Younger generations have embraced TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube as search engines. Although TikTok’s future in the US is uncertain, the social search opportunity remains robust.

Q1 has been a mixed bag for marketers. Ad spend grew in January and February, hitting double digits for the first time since March 2022. But many tech and retail companies were hit with layoffs as companies tightened ad spend. IBM, TikTok, and Google all slashed their marketing and advertising teams. On earnings calls, Nike’s finance chief said the company is planning for a “subdued macro outlook” and Paramount mentioned “softness in the global advertising market.”

On today’s podcast episode, we examine how banks build and use trust to win new customers. Here’s a look at what we’re talking about: • In our “Headlines” segment, we discuss recent data breaches at banks and question what the difference is between a bank's security breach and a breach at a partner company’s system. • In “Story by Numbers,” we focus on personalization and reveal if it successfully engenders trust or just seems creepy. • In “For Argument’s Sake,” we ponder what would happen if banks were required to report to customers when they shared their personal information with third parties and how it would impact customers’ trust and banks' marketing campaigns. Tune in to the conversation with host Rob Rubin and our analysts Grace Broadbent and Tiffani Montez.• In our “Headlines” segment, we discuss how in-flight deposits and Gen Z will drive account openings in 2023 and to what extent new account openings are the result of high deposit rates and an incentive-laden environment. • In “Story by Numbers,” we examine how being able to set up direct deposit when consumers open checking accounts is extremely important and the importance of deposits being protected. • In “For Argument’s Sake,” we suppose there’s a new US banking regulation requiring all banking products to be applied for and opened online. We debate (nicely) how the industry dynamics would change if everything in banking were digitized and moved online. Tune in to the conversation with host Rob Rubin, managing principal of financial services consulting at EPAM Systems Alex Jimenez, and our analyst Tiffani Montez.

On today’s podcast, we are talking about digital account-opening trends, who’s opening bank accounts digitally, and what they want or expect when going through that process. Here’s a look at what we’re talking about this week: • In our “Headlines” segment, we discuss how in-flight deposits and Gen Z will drive account openings in 2023 and to what extent new account openings are the result of high deposit rates and an incentive-laden environment. • In “Story by Numbers,” we examine how being able to set up direct deposit when consumers open checking accounts is extremely important and the importance of deposits being protected. • In “For Argument’s Sake,” we suppose there’s a new US banking regulation requiring all banking products to be applied for and opened online. We debate (nicely) how the industry dynamics would change if everything in banking were digitized and moved online. Tune in to the conversation with host Rob Rubin, managing principal of financial services consulting at EPAM Systems Alex Jimenez, and our analyst Tiffani Montez.

Behind the hype around composable commerce, there are pros and cons that retailers should consider before shaking up their business operations.

The B2B social media landscape is rapidly evolving thanks to younger buyers and AI. To adapt, marketers need to lean into influencer marketing, have a multichannel approach, and embrace generative AI.

New AI Tools for Marketers: Salesforce and Adobe launch generative AI products aimed at streamlining workflows and bolstering campaign performance through customization.

ChatGPT may have all of the buzz when it comes to AI platforms, but marketing technology and platforms are quickly catching up by adding a host of AI features to their systems. For starters, Adobe unveiled “Generative Fill” in Photoshop last week, a feature that uses AI to extend the canvas of your design, fill in backgrounds, and more. Meanwhile, Acquia unveiled a chatbot within its digital asset management platform.

Startups put OpenAI’s Microsoft advantage to the test: OpenAI is becoming one of the US' most valuable startups over its sensational generative AI. Leadership in the space requires skillful monetization.

Tech’s economic pain isn’t letting up: Economic recovery eludes the tech industry as the Fed targets the overall strong job market’s role in driving inflation. Expect more corporate downsizing.

US retail sales grew 7.6% over the holiday season: Consumers diversified their spending due to inflation and a desire to return to pre-pandemic activities such as eating out.

Nearly 90% of CMOs and senior marketing executives are planning to increase their marketing budgets in 2023, according to a recent survey by Matter Communications. The top area of investment will be public relations and social media, which over two-thirds of marketers say provided the most ROI over the past year.

After a few waves of innovation and consolidation, the B2C martech landscape is dominated by a small number of broad suite providers. There’s also a very long tail of niche providers, some of which provide cutting-edge point solutions.

Salesforce-owned Slack announced Canvas, an integrated feature that allows users to create and edit documents without leaving the application.

Adobe announced last week that it’s buying design platform Figma for $20 billion (or roughly half a Twitter). The news came shortly after Canva announced an expansion of its user-friendly design suite.

US marketing tech spending to top $20 billion this year: Growth reflects increased importance of using data to improve customer experience.

Is AI becoming Big Brother? Human presence and emotional-state detection technologies are raising civil rights alarms bells. Although they could have merits for productivity, they’re also invasive and error-prone.

Despite a number of economic challenges, retail spending is expected to remain strong: Retail sales growth slowed in February but strong job and wage increases and declining unemployment provide reasons for optimism.

The market’s appetite for personalization technology keeps growing: As investors see more brands prioritizing customer engagement, CX platform Insider becomes one of the few female-led SaaS unicorns in the world.

The 2021 holiday season saw the highest retail growth in 20 years, setting the stage for a solid 2022 holiday season.