Ad Age Insider

CMO Lessons: Brand trust, creative strategy and agency audits—ICYMI

May 22, 2026

The checklist for effective marketing leadership has grown exponentially more complex—balancing trust and efficiency, growing loyalty in an age of skepticism and ensuring transparent agency relationships. Ad Age reporters share advice on all of these topics, and more, in this special edition of Ad Age Insider, which surfaces critical insights for CMOs across recent episodes.   This ICYMI roundup features Creativity Editor Tim Nudd, Reporter Erika Wheless, News Editor E.J. Schultz,  Senior ...

Winning Gen Z brand loyalty—quality, service and community, with Erika Wheless

May 15, 2026

Consumer Trends Reporter Erika Wheless discusses the top factors that influence brand loyalty with Gen Z—including product quality, sustainability and customer service. Plus, the brands Gen Z considers luxury from Coach, Louis Vuitton and Gucci to Nike, Adidas, Lululemon, Amazon and Target. She breaks down tactics brands are using to translate product quality into marketing, brand missteps that have been called out by young consumers and tips for building brand loyalty with Gen Z. Dig deeper ...

Inside the TV upfronts—winners and losers, measurement and AI, with Brandon Doerrer

May 08, 2026

Media Reporter Brandon Doerrer breaks down the trends defining this year's TV upfronts, including top questions to look out for from NBCUniversal, Disney, Amazon, Netflix, Warner Bros. Discovery and more. He discusses how factors from outcomes-based measurement to agentic AI buying tech and short-form video formats in streaming will play into negotiations. Plus, how CMOs can ensure transparency around principal media buying in dealmaking. Dig deeper on the topics mentioned in this week's epis...