VP Inventory Development, The Trade Desk

Will Doherty

How marketers are adapting their strategies to societal shifts and industry trends.

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Learn about the latest trends in digital advertising, and the brands and agencies that are pioneering them.

Marketing Strategy

Get the latest news, trends, and insights shaping the future of digital marketing and programmatic advertising.

The Latest

Stories about the emerging retail media market, including the latest brand partnerships.

Retail

CEO & founder, AJL Advisory

Read hot takes and in-depth perspectives from the industry’s eminent leaders, thinkers, and influencers.

Opinion

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How streaming is transforming how we watch television.

Streaming

The most critical innovations in advertising are happening on the open internet — identity, the future of TV, retail media, and beyond. Born inside The Trade Desk, The Current is a news platform dedicated to covering the latest in modern marketing — all from the front lines. Speaking to the marketing world’s most influential players, we explain what these seismic shifts mean, how they are happening, and why they are taking place.

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In this election year, discover the latest topics and trends in political marketing as a new era of digital-first advertising is emerging.

Political

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Bully Pulpit Interactive's Mike Schneider shares his take on where innovation throughout this election cycle will be focused.

A brand marketer’s guide to victory in a U.S. presidential election year

More and more people are engaging with sports around the world, and brands can capitalize on these fans’ newfound interest.

It’s not just Swifties: There are more sports fans, and brands see a way to score

At Ford, Jennifer Brace’s role is to prepare the automaker for all the potential scenarios and consumer trends that could impact the company’s success in the future.

Meet Ford’s Chief Futurist, who prepares for at least 4 futures at once

Lou Paskalis shares his opinions on recent news of brands pulling ads from X due to a series of erratic tweets from Elon Musk.

Requiem for a friend

Advertisers are increasingly diversifying their media mixes as social platforms make tentative moves into ad-free plans.

Social platforms are testing ad-free subscription plans. What does that mean for brand-builders?

There are millions of small businesses in the U.S., but many of them may need help navigating advertising on the open internet.

The open internet is open for (small) business

Advertisers lean on first-party data, retail data, shoppable ads and more to earn a spot on Christmas wish lists.

First-party and retail data will be tested this holiday season as cookie sunsetting approaches

A recent study by The Trade Desk Intelligence shows that advertisers are not aligning their money with where people spend their time​.

Americans spend 59 percent of their time on the open internet, but only 48 percent of advertiser budgets are spent there

Publishers and ad-tech platforms are making it easier for political ad buyers to reach audiences wherever they’re watching.

For political campaigns, candidates opt for an increasingly digital campaign trail

Tracing back the evolution of political advertising, from Eisenhower to Biden. Political campaigns have swung from radio ads to big data and connected TV.

For Context: The Evolution of Political Media

As political ad spending hits record highs in the U.S. for the 2022 midterm election, a new study by The Trade Desk and Morning Consult shows the impact of targeted steaming ads in battleground states.

How a surge in targeted political ads during the midterms impacted battleground states

Of the record $9 billion being spent on political ads for the midterm election, roughly $1 billion is being directed toward connected TV.

From sea to streaming sea: CTV to reach 17 percent of U.S. midterm ad spend

Political strategists share how they campaign in the ever-changing world of digital advertising on The Current Podcast

The Current Podcast: Senate Leadership Fund's Billy McBeath and Bully Pulpit Interactive's Mike Schneider

Senate Leadership Fund’s Billy McBeath and Bully Pulpit Interactive’s Mike Schneider sound off on political ads from across the aisle

The stakes for political marketers are high

The next presidential election could be the first without third-party cookies. Political advertisers are planning ahead.

The 2020 presidential race displayed the power and targeting ability of CTV, which has supercharged interest and ad spend in the channel.

‘A hot commodity’: Why CTV is political advertising’s new favorite channel

This week on The Current Report we discuss the emergence of ad-free social media plans.

The Current Report: How marketers are responding to ad-free social media plans

The NFL’s Marissa Solis on the Taylor Swift effect, expanding globally, and the powerful messaging coming for the Super Bowl.

NFL’s Marissa Solis on the Taylor Swift effect and how she’s helping the league maintain its legacy while staying relevant

On this edition of The Current Report, we break down the complexity around retail data.

The Current Report: Retail data is supercharging programmatic marketing

Zillow’s Beverly Jackson on simplifying the housebuying process through its marketing, and why working at the company has special importance for her as a Black woman.

Zillow’s Beverly Jackson on bringing real estate marketing closer to home

This week on The Current Report, we dig into the value of online grocery data and discuss how GenAI is revolutionizing podcasts.

The Current Report: How GenAI could revolutionize podcasts and audio ads

VML CEO Jon Cook on how the agency came up with the now iconic social media presence of Wendy’s and commerce on Instagram.

VML CEO Jon Cook wants more creativity while advertising on streaming platforms

VML CEO Jon Cook wants more creative ad formats on streaming platforms

This week on The Current Report, Damian Fowler and Travis Clark break down the explosion of retail media and explain why retail data and connected TV (CTV) are a powerful pair.

The Current Report: Retail media's next stage of evolution

Francesca’s VP of marketing Traci Graziani shares what she thinks the future of retail will be and Taylor Swift and Beyoncé’s effect on sales.

Francesca’s Traci Graziani on merging in-person experiences with digital

You’ve reached the end of the open internet! <br/> (Or at least the end of our search results.)

Netflix’s advertising journey illustrates how streaming is learning from cable’s beginnings

Netflix can draw on lessons from cable with advertising launch

When it comes to retail media strategy, Coca-Cola has seen success with return on ad spend, incremental reach, and determination of overlapping audiences, helping with programmatic targeting and consolidating media buys. 

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