Welcome back. Today, Omnicom-IPG is the latest show of force for technology in advertising; news brands dream of trending on TikTok; and designer brands aim to serve bargain-seekers.

Many industries talk about preparing for AI, but Omnicom’s blockbuster deal to buy Interpublic shows that the ad industry is trying to transform for it, Suzanne Vranica writes.

Omnicom argues that the scale from the acquisition and $750 million in cost savings will let it plow more money into experimenting with tech like AI.

Some see AI helping creative agencies’ copywriters and art directors go wilder with their ideas and iterate quickly to win new clients. It “will allow us to dream bigger,” said Susan Credle, global chair of Interpublic agency FCB, who helped create M&M’s iconic spokescandies.

But the heyday of creatives is simultaneously fading.

With AI, said Cheryl Berman, the former chief creative officer of Leo Burnett US, “creatives are moving further down the totem pole,” Berman said.

Legacy news publishers are trying to follow adults under 30 onto TikTok, but can struggle to gain traction through their main branded accounts, Isabella Simonetti reports.

TikTok users are drawn to engaging individuals, regardless of who employs them, or even whether they work for a news organization.

“You can’t just repurpose content from, say, your newspaper website and just bring it over to TikTok and hope it’ll have the same impact,” said Freddy Tran Nager, associate director of the digital social media master’s degree program at the University of Southern California.

“I would say that all these news organizations need to add a face to the brand.”

More on the news business: Viewers are flocking to Fox News in the wake of Donald Trump’s election win, but ratings for MSNBC and CNN have tumbled—and far more than they did in 2016. [WSJ]

The global luxury sector is suffering a downcycle, but high-end retailers are leasing more space at outlet centers, where designers sell heavily discounted surplus or lower-quality items, Kate King writes.

At Belmont Park Village, an outdoor luxury outlet mall gradually opening on Long Island, several of the couple dozen stores that have opened or announced 2025 openings represent the designers’ first U.S. outlet location, including women’s footwear brand Aquazzura and retailer Vivienne Westwood.

It’s the first U.S. shopping center in the Bicester Collection, a portfolio that includes discount-luxury shopping centers in Europe and China operated by London-based Value Retail.

Value Retail thinks its location near New York City’s airports will allow it to capture Bicester Collection’s core customer, traveling luxury shoppers.

The owner of men’s clothing brand Bonobos is nearing a deal to purchase the iconic wedding-dress brand Vera Wang. [WSJ]

Luxury skincare brand Iota teamed up with designer Oishii Omakase strawberries for a limited edition body wash. [Eater] 

Apple is planning thinner iPhones and foldable devices to revive growth. [WSJ] 

UnitedHealth Group CEO Andrew Witty’s op-ed about Brian Thompson and the healthcare system fell flat with readers. [Fast Company] 

The New York Times parted ways with Droga5, which introduced the paper’s long-running “Truth” campaigns. [Adweek] 

“Sesame Street” is on the market after Warner Bros. Discovery didn’t renew its deal to carry the show on HBO and Max. [THR]

Tony Brignull, a celebrated copywriter during the “Golden Age” of British advertising, died at 87 years old. [The Times]

The new brand icons for Pull-Ups are named talking emojis named Terd and Yureen. [Ad Age]