Consumers aren’t just looking for deals—they’re looking for brands they can trust. Nearly 80% of consumers say they’d be more likely to try a new retailer if it appeared in their bank’s rewards program, according to a new report from EMARKETER and Chase Media Solutions.
The trend: Instagram is gaining momentum across Asia-Pacific, fueled by India’s 2020 TikTok ban and a projected 10% user growth in that market for 2025. Japan’s forecast has also climbed, with 44.4 million users expected next year. Our take: Instagram’s rise isn’t just reactive—it’s a sign of strong localization and feature depth. With TikTok facing stricter laws in Australia and Southeast Asia, Instagram’s Reels and group-channel tools position it as the more stable, advertiser-friendly option. Brands targeting APAC should reevaluate platform strategies as Instagram captures more of the region’s fast-changing digital attention.
In the first half of 2025, tariffs rattled retailers, consumer trust wavered in the face of muted DEI efforts, and fast-fashion platforms like Shein and Temu braced for policy whiplash. Meanwhile, private label products surged in popularity, and the retail world took a closer look at generative AI—not just for buzz, but for tangible impact across the shopper journey. Here are the top stories from H1 2025 and why they matter for the rest of the year.
Believe it or not, the year is already halfway over. For advertisers, it's been a whirlwind with economic upheaval, massive AI adoption, Google upending search, and working hard to understand Gen Z. Oh, and remember when TikTok went dark for a weekend?
The news: Brazil’s central bank rolled out a recurring payments feature to the Pix instant payment system, according to a report from Reuters. Our take: Pix’s use likely can keep growing steadily if it can target new volume opportunities.
The news: Apple’s iOS 26 update will let users store passports as Digital IDs in the Wallet app. Our take: iOS 26’s integration of digital US passports should draw more attention from users. While this update will not replace physical passports for international travel, it signals a major turning point for digital identity authentication on Apple’s platform given the scale of identity security a passport exudes.
The news: Two recent surveys from Duke University and MarTech reveal a common theme regarding technology and AI adoption: Martech underperforms not because of weak tools, but because of weak infrastructure. Our take: The real competitive edge isn’t adoption speed, it’s integration depth. Marketers who lead data strategy and coordinate teams will win the future. Failure to integrate will result in marketers ending up with tools they can’t use.
The news: At Cannes Lions 2025, Meta introduced 11 new generative AI ad features—ranging from dynamic image-to-video tools to brand-safe creative automation—and confirmed a $14–$15 billion investment in Scale AI, securing a 49% stake. These new Advantage+ tools aim to help advertisers, particularly SMBs, generate personalized, performance-optimized content at scale. Our take: Meta’s Cannes push underscores its dual strategy: democratizing high-impact creative through automation while investing in foundational AI infrastructure. The tools offer clear short-term ROAS gains, but Meta must still walk a fine line—scaling ad personalization without overwhelming users or alienating agency partners that still prioritize creative control.
The news: Despite reports that the CFPB plans to repeal Section 1033 of its Open Banking Rule due to legal challenges, financial institutions (FIs) shouldn’t abandon their open banking efforts. Citizens Bank, for instance, still intends to leverage open banking for secure data sharing and an improved customer experience, driven by market demand rather than regulatory requirements. Our take: Open banking is still the "next step in banking technology" and will continue to advance due to rising customer expectations around data sharing. FIs that retreat risk falling behind in a market that demands transparency, personalization, and interoperability.
The news: Klarna will offer unlimited 5G data, talk, and text for $40/month with coverage on AT&T’s network in the US, per a press release, with plans to expand this deal to the UK and Germany soon. Our take: Klarna’s ambitions to be a BNPL provider, a mobile phone service, a neobank, and most recently—according to CEO Sebastian Siemiatkowski—“a digital financial assistant,” per CNBC, signals the company’s voracious appetite to be everything at once.
The news: YouTube unveiled Open Call at Cannes Lions 2025, a new platform-native feature allowing advertisers to post campaign briefs that monetized creators can directly respond to with self-produced content. The initiative removes the need for traditional influencer matchmaking, giving brands centralized control over content submissions, approvals, and performance via Google Ads. Our take: As costs rise and brand safety concerns mount, Open Call could tilt the branded content ecosystem in favor of marketers. It simplifies creator discovery, improves ROI measurement, and could lead to longer-term omnichannel partnerships. YouTube’s move positions it as a central hub for scalable, data-informed influencer marketing.
Netflix House shows the power of brand marketing: The streamer’s retail play capitalizes on cheap real estate and consumer demand for experiences.
The news: To effectively engage Gen Z, banks must offer more than just basic digital experiences. This generation demands instant gratification, expecting rapid account openings, quick loan decisions, and frictionless onboarding. Gen Z also prefers visual learning, gravitating toward video explanations and gamified education for financial literacy. Despite their digital fluency, they still value human connection for problem-solving, requiring quick access to live help. Our take: Banks should move beyond traditional "channels" or "products" and design a responsive, omnichannel ecosystem that delivers education, trust, and personalization in real time, fitting seamlessly into Gen Z’s lives.
The news: Over 40% of US consumers are comfortable with AI managing investments, and 89% are open to new technology, seeing it as trustworthy for financial advice, per a TD Bank survey. However, current AI-driven personal finance management (PFM) tools often lack human oversight, leading to poor or misleading advice, especially for vulnerable users. Our take: FIs should differentiate themselves from fintechs by highlighting the crucial role human expertise still plays in their offerings—making them more trustworthy than their competitors.
The news: Walmart-owned Sam’s Club is raising prices on select products in response to cost pressures from the Trump administration’s tariffs, The Wall Street Journal reports. Our take: Sam’s Club is on a roll. The retailer is generating record-high membership levels and plans to accelerate growth by opening about 15 new stores each year while remodeling existing locations. But how Sam’s Club handles tariff-driven price increases could determine whether its momentum continues—or stalls. The retailer faces a delicate balancing act in deciding when to absorb rising costs and when to pass them on. The stakes are high. A misstep could either erode profit margins or drive a decline in membership renewals—both of which are essential to its business model.
The news: YouTube unveiled Open Call at Cannes Lions 2025, a new platform-native feature allowing advertisers to post campaign briefs that monetized creators can directly respond to with self-produced content. The initiative removes the need for traditional influencer matchmaking, giving brands centralized control over content submissions, approvals, and performance via Google Ads. Our take: As costs rise and brand safety concerns mount, Open Call could tilt the branded content ecosystem in favor of marketers. It simplifies creator discovery, improves ROI measurement, and could lead to longer-term omnichannel partnerships. YouTube’s move positions it as a central hub for scalable, data-informed influencer marketing.
E.l.f. SKIN is blending product marketing and comedy with “Sunhinged,” a comedy special that doubles as a PSA for sun protection.
The news: Prescription drug approval timelines will shrink under an FDA pilot program that will reduce the approval timelines from a typical 10 months to just 1 to 2 months. Our take: Speedier reviews and new AI programs for drug developers are good ideas, but pharma companies should remember the COVID-19 vaccines speed-to-market backlash and weigh the time benefit against whether their drugs will gain trust with physicians and patients.
The trend: Women see and hear more health-related information than men, especially when it comes to weight loss drugs and anti-aging treatments. Our take: Pharma and healthcare marketers need to more effectively reach women. Instead of marketing to all women, market to mindsets like self-care via social media influencers’ tips and advice, or motivations like caregiving and prevention by tapping into mammogram screening advocacy and resources that support overburdened women who care for loved ones.
The trend: Younger generations continue to prioritize wellness more than older consumers and are purchasing products across a range of health and well-being categories. Our take: Sharing practical tips and advice is helpful, but brands and marketers can further stand out on social platforms by replying to users’ comments and questions within a post. Building partnerships with wellness influencers is essential, and it’s important to find creators who have real-life experiences that are relatable to the targeted audience.