Media Monitor

This week, Kelly and Sean take a category-focused approach, diving into two major sectors shaping the advertising market: automotive and pharmaceutical advertising.

The episode begins with a conversation around Sean’s recent car purchase, which quickly opens into a broader discussion about the state of the auto industry. They examine how automotive advertising—historically one of the largest categories in media—is now facing slower growth, changing consumer priorities, rising vehicle costs, and uncertainty around electric vehicle adoption.

The discussion highlights:
Why automotive ad spend is dropping below historic benchmarks
The evolving role of EV advertising
Why affordability may matter more than technology upgrades
How companies like Slate Auto and BYD could reshape consumer demand
Why legacy automakers are reducing spend
Kelly and Sean then shift into pharmaceutical advertising, a category that remains heavily concentrated in the United States. They discuss the unique nature of direct-to-consumer pharma ads, the rise of GLP-1 marketing, and the major patent expirations expected to reshape spending patterns across the category.
Additional topics include:
Why TV pharma spending is declining
The growth of digital pharma campaigns
The impact of blockbuster GLP-1 drugs
What “patent cliffs” mean for advertising budgets
Emerging wellness and alternative health advertising trends
The episode closes with reflections on consumer behavior, category evolution, and what these shifts could mean for advertisers moving into 2027.

Key Topics Covered
Automotive advertising trends in 2026
Why auto ad spend is declining globally
Electric vehicle adoption and marketing challenges
BYD and Slate Auto disruption potential
Pharma advertising trends in the US
GLP-1 advertising growth
Patent expirations and pharma spend pressure
Digital vs traditional pharma advertising
Emerging wellness advertising trends

If you’d like access to the benchmark report or want to suggest a topic for the next part of the programmatic series, reach out to [email protected].
If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to follow or subscribe so you don’t miss future conversations on advertising, media strategy, and cultural marketing moments.
And if you’re listening on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, a quick rating or review helps more people discover the show.

In this episode, Kelly and Sean step back from deep dives and return to a broader format—reviewing several major headlines shaping the media and advertising landscape right now.

They begin with the ongoing legal dispute involving OpenAI, exploring how the lawsuit connects to broader questions about business strategy, monetization, and rising competition in the AI space. The conversation highlights a shift from early expectations to a more competitive and financially driven environment.

From there, the discussion moves into audio, with reported talks between SiriusXM and iHeartMedia. Kelly and Sean examine what a potential merger could mean for the future of radio, podcasting, and the growing role of digital audio platforms.
The episode also revisits Australia’s social media restrictions nearly a year after implementation. While the policy aimed to limit youth access, early data suggests limited impact on advertising performance, raising questions about how effective these measures are in practice.

Finally, they touch on Amsterdam’s proposed restrictions on certain types of advertising in public spaces. This opens a broader conversation about how regulation may begin influencing not just where ads appear, but what can be promoted at all.

Throughout the episode, the focus remains on translating headlines into practical insights—what’s happening, why it matters, and what to watch next.

Key Topics Covered
OpenAI lawsuit and evolving AI business dynamics
Early signals from OpenAI advertising activity
SiriusXM and iHeartMedia merger discussions
Podcasting’s growing role in audio strategy
Australia’s social media restrictions after one year
Why ad spend hasn’t shifted as expected
Amsterdam’s restrictions on certain ad categories
How regulation could shape future advertising models

If you’d like access to the benchmark report or want to suggest a topic for the next part of the programmatic series, reach out to [email protected].
If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to follow or subscribe so you don’t miss future conversations on advertising, media strategy, and cultural marketing moments.
And if you’re listening on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, a quick rating or review helps more people discover the show.

Kelly and Sean break down how advertising is evolving across major sports—from the Olympics to the NFL and NBA—and why streaming continues to reshape how brands reach audiences. 
 
In this episode, Kelly and Sean take a closer look at how advertising is shifting across the sports landscape in early 2026, using recent data and real-world examples to unpack what’s changing and why. 
They begin with a lighter moment on sports viewing habits before moving into a structured breakdown of major events and leagues, including the Olympics, NFL, NBA, and NHL. From there, the conversation focuses on one consistent theme: streaming is expanding quickly, while traditional TV remains steady but slower-growing. 
The Olympics serve as a strong example, with streaming now accounting for a significantly larger share of ad revenue compared to prior years. At the same time, linear TV still plays a meaningful role, showing that audience behavior is evolving rather than fully shifting. 
Kelly and Sean also discuss how advertisers are adapting their buying strategies. One standout approach is multi-sport programmatic buying, where brands target audiences across a range of sports content instead of focusing on a single league. This method offers flexibility and efficiency while still capturing engaged viewers. 
The episode closes with a look at which industries are increasing investment in sports—such as tech and pharma—and which are showing more caution, along with a brief outlook on what upcoming global events may mean for the market.  
Key Topics Covered 
 How sports remains one of the strongest areas for live viewing 
 Growth in streaming vs traditional TV across major events 
 Olympics advertising trends and shifting viewer behavior 
 NFL, NBA, and NHL ad performance insights 
 The rise of multi-sport programmatic buying 
 Why streaming bundles are becoming more common 
 Category trends: tech, pharma, retail, and auto 
 What to expect heading into the World Cup
  
 Want deeper insights into sports and advertising trends? Reach out at [email protected]
 to learn more. 

If you’d like access to the benchmark report or want to suggest a topic for the next part of the programmatic series, reach out to [email protected].
If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to follow or subscribe so you don’t miss future conversations on advertising, media strategy, and cultural marketing moments.
And if you’re listening on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, a quick rating or review helps more people discover the show.

In part two of their programmatic advertising series, Kelly and Sean shift from the demand side to the supply side, breaking down what SSPs are, how they function, and what the latest Q1 data says about where programmatic is heading.
They begin with a practical explanation of the supply-side platform: the technology publishers use to make ad inventory available to buyers in the programmatic marketplace. If DSPs help advertisers buy, SSPs help publishers sell. From there, the conversation moves into one of the more striking shifts in the market — the growing role of programmatic in connected TV.
Sean explains how streaming inventory has moved away from direct sales and toward a more automated buying model. Just a few years ago, only a minority of CTV dollars flowed programmatically. Today, many platforms are approaching a much more balanced split, and some are already heavily programmatic.
Kelly and Sean then zoom out to the broader Q1 picture. They discuss how programmatic growth has moderated from the very high levels seen a year ago, why that slowdown makes sense, and what factors are contributing to it — from market maturity to slower expansion in ad-supported streaming inventory.
The episode also touches on category-level changes, with pharmaceuticals standing out as a notable growth area, and closes with a look at the biggest DSP players globally, including DV360, Trade Desk, and Amazon.

Key topics include:

What an SSP is and how it works
The relationship between DSPs and SSPs
Why CTV inventory is shifting toward programmatic
The move from direct buying to automated buying in streaming
What Q1 data says about global programmatic growth
Why programmatic growth has slowed from prior highs
Category-level changes, including pharma growth
Market share shifts among major DSPs
What to watch for in the rest of the year

Chapters

00:00 Intro and spring break recap
01:25 Why this is part two of the programmatic series
01:55 What an SSP is
04:32 Supply-side trends in programmatic
06:13 Why CTV is moving toward programmatic
08:56 Platform-level shift in streaming inventory
12:06 Q1 programmatic growth trends
14:19 Category changes in Q1
15:11 Major DSP market share shifts
16:16 Outlook for the rest of the year
17:49 Closing thoughts and what’s next
If you’d like access to the benchmark report or want to suggest a topic for the next part of the programmatic series, reach out to [email protected].
If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to follow or subscribe so you don’t miss future conversations on advertising, media strategy, and cultural marketing moments.
And if you’re listening on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, a quick rating or review helps more people discover the show.

Retail media networks have quietly become one of the most important forces in advertising.
In this episode, Kelly and Sean break down what retail media actually is, why it’s growing, and where it may be heading next.
At its core, a retail media network allows retailers to sell advertising using their own customer data—whether that’s on their website, app, or even in-store screens. Companies like Amazon, Walmart, and Target are leading the way, using shopper behavior to deliver highly targeted ads.
But the real story is in the growth.
Retail media accounted for roughly 15% of total U.S. media growth last year, making it one of the most impactful drivers in the industry.
So why is it working?
Two major factors:
High purchase intent – Ads reach consumers already in buying mode
Closed-loop measurement – Platforms can directly connect ad exposure to purchases
From an advertiser perspective, that combination is hard to ignore.
The episode also explores how the space is evolving:

Key trends shaping retail media

Amazon continues to dominate, driving about 40% of retail media ad revenue
Traditional retailers like Walmart, Kroger, and Target remain strong
New entrants—like Uber, Instacart, and airlines—are entering the space
Over 50 large-scale retail media networks now exist in the U.S.
At the same time, signs of maturity are starting to appear:
Fewer new network launches in 2026
Slowing user growth as adoption approaches saturation
Increased competition for the same audiences
So where does growth come from next?
Sean outlines three emerging directions:
Offsite advertising – Using retail data to sell ads beyond owned platforms
Audience matching & data partnerships – Expanding targeting capabilities
Continued expansion from existing players – Rather than new entrants
The takeaway: retail media isn’t slowing—but it is changing.

Key Topics

What retail media networks are (simple explanation)
Why brands are shifting budgets into retail media
Amazon’s dominance and growth outlook
The rise of Walmart, Kroger, and big-box players
New entrants like Uber, Instacart, and airlines
Why closed-loop attribution is driving adoption
The rapid growth in retail media networks (50+ in the U.S.)
Signs of market maturity and saturation
What’s changing in 2026
Future growth drivers: offsite, data partnerships, audience targeting

Chapters

00:00 Intro & Trader Joe’s story
03:10 What is a retail media network?
05:38 Why retail media is growing
08:01 Key advantages: targeting + attribution
09:49 Major players (Amazon, Walmart, grocery)
11:18 Growth of new entrants (Uber, Instacart, airlines)
12:22 Market saturation & slowing expansion
13:37 User growth limits
14:46 Future growth strategies
19:04 Key takeaways
19:29 Closing thoughts
If you’d like access to the benchmark report or want to suggest a topic for the next part of the programmatic series, reach out to [email protected].
If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to follow or subscribe so you don’t miss future conversations on advertising, media strategy, and cultural marketing moments.
And if you’re listening on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, a quick rating or review helps more people discover the show.