As economic uncertainty and talk of recession intensifies, automakers face an uphill battle in everything from tariff impacts on production costs to fluctuating consumer spending in response to inflation. 

The uncertainty has left marketers shaken because it’s historically meant cuts to marketing budgets. But as one of the biggest spending categories in media and marketing, auto makers aren’t ready to take their foot off the gas just yet. To put some numbers to it, automotive media spend in the U.S. is expected to hit $31.77 billion this year, up from $29.48 billion in 2024, according to eMarketer.

In January, Digiday reported auto marketers aren’t slowing ad spend in light of tariff tension. Recently, Digiday caught up with Denise Cherry, vp of marketing at Rivian, an electric vehicle company, about how the car brand is navigating economic headwinds, why it’s launching its first ever brand campaign now, and planning for the long term amidst uncertainty.

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Pharmaceutical advertisers are one of the biggest television spenders in the U.S. Collectively, they’ve injected $2.18 billion into linear media this year already, according to iSpot data.

But this year’s upfronts have thrown a spotlight on the growing list of challenges facing marketers in the space, from turbulent economic conditions to the looming threat of a pharmaceutical TV ad ban floated by U.S. secretary of health Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

“Pharma is the port in the storm. When other categories might be pulling back, it’s not unusual to see pharma stay flat to up, in terms of overall investment,” Publicis Health Media CEO Andrea Palmer told Digiday.

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You’ve seen the headlines: “The TCF is illegal.” “RTB ruled unlawful.” But as usual in advertising, the truth is less clickbait, more caveat.

What did happen is this: Belgium’s Court of Appeal finally weighed in on the long-running saga around the Transparency and Consent Framework — the industry’s de facto permission slip for tracking-based advertising in the European Union. Depending on who you ask, the ruling was a win for privacy, a loss for business or just more fuel for a fight that’s far from over. One thing’s clear: it didn’t end the debate — it sharpened it.

Still parsing it all? We’ve got you. Here’s what actually happened, and what it means for Google, Amazon, IAB Europe and just about everyone else in the tracking-based ad economy. 

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The closure of Microsoft Advertising’s demand-side platform is part of a broader shift toward AI-powered advertising and (arguably) the dawn of a new world order, one where Big Tech and independents operate in separate spheres.

That’s the opinion of several Digiday sources consulted in the days since the May 14 announcement, with some wondering what the second-order impact, or opportunity for both independent DSPs and sell-side players.

Last week, Microsoft Advertising told clients it would stop supporting its demand-side platform, Xandr Invest, starting in February. This was an apparent echo of the planned closure of Microsoft’s retail media network, PromoteIQ, as it appears to be consolidating its online advertising offering. 

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Upfront Week is over; let the upfront negotiations begin. Sorta.

In the past, last week’s Upfront Week presentations by TV and streaming ad sellers would be swiftly followed by the start of the annual haggle with advertisers and their agencies. But the TV and streaming ad market has become more of an always-on marketplace.

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The UK wants a technological revolution in healthcare but complex information systems will make that hard to deliver

More financial groups will inevitably follow UBS in wearing their AI on the outside

Cairo-based Sylndr has raised $15.7 million as it expands beyond online used car sales into auto financing, servicing, and tools for dealers. The round was led by Development Partners International’s Nclude Fund and included follow-on investments from Algebra Ventures and Nclude. The company, which operates in Egypt’s fast-growing but under-digitized vehicle market, said the latest […]

The Met Office has transferred to a new off-site supercomputer - which could make 14-day forecasts as accurate as seven-day equivalents.

The platform will offer a new season and 90 hours of previous episodes to its 300 million subscribers.

CATL makes more than a third of all EV batteries sold worldwide and supplies carmakers like Tesla, VW and Toyota.

An exclusive look inside the closely guarded factory the president wants to become a foundation stone for a US golden age.

The BBC investigates one of the most damaging ranswomare attacks on a UK local council.

If you grew up in the Windows XP era, than you probably spent hours playing its ironic free game, “3D Pinball Space Cadet.” Now, “Space Cadet” pinball has been ported to Android, and it’s completely free.

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The annual computer show in Taipei, Taiwan is seeing some interesting gadget announcements that we're all here for.

MSI has revealed its latest iteration of its Claw PC gaming handheld — and this time, it’s powered by AMD. The company showed off the Claw A8 BZ2EM at Computex 2025, which comes with an AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme chip along with up to 24GB of DDR5 memory.

That’s a bit less than the 32GB of memory that came with the Intel-equipped Claw 8 AI Plus released late last year, but it still has an 8-inch full HD display, a 120Hz refresh rate, and a 1TB M.2 SSD. The AMD-powered Claw A8 will also come in two colors: white and lime green.

MSI had a bit of a rough start with the release of its original Claw handheld in March 2024, but it seemed to redeem itself with the launch of the MSI Claw 8 AI Plus. Lenovo also snapped up one of AMD’s new handheld-focused chips for the Legion Go S, but it uses the weaker Z2 Go version that my colleague Sean Hollister said “can’t compete” with its predecessor’s Z1 Extreme.

There’s a new MSI Claw 8 AI Plus “Polar Tempest” edition, too, which features an up to Intel Core Ultra 7 258V processor and a 2TB NVMe SSD. It also has what MSI calls a “glittering” white coating. MSI didn’t reveal a release date or price for either model, but it will likely be in the same ballpark as the standard Intel-powered MSI Claw 8 Plus, which Best Buy lists as costing $999.99.

The company is also aiming to unlock access to the San Francisco International Airport, although those plans are on a much longer timeline.

In a major escalation of its push for tech sovereignty, Huawei just launched its first laptops running HarmonyOS—its homegrown operating system—officially severing ties with Western software giants Microsoft and Apple. The announcement marks a turning point in China’s quest to […]

The post China ends Windows–macOS duopoly with Huawei’s HarmonyOS, breaking U.S. tech grip first appeared on Tech Startups.

It’s Monday, May 19, 2025. Hope you had a great weekend. We’re back with your daily rundown of the biggest startup funding moves in tech. Today’s deals span everything from cancer-fighting biotech and AI-powered drug discovery to high-speed network infrastructure […]

The post Top tech startup funding news for today, May 19, 2025 first appeared on Tech Startups.

Last year, Klarna announced a significant initiative to leverage its internally developed AI systems, powered by OpenAI, across its operations. This wasn’t empty talk for the buy now, pay later giant. The company not only ended its pricey contract with Salesforce CRM, but also curtailed its hiring efforts, allowing AI to do some of the […]