This was one of the constant topics that came up in Cannes while talking to advertisers and agencies: is Google Search under major threat from AI? Is that where budgets will be pulled from? (The theory goes: everyone is using ChatGPT, etc. now, so search is becoming redundant.) That might feel true, certainly in our circles, but it’s always best to ask the experts who analyze the data before declaring “search is dead.”

Wieser says: “Not yet [we’re not seeing spend decline]. The fears are very forward-looking and the vast majority of spend is from SMBs,” and he doesn’t see that changing any time soon. So don’t expect big buckets of money to suddenly become available.

He makes a valid point—there isn’t a significant alternative to Google Search yet. Only when that arrives might we see a shift in spend. “We’re not even close to that yet.” Sorry other media providers, don’t expect sudden windfalls of massive search budgets just yet.

Brian Wieser on spend bouncing back—and who benefits:

At the start of the year, with uncertainty around Trump’s tariffs, Wieser predicted a drop in ad spend. But that didn’t materialize. The economic hit from the tariffs wasn’t as bad as expected. “We were expecting something to happen in the short term [a pullback], but it hasn’t happened yet,” he said. Which has surprised us all. It’s worth noting, once again, the concentration of new spend is going to one of 6 or 7 companies. Wonderful.

The interview also covers my favorite topic—TV! And while there’s been some positive news in a few countries, Wieser isn’t too optimistic. He suggests the underlying trends remain the same. I don’t entirely share Brian’s outlook on this one. He has the data—I just have thoughts and feelings. I feel like clients are looking to spend in areas that are more effective, and TV is doing a better job of proving it can match client KPIs while still building long-term value.

Brian reckons I’m an optimist.

Wieser said: “The trends disfavouring TV and CTV are not positive.” Ouch.

Such a downer, isn’t he? Watch the full interview below.

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