Retailers aren’t waiting for Black Friday to kick off their holiday campaigns. Since October 1, linear TV holiday ad spend reached $475.1 million, up 13.2% YoY, according to iSpot. Weekly spending has also climbed steadily, indicating brands are frontloading their budgets to capture demand across all of Q4.
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Become a ClientUS Bank offered cardholders exclusive discounts during its “Bonus Days,” per press release. Rewards include double cash back, double rewards at certain retailers, 10% off gift card purchases, and select discounts on merchandise, all activated and available through US Bank’s shopping portals and app. Slowly shifting consumers’ attention into banking and payment apps can open major new revenue streams for issuers. However, as these initiatives are piloted, issuers can’t lose consumers’ trust with their data.
Sezzle partnered with David’s Bridal, per a press release. Shoppers will be able to select Sezzle’s buy now, pay later (BNPL) financing at checkout in-store, with ecommerce solutions rolling out in the following weeks. Strategic partnerships will be critical to helping an underdog BNPL competitor capture volume. While BNPL firms are embracing partnerships with mobile wallets and POS providers to fast-track their acceptance networks, striking individual partnerships in largely untapped industries like wedding wear can be critical to gaining market share—especially while the biggest players compete in more concentrated industries like travel.
31.2% of consumers have used a mobile wallet in-store as of September—nearly triple the rate three years earlier, per PYMNTS Intelligence report. Apple Pay’s dominance is likely to stick for now, but its lead will narrow as PayPal, Cash App, and Google Pay strategies draw in more users. As wallet competition ramps up, features that help users manage more of their financial—and even non-financial—lives will help providers create stickier wallets that attract more volume. That includes subscription management services, order tracking, and interactive airline and event tickets.
The Trump administration announced lower Medicare prices for 15 prescription drugs via the Medicare drug price negotiation program. The new prices will take effect starting January 1, 2027. The biggest hit will fall on pharma companies with drugs selected in both rounds of Medicare negotiations. Revenue impacts will vary depending on each product’s time on the market and how far the negotiated price falls below prior net sales after rebates and discounts. For the government, savings on these drugs will be significant, but broader program savings won’t materialize until far more than 25 drugs see price cuts.
OpenAI has refuted legal claims that ChatGPT is at fault for a teenager’s recent suicide. Scrutiny of AI tools being used for emotional and therapeutic support will only intensify. Both general-purpose platforms and specialized healthcare AI tools should proactively take action to impose age restrictions, automatically end sessions at the first sign of emotional distress, and clearly direct users to mental health resources when appropriate.
Novo Nordisk has applied for approval of a higher-dose version of its weight loss drug Wegovy using a special FDA review pathway for a faster decision. Novo’s move to introduce a higher-dose Wegovy shifts competitive expectations in the weight loss category in terms of speed and effectiveness, with over 20% weight loss becoming the new benchmark for success.
Two-thirds (65%) of pharma marketers are wary of AI use for creating regulatory filings, according to a new Klick Health and Momentum Events survey. While AI-assisted review is likely to become a standard part of regulatory workflows for both industry submissions and agency evaluations, human oversight will remain important.