The Academy Awards will leave ABC after nearly 50 years and stream exclusively on YouTube beginning in 2029—a decisive acknowledgment that audience attention has migrated to digital TV. The deal gives the Academy expanded year-round programming options, flexible sponsorship formats, and a global distribution footprint that linear networks can no longer match. YouTube, now the No. 1 source of US TV viewing time at 13%, gains a premier cultural event as it continues its push into live programming alongside NFL Sunday Ticket. For marketers, the Oscars’ move underscores how YouTube has become the industry’s default television—and a must-buy for premium reach.
As rising food-away-from-home costs push diners to prioritize value, Darden Restaurants is gaining ground with compelling offers like Olive Garden’s $13.99 Never Ending Pasta Bowl and LongHorn’s budget-friendly lunch plates, which helped drive strong Q2 sales and foot traffic gains. Net sales rose to $3.10 billion and same-restaurant sales exceeded expectations, though higher beef costs pressured margins. With both Olive Garden and LongHorn outperforming and fine dining posting modest growth, Darden has raised its full-year sales outlook, reflecting confidence that its value-forward approach will keep resonating with cost-conscious consumers.
Nike is in the "middle innings" of a multiyear turnaround, making tangible progress in rebuilding its wholesale business and reigniting growth in North America, even as deeper challenges persist. Revenues and earnings topped expectations, with wholesale gains helping offset continued declines in Nike Direct and a sharp pullback in Greater China. That progress has come at a cost, however, as promotions and tariff headwinds weighed heavily on margins. With direct-to-consumer sales and China unlikely to rebound quickly, Nike’s recovery will depend on steady execution and patience as it works through lingering structural and demand-related pressures.
OpenAI opened up its app store in ChatGPT to all developers, inviting them to create apps that operate directly inside ChatGPT’s user interface, per Engadget. Rather than downloading separate programs from the Google Play Store or Apple App Store, users can run mini apps directly inside the chat window. ChatGPT is growing as a content marketplace and shopping platform, offering a fresh surface for brand engagement. Start testing interactive brand utilities, see where conversational AI fits into user acquisition strategies, and identify branded content or tools that could eventually be packaged as digital goods.
Omnichannel strategies are crucial to capture multigenerational shoppers in their product discovery and research journeys. Nearly three-quarters (73%) of US Gen Zers say social media is their main source for learning about new products, per Salsify, and about two-thirds (61%) of Gen Xers discover products while browsing in physical retail stores. To earn the attention and trust of multigenerational shoppers, build channel-specific messaging and invest in measurement tools that track cross-channel behavior to see how different audiences are finding, researching, and buying products across platforms.
Coursera’s $950 million all-stock acquisition of Udemy is a consolidation play rooted in survival, not expansion. The deal brings together two of the largest US-based online learning platforms as demand for online education cools amid cheaper AI-driven learning tools and employers pulling training in-house, per The Information. Online learning is becoming a gated, premium environment shaped by AI and consolidation. As Coursera and Udemy merge, brands should expect fewer sponsorship slots, tighter rules, and higher prices.
On today’s podcast episode, we discuss what Crayola is aiming to achieve with its “Campaign for Creativity,” how the brand guides children from digital creation to hands-on creative play, and what’s top of mind for the art supplies company as it heads into the holiday season. Listen to the discussion with Vice President of Content and host Suzy Davidkhanian, Principal Analyst Sky Canaves, and Crayola Chief Marketing Officer Victoria Lozano.
46% of worldwide marketing decision-makers say reaching their target audience is the biggest challenge when advertising on social media, according to a March survey from DoubleVerify and Sapio Research.
Amazon has partnered with the fintech Slope to offer AI-underwritten financing to Amazon sellers and reduce friction in the lending process. Eligible US Amazon merchants will be able to apply for and access loans through their seller accounts. Amazon could position itself as the go-to platform for higher-volume sellers as well as a more sophisticated alternative to financial institutions—and compete aggressively based on accuracy of underwriting and the time between applications and loan funding. It is the wise move for banks to move into embedded lending for ecommerce rather than try to sell loans to these merchants directly.
Wells Fargo plans to renovate more than half of its branch network by the end of 2025 in large metro areas as well as in rural markets—and more are in line for 2026. The new design features interactive tools that support customer education with mobile and online banking. The pandemic dealt a blow to the branch as a channel, but its decline distracts from its changing role. Making branch networks more efficient means customizing services to the communities where they’re located, optimizing the design for customers whose banking behaviors emphasize digital services.
Google is testing a new AI agent, CC, to change how the workday begins. Instead of another app or dashboard, CC delivers a daily email briefing that summarizes information pulled from Gmail, Calendar, and Drive. As AI agents begin ranking and summarizing messages, the inbox shrinks and attention gets scarcer. Marketers who rely on email will need to understand tools like CC and optimize for agents—not inboxes—as AI assistants decide what’s worth surfacing. Catchy subject lines will no longer be enough to earn attention.
Online return volumes dipped 2.5% YoY early in the holiday season, though momentum slowed after Cyber Week and a surge is still expected post-Christmas, consistent with retailers’ forecasts that returns will represent 15.8% of annual sales. To curb costly returns, merchants are improving product detail pages and adopting tools like virtual try-on, while many are also adding return fees—moves that risk dampening demand as shoppers grow wary of stricter policies. A smoother, more supportive returns experience remains critical, as most consumers hesitate to buy when returns seem difficult and reward retailers that make the process easy and fast.
UK holiday spending is expected to rise 3.5% this year, according to PwC, with average spending per shopper projected to increase 2.7%, driven in part by younger consumers planning to increase their budgets. Beneath the surface, however, the outlook is less robust. After accounting for inflation, sales volumes are likely to be flat or slightly negative, as most shoppers expect to spend the same amount as last year, and higher prices shape behavior. Tepid consumer confidence and rising living costs are pushing households to manage spending more carefully, a dynamic likely to carry over into 2026 and increase pressure on retailers to deliver clear value.
Walmart wants discretion to refuse cards based on their issuer at the point-of-sale, per an objection filed in response to the proposed settlement to end the decadeslong interchange fee legal battle. While new types of fee agreements with banks remain entirely speculative at this point, it’s unclear whether a patchwork quilt of deals with issuers would benefit Walmart. Discontinuing acceptance of certain issuers at the POS will likely cause just as much friction for consumers as the purportedly “useless” changes to the honor all cards rule, especially if Walmart stands alone in its issuer blacklist.
Integral Ad Science is expanding far beyond verification with IAS Agent, a DSP-embedded AI assistant that analyzes live campaign data and autonomously optimizes safety, suitability, and contextual settings. Built on IAS’s multimodal dataset, the tool evaluates trillions of signals across text, video, audio, and imagery to refine targeting decisions faster than human workflows—early testers reported efficiency gains and reduced waste. IAS frames the product as a step toward agentic advertising, enabling real-time optimization, natural-language insights, and interoperability with other AI systems. The launch comes as private equity bets heavily on independent measurement players amid rising demand for precision and transparency.
LinkedIn is proving the power of its ad offerings, delivering promising results from both its Reserved Ads format and video ads. Recognizing LinkedIn’s ability to foster measurable ad results will prove valuable for B2B marketers looking to build credibility with other business professionals. Other features, like auto-targeting tools to reach key audiences, AI tools to create ads, and platform recommendations to maximize ROI contribute to LinkedIn’s ability to drive action.
General Mills reports that lower- and middle-income consumers remain financially strained, driving more at-home eating and increased reliance on promotions while trimming discretionary purchases like wet dog food. In response, the company is boosting product innovation by 25% and sharpening pricing to compete with lower-cost alternatives, with early wins such as Cheerios Protein gaining meaningful market share. Despite a tough environment, General Mills outperformed expectations in FYQ2, a sign that its adaptive strategy is gaining traction, though our team notes that CPG brands must continue innovating and pricing smartly to maintain share amid ongoing consumer pressure.
Over one-third of Gen Z (39%) and millennials (34%) who have used genAI tools to check symptoms report that they would put off seeing a doctor if the AI told them their issue was low-risk, according to an October 2025 poll from The Mesothelioma Center at Asbestos.com conducted by SurveyMonkey. Overrelying on AI for medical guidance carries real risk, especially as models are still maturing and sometimes produce faulty information. AI companies should add explicit in-chat disclaimers against being used as a replacement for medical care and strengthen guardrails to block unvetted or potentially harmful health advice.
Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) rejected Paramount’s hostile acquisition bid Wednesday and told its shareholders the offer is “inferior” to Netflix’s bid. WBD’s board said Paramount’s offer carried "significant risks,” adding that it does not see a “material difference” in the risks Paramount will face compared with Netflix in receiving approval in the US and globally. Consolidation will reshape ad market dynamics regardless of WBD’s fate.
DoorDash is testing an AI-powered app that helps consumers find new restaurants to explore, expanding its business model beyond food delivery. Zesty pulls in signals from across the web and provides citations like Yelp reviews, Google Maps ratings, and mentions on Reddit threads, per Bloomberg. Brands should focus on both generative engine optimization and earned, shared, and owned (ESO) media placements to maximize the chances of showing up in AI responses. Monitor brand mentions and reviews on ESO channels to address any negative responses from customers and ensure accuracy of business details.