This year’s FIFA World Cup marked a turning point for US soccer culture and the marketing opportunities for MLS. The final was viewed by more than 62.8 million people, almost triple the 22.3 million who watched the 2022 final in Qatar. A number of factors contributed to this success. For...
July 2026 Top Ads: Brands Place Their Bets on Emotion, Humor, and Context
The top ads of July 2026 demonstrate what happens when emotional specificity, structural humor, and context alignment converge, sometimes all three in one execution, sometimes one or two. Every score referenced in this breakdown is an Ad Breakthrough score, MarketCast's most defining measure of ad performance. It's the percentage of...
The Brands That Cracked World Cup Advertising Effectiveness
The Spain-Argentina FIFA World Cup Final drew 62.8 million viewers across Fox and Telemundo, the largest television audience for anything outside the NFL and breaking news since the Seinfeld finale in 1998. Of that audience, roughly 36% watched on Telemundo, and one in five of those viewers identified English as...
Built to Break Through Report
The conditions for advertising effectiveness are identifiable before the brief is written. MarketCast analyzed Brand Effect data across three tentpoles to show you how.
Cannes 2026 Takeaways from Our CMO
From Sports to AI: Our CMO’s Top Takeaways from Cannes 2026 Cannes Lions delivered an incredible (albeit hot) week packed with thought-provoking talks. From the convergence of creativity and measurement to how brands can capitalize on the summer of sports — and, importantly, prove its ROI — there was no...
What June’s Top Breakthrough Advertising Reveals About Creative Effectiveness
Every month, MarketCast's Brand Effect measurement solution identifies which ads break through, drive brand linkage, and communicate their message effectively. June's Top Breakthrough Advertising lleaderboard spans both CTV and Linear, and the ads that rose to the top share three structural patterns worth carrying into your next brief. These creative...
Cannes Lions and 2026 Measurement Trends
Cannes Lions has always been where the industry performs optimism. What made 2026 different was how much of the conversation was about proof. Not creative ambition, not platform potential, not what AI might do someday, but solid proof. Proof that creative investment moves business outcomes. Proof that sponsorship spend is...
$3.5 Billion in World Cup Spend. But Who Can Prove It Worked?
Over $3.5 billion. That is the combined investment US advertisers and sponsors have directed toward World Cup 2026. It is a number that reflects genuine commercial conviction — a collective bet, made across boardrooms and budget cycles, that soccer's moment in North America has arrived. And when the tournament ends,...
World Cup Opportunity Report
Get a data-driven look at the American soccer fan, what top sponsors are doing to drive measurable returns, and which opening weekend ads broke through — so you know exactly where your World Cup investment stands.
Slam Dunk: NBA Final Breakthrough Ads
The NBA Finals draws one of the most attentive audiences in American television. Fans are locked in. The energy is high. And for advertisers, that environment is a massive opportunity with engaged fans. See the full list of this year’s top breakthrough ads during the NBA Final game. The Contrast...