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B2B marketers are under pressure to prove event ROI. B2B events are a key channel for driving engagement and building pipeline鈥攂ut the pressure to prove ROI is increasing. Event participation must be strategic and aligned with clear business outcomes. This report reveals 10 data-backed best practices to help sponsors and exhibitors boost engagement, generate pipeline, and turn event participation into measurable business results.

This is the Q2 2025 installment of our 鈥淩etail and Ecommerce Sales Benchmarks鈥� series, which helps retailers and brands gauge their sales mix against the market.

This is the Q2 2025 installment of our "Retail and Ecommerce Sales Benchmarks鈥� series, which helps retailers and brands calibrate their sales mix against the market.

This is the Q2 2025 installment of our "Retail and Ecommerce Sales Benchmarks鈥� series, which helps retailers and brands gauge their sales mix against the market.

This is the Q2 2025 installment of our "Retail and Ecommerce Sales Benchmarks鈥� series, which helps retailers and brands gauge their sales mix against the market.鈥�

This is the Q2 2025 installment of our "Retail and Ecommerce Sales Benchmarks鈥� series, which helps retailers and brands gauge their sales mix against the market.

This is the Q2 2025 installment of our "Retail and Ecommerce Sales Benchmarks鈥� series, which helps retailers and brands gauge their sales mix against the market.鈥�

This is the Q2 2025 installment of our "Retail and Ecommerce Sales Benchmarks鈥� series, which helps retailers and brands gauge their sales mix against the market.

This is the Q2 2025 installment of our "Retail and Ecommerce Sales Benchmarks鈥� series, which helps retailers and brands calibrate their sales mix against the market.

The news: Meta announced numerous updates to its messaging ad options, with a heavy focus on WhatsApp. Meta is expanding Ads Manager to include WhatsApp campaigns, centralizing multi-campaign management across its platforms. The feature allows businesses to upload subscriber lists to use Advantage+ to optimize ad budgets or manually choose messages for additional placements. Our take: The ongoing potential for divestiture could have significant implications for advertisers that rely on Meta鈥檚 ecosystem鈥攂ut the new features will still make WhatsApp a more appealing option for those that haven鈥檛 considered it as a key ad channel.

US financial media network ad spend will soar to $1.22 billion in 2026, nearly doubling from $640 million in 2025鈥攁 66.8% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), per our May 2025 forecast.

鈥淔riday, Friday, Friday,鈥� begins Amtrak鈥檚 recent viral social media video, in the retro style of monster truck ads. The content, which goes on to encourage train travel as summer begins (on Friday), has received over 500,000 shares across platforms, per Amtrak.

Get the correct answers to our Big Question quiz in the eMarketer Retail Daily newsletter from Insider Intelligence.

The trend: Few consumers use AI tools for the health and wellness activities they participate in, according to a recent survey from Menlo Ventures and Morning Consult of 5,031 U.S. adults in April 2025. The big takeaway: Consumers are right on the cusp of using AI as a health information tool. AI tools are getting smarter, but can still be unreliable鈥攐ne faulty response to a query about a person鈥檚 symptoms or health condition can turn a user off for good. AI platforms must train their models on credible medical sources and collaborate with clinicians to review outputs for accuracy.

The news: Consumers increasingly trust shopping suggestions from AI, even more than product suggestions from content creators, positioning the technology as a trusted and personalized guide rather than a back-end tool. 27% of US consumers trust AI shopping recommendations, per Walmart鈥檚 Retail Rewired Report, compared with 24% who trust suggestions from social media influencers. Our take: AI retail tools are most likely to succeed if they offer both speed and a sense of user control. Retailers should let users set spending caps and offer options to pause or customize recommendations to help AI agents feel more like a trusted assistant than a pushy salesperson.

The news: AMC Entertainment鈥檚 stock plummeted 7.4% on Tuesday, per TipRanks, after the chain started running additional ads before screenings鈥攂uilding on AMC鈥檚 27.8% YTD loss. AMC simultaneously announced a debt and financing agreement that included $223 million in new financing for debt maturing in 2026 and converting at least $143 million worth of existing debt into equity. Our take: Higher ad revenues for AMC could offset the chain鈥檚 financial difficulties, but its refinancing plan shows ads alone aren鈥檛 enough. Investors are seeking a clear path to consistent profitability.

On today鈥檚 podcast episode, we discuss the ingredients of Walmart鈥檚 current recipe for success and the technology that鈥檚 most likely to propel them into the future. Listen to the conversation with our Senior Analyst Sara Lebow as she hosts Vice President of Content Suzy Davidkhanian and Analyst Rachel Wolff.

The news: Paramount has settled a lawsuit with Donald Trump after the president sued the company following a 鈥�60 Minutes鈥� interview with Kamala Harris that he argued contained 鈥渄eceptive doctoring,鈥� the company announced Tuesday. Sources cited by The Hollywood Reporter claim the lawsuit posed a threat to Paramount鈥檚 pending merger with Skydance, which will require the Trump administration鈥檚 approval. Our take: While the settlement could pave the way for Paramount and Skydance鈥檚 merger, it raises questions about the future of media companies who are perceived as holding a liberal bias鈥攁nd concerns about increasing censorship in the current political environment.

The news: Baidu has launched MuseSteamer, an enterprise-only AI tool that converts images into 10-second videos using three output modes鈥擳urbo, Pro, and Lite鈥攚hile upgrading its core search engine to support multimodal inputs. The tool targets businesses looking for scalable, automated creative output. Our take: With nearly half of marketers and creators now using AI for video daily, Baidu is doubling down on the enterprise market. MuseSteamer distinguishes itself from consumer-facing tools by offering speed, reliability, and tight workflow integration. As video becomes the default for content, the winners will be platforms that deliver pro-grade output without creative friction.

The news: Meta, which recently assembled Meta Superintelligence Labs (MSL) as part of its AI acquisition spree, is staffing its new department with key figures from OpenAI and other AI startups. Meta has poached at least 11 OpenAI engineers, per Wired鈥攊ncluding Jiahui Yu, Hongyu Ren, Jin Lin, and Shengjia Zhao, co-creators of OpenAI鈥檚 o3, o4-mini, GPT-4.1, and GPT-4o. Our take: Meta鈥檚 aggressive talent grab reveals the AI arms race is now a bidding war. If top researchers are increasingly swayed by compensation over mission, it raises tough questions for brands making long-term AI investments.

The trend: Scarcity still sells. Even as consumers become more budget-conscious, limited releases continue to spark outsize demand and buzz. Our take: Consumers are drawn to the new, the novel, and the exclusive. That鈥檚 why limited releases continue to deliver results. They create urgency and give brands a way to protect margins鈥攅ven at a time when many shoppers are rethinking their overall spending.

The news: The electric vehicle industry hit a rough patch in Q2, with sales slowing across the board鈥攅specially for companies focused solely on EVs. Our take: If the so-called Big Beautiful Bill passes鈥攁s many expect鈥攁nd eliminates the EV tax credit, the industry could find itself in a downturn it can鈥檛 easily steer out of. Without incentives to offset higher upfront costs, EV adoption may slow even further, leaving automakers stuck with inventory and uncertain demand.

The news: Despite its massive reach, gaming still accounts for less than 5% of worldwide media investment, per Dentsu鈥檚 2025 Gaming Trends report鈥攊ndicating a disparity between where audiences spend their time and where advertisers invest. Our take: Concerns about brand safety with in-game advertising linger, but brands that are willing to take the risk stand to gain through an approach that considers that simply investing in the format isn鈥檛 enough to drive results.

The news: Microsoft Advertising now enforces policy compliance at the asset level鈥攁d headlines, descriptions, and images will be reviewed individually. If one element violates policy, the rest of the ad can stay live, as long as the minimum required approved assets remain, per MarTech. Key takeaway: Marketers should embrace modular creative strategies, ensuring each individual asset is in compliance. Build campaigns with redundancy in approved elements to maintain uptime, and monitor flagged assets to quickly respond and ensure ad integrity.

The news: Meta鈥檚 Threads is adding direct messaging (DM) and a 鈥渉ighlight鈥� feature to show trending topics related to a user鈥檚 feed. Our take: DMs will allow consumers to interact directly with brands and could open up a new customer service channel, while brand social media accounts could become part of the narrative as new 鈥渉ighlight鈥� trends arise. Marketers and social media managers should boost brand presence on Threads by engaging with followers and posting on relevant trending topics.