Greetings!

Welcome to the March 2026 issue of Key Notes - Marketing Keys' monthly newsletter! As we step into a new season, we hope fresh ideas and exciting opportunities are taking root for your business. Key Notes is an informative, quick-read newsletter to get you caught up on all things media and marketing. Our goal is for you to be informed and entertained with the latest media and marketing happenings quickly and efficiently. 

With Election Day coming up, viewers across the country are seeing a surge of political ads on their TVs, many of which contain graphic imagery or controversial claims. Questions often arise about why these ads are allowed to air, especially when some seem misleading or unverified. The answer lies in federal law: broadcast stations are required to run political ads purchased by legally qualified candidates, even if the content is provocative or questionable.

The rules come from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Communications Act of 1934, which prohibit stations from censoring or rejecting candidate-sponsored ads. Essentially, if a candidate meets the legal qualifications and pays for airtime, the station must broadcast the ad as submitted — regardless of whether the information is accurate or controversial.

Experts say this creates an environment where candidates have significant freedom in how they present themselves and their messages. Campaign advertising is pretty wide open in terms of what candidates can say or show. Candidates must approve their own ads, but stations have little authority to intervene once the ad is submitted.

While campaigns may issue corrections or clarifications, broadcast stations cannot block the ad from airing. They do, however, have more editorial discretion over ads funded by outside groups, like political parties or PACs, which are not subject to the same protections.

Are Automakers Pumping the Brakes?

Auto brands started 2026 with a noticeable slowdown in national TV investment. In January, automakers collectively spent about $305.5 million on national television advertising — down nearly 11% compared to the same month last year. The pullback was even more pronounced in overall exposure, with household TV impressions dropping 26.6% year-over-year to 14.3 billion. While spending softened, the competition among top brands remained intense.

Hyundai narrowly led January’s TV spending race at $42.2 million, just ahead of Chevrolet at $41.8 million. Honda, Ram Trucks and Jeep followed to round out the top five. A clear pattern emerged across the board: live sports — especially the NFL — dominated media strategies. Nearly three-quarters of all auto TV dollars went toward NFL programming, with college football a distant second. Honda placed the biggest bet on football, dedicating 92% of its January budget to NFL games. Ram Trucks showed slightly more variety but still concentrated heavily on sports, spreading dollars across football, college basketball and the NBA.

Even with heavy sports investment, overall league reach slipped compared to last year. NFL impressions declined modestly, college football dipped slightly, and NBA reach dropped more sharply. Still, sports programming accounted for the majority of top-reaching placements for auto advertisers. At the same time, some Spanish-language programs experienced year-over-year growth in automotive ad impressions — suggesting that brands looking beyond traditional sports broadcasts may be finding more efficient incremental reach in alternative environments.

On the creative side, several campaigns broke through. Chevrolet’s “This Is Who We Are” generated the highest share of impressions, followed by Buick, Kia, GMC and Jeep spots. In terms of audience response, Subaru’s “Dog Tested: Roundabout” significantly outperformed the automotive average for likeability, while Hyundai scored twice with well-received ads, including “Epic Mission.” When it came to driving purchase consideration, brands like Audi, Cadillac, Lexus and Acura posted some of the strongest positive purchase intent scores of the month. Although overall TV budgets tightened to kick off the year, automakers continued to prioritize high-impact placements and creative that resonates — proving that even in a slower spending cycle, strategic focus still matters.

No one circles Prime Day on their calendar in anticipation of the ads. Yet behind the scenes, retail media networks (RMNs) have become some of the most influential players in advertising. Platforms like Amazon Ads, Walmart Connect, and Roundel are thriving because they offer what today’s marketers crave most: sharp audience targeting and direct insight into what actually drives sales. With built-in measurement systems that connect impressions to purchases, these networks make it easier than ever to justify every dollar spent—something traditional linear TV has historically struggled to prove as clearly.

Amazon, in particular, has leaned heavily into this space, positioning its advertising arm as an all-in-one solution powered by advanced technology and automation. The pitch is simple: manage awareness, consideration, and conversion all in one ecosystem. Advertisers seem to agree with the value proposition, as Amazon’s ad revenue climbed 24% year over year in Q3 2025. In a climate where marketing budgets are scrutinized and performance is paramount, platforms that promise accountability and efficiency naturally gain momentum.

Still, an important question lingers: in the rush toward trackable performance, are brands sacrificing emotional connection? Big cultural moments suggest traditional media still holds unique power. Super Bowl commercials, for example, continue to draw enormous anticipation—often rivaling the game itself. Even with the steady growth of online shopping, brands are willing to invest roughly $8 million for 30 seconds of airtime during the 2025 broadcast. That level of demand signals something deeper than reach; it reflects the value of storytelling that captures attention, sparks conversation, and creates shared experiences.

RMNs undeniably serve a strategic purpose. They reach consumers close to the point of purchase and deliver measurable results. But when advertising becomes purely transactional, brands risk blending into a crowded digital shelf. More traditional outlets still provide fertile ground for creativity and relationship-building. In an industry fixated on dashboards and data, it’s worth remembering that long-term brand equity is often built not just through precision, but through moments that resonate beyond the sale.

Repurposing creative across platforms has long been a headache for marketers — and now X is trying to remove that friction. The platform, owned by Elon Musk, has rolled out expanded formatting options that allow advertisers to run the same image and video assets on X that they’re already using elsewhere. The promise is straightforward: keep your existing creative intact and achieve comparable visual impact without rebuilding campaigns specifically for the platform.

Instead of relying on AI tools to automatically resize or rework ads, X has broadened its native aspect ratio support. Marketers can upload assets directly into X Ads Manager through Media Studio, Composer, or the Campaign Form and select additional formats like 4:5 and 2:3. In practical terms, that means fewer production tweaks, less time spent re-editing files, and an easier way to fold X into a larger cross-channel strategy.

The move comes as X continues working to regain advertiser momentum after Musk’s 2022 acquisition. While the company recently reported a modest revenue uptick, overall ad sales remain well below what the platform generated before the transition from Twitter to X. At the same time, competition is heating up — particularly from Meta’s Threads, which has been steadily building its user base and advertising tools. By making ad reuse simpler, X is clearly aiming to lower the barrier to entry and win back a bigger share of marketers’ budgets.

As Democrats wrestle with how much to focus on President Donald Trump, Illinois Senate candidate Juliana Stratton is making her position crystal clear. Her first TV ad, funded directly by her campaign, features supporters including Sen. Tammy Duckworth repeatedly saying a censored version of “F‑Trump.” Stratton appears on screen but avoids swearing herself, telling viewers, “They said it, not me.” The ad, running as early voting gets underway, is meant to grab attention in a crowded primary and signal that Stratton is ready to take on Trump head-on.

Stratton faces an uphill battle against Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, who leads her in early polling and fundraising. With retiring Sen. Dick Durbin’s seat up for grabs, candidates are using anti-Trump messaging in different ways. Krishnamoorthi has spent heavily on ads highlighting his opposition to Trump-era policies, particularly immigration enforcement, while Rep. Robin Kelly has focused on holding Trump administration officials accountable, including pushing for impeachment actions against Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

Stratton’s campaign is supported by Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, who appears briefly in the ad without echoing the swearing. Super PACs aligned with her are also ramping up TV spending, though she still trails Krishnamoorthi in ad dollars by a wide margin. The Republican National Committee responded quickly, criticizing Stratton’s positions as extreme. While it’s unclear how effective the ad will be at swaying voters, it’s an unmistakable play to stand out and energize supporters as the March 17 primary draws near.

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