The end of year lists are upon us, including ADWEEK’s 2025 Agency of the Year! To celebrate this year’s list, Wieden + Kennedy–one of the honorees–designed the cover, celebrating the “wonderfully weird world.” Head here to view the full list of Agency of the Year honorees:

SCOOP: Dow Jones, the parent company of outlets including The Wall Street Journal, has hired M. Scott Havens to serve as its first chief growth officer. Havens, who starts in January, was previously the CEO of Bloomberg Media. He joins from a stint at the New York Mets. (1/2)

how it feels when you're not the topic of conversation in the holiday party debrief

After 25 years in the industry, @Ludacris is more than a musician, actor, or philanthropist. He's a brand. See him discuss the twists and turns that his career has taken, and how it all started with putting out a record.

EXCLUSIVE | @DowJones has hired M. Scott Havens as its first chief growth officer and global head of consumer, a newly created role that underscores the company’s push to accelerate subscription growth and expand consumer revenue.

Charisse Hughes joined Kellanova in 2020 as global CMO, expanding her role to chief brand and advanced analytics officer and chief growth officer. Here are her biggest accomplishments during her tenure in the Kellanova C-suite.

.@RGA has won @LEVIS digital redesign work after a competitive pitch, starting with the brand's website and app as an "innovation partner."

Could ads be coming to @Google Gemini in 2026? 👀

And the Oscars go to… @YouTube. YouTube has secured exclusive global rights to broadcast the @TheAcademy from 2029 to 2033, beginning with the 101st Academy Awards.

Tracksuit has analyzed 10,000 brands to identify which ones grew most in Gen Z awareness in 2025. https://t.co/Eyz0jbrLJJ

Ahead of the 2026 @CES, @NBCUniversal is showcasing its new AI-powered ad offerings, including AI-powered Contextual Targeting in Live, Live Total Impact, and Performance Insight Hub, each with its own unique set of capabilities.

Scoop: @TheTradeDesk on Tuesday axed swaths of its sales and client services team. The company confirmed that just ~1% of global headcount was impacted. Leadership is expected to address employees in an all-hands meeting today. For @Adweek:

NEW: Tech and ad execs dished on 2026 AI trends: Chatbots chip away at social discovery, media buying moves to agent-to-agent deals, brands ditch SEO for AI-native experiences, and publishers shift to usage-based AI deals. Read the full breakdown on what 2026 holds for AI ⤵️

Austin-based creative agency Callen has brought on strategy vet David Terry to lead the department as the agency’s first-ever chief strength officer, working closely with Quality Meats and BBH vet Paola Ortega, who also joins Callen as strategy director.

New: These are the 7 trends that defined digital media in 2025, according to executives at publishers ranging from The Wall Street Journal to The Daily Beast. Are we missing anything? My story below, for @ADWEEK:

NEW: 2025 was a banner year for media & marketing M&A. I wrote THE definitive year in review (or lmk what I missed!), including a chart of 73 deals that defined the landscape + analysis from top bankers & advisors @MKassan, @tkawaja, @MBoidman. For @Adweek: https://t.co/yiyhqLZgWo

.@PepsiCo confirmed that three brands, @Pepsi Zero Sugar, Poppi, and @Lays, will appear in ads in @SuperBowl 60. ADWEEK learned each brand will have its own in-game creative; however, PepsiCo wouldn’t share further details.

EXCLUSIVE | @TheTradeDesk cut dozens of employees on Tuesday, spanning multiple teams including sales and client services. The Trade Desk confirmed the staff cuts in an email with ADWEEK.

Still need to do your holiday shopping? Might we suggest... a pet rock? 🪨 Senior Editor Robert Klara gives a brief history of the must-have gift 50 years ago, which was developed by Gary Dahl who—guess what—worked in advertising.

Jeff Bezos' $46M Venice wedding inspired @jcpenney's "The Other Venice Wedding." CMO Marisa Thalberg leads the 123-year-old retailer post-2020 bankruptcy with bold campaigns via @mischief_usa agency, targeting younger shoppers while maintaining quality deals and a $1B store

Cable networks rebounded strongly post-Thanksgiving with double-digit primetime gains in total viewers and A25-54 demo. @FoxNews and @MSNOWNews maintained momentum in total day viewership. @CNN saw modest total viewer growth but declined in the key demo.