Whole Foods has cut prices on more than a quarter of its products in the past year, including over 1,000 private-label items, its chief merchandising and marketing officer said at Groceryshop, per Modern Retail. Weekly promotions and deals tied to specific days reinforce the value push. The retailer needs to prove that “premium” and “value” aren’t mutually exclusive. By doubling down on price investments, amplifying Prime-member discounts, and leaning into convenient, high-quality prepared foods, the grocer can reframe itself as both aspirational and accessible.
DoorDash unveiled a host of features designed to make its services stickier for both businesses and customers. DoorDash’s fulfillment updates position the platform as a stronger partner for the many retailers trying to keep pace with Amazon and Walmart on delivery speed. At the same time, the company’s latest features show the pressures of competing with Uber and Instacart, both of which are adding more retailers to their platforms while courting customers with broader perks.
Telehealth company LifeMD is partnering with Novo Nordisk to offer diabetes patients Ozempic for $499 per month. GLP-1 price wars are taking place between drugmakers and online healthcare companies still selling compounded weight loss medications. Novo’s and Lilly’s branded drugs have the stamp of FDA approval in their favor, but many cost-conscious consumers paying out of pocket will still opt for the cheaper compounded GLP-1s (~$200 per month) through telehealth platforms like Hims & Hers.
The Trump administration is rolling out its own direct-to-consumer (D2C) prescription drug website called TrumpRx.com for Americans to purchase some prescriptions at lower negotiated rates. It’s also inked a specific deal with Pfizer to cut many of its drug prices by 40% or more, and in turn, receive a three-year delay on tariffs. Pharma companies are technically meeting Trump demands with D2C announcements, but the initial moves may not be enough to satisfy policymakers or consumers.
The COVID-19 flexibilities that provided doctor reimbursement for virtual care expired on September 30. Healthcare providers and their marketers who deliver telehealth to Medicare members must keep their patients up to speed with how their care might be affected due to Congressional inaction. They should contact seniors by phone or text to confirm medication refill needs and be available for any additional questions. Practices could turn to social media platforms like Facebook for more general messaging, such as resources that connect seniors with low-cost transportation services or mobility assistance programs that may help folks get to a doctor’s office.
The FDA’s recent crackdown on pharma TV advertising could disproportionately affect Black, Hispanic, and Asian consumers, per a recent Video Advertising Bureau (VAB) report. President Trump recently directed federal health agencies to increase pharma TV advertising enforcement and to change rules to make drugmakers disclose every side effect. Pharma marketers would have to change the ads, spend extensive time and money to change them, or pull them off the air. Marketers and agencies need to think about shifting budgets to digital channels, especially social media and influencer marketing, which are also valuable information health sources for Black, Hispanic and Asian consumers.
Free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) is becoming an increasingly important part of the connected TV (CTV) landscape as audience interest skyrockets, per a new Wurl study. Brands can view FAST as a core part of the CTV media mix, leveraging early-adopter advantages while continuing to invest in paid subscription services like Netflix that have lower churn rates.
Pause ads are proving their potential in the crowded connected TV (CTV) landscape after marketing service Wunderkind Ads saw massive success with a pause ad campaign for jewelry brand Zales. Pause ads are proving to be one of the most promising CTV innovations yet, and advertisers who haven’t experimented with the format should tap in—but must also understand what makes these ads work.
Bad Bunny will make history at Super Bowl LX as the first artist to perform a halftime show entirely in Spanish. The move comes as Hispanics emerge as the nation’s most engaged digital video audience, with 83.7% penetration and nearly 56 million monthly viewers. It also arrives at a politically charged moment: Bad Bunny has openly criticized Trump-era policies, endorsed Kamala Harris, and refused to tour the US over ICE concerns. For brands, his Spanish-only set underscores the growing importance of bilingual and Latino audiences in media and marketing.
Spotify CEO Daniel Ek will step down in January 2026 to become executive chairman. In his place, chief product and technology officer Gustav Söderström and chief business officer Alex Norström will serve as co-CEOs. The leadership change could help unlock new monetization paths—such as deeper AI-driven ad targeting, expanded creator tools, or new subscription ad models—to hone Spotify’s ad ambitions, provided the transition doesn’t create friction. Brands should watch for investor days, ad tech announcements, or new targeting plans post-transition to see how Spotify’s business, pricing, and measurement options change.
Nike returned to growth in fiscal Q1, snapping a four-quarter streak of declining sales. Nike is beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel, as Hill’s turnaround plan begins to make headway despite considerable uncertainty. While tariffs are weighing on margins, investments in new product lines are beginning to restore brand heat.
LinkedIn debuted several new features for ad automation targeting small- and mid-sized businesses (SMBs) as it looks to expand its advertiser base beyond large brands. The update reduces barriers to professional-grade ad campaigns by offering automation and AI-driven support that previously demanded larger budgets or in-house expertise.
OpenAI is working on a TikTok-style app built on its Sora 2 video model—an AI-only feed where every clip is generated, not filmed, per Wired. Meta, meanwhile, is rolling out Vibes, a new short-form video feed in its Meta AI app and Meta.ai, designed for remixing, personalization, and sharing across Instagram and Facebook. For brands, the upside is experimentation, while the risk is durability. Until user habits adjust to new content feeds, marketers should treat both as pilot channels—take advantage of launch buzz, but keep spend flexible in case novelty fades.
Adobe introduced a full version of its Premiere video-editing app for iPhone users, offering new opportunities for on-the-go content creation. Premiere on iPhone includes features like sound effects, auto-generated captions, and multi-track timelines for video, audio, and text. It’s free for general editing, and generative AI (genAI) features are available on a pay-per-credit model. Brands that work with influencers should package assets so they’re easier for creators to use on the go and be flexible with formats and publishing schedules to support workflows for more timely, high-impact campaigns.
Budget hotel chains are facing the same turbulence as discount airlines, per Yahoo Finance. Lower-income travelers are pulling back while wealthier consumers trade up to more comfortable stays, pressuring budget hotels. Usually resilient in downturns, these companies face what Bank of America calls “structural” headwinds: lower-income travelers contending with slow income growth, weakening sentiment, and persistent inflation.Companies like Hyatt and Marriott have the cushion of diversified portfolios—and may even pick up business as wealthier travelers trade up. But others, such as Choice Hotels and Wyndham, don’t have that safety net. Their focus on the budget segment makes them more vulnerable, which is why Bank of America downgraded Choice shares to “underperform” from “buy” this week.
65% of US adults say they pay for at least one mobile app subscription, increasing to 77% for 18-to-29-year-olds, per a July YouGov survey.
Visa launched the Visa Commercial Services (VCS) Hub, a platform that helps issuers and fintech companies deliver commercial payment solutions and embedded finance services backed by the power of genAI. If AI and stablecoins significantly disrupt traditional payment rails, Visa can still offer essential commerce solutions to issuers and fintechs, with businesses benefiting from the convenience of gaining access to tools that otherwise would require a separate contract with another provider.
OpenAI has launched Instant Checkout, a new feature allowing ChatGPT users in the US to buy products directly from Etsy sellers, with plans to expand to more than 1 million Shopify merchants including Glossier and Skims. Built on the Agentic Commerce Protocol and integrated with Stripe, the tool currently supports single-item purchases but will soon add multi-item carts, more merchants, and global rollout. While this marks a major step toward positioning ChatGPT as a commerce hub that could challenge Amazon and Google, success depends on whether consumers see in-chat shopping as truly easier than traditional ecommerce.
ByteDance will maintain control over TikTok’s US ecommerce and advertising businesses under the deal brokered by the White House, according to Reuters. Continued uncertainty around the TikTok deal and broader economic terms requires brands and advertisers to stay flexible. That’s harder to do for sellers, since few social commerce alternatives have the scale and success of TikTok Shop. Still, platforms like YouTube and Pinterest can offer similar opportunities to engage, inspire, and educate shoppers, while live commerce platforms like Whatnot and creator-led shopping app LTK could also emerge as winners should TikTok’s influence fade.