蘑菇AV

In the first 100 days of his second term, President Trump has reshaped business strategy across retail, tech, healthcare, and media. Here鈥檚 how tariffs, regulation, and market volatility are forcing brands to rethink spend, growth, and planning.

Develop media strategy and allocate budget for campaigns (brands, agencies). Develop commerce strategy (brands). Showcase opportunities to customers (agencies, media platforms, solution providers).

For the first time in its history, the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity awarded medals in retail media鈥攁 sign that commerce-driven creativity has fully arrived on the global stage.

The news: As the 2025 economy tightens under the pressure of tariffs, AI disruption, and shifting global trade policy, brands are embracing adaptability. Retail growth forecasts have been slashed, inflation-wary consumers are scaling back, and even luxury sentiment is weakening. Our take: Resilient brands are leaning into agile planning, reallocating media spend to ROI-focused channels like search and digital out-of-home, and anchoring value in trust and quality鈥攏ot just price. As emotional volatility shapes consumer decisions, marketers who show relevance and reassurance will lead. The brands that win won鈥檛 wait for stability鈥攖hey鈥檒l build strategies that succeed amid constant change.

The insight: Walmart sees a (near) future where customers will shop directly from their smart TVs鈥攑referably one powered by Vizio, which the retailer purchased for $2.3 billion last year. Our take: Shoppers are gradually becoming more comfortable with the concept of shoppable TV. Whether those occasional behaviors become habit will depend on platforms鈥� ability to offer ads that are personalized and relevant. That puts Walmart at an advantage, given its troves of first-party data鈥攁lthough it faces tough competition from the likes of Amazon and Roku.

Despite the rise of digital shopping, brick-and-mortar still dominates retail. This makes in-store digital advertising attractive for marketers, but a new 蘑菇AV and Placer.ai study reveals critical disconnects between marketers' assumptions and consumer reality.

The trend: Summer retail sales are starting earlier and stretching longer than ever. Our take: Retailers aren鈥檛 just chasing summer sales鈥攖hey鈥檙e building revenue engines that integrate ecommerce, loyalty programs, and retail media into a more durable flywheel. By making sales events exclusive to members or offering perks like early access to deals, they鈥檙e encouraging sign-ups, deepening engagement, and boosting long-term customer value. The longer promotional windows give retailers more time to drive discretionary spending, alleviate fulfillment bottlenecks, and monetize digital traffic through advertising. That鈥檚 especially critical this year, as economic uncertainty prompts more consumers to pull back on nonessential purchases.

Recent Super Bowl advertising from companies like Rocket Mortgage featured inclusive messaging targeting Hispanic homebuyers, underscoring this point. Zooming out: The shift toward privacy-first advertising enhances the appeal of Mundial鈥檚 model. While legacy adtech cheered Google鈥檚 April reversal on eliminating cookies, Mundial鈥檚 engine evolves through machine learning and human input.

The news: Amazon announced its Prime Day event will run from July 8 at 12:01 a.m. PDT through July 11, starting eight days earlier than last year and lasting twice as long as previous events. Our take: Amazon recognizes that while consumers have grown more selective about when and where they spend, many will still jump at the chance to save if they find compelling offers. By extending Prime Day鈥檚 duration, adding tech-driven shopping tools, and broadening its footprint across countries and third-party sites, Amazon is turning the event into an inescapable, large-scale retail moment. Even in a margin-squeezed environment, the visibility and sales potential of Prime Day may be too significant for sellers to pass up.

Over half (54%) of marketers worldwide predict advertising budget cuts this year, per a March Nielsen study. Amidst tightening budgets, the pressure for marketers to choose the right technology, media investments, and partners is heightened.

The news: Pinterest is partnering with Instacart to allow advertisers to power their campaigns using the latter鈥檚 first-party data鈥攁 move that will enhance the value of both companies鈥� ad platforms while advancing Pinterest鈥檚 shoppable ambitions. Our take: Pinterest鈥檚 ability to engage the all-important Gen Z cohort, along with its role as a source of inspiration and product discovery, is making it a more strategic asset for brands and retailers. As economic uncertainty drives companies to be more careful with their ad dollars, Pinterest鈥檚 ability to reach audiences at every stage of their customer journey鈥攏ow bolstered by access to Instacart鈥檚 first-party data鈥攑ositions it as an even more valuable partner.

YouTube brings side-by-side ads to livestreams: The move could help convince creators and advertisers that YouTube is the go-to livestream choice.

How and where internet users in Brazil spend time with various media. How social media penetration is shaping digital engagement. Other trends, including how video-on-demand (VOD) and genAI usage are evolving in Brazil.

On today鈥檚 podcast episode, we discuss the potential of Amazon鈥檚 new Buy for Me feature, which of its new CTV ads will make the biggest impact, and how much tariffs might slow down the online shopping giant. Join Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson, Senior Director of Briefings Jeremy Goldman, and Analyst Rachel Wolff. Listen everywhere and watch on YouTube and Spotify.

On this special edition podcast, we explore how top brands master commerce media鈥攃hoosing the right networks, weaving in existing channels, and optimizing for maximum impact. 蘑菇AV鈥檚 Sarah鈥疢arzano hosts InfoSum鈥檚 Senior Vice President, Sales, North America, Marc鈥疌estaro and Kettle鈥�&鈥疐ire鈥檚 Senior Director, Media and Omnichannel, Niccol貌鈥疓loazzo in this live panel from 蘑菇AV鈥檚 May 9th virtual summit, Commerce鈥疢edia鈥疶rends鈥�2025. Listen everywhere you find podcasts, or watch on YouTube and Spotify.

Latin America鈥檚 digital revolution is marching full steam ahead, with consumers spending more than a third of their day online. As social commerce and retail media propel the region鈥檚 digital economy to new heights, the runway for growth remains long.鈥�

Retail media ad spending will be increasingly responsible for digital advertising鈥檚 double-digit growth. By 2028, the powerhouse channel will grow to represent nearly 1 in every 3 ad dollars spent.

With retail media, connected TV, and identity solutions becoming more central to digital advertising plans, The Trade Desk鈥檚 open-internet focus may prove more valuable than ever鈥攅specially in a volatile economic and political year. The appointment of Kundra could also signal the company鈥檚 ambition to scale more effectively as enterprise clients grow in importance.

Mercado Libre鈥檚 retail business is thriving: Advertising revenues rose 50% YoY in Q1, and there鈥檚 ample room for growth.

Amid economic uncertainty and trade concerns from abroad, Canada鈥檚 digital ecosystem is expected to remain strong, fueled by innovation from publishers, advertisers, and retailers.