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Become a ClientPNC’s redesigned app, launching in H1 2026, will include “incremental functionality.” The bank hinted at digital direct deposit switching and instant debit card issuance. The new app is a culmination of several years’ worth of work replatforming digital banking. PNC’s aggressive strategy for branch banking includes deploying $2 billion on more than 300 new or renovated branches through 2030 and hiring 2,000 people to support them. When executed well, branch investments should pay off with increased brand awareness and more sales across channels.
Bank of America (BofA) is recommending that clients allocate up to 4% of their portfolios to crypto, a more crypto-forward stance than previously and one that clicks with demographic trends. What seems like a minor change to investment policies further legitimizes crypto as a mainstream asset and will have a long-term positive impact for BofA. Other banks should be prepared to do the same: Crypto as an investment is no longer niche, and institutions that don’t adapt will be left behind.
Canada’s Laurentian Bank agreed to break apart and sell itself after years of lackluster performance. National Bank of Canada will buy Laurentian’s consumer and small business banking portfolios at book value. Laurentian struggled to differentiate itself favorably. And its lack of scale means it hasn’t had the resources to modernize its infrastructure and operations or grow beyond its home market of Quebec. With the breakup of banks, the list of large financial institutions in Canada is shrinking, and the largest are only getting bigger.
WPP, once the top advertising group globally, will be retired from the FTSE 100 after almost 30 years as its market value has fallen dramatically in recent years. Removal from the FTSE 100 and a plummeting market value indicates that WPP’s struggles are deep-rooted and unlikely to vanish in the near future. For advertisers, the current imperative is to rethink partnerships, explore alternatives, and increase diligence.
Google is leaning hard into hyper-personalization as its key advantage in AI, and its secret weapon is decades of user data across Gmail, Maps, Photos, Chrome, YouTube, and Nest, per TechCrunch. Google Search vice president Robby Stein says advice-seeking queries are rising, and subjective questions benefit most from AI that “knows you.” Discovery is shifting from keyword inputs to content-rich multimodal signals, and brands can anticipate this by treating Gemini as one channel in a broader mix.
Agencies tell Digiday that The Trade Desk (TTD) is softening its long-held stance on pricing, opening the door to fee negotiations as Amazon DSP gains traction with lower costs and competitive performance. Advertisers should revisit programmatic fee structures, elevate competitive benchmarking in annual planning, and negotiate for joint business plans that tie costs to incremental spend or measurable outcomes.
Midmarket department stores entered the holiday season with surprising momentum after strong Q3 results, prompting Macy’s, Kohl’s, and Dillard’s to raise their outlooks. But the improvement comes amid a strained consumer environment as low- and middle-income shoppers remain cautious. Softer Black Friday traffic and growing shifts toward off-price chains signal ongoing pressure. The results suggest that despite signs of progress, these retailers must sharpen their value proposition to compete more effectively for value-seeking consumers in the months ahead.
TikTok Shop’s US GMV exceeded $500 million from Black Friday through Cyber Monday, fueled by a nearly 50% jump in shoppers and rapid momentum in livestream commerce. Brands and sellers using livestreams saw 84% sales growth as viewers engaged with more than 760,000 sessions generating 1.6 billion views, a trend amplified by major influencers like Kim Kardashian. Other platforms, including Whatnot, also posted strong holiday results, signaling growing comfort with live buying. The data points to TikTok Shop’s accelerating scale and suggests it is well positioned to capture a larger share of holiday spending as more major brands join the platform.
Despite recent rumors and leaks, ChatGPT doesn’t run any ads today, not even for free users—but a viral Peloton “recommendation” sparked confusion and backlash while offering a possible preview of how OpenAI could eventually weave advertising into ChatGPT. The incident coincided with reports that OpenAI has been testing ad placements in its Android beta. The recent leaks, rumors, and glitches give advertisers—and competitors—insights on how ads are likely to appear in ChatGPT’s interface and competing AI chatbots. Understanding the context of AI chats and finding non-intrusive placements could require an entirely different toolset than existing ad models.