Locally Grown: New Forecast Showing Local Advertising Revenue Boom

Publishers banking on local ad revenue have good news as we settle into Q2, with revised 2026 projections showing 8.1% YoY growth to a total of $184.5 billion.

“The increase over the prior estimate of $181.7 billion is driven by stronger-than-expected performance in mobile (particularly social), video, and streaming, political ad spend, and advertising technology,” says last month’s BIA Advisory Services press release.

 

Times ‘Fewer, Better Stories’ Strategy Leads To Run Of Audience Growth

The Times says a strategy of publishing “fewer, better stories” has led to three consecutive months of record-breaking global audience growth. The Times news desk has reduced the number of stories it publishes by 20% since the mindset change while the sports desk cut its output by 30%. But deputy head of digital Anna Sbuttoni said “they didn’t lose any audience. In fact, they gained it.”

 

Visible AI in Marketing Is Four Times More Likely To Cost Brands Trust Than Build It

When consumers notice AI-generated content in brand marketing, they’re four times more likely to trust the brand less than more, 31% versus just 7%, according to a December 2025 survey from Klaviyo and Datalily. 

 

Text Reflex: Gen Z, Millennials Opt In For Messages, But Want Limits 

Texting is increasingly popular among consumers, at least those in the lower age brackets, judging by a study from SimpleTexting. Of 1,400 Gen Z and millennial consumers surveyed, 69% have opted in to brand texts in the past year. But they are placing limits on it—90% want to receive messages once a week or less.