A CEO’s role in transformations, the agentic advertising economy, and more

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Brought to you by Alex Panas, global leader of industries, & Becca Coggins, global leader of functional practices and growth platforms

Welcome to the latest edition of The Weekend Read. We hope you find our perspectives useful. Let us know what you think at Alex_Panas@McKinsey.com and Becca_Coggins@McKinsey.com.

—Alex and Becca

As the week winds down, take a moment to stay updated on the changing CEO role in transformations, how AI is reshaping the advertising economy, and more.

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Successful transformations require every part of the organization to move in the same direction. Kurt Strovink, Mathew Lee, Meagan Hill, and Michael Bucy explore how CEOs play a unique role in addressing collective-action problems and aligning teams around a shared ambition.

Lead the transformation

Network, connection concept. Digital background with an abstract lines in style of circuit board and parts of code strings.

AI is changing how products are discovered, evaluated, and purchased. Jack Trotter, Marc Brodherson, and coauthors examine what marketers, brands, and platforms must do to stay relevant in a rapidly evolving ecosystem.

Maximize your advertising value

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Conflict in the Gulf region has disrupted jet fuel prices. In this analysis, Diego Hernandez Diaz, Riccardo Boin, Steve Saxon, and coauthors outline practical actions airlines can take to strengthen resilience and manage through disruption.

How to navigate high fuel prices

Abstract digital illustration of flowing blue and black wave-like forms with glowing white lines and scattered red geometric shapes on a blue background.

Organizations can now access an integrated platform designed to accelerate AI transformation with Wave by McKinsey, available on AWS Marketplace. The product allows teams to streamline execution and helps turn AI ambitions into measurable business impact at scale.

Transform at scale

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—Edited by Joyce Yoo, editor, New York

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Successful transformations require every part of the organization to move in the same direction. Kurt Strovink, Mathew Lee, Meagan Hill, and Michael Bucy explore how CEOs play a unique role in addressing collective-action problems and aligning teams around a shared ambition.﻿﻿﻿

AI is changing how products are discovered, evaluated, and purchased. Jack Trotter, Marc Brodherson, and coauthors examine what marketers, brands, and platforms must do to stay relevant in a rapidly evolving ecosystem.﻿

﻿Conflict in the Gulf region has disrupted jet fuel prices. In this analysis, Diego Hernandez Diaz, Riccardo Boin, Steve Saxon, and coauthors outline practical actions airlines can take to strengthen resilience and manage through disruption.﻿

﻿Organizations can now access an integrated platform designed to accelerate AI transformation with Wave by McKinsey, available on AWS Marketplace. The product allows teams to streamline execution and helps turn AI ambitions into measurable business impact at scale.﻿

﻿The State of Grocery North America 2026﻿

﻿The health system CEO imperative: Turning AI’s promise into performance﻿