How can B2B buyers calibrate their ad spending and budget allocations against the market, and how can media companies and solution providers assess whether their ad revenues are in line with industry trends?

Amazon is developing two models of AR glasses to compete with Meta and Qualcomm in a bet that smart glasses could power the next wave of mainstream consumer devices. The company is planning a consumer version, internally named Jayhawk, and a model designed for delivery drivers, called Amelia, per The Information. The push in AR glasses reflects Amazon’s long-standing strategy of building hardware as a gateway to services and subscriptions. If successful, the device could lock consumers even more tightly into Amazon’s marketplace, collect constant user data for AI model and product improvement, and encourage daily engagement with Amazon platforms.

AI is rewriting the rules of digital media, advertising, and commerce at breakneck speed. Here’s what players in the digital realm can do to stay relevant.

The news: Facebook is promoting its Pokes feature in an effort to increase user engagement. Pokes—a mainstay feature of the early Facebook experience—are regaining popularity, prompting Facebook to make it a more central part of the user experience, per TechCrunch. Users can now track their “Pokes count” with friends, essentially a streak, on top of a dedicated Poke button added to Facebook profiles. Our take: Meta relies on Facebook for the lion’s share of its ad revenues. While Pokes may seem to be a low-stakes experiment, re-engaging younger users is a high-stakes battle, and even small features can tip the balance if they create sticky user habits.

Tariffs and inflation are reshaping retail, pushing shoppers toward value and convenience. Off-price chains gained ground, while housing-linked retailers sought new growth paths in a slowing market.

Despite brands increasing influencer marketing spending, creators are struggling to grow their content business and earn more from sponsorship deals, per Digiday. And while holiday season typically provides a boom, 70% of creators expect traditional sponsored posts to account for under a quarter of their holiday content as focus shifts to performance-driven efforts, according to Collective Voice. Influencer marketing continues its growth trajectory, and the future of the sector relies on how creators adapt to the rise of third-party inventory solutions that divert brand spend away from traditional sponsorships.

Disney will pay $10 million in a settlement after the Federal Trade Commission alleged that the company collected personal information from children on videos uploaded to YouTube. Disney reportedly uploaded child-directed content to YouTube but did not label the videos as “Made for Kids,” allowing young users to be served targeted ads. Information was collected “without parental notice or consent,” the FTC and Justice Department said. Disney’s payout highlights the risks of targeting younger audiences without adequate safeguards—a challenge that will become even more pressing for advertisers as connected TV matures as a channel.

Meta will allow advertisers to exclude specific words or phrases from AI-generated ad copy to protect and align with brand image as it accelerates its AI advertising push. While barriers to adoption remain, Meta’s continued push toward AI ad automation signals where the future of advertising is heading: One where AI will increasingly balance scale with control to give marketers confidence in experimenting with automated campaigns.

Some 35% of US retail advertiser spending on Meta in Q2 2025 went to Advantage+ shopping campaigns, up from just 19% two years ago, per a July Tinuiti report.

Voice assistants will add nearly 30 million US users between 2022 and 2029, fueled by genAI, demographic shifts, and new hardware. Key adoption trends, platform battles, and marketing opportunities are shaping the next era of voice technology.

This is the first installment of our annual “Canada Ad Spending Benchmarks” series, which helps ad buyers and sellers calibrate their spending and revenue mix against the market.

This is the first installment of our “Canada Ad Spending Benchmarks” series, which helps ad buyers and sellers calibrate their spending and revenue mix against the market.

The news: Instagram’s latest updates to direct messaging could help brands and creators better organize communications, making the platform a go-to for striking brand partnerships and engaging with customers. Meta added several filtering options to Instagram, including the option to sort DMs by unread or unanswered messages as well as by the senders’ follow count and verification status. Creators can also streamline inbox management with new folders. Our take: These are more than just admin updates—they’re features that pave the way for a future where DMs are central to engagement. Investing time and resources in intentional messaging workflows can help treat DMs as a high-impact channel and a meeting point between companies and consumers.

The news: Meta is struggling to retain talent after its splashy, expensive efforts to poach workers from OpenAI and Google, raising concerns about retention and the stability of its AI strategy. Multiple staff members recruited from OpenAI have returned to their former employer within weeks, per Wired. Some veteran Meta employees have also exited, potentially due to frustrations over the sky-high compensation packages offered to newcomers. Our take: This staff exodus intensifies concerns about Meta’s retention and organizational stability. Money may not equal loyalty, and the departures highlight both the limits of using compensation alone to win the AI talent race and a need to rethink how company culture, values, and mission factor into recruitment strategy.

If social media is a digital shopping mall, genAI assistants are personal shoppers. As AI gains ground, it could disrupt established social shopping behaviors.

Instagram launched a feature that allows college students to display their class schedule on their profiles in a bid to make inroads with young consumers—days after TikTok released a similar tool. By cherry picking successful formats on other social platforms like messaging, music sharing, stories, short-form video, and more, Instagram has established itself as a crucial social tool and entertainment platform for young users. Its college schedule launch could help cement influence with yet another generation of students.

Retail media ad spending is booming in Latin America. Brazil and Mexico are leading the charge, with Mercado Libre outpacing in-market rivals. Here are the latest trends you need to know.

The news: Meta and Midjourney formed a partnership to bring more image-generation tools to Facebook and Instagram. Meta is licensing Midjourney’s “aesthetic technology” for users and brands, Meta chief AI officer Alexandr Wang posted on Threads. He implied that the agreement may go past licensing and involve collaboration with Meta’s research teams to integrate Midjourney into future models and products. Our take: Brands should experiment with Midjourney to streamline content creation for Meta campaigns. However, they should also monitor outputs carefully for quality and copyright issues, especially considering Midjourney has faced allegations of IP misuse. Fast creation is only an advantage if it doesn’t trigger legal or reputational backlash.

The news: Instagram introduced a linked Reels feature enabling creators to showcase short-form videos in a series for simpler storytelling, per an announcement on its Creators account. The feature follows a trend of creators making Reels series focused on specific storylines and themes, and will allow creators to link both new and previous content, excluding content exclusively shared with subscribers or close friends. Our take: Linked Reels unlocks more opportunities to convey messages with high-production value and an episodic narrative, transforming Reels into a media destination that keeps audiences returning instead of only offering one-off impressions.

The news: Snap is seeking outside funding for its AR Spectacles as it struggles to compete with Meta platforms and TikTok, per The Information. Our take: Bringing in outside capital could help Snap accelerate AR development without draining its core business. The possibility of gathering outside investment also highlights how critical Snap’s AR bet has become and how high the stakes are. Staying competitive requires Snap to prove Spectacles can evolve past a niche hardware play and compete with strong AI alternatives. If it can’t, Snap may get stuck in the middle, overshadowed by platforms that are faster, bigger, and richer.