Happy Wednesday and happy midway point through Advertising Week.

It may only be October, but the Super Bowl is already around the corner for some of us.

After making its Big Game debut earlier this year, Ferrero will run two ads in Super Bowl 2027 as part of a $50 million investment in sports marketing.

We also have stories about Stagwell’s new media agency and Amazon’s big Emmys win.

Over at ADWEEK House: Advertising HQ, podcaster Amanda Hirsch and Dear Media’s president of global entertainment sat down yesterday to talk all things podcasting. Today is a commerce-focused day of programming, with execs from Best Buy, Uber, Revlon, and JPMorgan Chase. If you’re around, say hi!

Finally, thanks to SiriusXM, the ADWEEK paywall is down today, so everything on ADWEEK.com is free to read.

Let’s dive in.

Lauren Johnson, deputy editor, commerce

Must Reads

1. Ferrero Will Have Two Ads in Super Bowl 2027, Part of a $50 Million Bet on Sports

Ferrero will advertise two of its products, Nutella and Kinder Bueno, during Super Bowl 2027, reports Eva Kis.

The company's second Super Bowl play comes after Kinder Bueno saw a 140% lift in volume sales year-over-year following its Big Game debut in February. The European confectioner plans to invest $50 million in sports marketing next year.

2. Dear Media and Amanda Hirsch Want Brands To Ditch the Script

At ADWEEK House: Advertising HQ, podcast host Amanda Hirsch spoke about what she looks for in brand deals. She runs every potential partner through a few filters, including whether she has tried the product herself. Hirsch also said she doesn't worry about turning down brand deals, because she believes there will be future opportunities.

ADWEEK Tech Advantage: AI Agents Are Increasingly Getting Their Hands on Ad Dollars

Tech companies are increasingly pitching agentic ad-buying tools, but plenty of humans are still in the loop, reports Trishla Ostwal in her latest ADWEEK Advantage column.

At the same time, more adtech companies are developing agentic tools that go beyond media buying. As more ad-buying moves towards agentic tech, a bigger question is lingering for marketers: Who is responsible for the decisions that agentic systems make?

Stagwell Sunsets Assembly, Relaunches as Stagwell Media

Goodbye Assembly, hello Stagwell Media.

Stagwell's shop hopes to evolve beyond a traditional media agency, with more data, agility, and capabilities that go beyond media, CEO Liz Rutgersson told Chris Cicchiello. The agency also includes Stagwell Machine OS, the operating system built by Code + Theory.

The Emmys are going to Amazon’s Prime Video, writes Bill Bradley.

Prime Video’s global rights are part of a six-year agreement with the Television Academy, reportedly costing around $15 million per year. This year’s Emmys averaged 6.7 million viewers on NBC.

The Round Up

Twix brings back Zombie Claus for 'Hallowmas,' (ADWEEK).
Layoffs are coming as Skydance now controls Paramount and WBD, (ADWEEK).
How Fanta took over Halloween, (ADWEEK).
Meet Disney's lawyer fighting against the FCC, (Wall Street Journal).
Here are your quarterly evening news ratings, (ADWEEK).
Google fights U.K. lawsuit over app store fees, (Reuters).
Why more audience data has not delivered a clearer customer view, (Brandshare from Blis).

Revolving Door

MSQ acquires January Digital, (ADWEEK).
Social agency SAMY acquires Get Engaged, (ADWEEK).
1stAvenueMachine hires Jessica DeVirgilis to lead experiential practice, (Business Wire).

1. Ferrero Will Have Two Ads in Super Bowl 2027, Part of a $50 Million Bet on Sports

2. Dear Media and Amanda Hirsch Want Brands To Ditch the Script

3. ADWEEK Tech Advantage: AI Agents Are Increasingly Getting Their Hands on Ad Dollars

4. Stagwell Sunsets Assembly, Relaunches as Stagwell Media

5. And the Emmys Go to... Prime Video