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Another year, another successful CES in the Vayner books. This year, we wrapped up CES with A LOT to think about…and more importantly? A game plan for the new year. 

On the ground at Las Vegas, we had VaynerMedia’s Director of Video Activation Jordan Bilfeld on the scene, absorbing every big trend marketers can expect to see in 2026 and beyond. It’s hard to condense everything into one list, but Jordan helped us compile the spark notes version of the major breakthroughs from the week. 

Marketers, for those of you who couldn’t make it, or maybe just need a refresh, we have the Vayner scoop on everything you should know about. Here are our 3 main takeaways from CES:

Retail and TV Are Merging – AKA The Live Shopping Renaissance Is Here

At Vayner, we’ve been pretty passionate about the surge of live shopping, and CES gave us confirmation that we’re headed in the right direction. We’re seeing how some of the biggest retail ecosystems are embedding commerce data and purchase signals directly into their ad strategies. 

• Amazon announced new ad tech capabilities for Prime Video, Prime Sports, and Twitch. With this, they’re tightening the line between retail, streaming, and CTV performance ads, turning their DSP into a hub for TV planners. 
• Walmart consolidated Vizio into its own TV & retail strategy, blending retail media directly into SmartCast and CTV ad opportunities. 

These updates go to show that the line between retail and TV doesn’t exist anymore, and as these two worlds merge into one, marketers will be seeing more and more shoppable TV formats. 

AI Is Everywhere (And Everything)

This one doesn’t come as much of a surprise, but the extent and reach of AI is something that marketers really need to take note of. AI is no longer a buzzword or curiosity–it’s the foundation behind every major announcement. 

• Disney announced a new vertical video experience called VERTS, a Vertical Social Video platform powered by AI. Essentially, viewers can experience a personalized Disney content feed based on user behavior. 
• Amazon shared that they’ll be continuing to push authenticated reach and AI-powered solutions to simplify TV planning and drive ad awareness and sales. 
• Samsung launched their new “Vision AI Companion” across its 2026 TV lineup. An AI assistant meant to interact conversationally with users (suggesting what to watch or even what music/food fits a mood) and deliver personalized recommendations, bringing TVs one step closer to acting more like mobile devices.  

Clearly, agentic AI will be having a major moment this year, finding its way into automating workflow, personalizing content and ad experiences, and so much more. Going forward, marketers can expect AI poised to automate everything from media buys to optimization and creative deployment.

CTV is Shifting to Focus On Outcome Driven Results

CES showed us that CTV buying is shifting, and falling into a new approach. Advertisers are shifting their focus from impressions to actual outcomes and lower-funnel attribution. We’re seeing this through new partnerships and measurement integrations, like how: 

• Roku and iSpot brought outcome-based integration to streaming, elevating CTV from impression-centric KPIs to results-based optimization for brands. 
• NBCUniversal introduced their Performance Insights Hub, providing unified, in-flight campaign metrics and audience insights across platforms for deeper measurement, beyond post-campaign reporting.

CTV is becoming its very own ‘go-to’ foundational channel. The sooner marketers build up plans from a CTV-first mindset the sooner they will realize rapid performance-driven results are ready at scale – and the better outcomes will be.

The Consensus

Here’s the TLDR: 2026 is going to be a big year for marketers. But what’s most important here is being flexible, open-minded, and rolling with the punches as they come.

As trends develop and tech evolves, we’re here to figure out the best way forward for you and your brand.

CES, as always, thanks for a great time and here’s to embracing the new. 🥂 

If there’s one thing we love more than momentum, it’s reflecting on how we got there.

This year, we launched culture-moving campaigns, partnered with brands at the biggest moments in marketing, and earned recognition across the industry from the Super Bowl stage to Cannes Lions and beyond. So, in true year-end fashion, we’re wrapping it all up the only way that felt right: Vayner Wrapped, a highlight of the work we are so proud to share.

🎶 On the 12th month of 2025… we’re happy to share 12 highlights that shaped a year we’re incredibly proud of!

Let’s unwrap them.

January

A Kickin’ Ranch anthem

We rang in the year with Jimmy John’s “Kickin’ Ranch” song…this is proof that when brand voice meets culture ✨magic happens. ✨

February

A Super Bowl season to remember.

From Duracell’s first-ever Super Bowl spot to Tubi’s “The Z Suite” making waves, we showed up big on the biggest advertising stage in the world.

March

The Start of Something Big with JCPenney

March marked the kickoff of our partnership with JCPenney, as VaynerMedia was named the brand’s social media and influencer marketing agency of record. Together, we set out to boost cultural relevance by tapping into creativity, social-first production, and influencer seeding starting with an attention-grabbing Instagram moment featuring Marilyn Monroe’s iconic JCPenney jeans.

April

A stage, a mic, and a much-needed callout.

Gary took the stage at POSSIBLE and didn’t hold back… calling out the industry’s overreliance on paid media and challenging brands to reinvest in organic social and strong creative. His keynote sparked conversation across the room and beyond, reinforcing a core belief we’ve held for years: media should amplify great creative, not disguise bad ideas.

May

A Front-Row Seat to Marketing ‘Renaissance’ 🐝

We took our brand friends to Beyoncé’s Brand Box, and teamed up with Cash App to film a special episode of Marketing For the Now. Leading marketers from Kate Spade, Nespresso, Alexander Wang, and more joined the conversation, exploring how the Beyoncé effect is shaping innovation, influence, and the future of social marketing.

June

The Debut of Vayner Co-Lab

June took us to Cannes, where we launched Vayner Co-Lab, our new service model designed to help marketers and in-house agencies level up their social and creative capabilities. Our founding client, PepsiCo Beverages US, joined us in building this first-of-its-kind blended capability.

July

Our cutest viral hit yet: 15.7M and counting

For Take Your Kid to Work Day, we asked our coworkers’ kids to explain what their parents do for work…and the result was hilariously wholesome. The video became our top-performing post ever with 15.7 million views on Instagram.

August

H&R Block, from social to full-service success.

August marked a major milestone as VaynerMedia was named media agency of record for H&R Block, building on a partnership that began in 2023 with social services and grew to include social creative AOR duties in July 2024. With both social and media now consolidated under one roof, we’re helping H&R Block stay relevant year-round, beyond tax season.

September

Back to School, But Make It Marketing

September brought both celebration and connection. We were incredibly proud to be named to Adweek’s 2025 Agency of the Year Shortlist, sharing the stage with some truly outstanding agencies. 

We leaned into a Back to School moment for marketers, seeding our brand friends with the ultimate Back to School kit that included a copy of Gary’s Day Trading Attention. This is the modern playbook for leaders navigating today’s attention economy: how to understand platforms, read culture in real time, and make smarter decisions that drive real business impact.

October

Summits, and the new future of commerce

October was all about VaynerX’s Live Shopping Summit, where we explored how creators, affiliates, and influencers are reshaping online commerce. Live shopping is set to be a massive brand opportunity for 2026, so if you’re ready to put these insights into action, check out the livestream from our Live Shopping Summit.

November

Connect, collaborate, and celebrate leadership

November spotlighted our VaynerX Future CMO Summit where the next-gen marketing leaders met us in the stunning Malibu hills. November brought the VaynerX FCMO Summit, a reminder that nothing beats IRL connection. From off-sites to in-person sessions, we saw firsthand how getting the next-generation marketing leaders together in real life is foundational for culture and organizations.

We’re doing more of these in 2026, so if you have a next-gen leader you’d like to nominate to join us, let us know!

December

A year-ending celebration of our people!

VaynerX was named to Inc. Best in Business awards in two categories “Best Marketing” and “Best Challenger Brands” , capping a year of growth, creativity, and impact that we’re so proud, and excited about. Our merch game also leveled up this year as we welcomed Custom Ink the VaynerMedia family! Santa brought our VaynerX coworkers merch to all 15 of our global offices! 🎁

From culture-shaping campaigns to industry-defining conversations, Vayner Wrapped is a reflection of the people, partners, and ideas that supercharged this incredible year! 🚀

Here’s to everything we built together in 2025 and to an amazing fresh start to 2026!

👉 Want to partner with us? Drop us a line!

After a 35+ year long advertising career, James Orsini just added a pretty historic accomplishment to his resume: becoming the first ever retiree from VaynerX. 

Originally trained as an accountant, James spent the early days of his career development deep in the finance game, auditing for major companies and crunching numbers on Wall Street. Marketing wasn’t exactly on the roadmap, but he recalls a specific meeting where for the first time, he was thinking “‘I could see myself in a place like this someday.’” 

And that he did. 

Over A Decade (!!!) Spent At Vayner 

Fast forward to 2015, James ended up at VaynerMedia as Chief Integration Officer, a move that would kick off more than a decade of impact across the company.

Despite not having the most traditional background for a marketing career, James understood how to make complex organizations flow. Pulling from his own operational rigor, financial discipline, and a sharp instinct for people and process, he had a rare talent for finding the right solutions, and the right teams to make things move.

And it’s this mindset that’s guided him in his various roles at Vayner for the past 11 years. A list that includes agency jobs like Chief Integration Officer and Chief Operating Officer of VaynerMedia, President of The Sasha Group, and his final role as President of Startup Operations for VaynerX, just to name a few! Fun fact, in James’ time as COO, he actually ran the studio for 6 months, and often says that he had 4 titles but played 5 different roles.

A Unique Approach = A World of Difference

Throughout his time here at Vayner, James has always led with a people-first approach. It’s something that anybody who’s had the pleasure of meeting, and working with him, knows. By finding a way to balance the practical with the personal, something that’s not easy for many people to do, James has helped us scale tremendously. In each role, he has found ways to push VaynerX’s evolution, and build it into the global independent agency that it is today. 

Simply put, James has been a true force at VaynerX, and we couldn’t be more grateful to have spent the last decade with him. His success and legacy is a testament that being yourself, and using the strengths and knowledge that you have, is always the best way to show up. No exceptions!

Farewell James!

Here’s to a truly magical retirement, James! ✨🥂

And! Be sure to read his  LBB editorial, and learn all about his journey before, during, and after Vayner. 

P.S. James, if you’re reading this, we’re always here for you! 💜

Were you able to try the viral Jimmy John’s Picklewich everyone’s been talking about? If you haven’t realized…it’s kind of a really big dill.

After causing a nationwide pickle frenzy across social media last year, the fan-favorite Picklewich returned to Jimmy John’s for a limited time. 

To make this comeback even juicier… In collaboration with VaynerX, Jimmy John’s teamed up with Demi Lovato for a pop-culture collab that’s as unexpected as it is unforgettable. Music, viral moments, memes, and mouthwatering sandwiches… It’s the kind of combo that could only happen on the internet (and in a Jimmy John’s kitchen).

Now, let’s unpack what made this campaign a viral hit. 👇

Pickles Meet Pop Power

We wanted to deliver a fun, relevant campaign that could top the original Picklewich, which was a huge success both creatively and the best selling LTO of all time.

Pop icon Demi Lovato is known for her obsession with pickles. She actually named her dog Pickle. And, as a fan of the brand, we wanted to center the creative around Demi’s organic connection back to this product, which felt like a home run.

Defining the Campaign Goals

This campaign was designed to live, breathe, and breakthrough in culture. Are people talking about it? Are people sharing it? Did it win the attention game on social media? 

The focus of the campaign was to show that the Picklewich was in the midst of a comeback, and Demi was too with the launch of her new album. The tie between the campaign and Demi, back to this global idea of the comeback, became the synergistic through line which inspired our creative production process.

Our partnership with Jimmy John’s reflects our social-first approach grounded in the idea that culture drives conversation. We wanted to create a visual representation of Demi’s most iconic meme-able moments and then write a script that would allow Demi to feel comfortable leaning into those moments.

From TikTok to Table

Social was the engine, but the campaign extended beyond it. The Picklewich made appearances at the PickleCon launch event, turning a sandwich into a full-blown cultural activation. Mainstream coverage, like Complex picking it up, only amplified the buzz.

Relevancy = Speed

With cultural moments, speed is everything. From ideation to execution to edit, the team moved in just two weeks.

Demi’s contributions, like the now-iconic “Demi knees” line, added the kind of shareable flair that makes campaigns memorable.

The Picklewich Buzz

With over 60 million+ organic views and counting for the campaign, fans responded immediately. TikTok duets, playful references to Demi’s ‘wink wink’ moments, and overwhelmingly positive social chatter proved the campaign hit the mark. The Picklewich became an instant cultural conversation starter.

Key Takeaways

Always bet on culture. The best campaigns are the ones that take cultural moments that people are already talking about and leverage that attention to win.

At VaynerMedia, we do this work on the front end. We never guess that the campaign is going to resonate with audiences because before it ever gets to production, it’s been tested through organic social at scale. Simply put, by the time I am tasked with bringing a concept to life, I have the assurance that the agency has market tested this idea and concept on social media, which helps ensure that our idea will resonate with audiences in the right way.

With Picklewich x Demi Lovato, Jimmy John’s created a blueprint for breaking through in culture while keeping the brand front and center.

Want to partner together? Drop us a line