The news: Walmart’s OnePay and Synchrony will issue a new co-brand Mastercard and a private-label card. Our take: The massive retailer’s connectivity between its customer base, supplier relationships, and financing apparatus positions OnePay to be a disruptor on the scene.
The news: Chase will let customers transfer credit limits between cards online without having to make a phone call or send a secured message, per a report by the Frequent Miler. Our take: For credit cards courting millennial and Gen Z cardholders, managing and optimizing financial health simply will be critical to securing their loyalty.
The No. 1 change B2B tech buyers want is pricing transparency from vendors, as cited by 45% worldwide, per January data from TrustRadius.
The news: TikTok tweens and teens who make popular “Get ready with me” skincare routine videos may be harming their skin. The takeaway: Amid the closer social media scrutiny, skincare health brands should be clear about products that are not made for young skin. Social media teams need to be aware and proactive when interacting with tween and teen content creators.
The news: China’s coffee giants are making their way to the US in the hopes of unlocking a lucrative market to offset pressures back home. Our take: Luckin’s and Cotti’s US launches are a problem for Starbucks, which is already struggling to compete with the companies in China and having a hard time winning over customers at home. Unfortunately for Starbucks, many of the moves it’s making—streamlining its menu, enhancing the in-store experience, leaning into premiumization—run counter to consumers’ current desire for variety, convenience, and value. That has created an opening for chains like Dutch Bros (and now Luckin and Cotti), which are better positioned to capitalize on emerging trends in the coffee space and can undercut Starbucks on price.
The news: GoodRx is rolling out a subscription service for erectile dysfunction (ED) treatment. Our take: GoodRx is in a great position to compete with the top D2C telehealth players since consumers are already on the site or app searching for prescription drug discounts—it has over 6 million active monthly consumers who use a coupon code. GoodRx might also be more trusted than pure-play telehealth companies in the eyes of consumers since its services help people save money on their healthcare.
The news: Avidity Biosciences struck a deal with the FDA for accelerated approval of a treatment for a rare type of muscular dystrophy. Our take: The Avidity announcement and federal health agency enthusiasm are positive signs for biotech and pharma companies looking for accelerated approval for rare disease candidates. Federal authorities and drugmakers will need to balance speed-to-market with rigorous science to ensure physician and consumer confidence.
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.
A large majority of US consumers are somewhat (26%), very (32%), or extremely (34%) concerned about AI spreading misinformation, according to an August 2024 survey from the Pew Research Center.
Even though most retail dollars are spent in physical stores, experts say retail media dollars have been slow to meet those consumers
The news: Starbucks is lowering prices in China for some drinks as the country’s relentless price wars force the struggling coffee chain to shift gears. Our take: Starbucks’ pricing actions are necessary to keep it competitive in a challenging market. But it is increasingly struggling to keep up with the likes of Luckin Coffee and Cotti, which are not only considerably cheaper but also better able to meet Chinese consumers’ rapidly shifting tastes. With conditions in the world’s second-largest economy unlikely to improve this year, Starbucks will have to find a way to become nimbler—and more affordable—to keep within striking distance of its rivals.
On today’s podcast episode, we discuss how Americans’ feelings towards AI have changed this year, the gaps in concern between AI experts and the general public, and the best ways to get started with AI. Join Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson, Analyst Grace Harmon, and Senior Vice President of Media Content and Strategy Henry Powderly. Listen everywhere and watch on YouTube and Spotify.
The news: Meta is in talks to invest upwards of $10 billion in Scale AI, a data labeling startup. The deal would be Meta’s biggest ever external AI investment and could help it position its Llama large language model (LLM) as an industry standard, per Bloomberg. Scale AI has already partnered with Meta to develop Defense Llama, an LLM designed for military use that’s built on Llama 3, and also works with Meta competitors like Microsoft and OpenAI. Our take: Meta’s massive investment could draw antitrust scrutiny in an era of acqui-hires. The outcome of active probes in Big Tech partnerships could influence regulatory action, especially if this investment contains any exclusivity that limits model training resources for other companies.
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.
Temu and Shein ad impressions dropped to 0% as both retailers effectively cut off Google Shopping ad spend in April.