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ANA Calls on Marketing Industry to “Push Pause & Power Up” for the AI Future
September 17 Global Day of Learning will bring together marketing leaders from General Motors, Mastercard, LEGO, Duolingo, SAS, and others for practical training on AI agents, synthetic audiences, measurement and the future of marketing work
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The ANA Global Day of Learning returns September 17, 2026, bringing marketers together for a full day focused on The Future of Marketing Work and the skills needed as AI reshapes the profession.
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Leaders and experts from General Motors, Mastercard, The LEGO Group, Duolingo, SAS, eos Products, and others will address AI, changing consumer behavior, and new ways of working.
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The program includes training in AI agents and custom GPTs, synthetic audiences, cross-media measurement, co-creation, and future-proofing marketer relevance.
NEW YORK, Aug. 28, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — As artificial intelligence rapidly changes how marketing work gets done, the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) is calling on the industry to put down the day-to-day work for one day and focus on building the skills marketers will need next.
On Thursday, September 17, 2026, the ANA will host its annual Global Day of Learning, a full day of live master classes, workshops, and conversations built around this year’s theme, “The Future of Marketing Work.”
The initiative is driven by the ANA Global CMO Growth Council and organized around priorities identified by marketing leaders from around the world.
“AI isn’t simply giving marketers another set of tools. It’s forcing us to reconsider what skills matter, where human judgment creates the most value, and how the marketing organization itself needs to evolve,” said Nick Primola, Group Executive Vice President at the ANA and leader of the Global CMO Growth Council. “Global Day of Learning is our opportunity to collectively push pause on the work immediately in front of us and power up for what’s coming next. The goal isn’t to predict the future of marketing. It’s to give marketers practical ways to prepare for it.”
Why is the ANA asking marketers to “push pause”?
Global Day of Learning is built around what the ANA calls “PTO — Personal Time ON”: dedicated time to step away from immediate deadlines and focus on learning and skill-building.
This year’s “Push Pause and Power Up” call to action reflects the ANA’s belief that keeping pace with AI and other industry changes requires marketers to invest in their own capabilities, not just new technology.
Who is speaking at the 2026 ANA Global Day of Learning?
Featured speakers and sessions include:
