More companies are looking to shed underperforming assets or overhaul their business structures to strengthen their businesses in an uncertain environment. Yum, Starbucks, and AB Foods are among those either looking to sell or restructure to better position themselves for growth. With the global economy on increasingly shaky footing due to geopolitical tensions and trade disputes, it’s no surprise that companies are moving to mitigate risk either by slimming down or seeking partners to help extract greater strategic value from their assets.
ThredUp posted its strongest revenue growth in nearly four years in Q3 as rising price sensitivity fuels interest in online resale. Active buyers surged 26% YoY as ThredUp touted its “best quarter for new buyer acquisition” in company history. Resale is having a moment. The end of de minimis import exemptions and new tariffs on apparel are making buying secondhand more appealing to price-sensitive consumers, while younger generations are embracing resale for its affordability and creative possibilities. We expect fashion online resale platform sales to expand 10.4% this year, nearly double the rate of online apparel, footwear, and accessories sales.
Instacart has launched a new suite of AI-powered tools aimed at helping grocers deliver more personalized and efficient shopping experiences both in-store and online. The rollout includes features like Cart Assistant for customized recommendations, Store View for real-time shelf monitoring, and Agentic Analytics for data-driven insights. Instacart’s bet is that the more it can use emerging technologies to simplify life for both grocery shoppers and retailers, the stickier its platform will become.
Uber is pursuing aggressive cross-platform integration to boost revenue, noting that customers who use both its mobility and delivery services spend three times more and stay longer. With only 20% of users currently overlapping, the company is pushing its Uber One membership and personalized offers to bridge the gap. Delivery growth remains strong, with bookings up 24% YoY, and Uber is expanding into grocery and retail through partnerships with major brands and new promotions like “Fresh Days.” Overall, Uber’s record trip volumes and strong earnings outlook highlight sustained demand for convenience and position the company for continued growth.
Between 2022 and 2024, Novo Nordisk spent about $7.5 million to have Ozempic ads run on related search keywords to drive users to its prescription drug brand website, according to a JAMA Network Open study. Novo spent the $7.5 million across 15,000 paid keywords related to weight loss, which generated 2.4 million paid visits to Ozempic.com. Some drugmakers might be getting away with pay-per-click drug advertising that promotes their product for off-label use. Given that pharma companies devote about 56% of their annual digital ad spend to search—the second-highest share of any sector—marketers should work with search platforms to better align paid keywords with appropriate drug ad placements.
Hims & Hers is offering prescription microdoses of compounded GLP-1 semaglutide, joining other telehealth companies touting mini doses with lower costs and fewer side effects. As patients and providers move to try lower-cost doses with fewer side effects, some demand may shift from full-strength prescriptions. That puts pressure on Novo and Lilly to engage physicians around maintenance dosing and longer term patient retention strategies.
Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk are closing in on deals with the Trump administration that would exchange deep discounts on their weight loss drugs for coverage under Medicare, per Endpoints News. Millions of Medicare recipients could become new weight-loss drug customers with the federal program on the hook for the cost.
Netflix and iHeartMedia are discussing a deal that would allow the popular streaming platform to license iHeartMedia’s video podcasts, shortly after Netflix inked a similar deal with Spotify, per Bloomberg. An expanded video podcast portfolio will unlock new opportunities for marketers if Netflix chooses to sell ad space on podcast content.
Nintendo reported blockbuster financial performance for its most recent quarterly earnings, with revenues surging over 90% YoY and profits rising more than 270%, per CNBC. This growth is largely driven by the successful launch of its Switch 2 flagship console, which debuted in June. As gaming consumption shifts to handheld and hybrid devices, brands should explore partnerships and placements that align with Nintendo’s highly curated experiences rather than disrupt it. Because Switch 2 and its games are ad-free, brands can engage players through co-branded campaigns, limited-edition content, and cross-platform tie-ins on Twitch, Discord, YouTube, and social media.
Consolidation in the streaming industry is leading connected TV (CTV) budgets to become more concentrated, per our latest US TV and CTV Ad Spending Forecasts. Key changes on the horizon: Mergers on the horizon, as well as companies concentrating their streaming options, could change who holds power in the TV industry. CMOs should prepare for a CTV landscape dominated by fewer, data-rich platforms. That means deepening direct partnerships with leading streaming providers to gain priority access to premium inventory, and investing in AI-driven analytics to enhance creative testing and budget optimization inside walled gardens.
66% of US banking executives say their leadership team or board has discussed allocating budget or resources to AI, more than triple the share for any other emerging tech, according to July data from Bank Director and Jack Henry & Associates.
Dating app fatigue has set in for many consumers, but one entrant in the market is quietly catching on among younger consumers—Facebook Dating. The feature, which launched in 2019, has amassed more than 21 million daily active users (DAUs), compared with Hinge’s 15 million, per The New York Times. To capitalize on the dating feature's growth and user engagement, brands should use zero-party data to target ads based on profile preferences—such as users who are interested in shopping, outdoor experiences, or live events—while ensuring placements don’t feel intrusive in an intimate, high-intent environment.
The race to succeed Twitter is maturing into a two-lane race. Meta’s Threads has surged to 150 million daily active users, per Meta, while decentralized rival Bluesky has climbed to 40 million users, per TechCrunch. The post-Twitter world is segmenting. Threads offers scale and a burgeoning ad ecosystem, but Bluesky might be better for more organic brand engagement with specific user groups. For brands, the opportunity lies in balance: Use Threads for audience growth and measurable performance and Bluesky to test tone, voice, and authenticity. Together, they offer a preview of where digital conversation and brand storytelling are headed next.
Consumers (68%) and senior marketers (75%) expressed an increasingly positive outlook on the possibilities of generative AI this year, according to a September report from Kantar.
Nationwide Financial announced a $1.5 billion investment in technology through 2028, including $300 million for AI initiatives. The company aims to simplify business interactions and advance its data protection capabilities. A massive technical overhaul is a strategic choice and a yearslong commitment sponsored by the C-suite and endorsed by the board of directors. AI is a tool rather than a strategy. And without intent, telematics, analytics, automation, and copilots are just words.
ChatGPT now handles more than 2 billion queries daily from 190 million users, per MarTech. The chatbot has transcended novelty and become a decision-stage search companion. Nearly 80% of US ChatGPT users treat it like a search engine, per a new Adobe survey. Influence now hinges on how brands appear within genAI—not just in Google Search results or on social media. This adds another layer of complexity for brand managers while unlocking opportunities for real-time content optimization and risk monitoring.
StackAdapt is overhauling programmatic out-of-home advertising with tools that let buyers see exactly where their ads will appear. The new platform experience includes real-world map views, screen previews, and venue-level pricing, solving one of OOH’s biggest pain points: visibility. VP of Inventory Development Gregory Joseph said the update responds directly to advertiser demand for proof of placement and transparency. As agencies push for unified reporting across CTV, mobile, and OOH, StackAdapt’s approach gives digital buyers the data and validation they expect. For advertisers, it marks a turning point—OOH can finally be planned, measured, and optimized alongside digital media.
Reddit COO Jen Wong told EMARKETER that the platform has evolved from explaining itself to advertisers to proving it can deliver results. “We’ve shown Reddit can drive real business outcomes,” she said, noting that nine of fifteen verticals grew ad spend by at least 50% YoY. Wong emphasized discovery as Reddit’s next frontier—especially in underexposed sectors like parenting and sports—and said product improvements will make communities easier to find. With ad revenues projected to climb 46.6% in two years, Reddit’s opportunity is one of scale and visibility, driven by authenticity and high-intent engagement.
Capital One will issue T-Mobile’s first credit card, according to Bloomberg—but it won’t run on Capital One’s recently acquired Discover network. Whether T-Mobile snubbed Discover or Capital One wasn’t ready to integrate its credit card products with the newly acquired network, the optics of running a new card on Visa aren’t great. But Visa and Mastercard shouldn’t exactly call this a win. While Discover's total volume is still an order of magnitude lower than that of Mastercard or Visa, incremental gains will lead to real lost volume opportunities for the duopoly.