Google added integrations to Gemini that pull information and insights from Gmail, Google Chat conversations, and Google Drive files. It can also connect with PDFs, Docs, Slides, and Sheets. For enterprise users, this means faster and more context-rich insights—especially for tasks like internal research, competitive benchmarking, or campaign planning, where information is often scattered across different tools and channels. Marketers should begin with targeted use cases like analyzing brand sentiment from team discussions or summarizing performance reports.
"[The oldest members of Gen Alpha are] turning 16 next year, so we are on the eve of them becoming pretty powerful consumers," said Dani Mariano, CEO at Razorfish. "[GWI found that] 30% of 12- to 15-year-olds said that they had used AI in the last seven days. I think it could be even higher."
Coca-Cola is putting out another AI-generated holiday advertisement, its second after an AI ad campaign last year that drew mixed reactions from audiences. While attitudes toward AI in ads are mixed, smaller brands are at a higher risk of receiving negative impacts from creating ads entirely using AI.
Holiday shoppers are stressed and overwhelmed, per Accenture’s 19th Annual Holiday Shopping Survey. And this is leading to lower conversion rates: 85% of consumers are likely to abandon their carts due to frustration or indecision, according to the survey. To best meet customer needs quickly, retailers can partner with providers like Checkout.com on its one-click checkout solution Flow Remember Me or PayPal-owned Honey as it integrates AI-powered product recommendations based on users’ conversations with chatbots.
United Airlines rolled out the MileagePlus Debit Rewards Card in partnership with Sofi-owned Galileo, per a press release. The debit card is issued by Sunrise Banks and runs on the Visa network. United’s debit card may appeal to younger United customers who are early in their financial lives and are skeptical of credit cards. But for others, it may be a tough sell as loyal travelers could instead get the United Gateway credit card, which has no annual fee and stronger rewards.
The Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA) urged the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) to reject Coinbase’s application for a national trust charter, arguing that the application has “serious deficiencies.” The Trump administration’s crypto friendliness is a threat to banks as much as regulatory leniency and stablecoin clarity is a relief: A trust charter confers legitimacy on a crypto firm, but it doesn’t require deposit insurance. These standards may enable crypto companies to compete more vigorously with traditional institutions.
U.S. Bank and investment advisory firm Edward Jones announced co-branded checking account and credit card products, which will be distributed to Edward Jones clients through its advisors. The co-branded offering consolidates investment and banking products into a single digital experience. The U.S. Bank–Edward Jones partnership is just one approach that banks can take to capitalize on the Great Wealth Transfer and cross-sell between investment and retail banking products and services. With the mass-affluent segment in mind, banks can use partnerships to attract customers they might not otherwise reach for basic banking products, like deposit accounts and credit cards.
More companies are looking to shed underperforming assets or overhaul their business structures to strengthen their businesses in an uncertain environment. Yum, Starbucks, and AB Foods are among those either looking to sell or restructure to better position themselves for growth. With the global economy on increasingly shaky footing due to geopolitical tensions and trade disputes, it’s no surprise that companies are moving to mitigate risk either by slimming down or seeking partners to help extract greater strategic value from their assets.
ThredUp posted its strongest revenue growth in nearly four years in Q3 as rising price sensitivity fuels interest in online resale. Active buyers surged 26% YoY as ThredUp touted its “best quarter for new buyer acquisition” in company history. Resale is having a moment. The end of de minimis import exemptions and new tariffs on apparel are making buying secondhand more appealing to price-sensitive consumers, while younger generations are embracing resale for its affordability and creative possibilities. We expect fashion online resale platform sales to expand 10.4% this year, nearly double the rate of online apparel, footwear, and accessories sales.
Instacart has launched a new suite of AI-powered tools aimed at helping grocers deliver more personalized and efficient shopping experiences both in-store and online. The rollout includes features like Cart Assistant for customized recommendations, Store View for real-time shelf monitoring, and Agentic Analytics for data-driven insights. Instacart’s bet is that the more it can use emerging technologies to simplify life for both grocery shoppers and retailers, the stickier its platform will become.
Uber is pursuing aggressive cross-platform integration to boost revenue, noting that customers who use both its mobility and delivery services spend three times more and stay longer. With only 20% of users currently overlapping, the company is pushing its Uber One membership and personalized offers to bridge the gap. Delivery growth remains strong, with bookings up 24% YoY, and Uber is expanding into grocery and retail through partnerships with major brands and new promotions like “Fresh Days.” Overall, Uber’s record trip volumes and strong earnings outlook highlight sustained demand for convenience and position the company for continued growth.
Between 2022 and 2024, Novo Nordisk spent about $7.5 million to have Ozempic ads run on related search keywords to drive users to its prescription drug brand website, according to a JAMA Network Open study. Novo spent the $7.5 million across 15,000 paid keywords related to weight loss, which generated 2.4 million paid visits to Ozempic.com. Some drugmakers might be getting away with pay-per-click drug advertising that promotes their product for off-label use. Given that pharma companies devote about 56% of their annual digital ad spend to search—the second-highest share of any sector—marketers should work with search platforms to better align paid keywords with appropriate drug ad placements.
Hims & Hers is offering prescription microdoses of compounded GLP-1 semaglutide, joining other telehealth companies touting mini doses with lower costs and fewer side effects. As patients and providers move to try lower-cost doses with fewer side effects, some demand may shift from full-strength prescriptions. That puts pressure on Novo and Lilly to engage physicians around maintenance dosing and longer term patient retention strategies.
Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk are closing in on deals with the Trump administration that would exchange deep discounts on their weight loss drugs for coverage under Medicare, per Endpoints News. Millions of Medicare recipients could become new weight-loss drug customers with the federal program on the hook for the cost.
Netflix and iHeartMedia are discussing a deal that would allow the popular streaming platform to license iHeartMedia’s video podcasts, shortly after Netflix inked a similar deal with Spotify, per Bloomberg. An expanded video podcast portfolio will unlock new opportunities for marketers if Netflix chooses to sell ad space on podcast content.
Nintendo reported blockbuster financial performance for its most recent quarterly earnings, with revenues surging over 90% YoY and profits rising more than 270%, per CNBC. This growth is largely driven by the successful launch of its Switch 2 flagship console, which debuted in June. As gaming consumption shifts to handheld and hybrid devices, brands should explore partnerships and placements that align with Nintendo’s highly curated experiences rather than disrupt it. Because Switch 2 and its games are ad-free, brands can engage players through co-branded campaigns, limited-edition content, and cross-platform tie-ins on Twitch, Discord, YouTube, and social media.
Consolidation in the streaming industry is leading connected TV (CTV) budgets to become more concentrated, per our latest US TV and CTV Ad Spending Forecasts. Key changes on the horizon: Mergers on the horizon, as well as companies concentrating their streaming options, could change who holds power in the TV industry. CMOs should prepare for a CTV landscape dominated by fewer, data-rich platforms. That means deepening direct partnerships with leading streaming providers to gain priority access to premium inventory, and investing in AI-driven analytics to enhance creative testing and budget optimization inside walled gardens.
66% of US banking executives say their leadership team or board has discussed allocating budget or resources to AI, more than triple the share for any other emerging tech, according to July data from Bank Director and Jack Henry & Associates.
Dating app fatigue has set in for many consumers, but one entrant in the market is quietly catching on among younger consumers—Facebook Dating. The feature, which launched in 2019, has amassed more than 21 million daily active users (DAUs), compared with Hinge’s 15 million, per The New York Times. To capitalize on the dating feature's growth and user engagement, brands should use zero-party data to target ads based on profile preferences—such as users who are interested in shopping, outdoor experiences, or live events—while ensuring placements don’t feel intrusive in an intimate, high-intent environment.