Gaining “algorithmic trust” is top of mind for many marketers, especially as shoppers turn to AI for assistance in their search for the perfect gift or deal this holiday season. But gaining said trust can be harder than it might seem—and some brands are seeking outside help.

Audio brand JBL has been working with Code and Theory to audit its SEO practices, reimagine its website, and develop an editorial content strategy that accounts for an uptick in AI tools, Carolina González, manager, global digital content strategy at JBL, told Marketing Brew.

The aim is to improve how the brand shows up when consumers are searching across various platforms, including large language models (LLMs), and the goal is for the brand’s content output to work for human readers and automated crawlers alike.

That’s becoming increasingly crucial: throughout Black Friday and Cyber Monday this year, referrals from LLMs were up 2,434%, according to Code and Theory and JBL data shared with Marketing Brew.

“We develop stories that are not only focused on search—it’s a combination of talking to you in a way that you’ll feel [it’s] fresh, fun, and engaging for you to continue to read the article, but it’s also technical,” Gonzalez said.

Continue reading here.—KM

Adidas’s early history is in international football, but in recent years, the brand has been throwing its weight behind American football—women’s tackle football, to be exact.

That is now set to continue. Adidas, which was one of the first sponsors of the Women’s National Football Conference (WNFC) during its inaugural season in 2019, is re-upping its deal with the league through 2028, WNFC founder and CEO Odessa Jenkins exclusively told Marketing Brew.

The relationship has been integral to the growth of the young league by aligning it with a recognizable sports brand, Jenkins said.

“Having the three stripes on your jersey and on your warm-ups puts you in a global conversation when it comes to pro sports that not many leagues get to be in,” she said. “Right away, from a legitimacy standpoint, it stamps you.”

Women’s football is on the rise in the US and is set to find an even bigger stage when flag football makes its Olympic debut at LA28. The expanded deal between Adidas and the WNFC signals the potential for sustainable brand interest in the sport as organizations like the NFL continue to push for the growth of the women’s game.

Read more here.—AM

The economy might not be great, but advertising is still growing like gangbusters.

Total global ad revenue (excluding political advertising) is projected to increase 8.8% in 2025 to $1.14 trillion and is projected to grow another 7.1% in 2026, according to a new forecast from WPP Media. (In North America, total ad spend excluding political advertising is expected to increase 12.3% in 2025.)

That figure surpasses the agency’s previous prediction from 2024 that global ad revenue would increase 7.7% this year. (At the time, WPP Media was known as GroupM.)

Amid larger economic trends, including heavy AI investment and the effects of tariffs, new trends are emerging in the ways brands and different verticals are buying advertising. We dug through WPP Media’s report, which analyzed ad revenue data from over 60 markets around the world, and pulled out some takeaways below.

Spending on social: When it comes to content-driven advertising, social and digital platforms are leading the way in growth. Collectively, the categories will reach $413 billion in 2025.

Gaming is growing the fastest within content advertising, and ad spend in that sector is expected to grow to $8.5 billion this year and to $10.7 billion in 2026.

Continue reading here.—JS

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