Authenticity (35%) and track record (32%) are the top two factors US adults consider when deciding which online product reviewers to trust, according to Ipsos data from October 2025.
The world's top companies rely on EMARKETER for today's industry news and data validation to make big picture strategy decisions.
Become a ClientThe IAB’s 2025 Creator Economy report shows creator marketing has become a full-fledged media channel—one projected to reach $37.1 billion in spend next year, growing 26% YoY and outpacing the broader ad market by a factor of four. Nearly half of advertisers now call creators a must-buy, yet workflows remain fragmented across budgets, discovery tools, and measurement systems. With AI accelerating both production and complexity, the report lays out the emerging mandate: treat creator marketing as its own discipline with centralized budgets, standardized vetting, unified measurement, and formal AI governance. For marketers, real performance now requires real structure.
Walmart and Target closed their recent earnings calls on sharply different footings, but with a surprisingly shared vision for the immediate future.
Google is innovating its AI image generation capabilities for advertisers with the release of “Nano Banana Pro.” The tool enables advanced creative capabilities for ads, enhancing brands’ ability to generate and edit images using AI in Google Ads. AI is set to deliver increasing value to advertisers as creative capabilities evolve and consumers generally grow more comfortable with its role in marketing.
Australia’s ban on social media accounts for under-16s, which will take effect on December 10, is the clearest signal yet that the youth web is being rebuilt. Under the new rules, platforms will be compelled to block or remove minors or face fines up to AUD 49.5 million ($32.6 million)—a world first that other governments are watching closely, per The BBC. Brands will need to future-proof their playbooks by looking at alternatives like connected TV (CTV), offline events and sponsorships, and other privacy-safe campaigns.
Google, which successfully pushed for standardizing RCS messaging between Android smartphones and iPhones last year, has taken another step toward multi-platform interoperability by enabling its Quick Share feature to work with Apple’s AirDrop. Cross-platform connectivity can convert every customer’s phone into a node for frictionless word of mouth and every physical location into a potential digital touchpoint. Proximity-based marketing could take flight provided campaigns are firmly anchored by security and privacy.
Advertising industry, public relations, and related services employment decreased by 800 jobs in September, per delayed data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The decline underscores mounting pressures across the ad sector. As industry employment declines, ad professionals need to focus on skill development, adaptability, and networking.
Auto insurance customers are trying to manage premium costs by raising deductibles (26% of those customers had deductibles of $1,000 or more), foregoing rental car insurance or collision coverage, and avoiding filing claims. The claims experience is becoming a differentiator as policyholders grapple with rising costs. Insurers that deliver on high claims satisfaction may better be able to retain customers. But as claim values climb, insurers will struggle to balance pricing discipline with strategic spending on technology and process improvements.
Personalization remains one of the most reliable attention drivers, but recent data shows consumers are still uneasy about how brands achieve it. People across age groups feel more negative than positive toward personalized ads—even though they pay more attention to content that feels relevant. The result is a widening gap between consumer expectations and marketer behavior. To unlock personalization’s upside, brands must apply AI to improve relevance and transparency, not just scale output.