MAJORITY OF BACK-TO-SCHOOL SHOPPERS GET A HEAD START ON THE SEASON

14. 7. 2026 | 5 min read Consumers are getting an early start on back-to-school shopping, with 62% of shoppers having already started shopping for the school year by early July, according to the annual survey released today by the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights & Analytics. While the figure is down slightly from 67% at the same point in 2025, it remains significantly higher than the 55% reported in 2024.

MASCOTS ARE BACK, BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW THEM

14. 7. 2026 | 6 min read Future-focused brands know that mascots can embody a brand and bring it to life.

WATCH THE 6 ADS COMPETING FOR AN EMMY THIS YEAR

9. 7. 2026 | 2 min read Nike, Adidas, and Apple lead the race for Outstanding Commercial at the 2026 Emmy Awards.

BACK-TO-SCHOOL SHOPPERS HEAD TO MASS MERCHANTS, DEPARTMENT STORES

9. 7. 2026 | 4 min read Consumers are worried about their personal finances and plan to shop accordingly as value and affordability steer the market, according to Deloitte.

STREAMERS STEP UP MOBILE STRATEGY AS SHORT-FORM VIDEO RESHAPES VIEWING HABITS, VEED ANALYTICS SAYS

8. 7. 2026 | 2 min read Traditional streaming platforms are overhauling their mobile apps with short-form video features as they seek to challenge the dominance of social platforms such as YouTube and Instagram, according to new research from veed analytics.

STUDIE USA: LIVE SPORTS INCREASINGLY INFLUENCING VIEWERS’ STREAMING SUBSCRIPTION CHOICES

8. 7. 2026 | 3 min read Bango Survey reports that 43% of Americans would switch mobile, broadband or TV provider for a better sports streaming bundle.

STUDY USA: STREAMING UX FRUSTRATIONS DRIVE SUBSCRIBER CANCELLATIONS, STUDY FINDS

7. 7. 2026 | 2 min read More than a third of streaming subscribers have cancelled a service because of a poor app experience rather than price or content, according to new research from CTAM and Hub Entertainment Research.

FIFA 2026: HOW THIS YEAR’S ADS CELEBRATE FANS WITH HUMOUR, SELF-DEPRECATION AND FOOTBALL PATHOS

7. 7. 2026 | 5 min read For brands in the advertising industry, the Football World Cup has often been a celebration of successes or individual star players. The MAM editorial team has selected six striking adverts that show this trend is changing. The focus is now shifting to the fans – through humour, irony, pathos and fan rituals.

AI ADS ARE GOOD ENOUGH — AND THAT’S THE PROBLEM

6. 7. 2026 | 15 min read AI can now produce credible, efficient ads, but human-created ads still drive better business outcomes — for now.

SPORTS KEEPS VIEWERS CONNECTED TO TRADITIONAL TELEVISION

6. 7. 2026 | 2 min read Inscape's Q1 2026 data shows sports viewing grew to 1.8 hours weekly, but traditional TV's dominance is slipping as streaming claimed 12% of sports time—up from 11.5% a year prior.

NIELSEN PREPARES ANOTHER MAJOR SHAKE-UP IN SPORTS TV RATINGS

5. 7. 2026 | 6 min read Nielsen is making another big shift in its audience measurement, this time with how it counts co-viewing within television households.

THE FOOTBALL WORLD CUP FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF BRANDS AND MARKETERS

3. 7. 2026 | 4 min read Mundial. World Cup. World Championship. This football festival goes by many names, and it would be hard to find an event that can match it in terms of reach.

WORLD CUP BRAND ADS GETTING HIGHER ‘ATTENTION’

2. 7. 2026 | 2 min read Nearly three weeks into the 2026 FIFA World Cup, TV advertisers are seemingly getting a major bang for their national TV ad spend with higher "attention" scores for their messaging, according to iSpot.

STREAMERS SHIFT TOWARDS SCRIPTED ROMANCE AS REALITY DATING SHOWS DECLINE

29. 6. 2026 | 2 min read Global streaming services are increasingly commissioning scripted romance dramas instead of reality dating shows, with more than four out of five new romance titles now scripted, according to new research from Ampere Analysis.

CANNES LIONS WRAP-UP: PART TWO – FROM EFFECTIVENESS TO GROWTH, FROM VOLUME TO TRUST

28. 6. 2026 | 13 min read Another part of the overall round-up of the Cannes Lions festival was a panel discussion featuring the heads of content from three platforms: Lions, Contagious and WARC. They took their seats at a table on stage to review the main themes of the past week.

CANNES LIONS WRAP-UP: PART ONE – THE WORLD OF AI AND PEOPLE

28. 6. 2026 | 7 min read AI was one of the main themes at Cannes Lions, but the tone of the debate has shifted. Naive enthusiasm and even irrational fears about the loss of human creativity have given way to more practical and profound topics.

THE STRANGER THINGS EFFECT: IS IT WORTH LENGTHENING THE PAUSES BETWEEN SEASONS?

28. 6. 2026 | 2 min read The breaks between seasons of TV series have more than doubled over the last decade. According to an analysis by Ampere, whilst longer waits increase interest in the return of popular shows, they also increase the risk that some viewers will cancel their streaming subscriptions during the break.

FAQ ON BACK-TO-SCHOOL MARKETING: SPENDING, TIMING, AND THE EARLIER-EVERY-YEAR SEASON

26. 6. 2026 | 4 min read The back-to-school season is gaining momentum for retailers in 2026. It’s worth $85.42 billion in US retail sales, according to EMARKETER. And the season keeps starting earlier as price-conscious families spread purchases out across the summer. This FAQ covers the season's timeframe, top categories, and channel preferences, and how marketers should position campaigns in 2026. How big is back-to-school spending? Expected to hit $85.42 billion in US retail sales this year, back-to-school is accelerating 3.3% year-over-year, up from 2.5% annual growth in 2025, per EMARKETER. A full $53.06 billion will come from physical retail sales. Another $32.36 billion is expected from back-to-school season retail ecommerce sales. A big driver behind the season is college-bound students, whose families will spend $36.16 billion, up 3.9% YoY. Families with students in grades K-12 will spend $49.26 billion this back-to-school season, up a more modest 2.8% from 2025. College-bound students represent a 42.3% share of back-to-school retail sales, up from 39.9% in 2022. The season has expanded from backpacks, school supplies, and new outfits to include big-ticket electronics, dorm furniture, and other accessories for college life. When does back-to-school shopping actually start? The season begins earlier than most marketing calendars assume. Two-thirds (67%) of back-to-school shoppers had already begun purchasing by early July, per the NRF. Price anxiety drives the early start: 51% of back-to-school families said they were shopping earlier due to concerns about tariff-related price increases, per the same survey. The season now effectively opens in June, overlapping with mid-summer deal events like Prime Day, and stretches through September as college move-in dates arrive. For marketers, a campaign that launches in August reaches a market where most of the spending decisions are already made.