DSW, Ford and more pivot messaging amid tariffs
The Trade Desk
We’re committed to making digital advertising better, because the future of the open internet depends on it.
Welcome to this edition of The Current, I’m Travis Clark. This week, Ilyse Liffreing talked to brands like DSW and Ford about how they’re prioritizing value and transparency as consumers grow more concerned about the economy. And Chris Brooklier recently went courtside with the WNBA’s Golden State Valkyries to learn how they launched the league’s first new team brand since 2008.
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Top stories you need to know:
1. As tariff concerns grow, brands like Ford and DSW reposition messaging around transparency and value
Companies like Ford, DSW and Raymour & Flanigan are taking a page from their 2020 playbooks to reassure anxious consumers.
2. Inside the Golden State Valkyries’ first game — and how they’re building a WNBA team from scratch
The Current went behind the scenes of the marketing strategy for the first new WNBA team in 17 years.
3. How U.S. upfront trends look different in the U.K.
In Britain, where major sports rights are tied up with local broadcasters, global streamers will have to win over advertisers with standout content, smarter ad tech and stronger measurement.
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Data dive:
Why U.S. marketers are reallocating social and search spend into CTV
Over two-thirds of marketers now consider CTV a “must-buy” this year, ahead of social media, according to a recent IAB report.
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Hot takes:
Social’s dilemma is the open web’s opportunity
“Social is becoming less social — and that has major implications for advertisers. As these platforms prioritize engagement-driven feeds over community and control, they also limit how advertisers can plan, measure and manage their media buys.”
— Rob Georgeson, head of programmatic, Zenith
Cairns Crocodiles 2025: Marketers talk tight budgets, podcasts and retail media
“When you are in a smaller business, when you have a tighter budget, you will no doubt have to prove what you are doing works ... There is a tension between being able to do creative, fun stuff but also being able to deliver measurable outcomes as your business grows.”
— Kate Jarvis, CMO, Latrobe Health Service
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