McGann Media Group

09/28/2026

Nearly 70% of CTV advertisers plan to grow their budgets this year, by 17% on average. Streaming isn't a someday channel anymore, it's already where a lot of your audience's attention has gone.

Explore the CTV advertising trends for 2026 — from converged TV planning and retail media to AI creative and measurement — and how brands can improve performance and ROI.

09/28/2026

Lara from the McGann Media team and Sonny the sloth celebrated at Untamed, Columbus Zoo and Aquarium's annual conservation fundraiser recently, where an astounding $700,000 was raised to support the Zoo’s work protecting wildlife here in Ohio and around the world. Read more about the event here: https://buff.ly/nUkUcJl

09/24/2026

89% of B2B marketers and 91% of B2C marketers expect their marketing investment to grow next year. The businesses that benefit most from that growth are the ones who start planning before Q4 gets loud, not after.

As you plan your marketing strategy and marketing budget for 2024, here are some key takeaways to help you allocate funds for big business growth!

09/21/2026

Programmatic media buying means software is bidding on your ad space in about 100 milliseconds instead of a person negotiating it by hand. Global programmatic spend is on track to clear $821 billion this year. The goal is still simple: the right ad, in front of the right person, at the right moment.

What programmatic media buying (and programmatic ad buying) is, how the 100ms auction works, the DSP/SSP stack, deal types, and how to optimize creative in 2026.

09/17/2026

Reddit just posted 514 million weekly active users, and most B2B brands still aren't looking there. The real value isn't reach, it's timing: people show up problem-first, long before they're job-title-targetable on LinkedIn. Worth a second look if B2B is part of your mix.

Reddit is one of the most underused and undervalued B2B marketing channels. Whilst this platform has traditionally sat outside of the B2B media mix, perceptions of it are changing at speed. Brands are now recognising that Reddit provides something unique: access to niche and intent-rich communities....

09/15/2026

Why does an ad actually work? Not reach. Not frequency. Motivation. The ads that perform best are the ones that connect to something a person already wants, reinforced by the context they're seen in. Worth remembering the next time the instinct is just to turn up the volume.

What's needed is a true, comprehensive theory of advertising. It must explain why and how an ad can cause a person to change his or her buying behavior.

09/11/2026

Audio is one of the most under-invested channels relative to how much time people actually spend with it. Podcasts, streaming, radio. It's easy to overlook when everyone's talking about social, which is exactly why it's worth a second look.

iHeartMedia is a leading global media and entertainment company specializing in radio, digital, mobile, social, live events and on-demand entertainment.

09/09/2026

The Columbus Partnership just grew to 83 business and civic leaders. It's a good reminder that this city's business community is dense, connected, and paying attention. Good things to keep in mind when you're deciding where to show up.

The nonprofit civic organization, which includes many of the Columbus region’s top CEOs and institutional leaders, has 83 members as of August 2026.

09/07/2026

83% of small business owners say word of mouth is their best source of new customers, up from 65% last year. The businesses growing fastest aren't skipping marketing, they're just pairing it with something worth talking about.

Small business marketing changed in 2026 as referrals overtook every paid channel. Here is where new customers come from and how founders win them.

09/03/2026

45% of people used an AI tool like ChatGPT to find a local business this year, up from 6% the year before. AI search is quietly becoming a real discovery channel. Showing up there starts with the same basics: good listings, real reviews, clear info.

AI marketing for local business in 2026: the small businesses winning right now are not outspending their competition. They are out-automating them with AI.