蘑菇AV

The news: During a Congressional subcommittee hearing, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. laid out his vision for all Americans to use a wearable with health-tracking capabilities within four years. Our take: Marketers should use Kennedy鈥檚 enthusiasm for wearables to their advantage. They should get out in front of the government鈥檚 ad campaign by developing their own promotions that inform consumers of wearables鈥� evolved health-tracking features beyond just counting calories and steps. They could target people who aren鈥檛 as familiar or have never used a health wearable due to price concerns or lack of tech-savviness.

The news: A majority of GLP-1 weight loss drug consumers are now staying on the medications for more than a year, per an annual Prime Therapeutics analysis. The Prime study includes 5,780 people via healthcare claims over three years; the mean age was 47 and 80% were women. The final word: Adherence rates longer than a year validates the idea that prescription weight loss GLP-1s, and newer drugs on the way, are here to stay as chronic disease treatments. It shifts typical weight loss marketing from cyclical鈥攌eep your New Year鈥檚 resolution or lose weight for your wedding鈥攖o medical and consistent.

The trend: US consumers trust the pharma companies that advertise the prescription drugs they鈥檙e taking. Our take: Pharma companies can take heart in knowing the people who take their drugs trust them and their advertising. But it鈥檚 also an opportunity for precise data and media targeting to reach new consumers who would be interested in their medication鈥攗ndiagnosed people or competitors鈥� patients鈥攁nd receptive to learning about them.

The situation: Nike鈥檚 turnaround will likely take some time. In FYQ4, the company鈥檚 sales fell 12% YoY (11% on a constant-currency basis), reflecting what CFO Matthew Friend called the 鈥渓argest financial impact鈥� from the company鈥檚 reset strategy. Still, he expressed confidence that 鈥渉eadwinds will moderate from here,鈥� emphasizing Nike鈥檚 focus on execution and controlling what it can. Our take: Turning around a company the size of Nike is like trying to turn around an ocean liner in rough waters. Change takes time, especially amid headwinds like tariffs and shaky demand, and execution missteps keep dragging on performance. Nike is adjusting course鈥攍eaning back into wholesale, cleaning up its inventory, and getting more surgical with product drops鈥攂ut calm seas are still a ways off.

The news: Linear ad impressions declined 4.25% YoY in Q1, falling from about 92% of impressions in early 2023 to around 86% in March 2025, per iSpot鈥檚 Q1 TV Ad Transparency Report. But despite the decline, linear ad spend grew 4% in Q1, reaching $12.34 billion鈥攊ndicating that while audience preferences are shifting, advertiser interest in linear remains steady. Our take: The most effective ad strategies will strike a balance between sustaining investment in linear to capitalize on its scale and reliability, and steadily increasing investment in streaming to align with evolving viewer behavior and future-proof campaign performance.

The news: Small- and medium-size businesses (SMBs) are increasingly relying on social media as a key marketing tool鈥攂ut over half are struggling to keep up with the rapidly evolving landscape. Over three-quarters of small business leaders state that using social media has made a positive impact on their business鈥攂ut 56% find it difficult to prioritize social media use, and 54% struggle to produce enough content to support multiple social media channels. Our take: Keeping up with social media鈥檚 future requires SMBs to integrate it as a core business function rather than viewing social media as an afterthought.

The news: PayPal partnered with the Big Ten and Big 12 conferences to enable payments for participating student-athletes. Our take: Capitalizing on young, emerging student consumers is a strong opportunity to secure long-time and loyal PayPal and Venmo users.

The news: SoFi will relaunch its crypto investing platform and will introduce self-serve international money transfers powered by blockchain technology by year鈥檚 end, per a press release. Our take: As customers warm to crypto transactions, remittance providers stand to score valuable volume鈥攁nd customer loyalty鈥攊f they style their businesses around what remittance senders want most: cheap, convent, and fast transactions.

The insight: Retailers鈥� return strategies play a crucial role in managing the impact of tariffs. Efficient reverse logistics processes can help maximize companies鈥� existing inventory and reduce buying costs鈥攙ital savings at a time when every overseas order carries a minimum duty of 10%. Our take: With tariffs looming large, retailers need to maximize the efficiency of their reverse logistics operations. Being able to restock returned merchandise faster will help mitigate some inventory pressures鈥攁lthough companies need to make sure that they have rigorous processes to prevent items in poor condition from making their way to customers and damaging their brand reputations.

H&M moves to diversify sourcing amid tariff threat: The move will enable it to stay competitive with Zara and minimize tariffs鈥� impact on its bottom line

Economic concerns and global tensions are forcing travelers to rethink their summer plans as booking windows shrink and cost-consciousness rises.

Total time spent with media per day in the US is no longer growing meaningfully, but there will still be significant churn between devices, activities, and platforms as consumers choose how to spend their time.

The news: Spotify鈥檚 Partner Program has opened new monetization paths for video podcasters, enabling MP4 uploads and revenue through ads and subscriptions. Creators like Ryth report earning over $55,000 per month, surpassing YouTube earnings. However, the model doesn鈥檛 support dynamic ads for premium subscribers, prompting networks to hold back. Why it matters: Nearly half of all digital media time is spent on video, and Spotify is betting big on that trend鈥攅specially among Gen Z, who increasingly prefer video-first podcast formats. Our take: Spotify鈥檚 approach may alienate ad-heavy networks for now, but video鈥檚 growth and creator enthusiasm suggest its long-term strategy is sound.

The news: OpenAI is working on an enterprise product that would rival both Microsoft 365 and Google Workplace, per The Information. The features would allow user collaboration within documents and chat capabilities among co-workers, according to two sources. Our take: OpenAI has the potential to be an all-in-one solution if it could use its interface as a document creator and data storage solution, but Microsoft鈥檚 and Google鈥檚 brand recognition in that space is likely to keep ChatGPT enterprise solutions on the sidelines鈥攆or now.

81% of Gen Z adults and 78% of millennial adults often wish they could disconnect from digital devices more easily, according to a February 2025 survey from Quad conducted by The Harris Poll.

Back-to-school spending is steady in 2025, but shopper behavior is split. Parents are prioritizing tech and clothing鈥攜et these are also the first to be cut when budgets tighten. Consumers are shopping earlier, seeking deals, and using AI to keep costs down. With shopping habits divided by generation and income, retailers must stay flexible, personalize offers, optimize for AI, and create seamless cross-channel experiences.

The news: A federal judge gave Anthropic the green light this week to train its AI on millions of pirated books鈥攄eclaring it 鈥渇air use鈥濃�攅ven as the company used methods that resembled digital looting, per CNET. Our take: 24% of marketers say copyright concerns will be a big challenge for generative AI (genAI) in the next two years, per Econsultancy. To protect themselves, agencies need to pressure-test genAI vendors and ask tough questions about how models were trained鈥攂efore the lawsuits land on their desks.

The news: AI-fueled r茅sum茅s have pushed LinkedIn job applications up 45% YoY, overwhelming recruiters and upending hiring norms. Recruiters now face an avalanche of lookalike r茅sum茅s and fake identities鈥攕ome even auto-submitted by AI bots. Many are turning to AI-powered hiring platforms to fight fire with fire, per The New York Times. Our take:By relying on AI tools to chase efficiency, both sides could drive up skepticism and erode the core goal: finding the right person for the right role. Businesses with open roles should prioritize clarity, human relevance, and judicious restraint in their own use of AI.

The news: Walmart is testing dark stores in Dallas and Bentonville, Arkansas, as part of its broader effort to speed up deliveries, per Bloomberg. Our take: Amazon鈥檚 latest pledge to offer one- or same-day delivery in 4,000 smaller cities and rural areas by year鈥檚 end is the latest salvo in its relentless quest to raise the bar on convenience. For Walmart, keeping pace isn鈥檛 optional鈥攊t鈥檚 essential. Fortunately, Walmart has the scale and infrastructure to compete. Fast delivery isn鈥檛 just about logistics; it鈥檚 a powerful driver of customer loyalty. When shoppers know they can get essentials like toothpaste at their doorstep within hours, they鈥檙e more likely to click the buy button rather than venture out to a store.

The news: Skims, the shapewear brand founded by Kim Kardashian, is on an expansion tear as it nears $1 billion in annual sales, per Business of Fashion. The company plans to open 16 stores in the US this year, bringing its total domestic footprint to 22. Over the next nine months, Skims expects to establish itself in seven new markets鈥攊ncluding stores in Mexico, London, and Dubai. Our take: While stores are hugely important to Skims鈥� growth, the company has several advantages over the rest of the D2C field. Unlike most other D2C companies, Skims doesn鈥檛 need to rely on its stores as billboards given its high-profile founder, who is also a fixture of its ad campaigns. Its partnership with Nike will give it access to an even larger audience and smooth its entry into the athleisure category鈥攁ssuming production delays don鈥檛 get in the way. The launch will also considerably increase Skims鈥� retail presence without needing to invest in premium real estate.

The scene: When Cooper Flagg鈥攖he odds-on favorite to be the NBA Rookie of the Year next season鈥攕teps onto the court for the first time, he鈥檒l be wearing New Balance basketball shoes. Our take: New Balance鈥檚 push to sign Flagg, along with its other star-powered ambassadors, underscores its clear ambition to break into the top tier of global sportswear brands. While Nike and Adidas still lead by a wide margin, New Balance has its sights set on Puma, which reported $9.5 billion in sales last year鈥攚ell ahead of New Balance鈥檚 $7.8 billion. To close the gap, New Balance needs to turn its growing visibility into demand, which is far from a sure thing. From there, it must maintain that momentum with consistent sales across both its performance and lifestyle lines. If Flagg lives up to the hype and the brand finds ways to ride that momentum, New Balance could take a meaningful step up the sneaker hier

The trend: A perfect macroeconomic storm is causing younger consumers to cut back on spending. Our take: These pressures aren鈥檛 going away anytime soon. The Trump administration鈥檚 tariffs are leading retailers like Walmart, Best Buy, and Macy鈥檚 to raise prices鈥攑utting even more strain on young shoppers already feeling stretched. At the same time, job anxieties are growing. The white collar workforce is shrinking, and more companies are citing AI as a reason for layoffs. Put it all together, and it鈥檚 likely that younger consumers will remain cautious with their spending for some time, especially on nonessentials. Retailers that want to win over this group will need to focus on offering value such as high-quality, private label products.

The rest of the year is top-of-mind for leaders in marketing and retail, which they expect to be challenging but riddled with opportunities to stand out from competition.