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Get ready for Advertising Week New York, where the brightest minds in the industry come together to push boundaries and explore the future of marketing, media and tech. This year, we’re proud to participate in two dynamic panels that highlight the power of creative storytelling and how we’re shifting perceptions around the most critical issues of our time.

At the Ad Council, the phrase “advertising for good” isn’t just a tagline—it’s the core of everything we do. This concept resonates deeply across our industry, and we’re fortunate to collaborate with some of the most innovative platforms that share our commitment to leveraging advertising for positive change. To bring this topic to life, Ad Council’s President and CEO, Lisa Sherman, and Smartly CEO, Laura Desmond, will lead a panel called, “Advertising for Good” at Smartly Advance.

As our workforce continues to evolve, addressing the needs of a multigenerational workforce has become increasingly important. Understanding the unique needs of both younger and older generations is essential for effective leadership and creating inclusive environments that support a diverse range of experiences and perspectives. And with Gen Z and Millennials expected to make up over half of the U.S. workforce in just a few years, many organizations have started preparing for this shift.

My first experience at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity was nothing short of transformative. Imagine the energy of a music festival combined with the intellectual stimulation of an academic conference, all set against the backdrop of the stunning French Riviera. Major agencies, brands, tech and social media companies build pop-up activations along the beach—creating an atmosphere buzzing with creativity and innovation.

Establishing an authentic connection with target audiences can be a game-changer in delivering nuanced critical messages. Together, with our partners, we took this approach in a recent collaboration to reach young adults. By tapping into the existing level of trust in the video gaming community, we were able to create genuine connections and share important mental health resources. Join us for a deep dive as we discuss how Gen Z, a generation deeply immersed in gaming culture, found value in the authenticity of our message and how we engaged them using some unique trusted messengers.

As the vice president of emerging media and technology at the Ad Council, I’m always exploring new and emerging technologies that can help drive impact across our many social cause campaigns. I was eager to explore web-based augmented reality (WebAR) as a way to reach people with our messages and after months of building, we just launched our first WebAR partnership with our long time partners at Feeding America. For those of you unfamiliar with this technology, WebAR enables users to interact with digital graphics superimposed onto their real world environment through a web browser, without the need for a dedicated app. The user gets to this experience through scanning a QR code or tapping through to a website. This accessibility makes WebAR a powerful tool for marketers, enabling a broad audience to seamlessly access the experience across various devices. The immersive nature and gamification of a WebAR experience can boost engagement, making complex messages more resonating and impactful.

Last June, in partnership with Whalar, the Ad Council’s Creators for Good team–our premier in-house talent engagement arm–launched an Ambassador Pilot Program to foster deeper connection with multi-hyphenate content creators passionate about social impact.

In the ever-evolving social media landscape, staying ahead of the curve isn't just a goal—it's a necessity. From social media managers leading day-to-day operations to CMOs directing marketing strategy, brands understand that to stay relevant they must make an investment in social. And events like AdWeek’s Social Media Week are crucial for keeping brands at the forefront of industry trends and innovations.

The “Emerging Leaders Fellowship Program” prepares and empowers historically excluded groups for careers in advertising and marketing.

PSAs highlight how getting an annual flu shot is the best way to reduce your risk from flu and its potentially serious complications, protect your loved ones, and enjoy the holiday season

The new national study from Paramount Media Networks & MTV Entertainment Studios and the Ad Council Research Institute provides organizations with tools to motivate voter turnout Abortion rights is the top issue among young people, followed by women’s rights, healthcare and the economy

Nonprofits the Ad Council and Opportunity@Work lead landmark partnership of employers, talent developers and nonprofits on behalf of the majority of U.S. workers without a bachelor’s degree