Marketers put up guardrails as AI agents reshape programmatic buying

AI agents are evolving quickly. In theory, agents are autonomous decision makers — automating campaign creation, optimizing ad buys and drafting pitch decks. In reality, marketers aren’t ready to give up control, establishing guardrails to keep agents in check.

Marketers don’t have a lot of trust when it comes to AI agents in ad buying yet. But that mistrust isn’t unfounded. Hallucinations are reason enough for guardrails, per execs. An incorrect CPM could make or break an ad buy, leaving the agency — instead of the agent — holding the bag.

“Would it blow a quarter’s worth of budget in a weekend? All of that’s well-founded, so that’s a fear,” said Henry Webster, svp director of analytics and insight at Kelly Scott Madison (KSM) Media, who spoke onstage during Digiday’s Programmatic Marketing Summit (DPMS), May 6-8 in Palm Springs, Calif. “The process of taking baby steps, testing, putting stringent guardrails and checks on agents that would operate in that way — makes a ton of sense.”

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Heineken shares its marketing strategy for the summer of soccer as World Cup hype ramps up

This story was first published by Digiday sibling Modern Retail.

Heineken USA is pouring more marketing dollars into soccer this year ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The brewing company, which has trademarked itself as “the official beer of soccer,” is not an official World Cup sponsor. However, it’s getting in on the larger summer soccer hype by launching a limited-edition soccer-themed 12-pack and 24-pack in retail partners across the U.S., including Publix. Heineken is also planning watch parties in various U.S. cities, including Los Angeles, Houston, Philadelphia, New York City, Miami and Dallas. And, it’s building out a new brand platform called “Fans Have More Friends” that consists of TV ads, events and more. The brand platform is a key part of Heineken’s strategy this year across major sporting events, as well as music festivals like Coachella.

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