Ad industry tallies early losses from Apple’s Safari tracking block

October 12, 2026 The online ad industry has been burned by Apple before, and it’s feeling the heat again. Its latest software update cut off some of the biggest companies that track people across the web to target them with ads, stopping them from working in Safari altogether. For anyone who remembers what came before it’s a familiar feeling. TOP STORY The Programmatic Publisher Ad industry tallies early losses from Apple’s Safari tracking block A week after Apple’s Safari block, the ad industry is still waiting for the other shoe to drop. OTHER THINGS TO KNOW Only a few spots remain to attend the Digiday Media Buying Summit. Join us Oct. 26–28 in Newport Beach to connect one-on-one with leaders from Digitas, Assembly, Omnicom and more. Join this virtual event on Oct. 14 at 10 a.m. ET to learn how CTV is evolving from an awareness-only screen into a powerful full-funnel marketing engine that drives measurable performance. Partner insights from Affinity Global. As AI reshapes how businesses work, marketers are rethinking the tools, habits and workflows that drive innovation. But as with past technological shifts, adopting new tools often means navigating uncertainty before their value becomes clear. Partner insights from DXC Technology. Advertisement MARKETING Evolving Agencies ‘An important capability for us’: PepsiCo CEO on Publicis switch Pepsico’s Ramon Laguarta used a recent appearance in front of investors to champion the company’s decision to hand its global media account to Publicis Groupe. PARTNER INSIGHTS FROM TIKTOK How TikTok is helping app advertisers rethink attribution As automated systems make more optimization decisions, advertisers need confidence that those systems learn from the same conversion signals they use for performance. The challenge is aligning measurement and optimization around a source of truth. MEDIA & PLATFORMS AI Revenue Generation For some publishers, agentic advertising is still a question of ROI Despite the hype around agentic media buying, some publishers remain skeptical of its potential to deliver meaningful revenue. Evolving Agencies Media Buying Briefing: Synthetic audience adoption by agencies and clients takes off Agencies like Goodway Group are incorporating synthetic data stacks into media planning, while clients use the tech for product design and creative strategy. PARTNER INSIGHTS FROM CMI MEDIA GROUP Q&A: How media orchestration unlocks powerful data for brands to scale Marketers need to both deliver complex messages and maintain perpetual awareness, but it’s not possible to do that in siloed channels or individual one-off messages.  Advertisement THE CREATOR ECONOMY The Creator Economy Welcome to Creator University: Inside the colleges building creator economy programs As more young folks seek to enter the creator economy, universities are offering classes covering every layer of the still-growing ecosystem. PARTNER INSIGHTS FROM BRAZE Publishers focus on acquiring new subscribers amid AI search As they navigate the effects of AI search, 60% of publishers said acquiring new subscribers is the main focus of their company’s subscription strategy, according to a new survey from Digiday and Braze.  ICYMI Marketing on Platforms ‘Defensible to the CFO’: Prime Day catalyzes Amazon video and DSP spend growth Advertisers are wary of discounting away their profit margins, but find it hard to argue against increasing ad spend with e-commerce titan. 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