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The news: Cardholders who pay an annual fee report higher satisfaction with their financial product than those carrying no-fee cards, per J.D. Power鈥檚 US Credit Card Customer Satisfaction Study. Our take: Chasing too quickly after the most premium cardholders risks disenchanting young, upwardly mobile professionals in the millennial and Gen Z cohorts. If these elite cards want cardholders who can grow across their financial lifetimes with their products, they need to avoid hollowing out the middle between their elite and entry-level cards.

The news: The American Bankers Association, the Bank Policy Institute, and Consumer Bankers Association defended their decisions to charge fees to fintechs in a letter responding to the Financial Technology Association鈥檚 recent plea to protect Section 1033. Our take: Banks are in lock-step marching toward undoing Section 1033. As competing trade groups make appeals to President Donald Trump鈥攚hose own family has expressed support for the open banking rule鈥攆intechs need to prepare for a post-1033 world.

The news: Stripe is developing a blockchain called Tempo with crypto venture capitalist Paradigm, per an exclusive from Fortune. Our take: Even after the completion of its ecosystem, Stripe still faces steep competition with a crowd of existing public and private blockchain networks.

On today鈥檚 podcast episode, we discuss how the world鈥檚 largest online retailer is weathering tariffs so far, the biggest takeaway from Prime Day, and why Amazon鈥檚 AI future could be wearables. Join our conversation with Senior Director of Podcasts and host, Marcus Johnson, Senior Director of Briefings Jeremy Goldman, and Analyst, Rachel Wolff. Listen everywhere you find podcasts and watch on YouTube and Spotify.

The news: Upfront spending on primetime TV declined for the third year in a row as viewers shift to streaming and advertisers follow suit, per Media Dynamics. Our take: Though linear still commands more ad spending than streaming for now, money and viewership are becoming more entrenched within streaming.

ChatGPT saw 52.2 million US unique visitors in June, up 180.6% from last July, per Comscore.

Hogarth CEO Richard Glasson says AI hasn鈥檛 diminished creativity鈥攊t鈥檚 made craftsmanship more essential. By pairing genAI with human expertise, Hogarth is reengineering production to meet nonstop content demands without sacrificing cultural nuance or brand voice. In an era when 54% of marketers fear AI will erode creativity, the agency鈥檚 hybrid model positions craft as the premium differentiator.

The news: AstraZeneca is rolling out the first flu vaccine for at-home use, a nasal spray called FluMist Home. Our take: AstraZeneca鈥檚 at-home vaccine option offers an appealing new convenience but still faces vaccine hesitancy and change skeptics. While the marketing is just rolling out, social media parent influencer voices and partnering with trusted physicians will be important to build trust.

The advertising industry鈥檚 age and experience mix is shifting fast. In the US, entry-level roles are shrinking as automation replaces routine tasks, while in Australia, 鈥渏uniorisation鈥� favors younger, digitally fluent hires over seasoned veterans. Agencies face a balancing act鈥攂ringing in Gen Z talent to master AI-driven tools and authentically shape campaigns, while retaining senior expertise crucial for strategy, oversight, and client trust. Without a robust entry-level pipeline today, the industry risks a future shortage of homegrown leaders just as marketing grows more complex.

Retailers face an atypical holiday season. Instead of the usual end-of-year boom, 2025 is expected to bring a rare deceleration in holiday sales growth.

CPM prices are rising YoY on every major social network in the US. But AI-driven ad products are helping advertisers see better outcomes, making it easier for them to justify the higher costs that come with more efficient targeting.

Real-time payments adoption is still in its infancy in the US. But business and consumer demand are increasing, providing a growth opportunity for banks and customer-facing payment providers.

The news: Microdramas may be the next big thing on mobile, at least that鈥檚 what a new Hollywood startup is hoping. MicroCo plans to use AI to help create 1- to 3-minute vertical-video shows meant for the mobile screens. Microdrama seasons would be 30- to 100-episode arcs鈥攖hink telenovelas in short bursts. Our take: Microdramas are a growing venture and are ideal for the quick-hits crowd occupying social media. MicroCo could come out ahead if it can create and monetize buzzworthy content. While brands have the opportunity to advertise within short videos, they might fare better creating their own microdramas to appease consumers who are tired of ads.

The news: Paramount outlined the future of its cable and studio assets on Wednesday a week after completing its merger with Skydance Media. Paramount president Jeff Shell characterized the company鈥檚 vision for its cable networks, including MTV, BET, and Nickelodeon, not as shrinking linear assets, but as 鈥渂rands that we have to redefine.鈥� Our take: Paramount鈥檚 emphasis on growing its traditional media businesses signals a bet that legacy channels can drive meaningful revenues when accounting for shifting viewing habits and pursuing higher-volume content pipelines.

The news: The NFL may dominate sports viewership, but brands are also tuning into sports with smaller, but highly engaged, audiences. A Harris Poll report found that 70% of soccer fans are more excited for the World Cup because it will be hosted in North America. Beyond soccer, women鈥檚 sports is gaining momentum as a critical ad opportunity. WNBA team deals have increased 52% in two years, per SponsorUnited. Our take: Advertisers looking to reach tuned-in audiences at a lower cost of entry should view sports advertising opportunities like soccer and women鈥檚 sports as critical investments, not a last resort.

After beauty's social return on ad spend (ROAS) dipped to $1.90 in Q4 2024, the category saw a marked jump up to $3.50 in Q1 2025, according to a March report from Cart.com.

The finding: Interest in electric vehicles (EVs) has ticked up in the past year, per Deloitte鈥檚 June 2025 ConsumerSignals report. Globally, 44% of consumers said they would prefer an EV for their next vehicle, compared to 39% one year ago. In the US, 37% of consumers want an EV, up from 34% in June 2024. The rise in EV demand marks a fundamental shift in the risk landscape. Insurers can no longer afford to underwrite EVs as they would a regular car and adjust premiums reactively. Instead, they must move to a proactive model. This will include incentivizing safe driving, and educating consumers about their vehicles and how to keep premium prices as low as possible. Next, insurers should consider acquiring cybersecurity insurance, investing in human-centric security, and implementing advanced security technologies.

The news: Instagram is testing a feature that lets users select their favorite movies, books, TV shows, games, and music to encourage intentional sharing and discovery. The offering, called Picks, then surfaces overlapping interests between friends to drive engagement. It鈥檚 still an internal prototype and isn鈥檛 being tested externally yet. Our take: Effectiveness will depend on user adoption, stickiness, and whether shared Picks sparks meaningful interaction or is perceived as just another data-harvesting ploy. If Picks launches, brands should be ready to experiment with interest-based messaging but prepare to navigate privacy sensitivities.

The strategy: Tech platform Bluwhale has released a model for a scoring system that calculates real-time credit signals from both fiat and crypto assets, per Cointelegraph. Why this matters: We called for FIs to consider incorporating crypto assets into lending products in our report 鈥淗ome Lending Trends 2025.鈥� Here鈥檚 why: Cryptocurrency is becoming more mainstream, with big banks increasingly incorporating digital currencies into everyday solutions. Younger consumers are more interested in alternative investments including crypto than their older counterparts. Our take: FIs aren鈥檛 currently offering Bluewhale鈥檚 system, but the model still illustrates how creditworthiness scoring could look in the future. FIs that include financial activity that demonstrates strength but doesn鈥檛 appear on a traditional credit report can assess loan requests more accurately鈥攁nd potentially approve more customers.

The news: Sixty-four percent of Gen Z and 65% of millennial homebuyers say their financial well-being will depend on their ability to refinance to a lower interest rate in the future, per Truework鈥檚 鈥淭he State of Homebuying in America鈥� report. But if rates don鈥檛 significantly drop over the next few years, these customers鈥� mortgages could be at risk of defaulting. Our take: Financial institutions (FIs) can step in to help young homeowners navigate their mortgages while they await rate changes. FIs can start by offering automated refinance alerts, enhancing digital transparency and providing a homeownership/homebuying educational hub.

The news: US Gen Zers鈥� rising interest in financial independence is driving them to favor banking websites over beauty, gaming, or news websites, according to our industry KPI data provided by Comscore. The number of unique visitors ages 18鈥�24 to banking industry websites grew from 15.0 million to 15.7 million between January and June 2025. Other industries saw a drop in unique visitors of that age bracket over the same period. Our take: Financial institutions (FIs) must adapt their strategies to align with Gen Z's priorities and behaviors, because their competitors clearly have.This will require them to rethink the user experience, shift from products to value, and embrace socially native communication.

The Ulta Beauty at Target partnership, which put more than 600 Ulta mini-stores inside Target locations, will end in August 2026 when the current agreement expires. The companies said they mutually agreed not to renew the deal, which launched in 2021. With this business venture set to end, Ulta will focus on new growth opportunities, while Target will gain space to focus on operational improvements and refine its retail strategy.

The news: Klarna鈥檚 revenues jumped 20% YoY to $823 million in the latest earnings released ahead of its IPO this fall. Gross merchandise volume (GMV) spiked 19% to $31.2 billion鈥攏early four times the size of competitor Affirm鈥檚 $8.6 billion. Klarna鈥檚 US GMV growth is even more impressive, at 37% YoY. Our take: Klarna will have an uphill battle if it wants to dethrone Affirm as the dominant BNPL provider in the US. Given Affirm鈥檚 recent partnership with Stripe, Klarna may not be able to rely on the fintech for such rapid growth anymore鈥攅specially considering Affirm鈥檚 more direct integrations with Stripe in-store.