The news: Governments across the UK, EU, and Australia are mandating age verification online and reshaping how platforms handle user identity and access to content. Reddit now requires UK users to prove they’re 18 via selfie or photo ID to access adult or harmful content, in compliance with the Online Safety Act. Our take: Age assurance is becoming the new standard. Advertisers need to move now by adjusting targeting strategies, creative assets, and compliance practices to stay effective in an increasingly verified and government regulated web.
66% of U.S. adults have reduced nonessential shopping to manage expenses, according to March 2025 data from CivicScience.
The news: UnitedHealth Group has been engaging in a series of legal tactics to silence some of the company’s loudest critics, according to a recent NYT report. Our take: UnitedHealth is more focused on defending its business than acknowledging people’s concerns and offering solutions. This won’t do anything to help its brand reputation—but that probably isn’t a major concern for UnitedHealth right now. Similar to drugmakers, health insurers recognize that healthcare is not like a typical D2C industry, in which consumer experience is the most important measure of success.
The news: Comscore, iSpot, and VideoAmp passed the Joint Industry Committee’s (JIC) midterm audit to maintain certification for the 2025-2026 broadcast season. Our take: The JIC’s certification and sports-heavy audit process could help iSpot, Comscore, and VideoAmp gain ground on Nielsen.
“The lines between social media and CTV are blurring, with more people watching social videos and creator content on TV sets,” said our analyst Jasmine Enberg. “Marketers must break down the silos between media and creative and think more holistically about their video strategies.”
The news: Google is experimenting with AI summaries in Discover—the news feed within its iOS and Android search apps—adding yet another threat to referral traffic for web publishers. Instead of displaying a headline and link to a news story, Discover shows an AI summary with an icon featuring the logo of any cited source. Our take: If users increasingly rely on AI summaries—and if Discover becomes a zero-click search hub—publishers risk further declines in web traffic, imperiling not just ad revenues but the viability of good journalism.
While a plurality of consumers in the western hemisphere start their product searches on search engines, social media platforms are significant search launching pads for consumers in Argentina (17.8%), Brazil (16.8%), and Mexico (18.0%), according to November 2024 data from ESW and EMARKETER.
Retail media is not just for retailers anymore. US commerce media ad spending is projected to hit $118.4 billion by 2029, growing at a 15.3% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), per a May EMARKETER forecast.
Men’s care brand Every Man Jack employs a strategic calendar-based marketing approach that shifts focus throughout the year, responding to consumer behavior and competitive pressures.
On today’s podcast episode, we discuss the weight-loss drugs revolution: how they work, their efficacy, how they became so popular, and how they’re reshaping multiple industries. Join Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson and Senior Analysts Rajiv Leventhal and Beth Snyder Bulik. Listen everywhere and watch on YouTube and Spotify.
The news: xAI, Elon Musk’s AI company, issued a public apology after Grok posted extremist, antisemitic, and politically incendiary content. The chatbot described itself as “MechaHitler” and repeated far-right rhetoric—shortly after Musk pushed to make the chatbot “less politically correct.” Our take: Despite Grok’s competitive performance, its volatility may keep it off the table for marketers running AI pilot programs—like NinjaPromo, which is piloting AI tools that combine its proprietary models with external LLMs for predictive analytics, generative content, and programmatic ads aimed at boosting ROI and automating workflows. Before trusting any platform, CMOs must ensure their tool’s transparency and determine how each model reasons—and what values or biases are embedded.
The tactic: Levi Strauss is reducing its SKU count—even as it expands the range of items it sells—to minimize tariff costs and maximize full-price sales. Our take: SKU rationalization is becoming a necessity for Levi Strauss and other brands and retailers looking to manage the impact of tariffs.
The news: Google snatched AI coding startup Windsurf’s IP out from under OpenAI in an acqui-hire that includes Windsurf’s CEO, co-founder, and some R&D employees. Our take: Google’s nonexclusive licensing approach could help it avoid regulatory pushback, though employees not involved in the deal may be left out to dry. Deals like this show that control over developer tools is becoming a major strategic advantage for tech companies and could indicate that the Big Tech fight for AI talent and executives is only just beginning.
Interactive buttons or calls-to-action (CTAs) are the most effective interactive elements to use in emails according to 35% of marketing professionals worldwide, per January 2025 data from Litmus.
Though TikTok Shop faces the dual challenges of economic instability and a tenuous presence on US app stores, marketers are still taking advantage of its positioning as both a social platform and ecommerce engine.
The news: T-Mobile’s T-Satellite service, which launches July 23, will be accessible to customers of competing networks, unlocking carrier-agnostic reach in areas previously off the grid, per CNET. Because the service supports Verizon and AT&T users via eSIM and compatible devices, T-Mobile’s advertisers gain access to millions of new users—without being locked into one carrier’s ecosystem. Our take: As services like T-Satellite make it possible to connect with customers anywhere—marketers who adapt early will shape the next frontier of mobile engagement. They can expand geofenced campaigns to include off-grid locations and explore partnerships around safety, navigation, and outdoor experiences.
The news: Bilt will launch the Bilt Card 2.0 in partnership with fintech Cardless in February 2026, per a press release, after Wells Fargo ended its deeply unprofitable co-brand partnership early. Our take: Bilt Card 2.0 appears to close some of the gaps that made its partnership with Wells Fargo so rocky. With yearly fees and new deals with major US landlords, Bilt is positioning itself to make the Bilt card more successful—and more profitable.
The news: JPMorgan will charge fintechs fees to access its customers’ bank account information, per a report from Bloomberg. Our take: This fee regime would be a pivotal win for JPMorgan that would undoubtedly be emulated by other banks anxious to tap a new revenue stream.
The news: The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia recorded the first year-over-year decline in delinquency rates since the fourth quarter of 2021, per a report. Our take: As consumers’ financial situation recovers, banks need to plot out their next move.
Retailers and CPG brands may face challenges as President Donald Trump’s so-called “big, beautiful bill” takes effect, ushering in sweeping changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).