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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.

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: 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.

Only 40% of US retail media networks (RMNs) offer self-service sales data, according to Q2 data from Mars United Commerce.

Execution missteps remain a stubborn issue in grocery retail. Nearly half (48%) of shoppers have encountered pricing mismatches or promotional errors at checkout鈥攁 frequent frustration that quietly undermines trust, per a consumer survey commissioned by store intelligence provider Simbe. At a time when brand loyalty is waning, strong execution and a seamless in-store experience can be a powerful competitive advantage.

Video games now reach players of all ages, but kids and teens remain key to growth. Recent data shows who's gaming, what revenue forecasts look like, and gamers' sentiments about ads.

AI shopping assistants are reshaping product discovery and threatening retail media鈥檚 search-driven model. RMNs and advertisers need to adjust strategies to protect their market position and seize the opportunity to turn disruption into growth.

Nearly two-thirds of US consumers (63%) believe businesses are taking advantage of the challenging economic climate to raise prices, according to a survey by The Harris Poll. Still, consumers shouldn鈥檛 be surprised by tariff surcharges at checkout. Businesses should avoid the urge to use tariffs as an excuse to pad their margins and instead aim to keep prices on popular items as steady as possible while clearly explaining unavoidable increases.

The news: Netflix is proving its power as the dominant subscription streaming platform with several recent ad wins. The streamer announced that it鈥檚 sold all of its available commercial time in preparation for its two Christmas day NFL games, also noting sponsorship deals with partners like Google and FanDuel. Our take: With its strong lead in ad revenue growth, position as the most-used subscription video service in the US, consistently low subscriber churn rate, and content strategy tailored to unique markets, Netflix is likely to continue dominating advertiser investment in connected TV.

The news: New data from Digital Content Next revealed that Google AI Overviews lead to as much as a 25% decrease in publisher referral traffic, reinforcing brands鈥� and publishers鈥� ongoing concerns over the tech鈥檚 adverse impact on content effectiveness. Our take: AI Overviews will continue usurping referral traffic from publishers, meaning that the brands who last will be those who adapt to the change rather than fight it. Brands must optimize for AI visibility, not just search rankings.

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.

The news: A coalition of major US banks is pushing for reforms to the recently enacted GENIUS Act. The banks are concerned that a loophole could give non-bank competitors advantages over more regulated traditional banks, per AInvest. Our take: The main challenge for traditional banks is that they have to compete on a new front with different rules. But it鈥檚 also a major risk to their customers, who could not only move their money over to competitors鈥� accounts鈥攂ut also lose it. While a 4% reward rate is highly attractive and far exceeds most traditional savings account interest, these stablecoin holdings are not necessarily protected by FDIC insurance. Without this insurance, a platform failure could mean consumers lose their entire investment鈥攁 risk that does not exist with a federally insured bank deposit.

The news: HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is reviving a children鈥檚 vaccine task force after pressure from anti-vaccine advocates. The reinstated Task Force on Safer Childhood Vaccines will be led by NIH director Jay Bhattacharya and include FDA and CDC senior officials. Our take: The HHS鈥� vaccine moves will stoke already growing vaccine hesitancy and mistrust. Healthcare providers and vaccine makers need to ally with medical groups and experts to double down on the proven science of vaccines in clear and reassuring communications to parents and consumers. They should underscore the importance of preventive vaccines for individual children and broader public health.

The news: A recent YouGov study highlighted shifting media consumption habits鈥攁nd Gen Z is leading the way. Half of Gen Zers make purchases based on social media ads compared with 41% of overall consumers. Gen Z is one of the leaders in time spent with social media, with 28% spending at least 5 hours on social platforms on the average weekday. Our take: As Gen Z proves itself as one of the most valuable demographics for advertisers, brands must tailor strategies to channels and formats that are most likely to connect with these growth drivers.

The news: Social media is no longer just a branding tool鈥攊t鈥檚 a commerce engine, particularly among Gen Z. Over half (56%) of US Gen Zers have made a purchase because of a social media influencer, per CivicScience鈥檚 2025 Gen Z Media Consumption report. That鈥檚 up from 41% in 2023. 52% of Gen Zers have made a purchase directly on a social media platform, compared with 32% of adults over 30. Our take: Gen Z鈥檚 buying behavior is embedded in social-first platforms, where influence equals transaction. Partnerships with nano-influencers, who often have extremely engaged audiences, can help boost reach. Brands should test direct in-platform checkout integration on social media to boost conversion and capitalize on growing ecommerce options on platforms like TikTok and Instagram.

The news: Apple could soon renew its smart home and robotics plans with a slew of products. The hardware giant is planning an AI-enabled tabletop robot, per Bloomberg, a smart home camera, and a smart speaker with a display. This could all be accompanied by a major Siri upgrade built on large language models (LLMs). Our take: This could be Apple鈥檚 biggest ecosystem play since the iPhone. If successful, it could drive growth in a post-iPhone era, reestablish Apple in the AI game, and usher in a new era of home-based intelligence.

The news: Apple is bringing back blood oxygen monitoring for Apple Watch as part of its health and wellness features. Apple discontinued the feature in the US in 2023 after a patent dispute and court ruling forced the halt. The takeaway: Apple still leads smartwatch brands with a 22% market share, but its dominance has slipped. Health and wellness features incorporating AI assistance are key for future growth. Tech companies should market wearables as health tools for consumers, especially to older demographics who have greater health needs but lower smartwatch adoption rates.

US retail sales advanced in July as consumers took advantage of major sales events. However, signs are emerging that consumers are becoming more pessimistic as inflation expectations rise. With pressure from rising food prices, higher housing costs, and uncertainty about higher tariffs, consumers remain cost-conscious鈥攁nd are wary about what鈥檚 ahead. Still, it鈥檚 clear that they鈥檙e willing to spend when they see clear value, providing a roadmap for retailers to capture sales.

As tariffs raise costs for brands and retailers, many are embracing SKU rationalization鈥攃utting underperforming items to rein in expenses and protect margins.Retailers face a delicate balancing act: trimming costs without alienating customers. SKU rationalization may be a short-term necessity, but its long-term impact hinges on how well brands can preserve shopper loyalty while streamlining the aisle.