Google’s World Cup brand counterattack highlights shifting search behavior

June 25, 2026 Presented by Google’s World Cup brand campaign isn’t just another marketing bet on live sports’ biggest carnival. It’s also a tell. The tech giant is currently running a brand campaign throughout the tournament featuring Spain’s Lamine Yamal, former U.S. men’s goalie Tim Howard and the voice of Fox commentator and former Sweden star Zlatan Ibrahimovic. It’s running on linear television, YouTube and paid social channels. Advertisement TOP STORY The Sports Marketing Playbook Google’s World Cup brand counterattack highlights shifting search behavior The tech giant is running ads intended to reintroduce its search engine to users, as it begins to feel competitive heat in the AI era. OTHER THINGS TO KNOW Digiday Research is surveying publishers on how they’re approaching this year’s upfront and NewFronts conversations. Take the survey and receive the full report when published. If organic search pageviews are the primary KPI, publishers are optimizing for a shrinking channel. Publishers who shift toward engagement depth, user conversion rates and subscriber lifetime value are best positioned for upcoming platform changes. Partner insights from Piano. With changes to measurement frameworks happening at a record pace, migrating infrastructure is both logistically complex and operationally sensitive. Partner insights from Adjust. CANNES LIONS 2026 The Creator Economy Cannes Briefing: Creators didn't come to Cannes for parties this year. They came for briefs. At a festival where one company’s absence from a patch of sand can be read a dozen different ways, creators are giving Cannes Lions a different kind of energy. Business of TV At Cannes, Omnicom Media and NBCU say they're crafting dynamic contextual ads for content Metadata from NBCU is key to adapting Omnicom clients’ creative be dynamically contextual to the shows in which they run. Member exclusive Media Briefing: Inside publishers’ real Cannes agenda – AI money vs agentic hype For publishers, Cannes this year isn’t just about showing up for clients and sponsors. It’s a mid‑year checkpoint on two hard questions: who is going to pay for the open web in an AI world, and whether agentic media buying is a real fix or just a freshly branded ad‑tech tax. PARTNER INSIGHTS FROM CLINCH Why more AI agents won't fix advertising More AI agents won’t solve advertising’s long-standing issues around speed, efficiency and performance. The real advantage comes from connected systems where signals operate in a continuous loop and every campaign makes the system smarter. See how it works PARTNER INSIGHTS FROM PAYPAL ADS Why influence over spend beats influence over attention There are three words in a group chat: “I’ll get it.” The person who wrote that picked the restaurant, fronted the cost and collected payment. The CFO of the friend group moves money, not opinions. Advertisement MEDIA & PLATFORMS The hunt for a post-LiveRamp successor is already underway Prospects are less interested in replicating LiveRamp than securing identity, data and infrastructure. PARTNER INSIGHTS FROM 3C VENTURES How marketers are evaluating transparency promises with limited visibility Transparency has become a universal platform claim, but unlike the challenges of transparency in media buying — which are understood — a new focus of understanding is required for newer AI-powered, end-to-end planning and buying platforms. BUSINESS OF AI Marketing on Platforms Meta courts agencies with expanded ad tools while AI reshapes the industry As Meta deepens its AI ad push, the company is balancing automation with reassurances to agencies about their place in the advertising ecosystem. 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