Forever 21’s long-shot plan to emerge from bankruptcy involves copying Shein: The fast-fashion retailer plans to adopt an ecommerce-only model if it fails to find a buyer to manage its stores.
When Southwest Airlines announced they were charging for bags, Amtrak posted on X, “Guess we’re the only ones doing free baggage now.” The post, followed by more info on Amtrak’s baggage policy, is an example of what Amtrak senior manager of social media Nicolle Lopez calls its infotainment strategy, designed to educate and entertain at the same time.
GenAI is playing a bigger role in the shopping experience: Consumers are turning to AI tools for product recommendations, research, and inspiration.
US ad spending faces a slowdown: Economic uncertainty, tariffs, and inflation are prompting advertisers to cut budgets, with 2025 ad growth forecasts declining.
50% of US adults are likely to cut back on spending at fast food restaurants if tariffs lead to higher prices, according to a February 2025 CivicScience survey.
As customers grab the same grocery staples they have for decades, Walmart is betting that gamifying the experience will challenge those habits. The retailer plans to launch Walmart Unlimited, a three-part miniseries that features the entrepreneurs behind its products. Launched last month on Spatial, the game includes full commerce integration that enables in-app purchases.
As the mall's place in consumers' lives changes, brands are left to focus on bringing people in through experiences and attractions, or on forging their identities outside of those retail spaces. "A lot of people are going to malls, but they're not necessarily going there to shop," said our analyst Rachel Wolff on a recent episode of "Behind the Numbers: Reimagining Retail." Instead, people are visiting malls for restaurants, to socialize, or for experiential attractions.
Major creators will hold event to vie for YouTube ad dollars: The Spotter Showcase will unveil crucial data and content slates to draw marketers away from traditional TV.
Pepsi buys Poppi to hone its appeal to health-conscious consumers: The acquisition comes amid a broader portfolio shift in favor of “better for you” options.
Historically, brands used upper-funnel channels like connected TV (CTV) for brand awareness, while relying on lower-funnel tactics such as retail media to drive conversions. But with shoppable CTV ads, brands can do both, leveraging retail media network (RMN) data to target consumers across CTV platforms, connecting the moment of discovery directly to the point of purchase.
72.6% of US luxury buyers surveyed in August 2024 planned to spend the same amount or more on personal luxury goods over the next year, according to an ĢAV and Bizrate Insights survey.
On today’s podcast episode, we discuss the next waves to hit the streaming world: which platform will emerge as the streaming hub, how will “content tiers” change viewer behavior and subscriptions, and can streaming maintain sizeable enough audiences for awards shows and Presidential debates? Tune in to the conversation with Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson, our Senior Editor Daniel Konstantinovic, and Vice President Paul Verna. Listen everywhere and watch on YouTube and Spotify.
On today’s podcast episode, we discuss how Mint Mobile was able to stand out before a celebrity like Ryan Reynolds joined the team, how he helped them break the marketing mold, and lessons learned along the way to becoming a billion-dollar valued company. Tune in to the conversation with Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson, our Senior Director of Briefings Jeremy Goldman, Vice President Suzy Davidkhanian, and Strategic Advisor to Mint Mobile Aron North. Listen everywhere and watch on YouTube and Spotify.
Gen Z is feeling squeezed: High living costs are driving Gen Zers to spend nearly twice as much as they save, which is leading them to prioritize essentials.
Unilever invests big in social channels: The company plans to spend half of its media budget on a new strategy that puts influencers front and center of its marketing.
The service advances Block’s goal of “banking our base” and could drive Cash App adoption.
A lot happens in a week, so every Friday we're going to analyze all the new data and provide you with some of the key takeaways. Welcome to the Friday 5. This week, teens want ads with products in action, consumers aren’t giving brands negative feedback, and St. Patrick’s Day doesn’t interest consumers as much as other holidays.
Lawmakers investigate telehealth tie-ups with pharma: Despite more scrutiny over potential conflicts of interest, we expect even more Big Pharma D2C launches this year.
Marketers can use this to recognize high growth areas of investment strategies and acknowledge the uncertainty shown in TikTok investments as a potential nudge to diversify their social ad spend.