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Audio organization: Apple Intelligence can identify separate elements of an audio track and sort them based on content. While that's a lot of additions for an incremental beta update, a beta release indicates that those features are still not ready for primetime. Our take: While Apple is behind other Big Tech giants like Google and Microsoft on genAI, it鈥檚 still making progress.

Following Google鈥檚 second antitrust loss in under a year, Google is at a crossroads. The recent ruling that Google maintains an illegal monopoly on ad tech, combined with last year鈥檚 ruling of antitrust practices in online search, could reshape digital advertising.

Satya Nadella admits Microsoft underestimated Google鈥檚 dominance in search, a mistake that could prove costly as AI-driven search products gain market share.

Trump鈥檚 tariffs fuel ad industry pullback: Marketers are cutting budgets and ad growth projections fall sharply as inflation and trade uncertainty rise.

NWSL secures key women-led sponsorships: E.l.f. Cosmetics and Unwell partner with the soccer league, marking a shift in how beauty and lifestyle brands invest in sports.

This year, as the digital ad spend outpaces the time consumers are spending on the medium, media companies are leaning into revenue drivers like commerce media while also investing in content that builds community.

When vice president Kamala Harris launched her presidential campaign in late July, she needed to quickly make a splash with voters. Social media, and TikTok in particular, was the ideal platform. 鈥淚t's on TikTok where Kamala is really shining,鈥� said our analyst Jasmine Enberg on a recent edition of the Behind the Numbers podcast. Here are three things to consider about Harris鈥檚 social media and campaign strategy.

As ecommerce grows in back-to-school shopping (34.9% of total back-to school sales this year versus 33.5% in 2023), content creators are playing a pivotal role in how consumers find school supplies. This shift is driven by younger parents buying classroom supplies for K-12 children and college students outfitting their dorm rooms. Both groups favor online shopping for its convenience and the ability to compare prices, our analyst Sarah Marzano said in a recent edition of our 鈥淏ehind the Numbers: Reimagining Retail鈥� podcast.

In part one of this two-part podcast episode on the Google antitrust ruling, we discuss the reasons US district Judge Amit Mehta decided that Google鈥檚 search business constitutes an illegal monopoly and what penalties he is likely to dish out at a hearing in September. Tune in to the discussion with host Marcus Johnson, analyst Max Willens and vice president of content Paul Verna.

Why creator monetization matters: As influencer marketing spending grows, platforms that offer consistent payouts will retain creators who provide valuable ad space.

Eli Lilly鈥檚 Oscars commercial slams unapproved drugs like compounded GLP-1s: The ad could help pharma companies rebuild trust with consumers.

YouTube鈥檚 journey from zoo clip to video empire: A short upload about elephants was the starting domino in the rise of the internet鈥檚 most powerful platform.

B2B brands are underutilizing creator marketing on LinkedIn, according to Rob Mayhew, a creator who left his agency leadership job to make funny B2B social media videos full time. "LinkedIn is the channel that everyone's sleeping on [for creator marketing], and it's got huge opportunity, especially for B2B," Mayhew said.

Tariffs will have a wide ranging impact on prices, consumer sentiment: Warehouse clubs, off-price retailers, and discount grocers could have an edge in this challenging retail environment.

Digital users in Quebec鈥攎ost of whom speak French as their first language鈥攈ave unique habits that are different from the rest of Canada. These include heavier consumption of TV and lighter usage of digital services and online shopping.

On today's podcast episode, we discuss how Meta has been able to sustainably grow revenue again, whether or not it can actually be 鈥渢he most used AI assistant in the world by the end of the year鈥�, and what is atop the Meta threats list. Tune in to the discussion with host Marcus Johnson and vice president and analyst Jasmine Enberg.

This year's Sundance Film Festival featured Creator Day, a full day of programming dedicated to the creator economy and innovations in branded content. The unique event, crafted by Sundance's BrandStorytelling and sponsored by YouTube, aimed to highlight the creator industry鈥檚 development beyond sales-driven social posts into long-term brand partnerships.

US ad spending faces a slowdown: Economic uncertainty, tariffs, and inflation are prompting advertisers to cut budgets, with 2025 ad growth forecasts declining.

All of the categories we track鈥攊ncluding mobile ecommerce buyers, shoppers, smart home control users, information seekers, and audio listeners鈥攕how a similar pattern of high initial growth rates followed by a significant slowdown. For example, smart home control user growth peaked at 68.6% in 2018 before declining to 4.2% in 2024, indicating a maturing market across various applications.

Hasbro and Mattel are diversifying their supply chains: While that should help mitigate the effects of US tariffs, the US economic policy could still dampen demand for toys.

On today's podcast episode, we discuss standout data points from this year鈥檚 back-to-school season, creators' role in this shopping period, and what back-to-school is trying to tell us about this year's upcoming holidays. Listen to the conversation with our analyst Sara Lebow as she hosts analysts Sarah Marzano and Zak Stambor.