Digiday Daily

July 27, 2026

The ad industry doesn’t have a price for AI yet. That doesn’t mean nobody’s paying for it. More and more clients are not receiving a separate token bill and instead are agreeing to run a fixed share of spend through principal inventory.

TOP STORY

AI Revenue Generation

How AI costs are quietly reshaping principal media deals

AI doesn’t have a price. Principal media is absorbing it anyway.

OTHER THINGS TO KNOW

Time is running out to save on passes to the Digiday Publishing Summit, Sept. 14–16 in Miami. Join execs from Reuters Digital, Axios, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and more for three days of candid conversations, networking and practical insights. Register by Aug. 3 to save.
Measurement used to occur largely after the campaign. Now it feeds budget allocation, audience strategy and automated decisioning while campaigns are still running. Measurement yields the signal that drives the entire stack. Partner insights from AppsFlyer.
Instead of experimentation, marketers are testing ideas fast and scaling what’s successful. By prioritizing AI that works alongside marketers, leaders are improving workflows, reducing burnout, ensuring consistency — all while maintaining the human component of their creative. Partner insights from Contentful.

MARKETING

The Creator Economy

Kai Cenat's Streamer U was a ‘masterclass’ for brands looking to tap content creators

The creator bootcamp brought in big brand partnerships and big engagement metrics, which could bring more brands to the streaming sponsorship table.

The Business of AI

Mythbusters: AI visibility’s biggest misconceptions

AI visibility is evolving quickly, but many of the industry’s biggest assumptions don’t hold up. Experts debunk the biggest myths.

PARTNER INSIGHTS FROM CELTRA

Live case study: Unlocking new strategic possibilities through real-time creative

Join this virtual event on Aug. 5 to learn how brands in fast-moving, highly regulated industries, like gaming, crypto and healthcare, are building real-time marketing campaigns meant for the modern age. Can’t make it? Register and we’ll send you the on-demand recording.

AI Revenue Generation

Michaels claims Google-powered AI assistant doubles conversion rate of traditional search

Michaels shared early results of its new Google Gemini-powered AI assistant.

PARTNER INSIGHTS FROM BLIS

The advantage of mobile data

Approximately 70% of digital media consumption happens within apps, yet most programmatic platforms treat mobile as a distribution channel rather than a data asset.

DIGIDAY+

Member exclusive

Media Buying Briefing: Why Omnicom merged Mediahub and Hearts & Science

Merging Hearts & Science and Mediahub into one agency that will operate under a new name and brand may not be the last move the holding company makes in simplifying its go-to-market offering.