Consumers’ appetite for quality, on-demand content has contributed to connected TV’s (CTV’s) stronghold as the fastest-growing major ad format in the US. “There’s a lot more for [advertisers] to weed through in terms of the opportunities and options of where to place our clients’ ad dollars,” Jennifer Kohl, executive director and head of US media at VMLY&R, said of CTV during our virtual “Attention!” summit last week.

On today's episode, in our "Retail Me This, Retail Me That" segment, we discuss why Ikea has fallen behind on ecommerce, what to expect from its new store formats, and how the company developed its cult-like following. Then, for "Pop-Up Rankings," we rank Ikea's top four biggest challengers. Join our analyst Sara Lebow as she hosts analysts Carina Perkins and Zak Stambor.

To ensure your brand doesn’t fall into a bland or copycat marketing spiral, our analysts said AI should be a starting point and that the human element is essential. They also warned of conformity. Here are their insights into the risks that generative AI poses to brand originality and where the technology can help brands experiment.