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Target in the hot seat: No retailer understands this dynamic better than Target, whose approach to diversity, equity, and inclusion has earned the ire of both right-wing activists and campaigners on the left. Florida’s pension board has joined a suit against the retailer over its DEI practices.

But the shifting trade landscape has cast doubt on those targets. Though Mattel now manufactures less than 40% of its products in China—including around 20% of what it sells in the US—it plans to raise prices on select items to offset tariff-related cost pressures. The results: The guidance freeze overshadowed what was otherwise a solid Q1.

Linear TV is especially important to the industry because its older skewing viewers are key target customers. We forecast US consumers ages 65+ spend on average more than 5 hours daily with linear TV. Among that age group, 88.6% took at least one prescription medication in the last year and one-third take five or more regularly, per the CDC.

Following other financial players piggybacking on the White Lotus hype, using actors from must-watch media helps target the right demos for new card acquisitions and Venmo use. Our take: Venmo is sitting in a great spot.

B2B brands are investing in long-term influencer partnerships to build credibility, trust, and engagement with target audiences. Video and social media are driving influencer engagement. LinkedIn is the dominant platform for B2B influencer marketing, with short-form videos and podcasts delivering high ROI.

That uncertainty is top of mind for executives: 72% of S&P 500 companies referenced tariffs during Q1 earnings calls, often as a factor behind missed targets or cautious outlooks. Several companies have sought to quantify the direct toll of tariffs:. Diageo, owner of Johnnie Walker and Don Julio, warned duties could shave $150 million from its operating profit.

Our take: Amazon’s integrations with InfoSum and Magnite signal its deeper ambition to be the essential intermediary that advertisers must work through to effectively target audiences and manage campaigns across the retail media and CTV landscapes.

It recently launched three home brands that target both affordability and quality, and it has begun to make more brands coupon-eligible to reinforce its image as a destination for deals. Enhancing the in-store experience: A revamp of store layouts is intended to drive cross-shopping. For instance, Kohl’s created an accessory zone behind Sephora and moved the Juniors section nearby.

Why it matters: The Premium Lite rollout targets cost-conscious users seeking ad-free viewing at a lower price point—potentially helping YouTube convert more users in markets where affordability is key. Lite fills a pricing gap between YouTube’s fully featured $12.99/month Premium subscription and the free, ad-supported experience, creating more flexibility in how users engage with the platform.

Brands such as Target have faced backlash for promoting Black History Month collections while simultaneously stepping away from DEI commitments, Retail Brew notes. Social media users have called out the inconsistency, with hashtags like #BoycottTarget gaining traction. Target also pulled a Black History Month product after a TikTok user exposed misidentified historical figures.

The best creators are those that audiences will perceive as relatable, with similar lifestyles to target audiences, and those that are willing to adapt and experiment with a brand. Working with creators with a presence on multiple platforms could prove effective.

Some of retail media’s fastest climbers are flying under the radar: During H2 2024, Uber Eats, Meijer, and Albertsons posted ad growth rates that dwarfed Walmart and Target, soaring 317%, 157%, and 94%, respectively. Even though it is still in the lead, Amazon is slowing down. After growing at a rate of more than 30% in previous years, its global ad revenues are expected to increase by 18.6% in 2025.

Brands can now activate first-party data and target across more than 100 interest segments and 17 content categories, giving marketers more precision and flexibility. Its in-house ad platform, Netflix Ads Suite, is now available in all ad-supported markets, including the US, UK, Japan, Brazil, and Germany.

This allows brands to precisely target, measure, and convert across channels, often generating double-digit gains in sales and efficiency.

Zooming out: The Trade Desk is now positioning Amazon as the next major target for regulators concerned about vertical integration. Dederick’s concerns follow the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s 400-page ruling, which found that Google’s dominance harms competition and recommended rules limiting self-preferencing and expanding transparency.

And for the first time this year, time spent with CTV is projected to outpace time spent with traditional TV—indicating that CTV provides an increasingly lucrative opportunity for advertisers to reach target audiences. Yes, but: While CTV will likely continue to outpace traditional TV, there are challenges with the format.

The news: Meta plans to let brands fully create and target ads using AI by the end of 2026. Companies could upload the products they want to market along with their budgets and have AI generate the entire ad, including visuals, video, and text, per The Wall Street Journal.

Larger retailers like Walmart and Target have more power to wring price concessions out of suppliers. But even that has its limits: Walmart’s efforts to get its Chinese partners to eat the cost of tariffs have been met with uncharacteristic resistance, Bloomberg reported.

If the bank targets this demographic, it could make a compelling case for how this added benefit aids in their loved ones’ financial well-being—especially given that wills can cost between hundreds and thousands of dollars, per Trust & Will.

Connected TV (CTV) platforms are using retail media networks (RMNs) to target viewers. They utilize first-party data from retailers to target viewers in ad-supported video-on-demand services. The Mars survey found that Amazon, Loblaw, and The Home Depot offer CTV integration in Canada. Domestic RMNs provide a wider range of advertising options by tapping into loyalty programs.

Target users without splitting campaigns by location. Looking forward: Google’s AI Max products promise improved reach and granular feedback without a heftier price tag—two metrics that advertisers care deeply about, particularly as tariffs result in tighter ad budgets and a focus on performance marketing.

Our take: Consumer caution and rising trade frictions could stall China’s recent retail momentum, making it difficult for Beijing to hit its 5% growth target without a fresh round of government stimulus.

How we got here: Unfortunately for Victoria’s Secret, the retailer is a ripe target for activist investors. The company’s underwear business is losing ground to newcomers like Skims, while tariffs are putting considerable pressure on its bottom line.

Select brands will have initial access to Instacart’s first-party audience segments, allowing them to target campaigns based on real-world purchase behavior and intent. The second phase of the partnership will introduce closed-loop measurement that lets advertisers tie Pinterest Ads to sales on Instacart’s marketplace.

Scam emails primarily target Gen Xers and baby boomers: 94% of people in those generations get at least one scam email per week. Scam calls are most likely to affect baby boomers, 89% of whom get at least one scam phone call per week. This could be an especially big threat amid the rise of AI-generated voice deepfakes, which could be harder for older generations to detect.