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It鈥檚 been a complicated year for advertising, punctuated by a slow first half of the year followed by better growth in the back half. Limited budgets mean brands have had to get creative. One form of creativity has been partnerships from names both big and small. Here are five that caught our eye.

As QR codes come to play a larger role in how consumers shop, buy, and interact with brands, marketers can use them to drive conversion across physical and digital spaces. Here are three ways marketers can use QR codes to increase consumer engagement and encourage purchase behavior.

It also struck a sponsorship with the Toronto Maple Leafs鈥攐ne of Canada鈥檚 most recognized sports teams鈥攖o display the TikTok logo on helmets beginning in fall 2021. TikTok will vault into the No. 3 position in Canada in 2023. Our forecast shows there will be 9.6 million TikTok users in Canada next year, ahead of Snapchat and Twitter but trailing Facebook and Instagram. TikTok鈥檚 growth is unique.

On today's podcast episode, in our "Retail Me This, Retail Me That" segment, we discuss how buying alcohol online is different, what Uber鈥檚 shutdown of Drizly means for its retail media business, and how consumption habits are changing. Then for "Red-Hot Retail," our analysts give us four spicy predictions about the future of alcohol. Join our analyst Sara Lebow as she hosts analyst Blake Droesch and director of Briefings Jeremy Goldman.

Amazon鈥檚 website is by far the most visited ecommerce site by unique monthly visitors in the US, per November 2023 Similarweb data.

Walmart makes a huge acquisition in hopes of taking on Amazon鈥檚 retail media dominance, while Amazon keeps churning out generative AI innovations. Plus, Target tries to steal share from Walmart鈥檚 prowess on attracting deal-seeking shoppers. Find out who else earned a spot in our Unofficial鈥� Most Interesting Retailers List, a monthly ranking revealed on an episode of the 鈥淏ehind the Numbers: Reimagining Retail鈥� podcast.

Lululemon鈥檚 sales grew 24% in Q1 as demand for premium athleisure stays strong: That same dynamic helped brands like On Running, Hoka, and Vuori record significant growth.

Instagram won鈥檛 change its ad plans unless usage drops: The app is testing ads in stories, a high-engagement placement that could be here to stay.

The world of retail media is always changing. Here鈥檚 what has caught our eye over the past few months.

Retailers are going big on innovation. AI-powered improvements to the customer journey, ambitious market expansion, and viral partnerships and marketing campaigns have caught our attention, just in time for the first edition of our monthly 鈥榰nofficial鈥� ranking of most interesting retailers.

Another eventful year is on tap for retailers as inflation forces consumers to prioritize basics, supply chain snarls continue, and customer loyalty wanes. Retailers that cut costs or add new revenue streams鈥攁nd provide frictionless customer experiences鈥攚ill prevail.

Prime Video gets its first major advertising partner: IPG Mediabrands will get first-look access to new ad formats when Prime Video debuts ads in 2024.

Can Google coast comfortably through a challenging 2023? The search and advertising giant鈥檚 Q4 foreshadows slow growth, revealing cracks in its empire.

In Mexico, TelevisaUnivision has Blue To Go Sports and PrendeTV, and in Brazil, Globo TV has Globoplay. These services are helping to further acclimate the population to the idea of sub OTT video. In 2023, 39.4% of internet users in the region will be sub OTT users, a rate that will only slightly trail the worldwide average (43.6%). The Streaming Wars Go Global.

Chip maker NVIDIA last week launched a pre-roll ad product for cloud gaming that makes video game advertising look a lot more like connected TV (CTV).

Retail media is traditionally dominated by, well, retailers. But as access to customer insights becomes increasingly important for advertisers amid cookie deprecation and mounting privacy laws, other industries are hopping on retail media鈥檚 bandwagon.

In subscription revenues and viewers, YouTube TV has distanced itself from the digital pay TV pack. Digital pay TV is synonymous with a virtual multichannel video programming distributor (vMVPD). It refers to digitally delivered live TV services like YouTube TV and Sling TV.

Electronic Arts begins the push for in-game advertising: The conglomerate said it hopes to debut ads in its big-budget games as the industry seeks revenue growth.

Snap launches new brand campaign: Chief creative officer addresses antisocial media stance in the context of Snap鈥檚 creator and content push.

This year will be a litmus test for trying new things. Payments incumbents that embrace change on their own terms will emerge stronger than before.

Amazon muscles in on Google and Meta鈥檚 ad throne: Retail media and Prime Video propelled the company to a blockbuster 2023鈥攁nd 2024 looks even brighter.

YouTube Premium hits a subscription landmark: The service now enjoys 100 million subscribers after YouTube spent much of 2023 cracking down on ad blockers.

B2B marketers are increasingly targeting younger, digital-first audiences on social media platforms, we noted in our B2B Digital Ad Spend Forecast 2023 report. While LinkedIn and Meta will account for a combined 42.2% of US B2B digital ad spend in 2024, according to our forecast, TikTok is emerging as a contender for organic and creator-based B2B marketing. Here鈥檚 the case for B2B marketing on TikTok.