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News from the NRF’s Big Show 2026
Google Announces Universal Commerce Protocol
Google is taking a big step toward standardizing how AI Agents can interact with generative AI chatbots. Enter UCP – universal commerce protocol – a global protocol designed to talk to and welcome existing agent protocols. Developed in tandem with a number of big names in ecommerce like Etsy and Shopify, UCP should allow advertisers to more precisely personalize shopping suggestions delivered by Gemini.
But why should advertisers take notice? Well, advertising in GenAI is a bit loose-goosey at the moment, with various platforms all taking their own approach that may or may not work with existing programmatic tools. Google’s new protocol may signal a beginning to the end of this era, as the big boys begin standardizing tools and make it easier for advertising platforms to talk to Gemini.
Google has not begun placing ads in Gemini yet, but when they do, Genius Monkey users should be able to reach Gemini users because of this new protocol. Google and others are working hard to make chatbots an advertiser-friendly environment, as evidenced by this and the next announcement:
Google + Walmart = More Accessible Data!
The nation’s largest retailer – Walmart – is making its inventory and customer data available to use in Google’s AI chatbot. Walmart and Sam’s Club loyalty members will soon be able to link to their Google accounts and purchase Walmart/Sam’s Club products through Gemini.
Walmart has been the top retailer for 29 years in a row, according to Kantar’s PowerRankings, and was one of the retailers involved in the development of UCP. The retail giant runs it’s own media network closed off from the open ad exchange, creating a “walled garden” that prevents advertisers from using the rich first-party data in other areas of their campaigns. With this announced deal, there’s a good chance that is going to change.
The industry expects Gemini to make ad placement available soon, and the inclusion of Walmart data into Google’s advertising ecosystem may open up that quality data for advertisers to leverage. This is great news for Genius Monkey users looking to target Walmart shoppers; our platform already optimizes the best path for reaching the audience, and users are likely to see even better results with the implementation of this data.
CES 2026 Report
Agentic Media is the New Buzzword
It’s a safe bet that AI will continue to dominate the conversation for years to come, even if the way people refer to it changes. “AI” has become a dirty word to many people growing increasingly paranoid of low-effort generative “slop”. The industry has responded by changing the name, referring to AI-powered advertising solutions as “agents”, and it’s all anyone at CES was talking about.
These AI agents are designed to optimize campaigns by handling nearly every aspect of the programmatic process, including strategy, targeting, and placements based on criteria designated by the advertiser. In some cases, these agents are little more than the dreaded “Black Box” with a new name, optimizing humans and decision-making out of the process.
AI plays an important role in digital advertising, but Genius Monkey stands firm in the belief that humans remain an irreplaceable component of quality. The Genius Monkey team has leveraged our powerful “Omni Monkey” machine learning system for years to optimize placements, ad spend, and targeting. Our users can trust that the experts are at the helm and directing the AI, not the other way around.
Channel-Based is Giving Way to Performance-Driven
Programmatic has many mediums to take advantage of, but advertisers are moving toward a unified, device-agnostic approach. Rather than designing individual campaigns for each ad type, many talks and presentations at CES this year suggested that advertisers are focusing more on outcomes across multiple channels with all-in-one platforms and multimedia tools.
This is exactly the kind of approach that Genius Monkey encourages its users to take. A full-funnel approach that guides consumers through the customer journey will always be better than silo-ing off mediums in their own campaigns. Genius Monkey has been leading this charge since its inception in 2010, backed by industry-leading experience and attribution that allows users to see the entire customer journey down to each individual touch-point.
Still, an industry shift even further toward data-powered advertising is a win for all. The popularity of the multimedia approach will drive further innovations that platform users will continue to benefit from. Genius Monkey will remain on the cutting edge; after all, we were here first.
Bonus: The Ongoing Drama Around WBD
In December 2025, Paramount proposed an all-cash hostile takeover to throw off Netflix’s official buyout of Warner Bros. Discovery. At the time, Netflix played it cool, calling the takeover attempt “a totally expected turn of events” that didn’t bother the streaming giant in the slightest. Actions speak louder than words, however, and the latest update suggests the big red “N” may have been sweating after all.
In late January 2026, Netflix revised their buyout offer to an all-cash deal, which would make the payout easier and faster for WBD shareholders. While still offering less money overall, Netflix’s revision sweetens the deal slightly and brings it closer to Paramount’s enticing proposition. It’s unlikely that Netflix would’ve made this change unless they felt at least some pressure from Paramount’s offer.
WBD shareholders are likely to vote on the issue – Netflix vs. Paramount – in March 2026. Regardless of which giant corporation wins the shareholder’s favor, the vote will precede months and years of regulatory scrutiny before any deal is finalized. We’ll be keeping an eye on this merger for quite some time.
What’s Old is New Again
There are potentially some big changes coming up to how people interact with the internet, if the major tech companies are to be believed. Whatever the future of the search or CTV industries, the basic principle of getting your message in front of the ideal audience will always remain as important as ever, and there’s no better way to achieve that than by partnering with a proven, data-driven platform.
Genius Monkey has been helping advertisers increase conversions while lowering cost-per-conversion for a long time. Check out our latest case study, which saw our user’s conversions increase by over 400% after 4 months of using the platform! If you’re ready to evolve your marketing strategy to the next level, get in touch with Genius Monkey today!
