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Wonder acquires a media company, Unilever dedicates more spend to influencers, and Ulta launches a third-party marketplace. Here are the eight most interesting retailers and brands from last month, as ranked on our 鈥淏ehind the Numbers鈥� podcast.

On today鈥檚 podcast episode, we discuss the many definitions of an 鈥淎I agent鈥�, why they鈥檙e so hard to build right, and what comes next. Join Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson, Analyst Jacob Bourne, and Vice President of GenAI Dan Van Dyke. Listen everywhere and watch on YouTube and Spotify.

Google wants employees to spend more time at the office and get rooms booked at the hotel it built to accommodate 4,000 employees prior to making travel budget cuts. Considering Silicon Valley鈥檚 exorbitant rental prices, with a one-bedroom Mountain View apartment averaging $3,651 per month, or $122 per day, according to Zumper, Google鈥檚 hotel special will likely draw some interest.

News and magazine apps have the highest engagement score in North America, with 29% of monthly active users coming back daily, according to a September 2024 Airship survey.

On today鈥檚 podcast episode, we discuss how the judge thinks Google is, and isn鈥檛, an illegal monopoly, the most likely outcomes from this ruling, and who stands to benefit the most. Join Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson, Senior Director of Briefings Jeremy Goldman, and Senior Analyst Evelyn Mitchell-Wolf. Listen everywhere and watch on YouTube and Spotify.

Airlines have a lucrative advertising opportunity: United Airlines is capitalizing on its robust user location data to introduce ads in-flight and in its app.

Consumers and marketers embrace genAI: Study finds 52% of Americans using genAI expect personalized services in shopping and travel. Marketers see potential in transforming customer experiences. Read article. Gaming and apps welcomed their AI overlords. Gaming industry faces restructuring: Post-pandemic slowdowns and layoffs have developers contemplating unionization.

Retailers and restaurants struggle to fill positions: Over 36% of companies said hiring has gotten harder over the past year.

Carnival embraces 'granfluencer' wave: Cruise line teams up with Retirement House and Gronk for a multi-generational TikTok hit.

The card also offers travel benefits like TSA PreCheck, Priority Pass Lounge Membership, and statement credits to Blade鈥檚 Airport Pass, ClassPass, and BetterHelp. Why it matters: Given its innovative offering, Hypercard has the potential to gain a foothold in the corporate card market. This partnership can therefore help Amex boost its user base and payment volume.

Everyone鈥檚 doing it: Any company with access to first-party data can start its own media network, as we鈥檝e seen happen with United Airlines (which launched the airline industry鈥檚 first travel media network) and Planet Fitness (perhaps leading the way in fitness media).

On today鈥檚 podcast episode, we discuss how March Madness viewership stacked up this year, if women鈥檚 college basketball was able to sustain the bump from the 鈥楥aitlin Clark effect鈥�, and how viewers of women鈥檚 sports are both different and the same. Join Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson, Analyst Paola Flores-Marquez, Vice President of Content Paul Verna, and Vice President of Inclusive Insights Charlene Polite Corley. Listen everywhere and watch on YouTube and Spotify.

They could also grow their acceptance network into higher-spend categories like travel鈥攍ike Affirm鈥檚 partnership with Hotels.com. This article is part of 蘑菇AV鈥檚 client-only subscription Briefings鈥攄aily newsletters authored by industry analysts who are experts in marketing, advertising, media, and tech trends.

The news: Amazon is teaming up with travel site StudentUniverse to offer $25 domestic flights to members of its Prime for Young Adults program. This marks the second-straight year of the promotion, which offers 1,000 $25 domestic flight tickets daily from December 9鈥�13. The strategy: Cheap airfare is one of several ways that Amazon has sought to drive consumers into its Prime ecosystem.

Walmart Connect now offers offsite media to non-endemic brands, including those in the automotive, entertainment, financial services, and travel industries. Home Depot is betting that its ability to segment audiences based on the type of projects they鈥檙e doing will attract advertisers in sectors like financial services and the telecom industry.