Advertising’s dealmakers press on with M&A despite Iran uncertainty

March 27, 2026 War in the Middle East is a problem for advertising's dealmakers. Just not yet. It’s a markedly different read from the one dealmakers had when Russia invaded Ukraine three years ago. For now, they are watching and waiting – and still dealing. TOP STORY Navigating Economic Instability 'The processes are continuing forward': Advertising's dealmakers press on with M&A despite Iran uncertainty War in the Middle East is a problem for advertising's dealmakers. Just not yet. Advertisement OTHER THINGS TO KNOW In the reality of today’s media environment, scale is fragile. Traffic is rented. Content alone is no longer defensible. But participation turns audiences from passive consumers into active participants. Partner insights from Viafoura. Connect with leaders from Allbirds, Yeti, Bloomingdale’s and many others at the Modern Retail Marketing Summit from April 20-22 in Huntington Beach. Learn more and secure your pass soon. Sponsored Wifi is an effective way to reach consumers before a large event and enable retargeting. By presenting an ad and redirecting users to an advertiser's site, retargeting can occur post-event to keep up momentum. Partner insights from Viasat Ads. MARKETING & PLATFORMS Managing Through Crisis In graphic detail: The numbers making the case for what holdcos could be What the data says about the CMO-agency relationship — and none of it is comfortable. Marketing in Sports Genius Sports opens up real-time live sports targeting to brands The live sports data firm is working with Publicis and a laundry list of SSPs ahead of major sports tentpoles like the NBA Finals and World Cup. PARTNER INSIGHTS FROM THE WEATHER COMPANY Video: WTF is weather targeting? As variations of contextual targeting signals emerge — offering teams impactful, privacy-forward methods to win consumer attention — weather has emerged as a signal that universally drives behavior. Learn more in this video. Advertisement The Creator Economy Inside The Daily Mail's creator-led content playbook Inside the structure, strategy, and metrics of the Daily Mail’s creator-led content push. PARTNER INSIGHTS FROM VIAFOURA Why publishers have to rebalance the equation between social and audiences At a moment when social media is failing its users and attention is the scarcest resource of all, audience participation is the opportunity publishers can no longer afford to ignore. DIGIDAY+ Member exclusive Future of Marketing Briefing: A cynic's guide to the most transparent dispute in programmatic history No, the industry doesn’t need another hot take on The Trade Desk’s standoff with the agency holdcos. I’m going to give you one anyway. PARTNER INSIGHTS FROM AMAZON ADS Why the Model Context Protocol is the new standard for agent connectivity While each step in a campaign usually requires separate API calls, MCP helps orchestrate these steps — adding a contextual layer so these capabilities are easily usable by AI agents. Member exclusive Media Briefing: Overheard at the Digiday Publishing Summit, September 2024 edition Get a glimpse at what’s on publishers’ minds in this overheard from the Digiday Publishing Summit. ICYMI Managing Through Crisis Middle East conflict casts shadow of global ad outlook The ad market had questions about 2026. Now, it has more. Written by Jim Cooper and Sara Jerde Were you forwarded this email? Sign up to get it daily. Advertise | Digiday+ | Events | Awards Update your email | Unsubscribe | Privacy policy