On today's podcast episode, we discuss the significance of the Amazon-Anthropic deal and what's possible now that ChatGPT can talk to you and see things. "In Other News," we talk about whether Bard AI integrations can help Google catch up to the competition and why one company is producing 10,000 humanoid robots. Tune in to the discussion with our analysts Jacob Bourne and Gadjo Sevilla.

On today’s podcast episode, we discuss how banks are adjusting their ad spending in a world with high rates, economic turmoil, and a shift to digital advertising. • In our “Headlines” segment, we dig deep on a recently published Insider Intelligence report covering our forecasts for ad spending by US banks and credit unions. • In “Story by Numbers,” we discuss how fewer mortgages are affecting banks' net interest income and what that means for their marketing budgets. We also examine Ally Bank’s increased ad spending. • In “For Argument’s Sake,” we talk about how large banks are doubling down on digital ad spending while smaller institutions are cutting their spending, which could lead to the eventual demise of smaller traditional banks. Tune in to the discussion with host Rob Rubin and our director of forecasting Oscar Orozco.

TikTok wants to test an ad-free subscription model: It’s a major shift from its traditional ad-driven revenues to capitalize on evolving user preferences.

US Gen Z adults’ top two daily media activities are streaming video (46%) and streaming music (43%), per a May 2023 Morning Consult survey.

The ad fraud problem is getting worse: $84 billion will be wasted on digital ad fraud this year, a new report alleges.

AI marketing company Jasper has been in the news after cutting its valuation and bringing on Dropbox’s former president as CEO. The tech company, which released a new end-to-end marketing tool in June, faces competition from OpenAI’s ChatGPT and the old guard of Microsoft and Google. But Jasper is unique in its ease of use and specific aim as a marketing tool.

Nearly 98% of smartphone users (255.8 million people) will use apps this year. Although all major app categories will continue to gain users—and 11 will surpass 100 million users apiece—the average user will download and regularly open fewer apps as they settle on favorites in each category.

Macy’s pivots away from malls: The retailer plans to open as many as 30 new small-format locations in the next two years.

Marketers are the masters of the portmanteau—a combination of two existing words into a new concept. Words like “phygital,” “fediverse,” and “edutainment” are tossed around, but what do they actually mean? Here are a few of our favorites.

Amazon’s search capabilities are set for an AI-powered upgrade: The retailer will incorporate a chatbot to offer customers personalized suggestions based on their queries and shopping history.

TikTok Shop halts sales in Indonesia in response to government social commerce crackdown: The move could seriously hamper the company’s ecommerce ambitions as it tries to reach $20 billion in global sales this year.

LinkedIn debuts campaign-creation tool powered by generative AI: Platform is out to address unique challenges in reaching B2B decision-makers.

Krispy Kreme doubles down on doughnuts: The company aims to seize the moment by selling Insomnia Cookies at a time when consumer appetite for snacks shows no sign of abating.

Supermodel shows off Humane’s AI techie broach: A wearable, screenless AI assistant could merge high tech with high fashion. But will average consumers go for it?

Digital health investments near rock bottom: Investors shifted funding from on-demand and life science R&D sectors to patient- and provider-focused areas like disease treatment and non-clinical workflow.

Therapists are burned out, too: The surge in requests for mental health treatments has exacerbated burnout for mental and behavioral health workers. Health plans and paperwork are causing many to leave the field.

Working women pay billions more than men for healthcare: US employers may lose female talent if they don’t address gender gaps in out-of-pocket medical spending.

Can Activision repair mobile-game advertising’s reputation? The gaming giant is launching a measurement tool to increase advertiser faith.

The DOJ uses testimonies from Microsoft and DuckDuckGo to challenge Google’s search dominance. A loss could force Google to restructure high-value default search deals.

Visa will invest $100M in smaller AI players. The move aligns with rising investments to combat fraud and optimize payments and could help fund AI startups.