September 18, 2025 | Vol. 108
Football Viewership is in the News:
“College football viewership is up 21% through Week 2 vs last season, per Nielsen’s updated Big Data + Panel measurement
College football is pulling in more eyeballs early, which suggests rising interest in non-NFL fall sports; good chance to target local/regional sponsors or local ad buys.”
From AI search and CTV to TikTok uncertainty, here are a lot of tid-bits from the marketing world this week.
Signal > Noise (Why it matters)
AI Search is about to look different:
The Reality: Google says AI Mode may become the default Search experience “soon,” expanding beyond Labs into mainstream results.
What it means: expect more zero‑click answers; shift SEO toward concise FAQs, schema, and testing ad copy that mirrors user questions. Source
CTV keeps tilting to ad‑supported:
Reality: Nielsen’s Q2 read shows 73.6% of TV viewing is on ad‑supported platforms (linear + streaming), up again.
What it means: keep shifting budget to CTV with frequency caps, outcomes (visits/leads), and sports tentpoles.
Source
Retail media is maturing into full‑funnel:
Reality: Kroger unified 84.51° with KPM to combine loyalty, insights, and media under one roof.
What it means: plan for cleaner closed‑loop sales reporting and tougher proof of incrementality across RMNs. Source
📺💻 CTV + AI = faster shifts in how video ads are bought & optimized
The Reality: AI is powering creative optimization, predictive performance forecasting, and more granular attribution in CTV, while programmatic CTV spend is growing fast.
What it Means: You can’t treat CTV like linear TV anymore; you need dynamic ads, measurement, and testing baked in. Start small with AI tools or partners before scaling.
📉⚠️ Privacy + first‑party data are non‑negotiable now
The Reality: With cookie deprecation, consumer concerns, and regulation, advertisers are leaning heavily into first‑party signals, better identity resolution, and privacy‑forward measurement.
What it Means: If you’re not building up customer‑email/CRM data, collecting permissions, and looking at post‑click and offline behaviors, you’re going to be playing catch up.
👋🎥 Social/video platforms increasingly behave like search engines & TV hybrids
The Reality: Users are discovering via TikTok, Instagram, Shorts; creators, video search, and discovery feeds are becoming competitive with traditional search.
What it means: You can’t treat video/social spots as “bonus.” You need to create content for discovery (short, attention grabbing, searchable) and test creative formats.
Play of the Week (do this in < 30 min)
Pick this weekend’s biggest local game (college or NFL).
Make a 15–20 sec video: “Score big this weekend — and score $___ off [product/service]” Shoot on your phone.
Post Friday AM on FB, IG, LinkedIn, and pin it. Boost locally with $50–$100 spend.
Measure Mon AM: track clicks, calls, or walk-ins tied to that specific creative.
🤪STRAIGHT TALK FROM THE CRAZY
Football is king right now — Week 1 NFL broke records and college is up 21%. Don’t overthink: if you want attention, ride the games.
Consistency beats hype — big spikes on marquee matchups hide the 2% YoY decline in NFL regular season averages. Plan for both peaks and steady-state buys.
Local still matters — national numbers are fun, but for SMBs it’s about tying big-game energy to your showroom, phone lines, or landing pages.
JIM
P.S. If any of this dramatic news encourages a conversation, I love to talk shop. Reply to this email and let me know your availability for a phone call.
