Uber is expanding premium storytelling through Journey Takeovers, which turn entire rides into narrative canvases—and delivering unusually long, high-quality attention.

It may be a new year, but we’re still catching up on what happened during the last week of 2025. Here’s everything you may have missed.

McDonald’s has pulled an AI-generated Christmas ad after a wave of online backlash. Upon removal, McDonald’s said to BBC News that the ad was “an important learning” for the company’s understanding of “the effective use of AI.” McDonald’s teaches a valuable lesson: Consumers aren’t yet ready for ad creative that is built entirely on AI. But advertisers still face a landscape where not using AI is a detriment to staying ahead. Balance is now a competitive differentiator.

The EU’s regulatory environment will hinder investment in AI-generated ads and agentic commerce in 2026. But TikTok Shop’s expansion will be a catalyst for live commerce.

As AI increasingly powers everything from holiday ads to product recommendations, retailers face a critical balancing act between efficiency and authenticity. "The question isn't if retailers will use AI, it's how they'll keep using it and maintain the human touch along the way," said host Suzy Davidkhanian on a recent episode of “Behind the Numbers.”

As marketing becomes increasingly digital, one channel still stands out for creating real connections: the branded products people hold onto. New research from the Promotional Products Association International shows how merch turns everyday items into lasting brand loyalty.

Coca-Cola and Hershey’s are redefining what innovation looks like for century-old brands. Both companies are building repeatable systems for creativity rather than chasing trends. Coca-Cola created a proprietary AI-driven design system that converts brand rules into machine-readable code, allowing global teams to scale creative consistency instantly. Hershey’s built feedback loops that turn employee empathy and standardized KPIs into actionable insights. Together, they illustrate how legacy CPGs can combine data discipline with creative freedom—using structure to accelerate, not stifle, imagination. Innovation, they argue, isn’t chaos; it’s a system you can build.

Consumers’ desire to find “better for you” versions of their favorite products is working in Coca-Cola’s favor. Sales of Coca-Cola Zero Sugar soared 14% YoY in Q2, while Diet Coke sales grew 2%. Reconfiguring CPG portfolios for the MAHA (Make American Healthy Again) and GLP-1 consumer may be less daunting than brands think. Shoppers are extremely receptive at the moment to products with purported health benefits—so rather than rolling out high-protein versions of every product, companies should look for ways to emphasize the health or functional benefits of their existing assortment.

At Philadelphia’s 1682 conference, Coca-Cola’s Benny Lee and Hershey’s Andy Hunt shared how two of the world’s oldest CPG brands are transforming retail through creativity, data, and AI. Coca-Cola is evolving from selling beverages to designing experiences—using AI to power global design systems and create immersive in-store storytelling through products like Y3000. Hershey’s is closing the gap between physical and digital by embedding data into every stage of retail, from aisle feedback to retail media KPIs. Both executives envision the store of the future as dynamic, data-driven, and human-led—where AI supports storytelling, not automation.

The news: WPP’s CMO and CEO of its Coca-Cola agency, Laurent Ezekiel, will depart the company to join Publicis, adding to a string of high-profile losses for the struggling holding company. Our take: With Ezekiel’s and Read’s departures, WPP is at an inflection point as it struggles to reinvent itself and keep pace with competitors. The company faces mounting pressure as other holding companies develop stronger digital and data-driven capabilities. WPP’s future depends on how well its new CEO can close gaps in modernization, build its AI investments, and enact significant operational changes.

Food companies look to profit from consumers’ protein fixation: Demand for healthier products—and pressure from the MAHA movement—is pushing manufacturers to embrace “better for you” options.

Publicis wins Coca-Cola’s US media business: WPP loses the $785 million account as Coca-Cola separates creative and media.

Walmart bought a mall, Coca-Cola launched a soda, and Nike partnered with SKIMS in February, marking some of the month’s most interesting retail moves. Here are the eight most interesting retailers and brands from last month, as ranked on our “Behind the Numbers” podcast.

Brand strength bubbles up: Even as inflation squeezes budgets, many consumers are not trading down from name-brand sodas.

On today's podcast episode, we discuss the unofficial list of the most interesting retailers for the month of February. Each month, our analysts Arielle Feger, Becky Schilling, and Sara Lebow (aka The Committee) put together a very unofficial list of the top eight retailers they're watching based on which are making the most interesting moves: Who's launching new initiatives? Which partnerships are moving the needle? Which standout marketing campaigns are being created? In this month's episode, Committee members Analyst Arielle Feger and Senior Analyst Sara Lebow will defend their list against Vice President Suzy Davidkhanian and Senior Analyst Blake Droesch, who will dispute the power rankings by attempting to move retailers up, down, on, or off the list.

Consumers are voting with their wallets: 1 in 4 has stopped shopping at their favorite stores because of politics.

Coca-Cola takes on Olipop, Poppi: The company is getting in on the “better for you” trend with Simply Pop, a high-fiber, low-sugar prebiotic soda.

Brands focus on AI as creative ally: The technology's role in fostering innovation and cost savings augments human touch.

AI will become deeply woven into daily life in 2025. Autonomous agents, smart devices, AR glasses, search engines, and digital twins are making AI an ambient presence in how we work, shop, browse, and interact with the world.

Coca-Cola narrows its sustainability ambitions: The change dovetails with several other companies backing away from DEI initiatives amid shifting political winds.