Author: Sam Bradley

Marketers hoping to reach soccer fans at this summer’s World Cup face a dilemma — take the reach of TV at a premium, or consider other options.

Sport radio, streaming audio and especially podcasts could offer an alternative.

“Digital audio has been growing for us in terms of client interest over the past few years and we expect investment in the channel to reach unprecedented levels over the World Cup period,” said Jamie Ross-Skinner, strategy and insights director at performance media agency Roast. He didn’t share an exact investment estimate.

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Omnicom has started using AI agents to buy media. On its Q1 earnings call on Tuesday, the holding company said it has already executed live buys for several clients through an agent-to-agent framework. In practice, that means software is autonomously purchasing ad inventory directly from publishers, bypassing the ad tech middlemen that Omnicom says cream off a slice of every client’s media budget.

The move is one of the more concrete signs yet that the holdcos are serious about dismantling the programmatic supply chain they’ve long complained about but remained dependent on. 

CEO John Wren, who on the call described ad tech intermediaries as extracting a “toll” paid ultimately by clients, said shortening the path between Omnicom and publishers is a strategic priority the company is actively investing in. He added: “There aren’t too many major groups that are looking to have more direct relationships with the publishers. That is an objective, and it’s something we’re investing in as we sit here today.”

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