The majority (86%) of healthcare professionals say AI affects their treatment decisions, although the degree ranges from significant to slight, per a recent DHC Group survey. Healthcare professionals are open to more AI use in medical practice, but they still prefer it as a support tool. Pharma companies should focus on advisory, not decision-making solutions that can help save physicians’ time and add clinical context.
The news: YouTube’s global reach is rewriting entertainment power dynamics. Creator-led channels now rival and surpass traditional studios, signaling a shift from centralized production to audience-driven storytelling. That dominance extends beyond mobile screens and into the living room. What this means for brands: Half of the top 10 YouTube channels cater to kids and families, offering reliable spaces for brand-safe storytelling and high retention, provided that compliance with child privacy rules is prioritized. Brands that treat creators as strategic media partners—not just influencers—will command trust, deeper engagement, and measurable ROI.
CNN is adding a short-form video feature to its app’s homepage in a bid to attract younger audiences and boost engagement amid declining linear TV viewership. The “Shorts” tab, which previously existed outside the homepage, includes clips from CNN stories in a vertical video format similar to Instagram Reels or TikTok, per The Verge. CMOs should explore how news-aligned short-form content can enhance credibility and trust in brand storytelling and monitor how legacy media brands experiment with short-form video to inform their own content strategies.
More QSRs are relying on outside expertise to stay relevant in China. Restaurant Brands International struck a joint-venture deal with CPE as it looks to more than triple Burger King’s China store footprint by 2035, following a similar move by Starbucks. Seeking local partners is a sound strategy for QSRs, given significant differences in culture and consumer preferences. While US consumers are moved by nostalgia, Chinese customers demand newness at a pace that American companies aren't accustomed to—making partnerships a necessity for brands looking to stay current.
Spending on martech tools will continue to grow over the next five years, but data silos, inefficient ROI measurement and training gaps could hold back the tools’ potential. 78% of B2C organizations increased their martech budgets over the last five years, and that pace isn’t slowing: 79% plan to raise them again by 2029, per McKinsey’s Rewiring Martech report, and 34% will boost it by at least 11%. Despite these aggressive investments, only 35% of organizations say their martech operations have reached a “transformational” level of maturity. CMOs should ensure teams are supplied with the technical skills to aid martech’s advancement and treat the tools as a part of operations across the board—not just an IT task. They should also connect martech success metrics directly to clear outcomes—like customer retention—to prove its value across the organization.
On today’s podcast episode, we discuss the main factors leading marketers to cut spending at the moment, how advertisers are adapting their approach to measurement, and what is happening in the industry as more marketers begin to embrace the opportunity to shift spend at a higher velocity. Join Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson, Principal Analyst Max Willens, Nielsen's Head of Performance Marketing Alison Gensheimer, and SVP and Head of Advertisers and Agencies Matthew Devitt. Listen everywhere, and watch on YouTube and Spotify.
In recent regulatory filings, JPMorgan and Bank of America (BofA) said they’re responding to government requests related to policies and processes around “providing, maintaining, or discontinuing financial products or services to certain clients or potential clients.” The fire politicians are stoking introduces reputational and business risks for banks among customers as well as the risk of regulatory action by agencies that have traditionally demanded rigorous screening of current and prospective customers.
Gen AI tools are making it easier to carry out ecommerce fraud. Bad actors are increasingly using genAI tools to trick moderation teams, Nicolas Waldmann, the head of external affairs for TikTok’s global governance and experience unit, told Business Insider. That includes creating more convincing listings for fake or counterfeit products, as well as fabricating brands. While AI slop is not unique to ecommerce marketplaces, the stakes are high—especially for emerging ones like TikTok Shop that are still trying to win consumers’ trust. Shoppers who lose money on products that don’t exist are unlikely to become loyal customers, and widespread fraud can deter consumers from purchasing in the first place.
Mercury—a fintech that serves startups, VC firms, and small businesses with banking products and services—announced $650 million in annualized revenue for 2025, up 30% from 2024’s year-end $500 million. Some banks have invested heavily in digital for business customers, betting that more sophisticated self-service will support market share growth. These investments mean that the business digital experience is increasingly a differentiator between banks. But it’s a half measure. This approach to growth is fighting the last war to avoid irrelevance—by catching up to where competitors are today.
Saks Global will close nine Saks Off 5th stores next year, a move that will help it cut costs as it navigates increasing headwinds. While Saks is positioning the closures as an opportunity to optimize its off-price footprint and elevate the customer experience, it’s likely that the company’s cash-flow challenges and vendor troubles played a major role in its downsizing. Off-price could have been a real opportunity for Saks to win over price-conscious shoppers. Instead, the retailer has become a cautionary tale about the importance of staying in vendors’ good graces and what can happen when those relationships falter.
Amazon has launched its low-cost shopping app, Amazon Bazaar, in 14 international markets including Argentina, Hong Kong, and Nigeria, expanding the reach of its Temu-style platform first introduced as Amazon Haul. Offering mostly sub-$10 items and interactive deals, Bazaar targets price-conscious shoppers across fashion and home goods. The move underscores Amazon’s strategy to capture growth in emerging markets while competing with Shein, Temu, and TikTok Shop. However, as nations tighten import rules and close tax loopholes, the company’s discount-driven model may face mounting logistical and regulatory challenges in sustaining profitability.
Seventy percent of banking leaders believe agentic AI will “have a significant or game-changing impact on the banking industry,” according to an American Banker survey commissioned by SoundHound AI. For banks to move agentic AI tools from the pilot stage to wide rollouts, they’ll need a business case, a strategic roadmap, and a plan to promptly address tactical issues. Must-haves include strong AI governance, a modern data layer that unifies access to siloed business information, and a framework for customer trust.
Affirm’s gross merchandise volume (GMV) increased 42% YoY to $10.8 billion during its fiscal Q1 2026 (ended September 30, 2025). Healthy performance across its POS integrations and its debit card is key to why we forecast Affirm will remain the dominant US BNPL player against its chief competitor, Klarna, by a margin of $4.7 billion in US volume. While Affirm notched its second quarter of profitability at $81 million in net income, it’s going to need to widen its margins to compete with the rewards PayPal can offer consumers, such as 5% cash back on Pay Monthly loans.
Block’s gross profit increased 18% YoY to $2.66 billion, per its Q3 2025 earnings release. Expanding buy now, pay later solutions can help payment platforms grow volume heading into the holiday season as consumers grapple with economic uncertainty and the pressure of gift buying. Providers who can leverage rewards like cash back and/or interest-free options serve to secure consumer loyalty during a time of economic stress.
Adyen launched two point-of-sale (POS) terminals ahead of the holiday season, per a press release.As SMBs approach the critical holiday season, POS providers need to offer value to court cash-strapped vendors, reminding them the importance of a reliable, durable terminal system. Add-ons like AI-powered software can help convince vendors the value of their hardware with high-powered tools to boost conversions and payment volume.
Hims & Hers said on its recent earnings call that it’s in active talks with Novo Nordisk to make Wegovy available on Hims’ platforms. Hims and Novo both have an incentive to reignite their partnership. Hims’ pricing edge in the GLP-1 market is fading, while Novo could use GLP-1 sales from Hims’ sticky customer base to make up some of the market share it has recently lost to Lilly.
Consumers without experience using digital health tools—like wearables, health apps, or devices to manage a condition—say they’d try one if recommended by a doctor or insurer, according to a recent report from Merge. Direct-to-consumer marketing isn’t the only effective way to drive digital health tool adoption. When it comes to their health, many consumers trust medical professionals over brands—giving health tech players a chance to further prove to insurers, employers, and doctors that their tools deliver real value.