
A LITTLE UPDATE
	“The ad industry feels like it’s reorganising itself in real time right now. This week alone, Dentsu ANZ shut down the Merkle brand locally and sold off its Salesforce business, OpenAI officially launched a self-serve ad platform, Amazon used its upfront pitch to push ad tech just as heavily as content, and US networks doubled down on creators, AI and live sport as the centrepiece of 2026 upfront conversations. Underneath all of it sits the same broader move, advertising is moving further upstream into infrastructure, systems, data and automation. The industry still talks heavily about media, creative and optimisation, but increasingly the competitive edge is being shaped somewhere else. In signal quality. In measurement. In platform governance. In who controls the data, the pipes and the decision-making systems underneath campaign execution. That shift in gears runs through everything in this newsletter. From privacy governance becoming operational, to AI exposing weak measurement foundations, to paid media teams moving from “optimisers” to system operators, the common thread is that modern marketing is becoming much more technical, interconnected and infrastructure-led than many organisations are prepared for. And increasingly, the teams adapting best are the ones treating ad tech, privacy and measurement as core business capability, not just campaign support functions.”

SPOTLIGHT
	OAIC calls for improved complaint handling Australians are increasingly concerned about privacy, but most don’t complain, and few see results, prompting regulators to push organisations to fix broken complaint processes during Privacy Awareness Week 2026. Read more

FROM OUR BLOG
	The OAIC warns ‘set and forget’ privacy is over for marketers Exclusive OAIC responses reveal privacy governance is becoming increasingly operational for marketers. Read more
	What Artificial Intelligence still can’t fix in paid media AI is driving performance, but weak signals and poor measurement are quietly costing marketers. Read more
	From optimiser to operator Paid media is shifting upstream, where structure, signals, and measurement now drive performance. Read more

INDUSTRY NEWS
	Dentsu ANZ shuts down Merkle and sells Salesforce business Dentsu will retire the Merkle brand in Australia and New Zealand and fold in around 50 staff in its experience, commerce, data and analytics teams. Read more
	OpenAI launches self-serve ad platform OpenAI has launched a self-serve advertising platform, executives said, marking a significant step in its goal of generating $2.5 billion in ad revenue this year and $100 billion by 2030. Read more
	TV? what TV? The 2026 Upfronts will be heavy on creators, football and AI ad tech Chats with US CMOs, media buyers and network ad sales chiefs underscore the rapidly-changing media environment Read more
	Amazon is turning the upfront into a pitch for its ad tech, not just primetime The upfront is no longer just a shop window for content Amazon owns, it’s now one for its ad tech too. Read more
	DoubleVerify earnings on deck as Q1 results test ad tech momentum DoubleVerify Holdings Inc. will report its first-quarter earnings on Wednesday after market close, with investors watching closely to see whether the digital ad verification company can maintain the strong momentum from its standout fourth quarter amid seasonal slowdowns and ongoing pressure across the ad tech market. Read more
	Apple reaches $250m settlement over delayed ‘AI Siri’ Apple is reportedly preparing to pay US$250 million to settle a false advertising lawsuit tied to the rollout of its AI features in 2024, after promoting a more personalised Siri experience that has still not launched. Read more
	Microsoft deepens commitment to Australia Microsoft has announced a A$25 billion investment into Australia AI infrastructure, cyber security and workforce skilling, marking the company’s largest-ever commitment in the local market as it expands Azure AI capacity and strengthens partnerships with government and industry. Read more

PLATFORM NEWS
	Expansion of lookalike segments to YouTube and partners Lookalike audiences are becoming the new standard for reaching users modeled after your first-party data. Currently exclusive to Demand Gen, Lookalike targeting will soon expand to YouTube Auction and Non-Guaranteed Instant Deal line items. Read more
	New brand suitability enhancements and streamlined controls Google is introducing significant updates to brand suitability management in DV360. Visit the advertiser-level settings in DV360 to review your deals and current suitability strategy to ensure that you are prepared for these milestones. Read more
	Placement-level reach and overlap reporting Placement-level reporting is now available for Overlap, Exclusive, and Duplicate Reach reports in CM360. This update provides the tactical detail needed to de-duplicate your media at the most granular level. Read more
	New data retention policy for Google Ads From 1 June 2026 Google Ads, SA360 and Analytics are cutting granular field retention (date, day-of-week, day) to 37 months, a change that hits the Data API, Ads API, Ads Scripts and the BigQuery Data Transfer service. Archive anything you’ll need beyond that window now. Read more
	Conversion support in the Data API Cross-channel conversion data is now available from the Google Analytics Data API, meaning Looker Studio, Tableau and Power BI users can finally bypass the GA UI for automated and bulk reporting. Currently in Alpha, rollout across properties will be staggered. Read more

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
	Google’s AI creative tools explained: what to use, what’s changing, what’s being deprecated Google’s AI creative tools are evolving fast, but clarity comes from systems, not features. Read more