PepsiCo is scrambling to overhaul its portfolio in response to pressure from the “Make America Healthy Again” movement and activist investor Elliott Investment Management. CPG giants like PepsiCo are having a difficult time staying current with the rapidly shifting food landscape. Food trends are emerging faster than ever, while few last the test of time—making it challenging for brands to determine where to focus their resources. As the trend cycle speeds up, CPGs must be nimble to avoid losing share. Selling off non-core assets and splitting up could help reduce organizational bloat, but companies must also prioritize innovation to ensure they can stay relevant as demand shifts.
Novo Nordisk lost its federal appeals court challenge of the prescription drug price negotiation program in the Biden-era Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) prescription drug price negotiation program, which could open the door for even more price checks. We see a path where the current administration revamps, or simply rebrands, IRA price negotiations as CMS negotiations to save taxpayer money and help consumers. Brands under pressure to drop prices through the IRA and executive orders should continue those good–faith efforts but also encourage the administration to put the same pressure on insurance companies and pharmaceutical benefit managers to lower healthcare costs.
Most US consumers are already using digital tools for healthcare purposes, but three-quarters would prefer more personalized solutions, per a new Harris Poll sponsored by Verily. Healthcare marketers and brands need to use generative AI (genAI) tools, like remote monitoring, predictive analysis, and chatbots, to deliver personalized consumer experiences.
The Trump administration will opt against imposing tariffs on generic drug imports, according to The Wall Street Journal. Trump’s reprieve for generic drugmakers signals that brand-name medication imports won’t be spared from tariffs. Big Pharma brands that want to avoid Trump tariffs will have to follow Pfizer’s lead in striking deals with the administration. That will include lowering prices and cutting out industry middlemen like PBMs and insurers for some drugs and immediately starting to build more US manufacturing capability.
Linear TV and streaming have mastered how to present ad products alongside their top talent to win marketing dollars, and more audio players are following suit. On Monday, SiriusXM hosted “Built with Audio,” an upfront-style showcase scheduled around Advertising Week New York that packaged talent interviews and performances with executive presentations tailored to an audience of marketers.
Linear TV ad spending grew in Q3 despite total TV ad impressions declining, per iSpot data. Ad spend increased 4% YoY, reaching $8.77 billion—but total impressions fell 2.7% to 1.67 trillion. Total ad minutes rose 2.4% YoY to 5.3 million, driven by the rise of sports inventory. Marketers must understand that a successful ad strategy requires a balance— investing in linear to drive outcomes while slowly shifting toward CTV for better targeting and to align with audience viewing habits.
Entertainment brands are partnering with influencers to drive engagement with Hollywood properties, according to an Advertising Week New York panel of film and TV industry leaders and creators. While partnering with creators for Hollywood productions is especially important amid volatile box office revenues struggling to reach pre-pandemic levels, the panel’s insights stretch to all marketers working with influencers.
This sponsored article by Nielsen explores how advertising intelligence helps marketers close measurement gaps.
The number of video streaming services that users subscribe to is rebounding after a weak 2024, per TiVo’s Q2 2025 Video Trends, marking the sector’s resilience. A primary catalyst for that growth? Bundles. Consumers in the US and Canada paid for an average of seven video streaming services in Q2 2025, up from just five in Q2 2024. The fragmented network of streaming services means brands need to prioritize content type and context, not specific streamers, to best reach audiences. Collecting metadata on content’s genre, tone, and mood could help marketers best align placements with audience intent and emotion.
Amid a challenging economic climate, luxury brands seek new ways to prove value to and win over young shoppers. By serving food and drink alongside products, retailers are turning stores into places where consumers can linger, connect, and spend. Coach’s coffee strategy is a prime example.
Fast Retailing, the parent company of Uniqlo, reported record profits for the fiscal year ended August 31, with sales up 9.6% and operating income rising 12.6%, surpassing forecasts. Growth was driven by strong performance in North America and Europe, where revenues jumped 24.5% and 33.6%, respectively. As China’s economy slows, the company is accelerating expansion in Western markets with new flagship stores planned in major cities. Despite potential challenges from US tariffs, Uniqlo’s focus on value, strategic retail investment, and market discipline positions it to gain share as rivals face rising regulatory and cost pressures.
The search journey is becoming increasingly fragmented as consumers no longer trust the first answer they see and turn to various other resources for product recommendations and reviews. Nearly 90% of consumers in the US, the UK, France, and Germany now cross-check results across multiple platforms, per Yext’s The Rise of AI Search Archetypes report. Brands need to optimize for how AI tools act on their behalf, per Yext. CMOs should focus on ensuring AI tools interpret their data accurately and present it in the right contexts, which could come from succinct FAQ pages or concrete product listings that avoid vague descriptions.
Delta expects another record-breaking holiday season as the airline’s affluent customer base spends big on domestic and international travel. However, the travel industry is in a far more uncertain state than Delta’s upbeat earnings suggest. Softening demand from low- and middle-income consumers and international visitors is weighing heavily on the airline and hospitality industries, while the government shutdown could also prove painful.
In this podcast episode, we discuss how Primark’s US and UK customers see the brand differently, what’s kept the retailer relevant as price pressures have intensified competition, and why its famously store-first strategy is working so well. Listen to the discussion with Vice President of Content and guest host, Suzy Davidkhanian, Senior Analyst, Carina Perkins, and Head of US Marketing for Primark, Rene Federico.
A new Billion Dollar Boy study shows marketers are spending more on AI-generated creator content—even as audiences grow wary. Seventy-nine percent of marketers increased AI investment this year, and 77% plan to shift more budget to AI-driven creator campaigns. Yet audience enthusiasm for AI content has plunged from 60% in 2023 to 26% in 2025, reflecting frustration with formulaic, unlabeled “AI slop.” As the creator economy enters its “post-AI” phase, the challenge isn’t whether to use AI—it’s how to use it without losing authenticity.
Duolingo launched Duolingo Ads at Advertising Week New York 2025. The language-learning app is part of a flurry of new entrants in the digital advertising market in recent months, requiring brands to broaden their approach even amid macroeconomic uncertainty to make the most of new opportunities.
The growth of commerce media investments promises to connect brands with customers for longer stretches of the customer journey, especially when shoppers are close to purchasing. Though much of this extended digital journey leaves out the physical store, this strategy is changing.
Square updated its AI, Bitcoin, and food and beverage platforms to help businesses tackle economic pressure and shifting customer expectations. AI features are no longer a strong differentiator for POS providers. But Square’s features are the first time we’ve seen a provider use AI for hyperlocal insights that it can use to maximize opportunities like community events—rather than just gleaning insights based on things like recent sales patterns.
Fifth Third announced that it would acquire Comerica, merging two large regional banks in a deal worth $10.9 billion. The combined bank will have about $288 billion in assets. That knocks BMO, which hold $253.7 billion in assets, including the $16.3 billion added through its Bank of the West acquisition in 2023, out of the top 10. The FDIC recently rolled back scrutiny of large-bank deals, and President Donald Trump signed a resolution repealing a Biden-era rule that tightened merger reviews. The door is now more open to mergers between large regional banks, and a new wave of consolidation could be coming.
Hannah Elsakr, VP of new genAI business ventures at Adobe, framed AI-enabled tools not as a job disruptor but as “an exponential amplifier to our own humanity and creativity,” at LWT’s TechFutures 2025 in New York City this week. She outlined three frontiers reshaping brand storytelling: AI companions, personalized marketing at scale, and world-building around IP. Brands should prioritize scalable AI pilots, adopt commercially safe AI models, and lead internal change from the top. Provenance, licensing, and IP protection must be built in—not bolted on—if AI is to expand creativity without eroding trust.