The news: The gaming industry is doubling down on handheld consoles. Nintendo’s Switch 2 shattered single-day sales records with an estimated 3 million units sold at launch, outpacing the Sony PS4’s historic numbers. Meanwhile, Microsoft announced its first handhelds—the ROG Xbox Ally and the ROG Xbox Ally X—partnering with Asus to blend Xbox and PC gaming in a portable format. They’re expected to launch during the holidays. Our take: As cloud and console experiences merge into portable form, game design and ad models are set to evolve fast—opening up fresh real estate for marketers, game studios, and tech platforms alike.
Streaming now grabs nearly 44% of US TV time—mostly ad-supported—and more than half of marketers expect to raise connected TV (CTV) budgets in 2025, new research from Nielsen shows. As dollars flow from linear to streaming, unified cross-channel measurement is becoming the new must-have.
he news: At WWDC 2025, Apple announced its upcoming macOS 26 Tahoe, marking the final operating system supporting Intel-based Macs and the end of a computing era. Apple’s transition will accelerate replacement cycles for millions of business users and marketing technology stacks. ur take: The shift will require a massive reset for Apple-reliant companies. They will need comprehensive technology audits across devices and software to weed out unsupported tools. Organizations delaying transitions, particularly for models that have already lost support, risk security vulnerabilities and performance limitations, affecting campaign execution and creative production timelines.
The news: Apple’s highly anticipated AI enhancements, particularly for Siri, remain unfinished. During WWDC 2025, SVP Craig Federighi confirmed delays, stating Apple needs “more time to reach a high-quality bar.” No major voice assistant upgrades were announced. Apple’s most relevant AI move wasn’t a product—it was a warning: Ahead of its event, Apple published a research paper arguing that top models like OpenAI’s GPT-4o, Anthropic’s Claude 3.7, and Google’s Gemini don’t truly “reason.” Instead, they create an “illusion of thinking.” Our take: Apple is hedging its AI bets by being cautious with core offerings like Siri while quietly enabling developers with on-device LLMs and privacy-first tools. Instead of overpromising, Apple is pointing out potential problems with the latest AI models while exercising restraint.
On today’s podcast episode, we discuss how advertisers have gone from navigating uncertainty to navigating whiplash, and how they can prioritize and get the most out of ad measurement with a limited budget. Join Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson, Senior Analysts Evelyn Mitchell-Wolf and Max Willens, and the Director of Product Management at Cint Stephanie Gall. Listen everywhere and watch on YouTube and Spotify.
While performance marketing satisfies short-term goals, brand marketing supports long-term growth by building trust, credibility, and lasting differentiation in crowded markets. A new report from EMARKETER and StackAdapt shows a clear shift in how brands are approaching their marketing mix in 2025.
AI Edge Gallery shows Google's bet on offline AI, turning Android phones into self-contained smart tools. It outpaces Apple’s walled approach but faces usability hurdles.
e at last: Microsoft’s update kills default Edge and Bing prompts, giving rivals room to breathe—and forcing marketers to rethink how they reach EU users.
A successful affiliate strategy means casting a wide net: Captiv8 data shared with EMARKETER shows that each influencer size category has strategic benefits that shouldn’t be overlooked.
72% of trade professionals worldwide are changing or considering changing their sourcing patterns to better manage potential tariffs, according to March 2025 data from Thomson Reuters.
On today’s podcast episode, we discuss how Google embedding an AI chatbot into search changes things, why Anthropic’s Claude API could reshape search, and why tech companies might not be the winners of the AI search war. Join Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson, and Senior Analyst’s Gadjo Sevilla and Evelyn Mitchell-Wolf. Listen everywhere and watch on YouTube and Spotify.
There are now more than 80 retail media networks (RMNs) in the US. The volume of RMNs, combined with the dominance of Amazon and other established competitors, makes it challenging for new and niche RMNs to capture share.
The R1-0528 model nearly matches OpenAI and Google on reasoning, offering a tantalizing preview of what the cheaper, open-source future of AI could look like.
“There are lots of shiny new pennies in marketing, so it's very easy to get distracted,” said Nicklaus Hasselberg, VP of growth marketing and ecommerce at Every Man Jack, at The Lead Summit in New York City last week. “It’s about ‘What do we reasonably believe will have the biggest impact on our business?' And let’s do it as well as we can."
Publishers are shifting from ad-driven models to licensing and subscriptions: AI is accelerating the end of traffic-chasing media economics.
On today’s podcast episode, we discuss where GIFs came from, how GIF user behavior changes, and which ones work best for brands. Join Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson, Senior Director of Briefings Jeremy Goldman, Analyst Emmy Liederman, and the Vice President of Client Solutions at Giphy Alix McAlpine. Listen everywhere and watch on YouTube and Spotify.
Fewer content removals signal better precision, but reduced proactivity could slow responses to hate speech and misinformation.
On this special edition podcast episode, learn about the rise of off-site retail media advertising with EMARKETER Principal Analyst, Sarah Marzano and Google’s Head of Retail Media, Shawn McGahee. This conversation is from the May 9th EMARKETER virtual summit, Commerce Media Trends 2025. Listen everywhere you find podcasts, or watch on YouTube and Spotify.
Nvidia woos global AI partners, HP shifts output to Mexico and Vietnam, and Lenovo pivots to India—clear signs that risk mitigation now outweighs China’s diminishing cost advantage.