CES 2026: Day Two at ADWEEK House and the Show Floor
- Pedro Leandro Rodriguez Bonilla
- 4 days ago
- 3 min read
Over the years CES has become as much a marketing and media hub as it has a home for technology companies. From branded activations to parallel agency programming, the more transactional and revenue focused elements have made their way into the fabric of the trade show.
Pinterest’s Chief Content Officer, Malik Ducard at ADWEEK House discussed how 96% of queries are unbranded and that’s huge because users want to be inspired and now with its CTV play via tvScientific, advertisers can track performance from inspiration to checkout.
The first example of this will be the forthcoming “Bring my Pinterest Board to Life” original series that the platform will launch.
Debuting in March on the Roku streaming platform, the series, produced by B17 Entertainment, will have six 22-minute episodes and will be hosted by creators Drew Michael Scott (@lonefoxhome), Caroline Vazzana (@cvazzana), and Tay BeepBoop Nakamoto (@taybeepboop).
With 600MM active monthly users, of which over half are GenZ, this may prove to be a bankable move. UPDATE: The strong Pinterest presence at CES this year was followed by the announcement that its CMO is stepping down.
On the travel and hospitality front, United Airlines’ Richard Nunn (CEO) and Marriott International’s Peggy Roe (EVP & CCO) attended ADWEEK House to speak with Will Lee about what’s on the horizon for each. They personalized their fireside chat talking about their own trips and experiences to couch how the “seat back” has become addressable and can drive the (consumer touchpoint) “experience”. As consumers spend 3+ hours in flight, “dwell time” is an opportunity to sell more and/or tap into consumers in a “captive” environment.
Additionally, each now with their own media networks, Kinective & Riott respectively, position themselves apart from Retail Media Networks because unlike retail, “we can play brand game with luxury etc. because most money in retail, it’s CPG funds focused.”
The tone of the day was also set by Consumer Technology Association President Kinsey Fabrizio, who officially opened the new CES Foundry. The space brings together live demos, immersive programming across two stages, and a dense mix of builders, researchers, and operators focused on AI and quantum. If day one was about announcements, the Foundry is about getting hands-on.
At the Convention Center, the crowds were strong, judging from my ~10 years of attending, while the Las Vegas strip felt tame it was clear international travellers are flocking to the event.
In the “Gaming/XR” area, XREAL and Insta 360 commanded attention and the stage, showcasing AR/VR/XR hardware to packed footprints.
"Project Aura is the first optical see-through XR headset made by XREAL for Android XR. Lightweight and tethered, cinematic, and Gemini AI-powered, Project Aura delivers large 70-degree field-of-view multimodal experiences. Project Aura is the result of a strategic partnership with Google and XREAL to expand the ecosystem of spatial computing devices built on Android XR. This collaboration also includes Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., bringing together leading innovation across hardware, silicon, and software to build the next wave of XR experiences."
On the technology announcement front, Caterpillar, introduced the Cat AI Assistant. It’s a voice-enabled interface designed to surface equipment and operational data in real time. No dashboards to dig through. No extra steps. Just information when and where it’s needed. It felt like a nod to how AI should show up in industrial settings: quietly helpful, not overbearing.
Meanwhile, Brunswick showcased the Sea Ray SLX 360 Outboard, part of its largest-ever CES presence. The focus wasn’t just on design or performance, but on how AI can simplify boating — from navigation to onboard systems. It’s another reminder that “smart” doesn’t have to mean complicated.
But the real catch of the day was the Innovation Awards, which were handed out and can be viewed by category here: https://www.ces.tech/ces-innovation-awards/.
Check back for more tomorrow!