蘑菇AV

The trend: The number of family caregivers in the US continues to increase, and many are taking on more responsibility, according to a survey of nearly 6,900 family caregivers ages 18+ from the AARP & National Alliance for Caregiving. Our take: Healthcare provider organizations and pharma companies can build relationships with families and drive brand loyalty by developing resources that target caregivers rather than patients. For instance, providers with patients who have family caregivers can offer transportation services to appointments, be accessible during times of the day that best work for caretakers, and connect caregivers with resources on how to get compensated for their work. Additionally, drugmakers should create educational materials that help caregivers better understand their recipients鈥� disease, manage their treatment regimens, and administer medications.

The news: A closely watched GLP-1 experimental pill from Viking Therapeutics achieved lower-than-anticipated weight loss results in study data released Tuesday. Our take: While weight loss pills won't be as powerful as shots, they still offer a good solution. Losing 10% to 12% of weight is still a significant result. Plus, pills are much more convenient than injectibles. They're easier to store and take, and don't require a needle. Drug companies should focus on promoting these benefits to market the pills as a good weight loss option.

The news: Home Depot is raising prices on select products to offset tariff-driven cost increases. The move marks an about-face from May, when the retailer said its diversified supply chain would shield it from price hikes. At the time, Home Depot framed holding prices steady as a chance to gain share, but near-universal tariffs have made that increasingly untenable. Our take: Home Depot鈥檚 shift illustrates how tariffs are weighing on retailers across categories鈥攅ven those with diversified supply chains and strong domestic sourcing. Passing costs along to consumers could protect margins in the short term, but it risks dampening demand in an already fragile housing and home improvement market. If tariffs remain in place or expand further, retailers like Home Depot will be stuck between paying more for goods and serving customers reluctant to spend. That dynamic could accelerate SKU rationalization, push more retailers to lean on higher-margin private labels, and force difficult trade-offs between protecting margins and holding share. For Home Depot, its ability to retain relatively high-spending homeowners and pros gives it a cushion, but sustaining growth into 2025 will hinge on how successfully it balances pricing power with customer loyalty in a sluggish housing market. Adjusted earnings per share were $4.68, up from $4.67 a year earlier, but short of the $4.71 expected. Revenues were $45.28 billion, up 4.9% YoY, but below the $45.36 billion expected. However, Home Depot reaffirmed its full-year outlook, guiding to growth in total sales of 2.8% and comparable sales of roughly 1%.

Streaming captured 47.3% of US TV viewing in July, a record share that underscores the medium鈥檚 dominance as linear declines. YouTube rose to 13.4% of TV use, its highest level yet, while Netflix surged 5% month-over-month to 8.8%, leading the top 10 streaming titles. The Roku Channel and Peacock also hit records, fueled by strong franchises and creator-driven content. Meanwhile, cable slid to 22.2% and broadcast fell to a new low of 18.4%. With YouTube and Netflix now equaling cable鈥檚 share, streaming has become the default destination for mass viewing鈥攅ven as subscription fatigue looms.

The news: A federal appeals court upheld $92 million in fines against T-Mobile and Sprint for illegally selling customer location information (CLI) without proper consent or safeguards. Our take: When building campaigns that use location-based targeting or CLI, marketers should treat consent and transparency as not only legal checkboxes but also strategic imperatives. Brands that clearly communicate how data is collected and used will build trust and better maintain customer loyalty.

The news: BMO launched the BMO Escape Credit Card, a Mastercard credit card geared for travelers, per a press release. The Escape Credit Card will pack a $150 annual fee. New signees are eligible to earn up to 45,000 points after spending $5,000 within the first three months of their account opening.

The news: American Express bolstered its array of hotels and resorts for Platinum members ahead of its much-anticipated Platinum refresh. The credit card company also debuted exclusive Amex experiences at the US Open Tennis Championship this week. Our take: Expanding its resort collection can help Amex cement its dominance in the premium travel card space. Its lineup at the US Open signals the power of experiential rewards, which craft a unique, memorable experience for members that extends beyond cash or material incentives鈥攁 clever way to distinguish itself from rivals like the Chase Sapphire Reserve.

The news: Mastercard has awarded WPP Media its $180 million media account after ending its relationship with Dentsu-owned Carat. Our take: WPP Media鈥檚 previous with PayPal may give insight into the type of media it might produce for Mastercard. As the creative firm behind the 鈥淰enmo Everything鈥� campaign and the Will Ferrell-fronted PayPal Pay Later campaign, Mastercard鈥檚 new promos likely will feature zeitgeisty and generationally buzzy celebrities to target younger demographics.

The news: The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) released COVID-19 vaccine recommendations that contradict the federal government鈥檚 recent guidance shift. Our take: Conflicting vaccine guidance is creating confusion for patients and healthcare providers, while making public discourse on vaccines more divisive. The responsibility to fix this will now fall on local leaders. States, communities, and physicians must take charge. They need to deliver clear, evidence-based vaccine information directly to people through local clinics, schools, and pharmacies. They must also actively campaign for insurers to continue covering the shots.

As card demand contracts and consumers pay down debt, banks may be sidelining spend-ready customers before stagflation takes hold.

The news: TikTok is experiencing massive growth among older generations, with adoption for users 45+ growing 1,200% between 2019 and 2025, per CivicScience鈥攕uggesting its stickiness across demographics and emphasizing older consumers鈥� buying power. Our take: A successful social advertising strategy will strike a balance: Valuing younger demographics for their growing influence while accounting for the enduring importance of older generations for driving digital purchases as social media adoption skyrockets.

The news: Despite the shift toward programmatic advertising, a study from the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) identified a lingering issue with the trend: The growth of wasted ad spending. The amount of wasted ad spend in programmatic advertising has risen 34% in two years, up to $26.8 billion from $20 billion in June 2023. Our take: The efficiency and growing relevance of programmatic comes with brand safety trade-offs, making transparency and stronger verification a prerequisite for sustained investment.

The news: OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is warning of a growing AI investment bubble. 鈥淎re we in a phase where investors are overexcited about AI? My opinion is yes,鈥� Altman said during a dinner with a group of reporters, per The Verge. Still, he emphasized that AI remains 鈥渢he most important thing to happen in a very long time.鈥� Our take: Altman鈥檚 warning about an AI bubble applies to marketers too. The temptation to chase every shiny new AI tool is real, but teams should develop an AI experimentation roadmap with clear outcomes to avoid wasting resources. Pushing vendors for case studies can help maximize budgets.

The news: As entry-level roles for younger hires shrink, ad schools are retooling their programs to promote AI fluency and skills. Miami Ad School, Virginia Commonwealth University鈥檚 Brandcenter, and London鈥檚 School of Communication Arts are adding AI education curriculum focused on concepting, campaign execution, and portfolio development, per Adweek. Our take: CMOs who understand how AI is reshaping both entry-level roles and leadership expectations will be in a better position to build resilient, AI-ready teams. However, companies shouldn鈥檛 focus only on hiring junior employees with existing AI literacy鈥攌eeping resources open to train both new and current workers as AI evolves will encourage a diversity of skills and experience on staff.

Retailers have built lucrative revenue streams from retail media networks (RMNs), leveraging on-site ad inventory and first-party transaction data. As the potential grows for consumers to shop through AI agents instead of retailer sites or apps, those data streams and ad surfaces are at risk.

The news: YouTube has made an official inquiry about purchasing the rights to future Academy Awards ceremonies in its latest live events push, per Bloomberg. The move comes after viewership increased slightly for the most recent Oscars ceremony, driven by simultaneous airing on ABC and Hulu. Our take: Rather than competing head-on with broadcast, YouTube can position itself as a complementary streaming partner that extends the Oscars鈥� reach by highlighting shifting viewership trends that capture audiences broadcast alone struggles to reach and its edge in premium video advertising.

MS NOW rebrand targets broader news reach: MSNBC aims to scale beyond its niche as TV audiences fragment globally.

The report: Amazon is reportedly keeping its Prime Big Deal Days event to two days, per Modern Retail. If true, that鈥檚 a bit of a surprise鈥攁nd runs counter to our prediction of a longer sale on a recent episode of Reimagining Retail鈥攁fter Amazon touted that doubling Prime Day to four days in July produced its 鈥渂iggest Prime Day event ever,鈥� with record sales and more items sold than any previous four-day Prime Day stretch. Amazon could not be reached for comment. Our take: If Amazon limits Big Deal Days to two days, it underscores the pressures retailers face in the back half of the year as tariffs squeeze consumers and sellers. We expect Amazon鈥檚 sales to rise 8.8% during the event, a considerable slowdown from last year鈥檚 32.0% surge. But with holiday sales forecast to grow just 1.2%, that performance may be a relative win. The bigger challenge will be sustaining momentum into Q4, as Amazon and its rivals juggle sharp discounts with the need to preserve profitability amid restrained consumer spending.

The trend: Paper coupons are making a comeback as brands zig while their competitors zag. Direct-to-consumer upstarts like Viv For Your V, Culture Pop, and Blume are experimenting with print coupons to drive awareness and trial, per Modern Retail. The move runs counter to an industry leaning heavily digital, where advertising costs are climbing and consumer attention is fragmented. And it鈥檚 not just startups. Kroger recently introduced paper versions of its weekly digital deals after hearing from shoppers who struggle with online access, aiming to bridge the so-called 鈥渄igital divide.鈥� Our take: Brands鈥� use of paper coupons mirrors retailers like Dollar General, Neiman Marcus, and Amazon, which have experimented with print catalogs to grab attention in a digital-first world. With shoppers increasingly price-sensitive, less brand loyal, and actively seeking deals, a tangible coupon in hand may be just the nudge that turns browsing into buying in today鈥檚 cautious consumer climate.

The trend: Brands are ramping up legal action over perceived infringements of their intellectual property. Our take: With brand loyalty ebbing as price concerns take priority, more companies are leaning on the law to keep rivals from undercutting their business. But there are limits: Ecommerce marketplaces like Amazon, Walmart, Temu, and Shein are crammed to the gills with dupes that are incredibly difficult to crack down on. While companies should protect their IP wherever possible, they also need to make clear to shoppers why their products are better than knockoff versions鈥攁nd why they鈥檙e worth full price.

The news: Cava invested $10 million in Hyphen, the robotics startup behind Chipotle鈥檚 automated kitchen line prototype, which Chipotle has backed. Our take: QSRs鈥� automation bets signal a broader shift toward augmented labor rather than outright replacement. For Cava, the upside lies in freeing employees for higher-value tasks like hospitality while improving speed and accuracy for digital-first customers. But if automation expands from back-of-house prep into other areas such as beverage dispensing and loyalty-driven upselling, chains will need to walk a fine line. Too much efficiency at the expense of the human touch risks alienating customers who still value personal connection. In the long term, the winners will be those that strike the right balance between efficiency and experience.

32% of US connected TV (CTV) users find traditional TV ads useful/helpful for holiday gift info, while 34% say the same about streaming TV ads, according to June 2025 data from LG Ad Solutions.