The Digest: Fairfield County Marketing & Media Pros

Top Stories

TV Industry Bets AI Can Peel Ad Dollars Away From Big Tech | WSJ | TV ad sellers are rolling out AI and self-serve tools to make streaming TV ads cheap and easy for small and midsize businesses, aiming to pull ad dollars from Meta and Google by promising precise targeting and measurable results

How did TikTok get here? A look at the US' fight over social media app | USA Today | After nine months of waiting, a TikTok sale may be just around the corner. President Donald Trump hinted in a Truth Social post on Sept. 15 that the United States and China have reached a deal to divest the popular social media platform to a U.S. buyer. The announcement came two days before the next ban deadline for the social media platform, Sept. 17.

Local Spotlight

Why the Connecticut Innovations venture capital group is biking across CT | CT Insider | Connecticut Innovations launched its third annual Tour de Connecticut on September 15, 2025, featuring a 200-mile bike ride from New London to Mystic. The four-day event brings together venture capitalists, entrepreneurs, and ecosystem builders while visiting CI portfolio companies, including Kibu, P2 Science, Athletic Brewing, and Enko.

Insights & Trends

For teenage viewers, YouTube Shorts ads drive more purchases than TikTok ads | Tubefilter | Many of today’s teenagers are members of Gen Alpha. As per usual, that cohort has a clear preference for YouTube over other digital platforms. London-based ad tech provider Precise TV has shared the latest edition of its Precise Advertiser Report – Teens & Youth (PARTY), and the results show that ads on YouTube — and on its short-form format — are driving purchases at efficient rates.

YouTube creator content is - and isn’t - “television.” | Jasmine Enberg, eMarketer | As creators reinvent the TV medium, brands must also reinvent their TV strategies. YouTube accounts for 13.4% of US TV watchtime, ahead of all other TV distributors, per Nielsen. Not all of that time is going to creator content, but much likely is: 60.1% of US social users engage with creators on YouTube, per our survey with impact.com.

Upcoming Events

Fairfield County Marketing & Media Pros - Oktoberfest Happy Hour | September 17, 5:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. | 314 Beer Garden & Wood Fired Pizza, Norwalk

Acton Children's Business Fair, Stamford: Kids develop a brand, create a product or service, build a marketing strategy, and then open for customers at our one-day marketplace. There will be 40- 50 booths at Scalzi Park, 97 Bridge St, Stamford, CT 06905, USA on Saturday, 9/20 from 10:00 am – 02:00 pm.

Local Jobs

***AI Spotlight*** Google’s Career Dreamer is an AI-powered brainstorming tool to explore new career paths based on your experience. It’s been a lot of fun to play around with!

Sr. Creative Director | NBCUniversal | Stamford, CT

Senior Director, Ad Sales Planning & Pricing | FanDuel Sports Network | Southport, CT

Brand Manager-Splash | Primo Brands | Stamford, CT

Senior Consumer Marketing Manager- Mother & Childcare | Philips | Stamford, CT

Director, Experiential Marketing | OpenTable | Norwalk, CT

Vice President, Institutional Consulting Solutions Marketing | Morgan Stanley | Purchase, NY

Vice President, Digital Marketing Creative | SPECTRUM | Stamford, CT

What’s Next?

This digest is a starting point. The goal is to build a community of senior marketing and media professionals in Fairfield County. If you have news to share, a campaign to highlight, job opportunities, or an event to promote, please email me at [email protected] 

Best,

Shawn