax and have a laid back experience that is  close to home, because who can afford insane airfare prices in this economy?” – Mikayla Corgan, Media Coordinator
 
TREND #6: The Multi-Generational Family Reunion
“Earlier this summer I attended a family reunion in Cloudcroft, New Mexico. Not only was it amazing getting out of the heat and enjoying the stunning mountain setting, but it was so much fun getting to spend time with my extended family and reconnect with people I haven’t seen in years. Multi-generational travel has continued to trend in recent years and I understand why, it’s great getting to visit someplace new with people you don’t get to see everyday.” – Jenn Smulo, Director of Consumer Public Relations
 
TREND #7: Grocery Store Tourism
“An interesting new travel trend I’ve noticed is grocery store tourism. People are planning trips, or detours, to check out unique places to shop. Buc-ees has become a social media phenomenon in the United States. Eataly has long been a destination people sought out. Japan’s 7-Eleven’s have a cult following. But, I’ve started visiting unique destinations like Cincinnati’s Jungle Jim’s International Marketplace and Stew Leonard’s in the Northeast, which combine a grocery store with an attraction.” – Alexis Cordell, Account Supervisor, Integrated Marketing

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Celebrating Summer with the Las Vegas Women’s Marketing Collective

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Celebrating Summer with the Las Vegas Women’s Marketing Collective

LVWMC Crafted, Curated, Connections event
July 1, 2026

In June 2026, MassMedia and co-sponsor D/Cipher, hosted Crafted, Curated, Connections, a professional networking event by the Las Vegas Women’s Marketing Collective. This special evening brought together executive women in marketing, media, hospitality, tech, and entrepreneurship from the Las Vegas area and provided an opportunity to network, mingle, and spend time together.

No panels. No presentations. Just a gathering of successful businesswomen finding a refined setting to connect with like-minded professionals, expand their circles, explore new opportunities, and invest in their communities.

Kicking Off Summer

To celebrate the changing seasons, attendees learned how to make refreshing cocktails from the talented bartenders at Nocturno. Those with an eye for floral arranging had a chance to visit the build-a-bouquet station and take home their beautiful creation.

Designed with Connection in Mind

When planning this event, our team thoughtfully designed a comfortable environment where local professional women could be themselves. We aimed to create a setting where guests could have elevated conversations, spark new collaborations or partnerships, and develop friendships, all while crafting an exquisite cocktail, curating a beautiful bouquet, and connecting with an inspired group of their peers.

Women Supporting Women

As a women-owned and WBE-certified marketing agency, MassMedia prides itself on supporting professional women. Hosting this event and partnering with Dress for Success Southern Nevada afforded our team another opportunity to uplift women in our community.

The next Las Vegas Women’s Marketing Collective event, an expert panel discussion, will be held in October 2026. We hope to see you there!

>60

Attendees

74

Clothing donations

>50

Cocktails crafted

>40

Bouquets built

Watch the recap video below.

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Bold Women Leaders Build the Rooms They Once Needed

Posted on by jguffey@massmediacc.com

Bold Women Leaders Build the Rooms They Once Needed

Paula Yakubik, CEO and Founding Partner of MassMedia
March 8, 2026

When I was 25 years old, I started MassMedia with more belief than experience. I didn’t have a deep bench of investors. I didn’t have a legacy name attached to mine. What I had was passion for my craft, a belief in myself and a conviction and willingness to walk into rooms that scared me to death.

Twenty-eight years later, I learned something that no MBA program could have taught me: rooms change everything.

In the early years of building MassMedia in Las Vegas, I spent more time asking for meetings and pushing my way into rooms than being invited to them. I walked into boardrooms filled mostly with men, pitching marketing, advertising and PR with burning ambition and a thick skin I had to grow quickly.

Some rooms felt welcoming. Some scared me to death.

Some rooms felt transactional.  Some rooms were collaborative and life changing.

Some were testing me. Some changed my life forever.

But every room taught me something.

Rooms are where:

Partnerships are formed.

Capital is allocated.

Narratives are shaped.

Confidence is either built or broken.

As a young female founder in the late 1990s I learned quickly that if I wanted to get in the room and have a seat at the table I had to be prepared, sharper, more strategic, and relentlessly results driven. There was no margin for mediocracy.

Over the past three decades MassMedia has grown from a small Las Vegas start-up into an integrated marketing and PR agency with 30 employees and more than $15 million in annual revenue serving major brands nationwide.   But the growth that matters most to me today is not for myself, it is for people.  

It’s the young account executive who found her voice presenting to a very important client. It’s a media buyer, who crafted a buy that delivered results beyond our wildest expectation. It’s the women in my community who are just starting out and the women who I grew up with who now run divisions, departments and companies of their own.

When I started to think about almost 30 years in this business and how I wanted to cross the finish line, it wasn’t about more material possessions, or a profit number. It was about creating a deliberate rooms for women.

This is why I founded the Las Vegas Women’s Marketing Collective. It’s not just an event series; it’s a deliberate room.

A room where:

  • Women at the top of their industry share the truth about leadership.
  • Emerging professionals see what’s possible.
  • Next generation students find access.
  • Collaboration replaces competition.

Because when ambitious women come together, not as rivals but as peers, something shifts. Ideas form. Courage grows stronger. Businesses expand and confidence compounds.

For years, I focused on building rooms for clients: strategic planning sessions, campaign launches, crisis planning rooms.  Today I am equally focused on building rooms for women marketing leaders.

At 25 years old I was trying to prove that I belonged in the room. At 54, I am intentional on who I bring into it. This is the power of experience and the responsibility of leadership. Founding MassMedia taught me resilience and some failures taught me discipline. Building the women’s collective has reminded me of something deeper.

Success is not just about building a company; it is about building people.

Rooms are where that happens.

So, on this International Women’s Day, my message is this:

If you don’t see the room, you need to build it.

If you’re already in the room, widen it.

Rooms shape careers, rooms shape companies and rooms shape communities.

And when women gather with intention, rooms can become movements.

Paula Yakubik is the Founder & CEO of MassMedia and the Founder of the Las Vegas Women’s Marketing Collective.

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The Biggest Paid Media Takeaways from 2025: A Year of Clarifying Signals

Posted on by Ryan

The Biggest Paid Media Takeaways from 2025: A Year of Clarifying Signals

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December 29, 2025

As 2025 draws to a close, paid media seems more like a maturing discipline than a rapidly evolving trend cycle.

We have collaborated with companies in a variety of sectors, platforms, and stages of development over the course of the last year to plan, test, improve, and scale paid media initiatives in real time. The most significant changes weren’t connected to specific platform updates, even though strategies kept changing. They had to do with how brands viewed strategy, creativity, data, and measurement as interconnected systems.

In retrospect, 2025 provided several clarifying indicators. These are the key lessons from paid media that we found most noteworthy in our work, and we think they will continue to influence performance in the future.

1. Platform Growth Invited More Intentional Decision-Making

In 2025, advertisers had more paid media options than ever before. Platforms expanded placements, formats, and discovery surfaces, while retail media networks continued to gain relevance within broader media mixes.

What became increasingly clear is that opportunity alone isn’t the driver of performance. Intentionality is.

Brands saw the most momentum when platform expansion was guided by clear objectives, realistic expectations, and a thoughtful understanding of where the audience already engaged. Rather than feeling pressure to show up everywhere, many teams found success by deepening investment in channels that were already working and expanding selectively when the right conditions were in place. 

2. Creative Emerged as the Most Reliable Performance Signal

Throughout 2025, creative consistently proved to be one of the strongest indicators of paid media success.

As targeting continued to broaden, ads themselves carried more responsibility. Messaging, pacing, format, and authenticity all played a greater role in how campaigns performed. Creative that clearly articulated value, addressed real customer needs, and felt native to the platform often outperformed more polished, but less relevant assets.

Strong creative didn’t come from one perfect concept. It came from building systems that allowed teams to test, learn, and iterate quickly. Over time, these feedback loops became one of the most dependable ways to improve efficiency.

3. First-Party Data Continued to Strengthen Performance Foundations

Another pattern that became increasingly visible in 2025 was the role of first-party data in creating stability and consistency.

Brands that invested in clean data infrastructure—through CRM connections, server-side tracking, and thoughtful event design—gave platforms clearer signals to work with. This didn’t eliminate volatility, but it often made performance more predictable and learning periods more efficient.

At the same time, these investments helped teams better understand their audiences beyond platform dashboards, supporting stronger alignment between paid media, lifecycle marketing, and overall growth strategy.

4. Paid Media Naturally Moved Further Up the Funnel

In 2025, paid media continued to play a broader role across the customer journey.

Many brands observed that conversion-focused campaigns performed best when supported by earlier touchpoints — ads designed to educate, introduce, and build familiarity over time. Rather than viewing awareness and consideration as separate initiatives, teams began to see them as essential inputs to conversion efficiency.

This shift was especially evident on platforms like Meta, TikTok, and YouTube, where audiences often discover brands before actively searching for them.

5. Measurement Became More About Direction Than Certainty

Measurement conversations evolved noticeably in 2025.

As attribution remains imperfect, teams spent less time searching for precision and more time looking for consistency and directional insight. Blended metrics, trend analysis, and incrementality testing helped provide context that single-channel reports could not.

This shift encouraged stronger collaboration between marketing, analytics, and leadership—and helped align paid media decisions with broader business outcomes.

6. Rising Costs Reinforced the Importance of Fundamentals

Costs continued to rise across most paid media platforms in 2025, but this trend also brought an important realization into focus: paid media reflects the strength of what it’s built on.

Brands with clear positioning, compelling offers, cohesive messaging, and strong on-site experiences often found that paid media remained an effective growth lever, even in a more competitive environment.

Rather than being a standalone solution, paid media functioned best as an amplifier of solid fundamentals already in place.

Looking Ahead

2025 wasn’t defined by a single platform shift or tactical breakthrough. It was defined by a growing sense of alignment between creative and media, data and strategy, short-term performance and long-term brand building.

As we look toward 2026, the most successful paid media programs will continue to be those built with intention: grounded in strong fundamentals, guided by learning, and flexible enough to evolve alongside changing platforms and consumer behavior.

That’s the lens we bring to our work, and the one we believe will continue to serve brands well in the years ahead.

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