As Primark celebrates its 10-year anniversary in the US, the European retail giant navigates the challenges of building brand awareness in a competitive American market while staying true to its core value proposition that made it a cultural institution in the UK and Ireland.
Google is embedding its Gemini AI deeper into Gmail with Help Me Schedule—an assistant that proactively identifies when users are trying to set a meeting and auto-suggests times directly within the message. The recipient just picks a slot, and it’s booked for both. GenAI is now part of the fabric of work—booking meetings, writing copy, summarizing calls. Tools like Gemini and Copilot go beyond boosting output to freeing agencies and creatives from menial tasks, giving them back time to focus on ideas that actually move the brand forward.
Google and WPP struck a $400 million, five-year deal to expand AI tools and services across the UK ad agency’s services. The extension of their partnership, first announced in April 2024, marks a structural acceleration of how AI is becoming embedded in marketing operations. Deals like Google and WPP’s redefine what “AI maturity” looks like in marketing and how alliances are reshaping competitive dynamics. For CMOs, announcements like this emphasize the need for strong oversight of agency partnerships and a clear framework for measuring AI-driven efficiency and creative quality.
Content maintenance is no longer optional if brands want to stay visible in generative engines and chatbot answers. Over 70% of pages cited by ChatGPT were updated within the past 12 months, per AirOps’ The Silent Pipeline Killer report, making content renewal and refreshing a must for relevance in AI outputs. Brands that treat content as an ongoing performance lever, not just a one-time project, will earn sustained visibility and trust in generative AI (genAI) results. For CMOs, that means rethinking content strategy as a living ecosystem, where freshness is the new SEO.
Almost half (49%) of consumers plan to shop for Halloween before October, according to a September National Retail Federation (NRF) report.
In today’s episode, we talk about whether the “American Dream” is less achievable, or just different, how this new economic reality has reshaped consumer behavior, and how brands are marketing aspiration differently. Join the discussion with host and Head of Business Development, Rob Rubin, Senior Director of Briefings, Jeremy Goldman, and Analyst, Paola Flores-Marquez.
Holding company Publicis Groupe reported a strong Q3 2025, growing organic net revenues 5.7% YoY, above analyst growth expectations of 5.19%. The company now expects 2025 revenues to grow between 5% to 5.5%, up from its previous forecast of 4% to 5%. Publicis’ heavy AI push and performance-driven strategy means it is well-positioned to continue growing while rival agencies struggle to remain competitive amid economic turbulence.
JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo, Citibank, and Goldman Sachs reported earnings for Q3 2025. JPMorgan, the largest, reported revenues of $47.1 billion, beating analyst estimates, and raised its full-year outlook for net interest income. All beat estimates on adjusted earnings. Big banks projected a characteristic mix of optimism and caution in Q3. Banks have ample headroom for growth, but earnings will suffer if economic conditions worsen, consumer credit declines, markets fall, or deals slow.
A recent Bank of America study highlights the diverging fortunes of lower-income versus middle- and higher-income consumers. Wealthier segments are benefiting from rising asset prices and wages, while inflation and muted income growth is putting less well-off segments in a precarious position. Consumers’ overall resilience masks differences between income segments, which is important to strategic planning and risk management as banks anticipate macro risks. Higher-income segments are traditionally lower risk, even when they carry high balances—but with a sharp reversal in economic conditions, that could quickly change.
Walmart Inc. announced a partnership with OpenAI to enable Walmart and Sam’s Club customers to make purchases within ChatGPT using the latter’s Instant Commerce feature. Even if agentic commerce’s adoption is gradual, early movers like Walmart will have the outsize advantage. Being discoverable in channels where users conduct product and pricing research could help retailers reinforce their value proposition and stay top-of-mind with prospective customers as this commerce scales up.
Visa launched the Trusted Agent Protocol, infrastructure meant to facilitate secure communication between AI agents and merchants to complete transactions, per a press release. Fully operationalized agentic commerce will take time to get off the ground. However, Visa’s endorsement of agentic commerce demands reluctant AI-adopters to quickly gear themselves for a new age of payment facilitation, or face irrelevance. Major payment rails especially need to convince merchants not to abandon their infrastructure to pursue things like blockchain-based transactions, as major retailers like Walmart and Amazon try to save money on fees. Offering seamless agentic commerce can entice these retailers to stay loyal.
JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo, and Citigroup posted solid Q3 2025 earnings but reiterated warnings about Trump’s economic policies. So far, major issuers’ earnings do not telegraph major warning signs about the state of the US consumer, but CEOs like Jamie Dimon are still preparing for “a wide range of scenarios” in the face of stewing geopolitical unrest, possible sticky inflation, increased asset prices, and tariff and trade uncertainty. With worsening economic conditions possibly on the horizon, issuers should consider allocating marketing dollars to promote their popular card-linked installment plans. This could help issuers avoid losing spend as consumers trade down to the debit cards or switching to BNPL providers.
Ulta Beauty’s invite-only UB Marketplace is now open to shoppers on the retailer’s website and app. The offering will enable the retailer to offer shoppers a broader, more compelling array of products, particularly in emerging segments like fragrance, men's grooming, and K-beauty.
Domino’s delivered its strongest US same-store sales growth since early 2024, with Q3 sales up 5.2% YoY, driven by its $9.99 “Best Deal Ever” promotion, new menu items, and expanded reach through aggregator platforms like DoorDash. Revenues climbed 6.2% to $1.15 billion, beating expectations, while EPS dipped 2.6% to $4.08. Despite reaffirming its outlook, Domino’s cautioned that macroeconomic headwinds are intensifying. The brand’s fresh marketing push and aggregator expansion signal long-term growth potential, though sustained success hinges on converting new digital customers into loyal repeat buyers.
This sponsored article by Fetch will explore AI in the consumer goods sector.
Albertsons’ Q3 results reflected shoppers’ growing focus on value, with customers trading down to private labels, smaller packages, and coupons. The company beat top- and bottom-line expectations and raised its full-year outlook, crediting its multi-pronged value strategy that includes expanded store brands, smarter loyalty rewards, and improved app tools. CEO Susan Morris emphasized efforts to enhance ecommerce efficiency and personalization, while Albertsons announced $750 million in additional share buybacks. As consumers tighten budgets, the retailer’s emphasis on affordability, convenience, and digital engagement positions it well for steady growth and stronger customer loyalty.
Pharma brands are partnering with Reddit to engage with patients more directly, according to a panel discussion at last week’s Advertising Week New York event. Healthcare and pharma brands need to be on Reddit, where communities actively discuss wellness, medications, and medical services. However, healthcare and pharma marketers must avoid obvious promotions, and instead post information that can help people while conducting their own Q&As hosted by company leaders with medical credentials.
As pharma marketers and ad agencies begin to shift ad dollars from traditional linear to digital CTV, media buying is moving from programs and broad demo buys to data-driven audience targeting. Healthcare and pharma marketers have long relied on the broad reach and frequency of linear TV, but need to recognize the growing power of CTV. Marketers shouldn’t think of CTV as a replacement, but as a performance layer on top of linear’s scale and reach.
Lyra Health is debuting a generative AI (genAI) chatbot for mild to moderate mental health challenges like burnout, sleep or stress. AI chatbots for mental health will likely keep growing as consumers, especially younger generations, seek more affordable, lower-pressure alternatives to traditional in-person therapy. Lyra’s measured rollout shows how AI therapy could be deployed responsibly: limiting chatbot use to lower-risk mental health issues and emphasizing safety.