Welcome to The tvRoom. Your weekly digest of television, streaming, and digital media insights.
This week we're covering:
- 💡 Roku Promises a New Age of Ad
- 📉 Local TV’s Share Keeps Shrinking
- 🎬 Creative Spotlight: Ford “Ready Set Ford”
- ☕ Pop Culture Meets Coffee Collab
Roku Bets Big on AI-Driven Ads
Roku is leaning hard into artificial intelligence to reshape its ad business. COO Charles Collier said viewers should expect “a lot more AI-generated ads” soon, with the company testing tools that can automatically create variations, swap voiceovers, and generate new creative assets.
While Roku’s devices keep the brand in living rooms, advertising is where the real money is. Lowering production costs and speeding up creative output using AI could help Roku compete with Amazon and YouTube, both of which are investing heavily in AI-driven ad tech.
Why AI matters
AI allows brands to scale campaigns in ways that weren’t possible before. Instead of producing a single expensive commercial, marketers can generate dozens of audience-specific versions in minutes. A sports fan in Chicago might see one version of a beer ad, while a family in Phoenix sees another during the same program. That kind of precision is what advertisers increasingly expect from connected TV.
The bigger picture
Marketers want TV to perform like digital, with measurable outcomes and transparent reporting. Historically, TV ads required big budgets and long timelines. AI opens the door to smaller brands. Campaigns can be built quickly and tested like digital ads, making the biggest screen in the house more accessible than ever.
Roku’s AI push signals how quickly connected TV is evolving. The next ad arms race is all about who can deliver smarter, more accountable advertising at scale.
Read More:
TV Industry Updates
- Journeys' '90s revival: Journeys launched its "Life on Loud" platform with a reimagined '90s hit and a mall-set video starring Gus Dapperton.
- Local TV's market share plummets: Local TV ad spend fell to 6% in 2025, less than half its 2017 share, while digital video surged to 50%.
- Dunkin' went home: Dunkin’ rolled out its “Iconic Home” campaign, using house-shaped packaging shots across OOH, Times Square, and social.
- Breaking Bad reunion: Anna Gunn returned as Skyler White in a Popwell ad before the Emmys, nodding to her husband’s “Say my name” line.
- Manning's NFL return: Bud Light brought back Peyton Manning for his sixth NFL campaign, featuring stunts from stadium skydives to office tailgates.
- Emmy viewership surge: CBS’s 77th Emmys hit 7.42 million viewers, the biggest since 2021, with Paramount+ streaming up 76% year-over-year.
Creative Spotlight: Ford: “Ready Set Ford”
Ford’s “Ready Set Ford” campaign celebrated the brand’s optimism and determination, pairing bold visuals of its vehicles with a motivational voiceover.
The details:
-
The spot opened with the line, “Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right,” setting a tone of confidence and drive.
-
The campaign tied its message to the hashtag #ReadySetFord, encouraging viewers to connect the brand with action and momentum.
-
The pacing and visuals reinforced the theme of readiness, presenting Ford as the brand for those who move forward with conviction.
What We Loved: The ad turned a timeless motivational phrase from Henry Ford himself into a brand statement that made Ford’s message feel immediate and energizing.
Holiday campaigns are already in motion
Introducing The Nice List: your one-stop shop for holiday marketing resources, tools, and inspiration. Consider it your holiday prep HQ, where you’ll find:
The 2025 Holiday Advertising Trends Report, which includes insights from 600+ marketers on how brands are planning, spending, and measuring success this season.
What’s Driving Holiday Ad Performance in 2025?, a tvScientific x Adweek webinar that breaks down how marketers are adapting strategies in real time.
And more content to drive your 2025 holiday advertising strategy.
🎄 Explore Holiday Resources
Marketing Mix
- Purpose problem: An Ehrenberg-Bass Institute study revealed that just 1 in 5 consumers can identify a brand’s purpose, even for Dove and Ben & Jerry’s.
- AI on the menu: Yum Brands’ “AI factory” powered 200 million personalized communications, up to 5 times more effective than traditional campaigns.
- Wawa’s new hire: Wawa appointed Doug Martin, a General Mills veteran, as CMO. He’ll guide brand growth and store design as the chain expands.
- Meta’s cultural play: Meta expanded its Reels trending ads after success with JCPenney and SharkNinja, while rolling out Threads formats and AI value rules.
- Coffee on vinyl: Amazon Ads teamed with Nespresso and The Weeknd on a music-meets-coffee campaign, including vinyl pressed with coffee grounds.
- PubMatic vs. Google: PubMatic sued Google for anticompetitive practices, raising advertiser costs, adding pressure as federal antitrust remedies loom.
✨📩 Cut through the noise of endless media coverage. Subscribe to The tvRoom for a curated weekly digest of only the insights that truly impact your work in TV and streaming.
