The news: Streaming and social media sites are the top beneficiaries of AI chatbot referral traffic. Out of 1.3 billion generative AI (genAI) search referrals in May, YouTube ranked first in traffic with nearly 40 million visits, per Similarweb. Our take: Focusing on what makes sites top the AI search results could help increase site visits. Expand knowledge-based articles, FAQs, and blog posts with educational and UGC content. Boost SEO with long-tail keywords that are likely to appear in prompts. Encourage inbound links since site authority is a factor in AI search results.
Credit unions have historically championed white-glove service through personalized customer care, a key differentiator. However, the term's vagueness risks inconsistency and superficiality, potentially neglecting internal staff experience and ultimately harming customer service. To truly excel, financial institutions (FIs) must embed human-centric care into their core culture, beyond just outward presentation. This involves training employees in empathy, rewarding complex problem-solving skills, and redesigning products around customer milestones rather than sales. Ultimately, genuine differentiation for FIs lies in authentic financial partnership and a deep understanding of unique customer needs, which larger, less personal entities cannot easily replicate.
Over half of US small business owners are aged 55 or older, making succession planning critical, with 45% planning to pass businesses to children. A notable 62% of owners have accelerated retirement timelines, and 37% plan to sell within 12 months, indicating a rapid wave of SMB transitions for banks to prepare for. Small businesses have favored personalized banking, but digitally native successors will demand enhanced digital features, addressing past complaints about lagging experiences. Banks must prioritize developing superior digital tools, including seamless onboarding and relevant financial advice. Engaging early with future owners and understanding their needs, such as startup funding or growth capital, is crucial for securing these vital relationships.
The news: Pinterest is partnering with Instacart to allow advertisers to power their campaigns using the latter’s first-party data—a move that will enhance the value of both companies’ ad platforms while advancing Pinterest’s shoppable ambitions. Our take: Pinterest’s ability to engage the all-important Gen Z cohort, along with its role as a source of inspiration and product discovery, is making it a more strategic asset for brands and retailers. As economic uncertainty drives companies to be more careful with their ad dollars, Pinterest’s ability to reach audiences at every stage of their customer journey—now bolstered by access to Instacart’s first-party data—positions it as an even more valuable partner.
The news: US retail sales fell more than expected in May from April, the latest sign that tariff fears and economic volatility are affecting consumer spending. Our take: While May’s retail sales data largely show that consumers are hanging in, the situation remains unpredictable—especially given the fact that tariff-driven price hikes have yet to kick in for a multitude of everyday purchases, including groceries and apparel.
The news: JP Morgan Chase updated its Sapphire Reserve credit cards with enhanced travel and dining rewards and a hefty $795 annual fee, per a press release. Our take: Winnowing down their elite cardholder population will need to be done with a scalpel instead of a cleaver—Chase and Amex are trying to increase their yearly fees slightly out of range for an upwardly-mobile middle class, with reward points geared toward priorities of the comfortably wealthy.
The news: Sovos will automate Shopify’s sales tax returns process for merchants. Our take: Reclaiming time and reducing risk for merchants helps position Shopify as a stronger commerce platform and partner.
The data: Around 2 in 5 employers and health plans will never consider covering GLP-1 drugs for obesity, according to a June 2025 report from Pharmaceutical Strategies Group. Our take: We don’t think a lack of insurance coverage for GLP-1s will lead to a market slowdown. Less generous insurance coverage of the drugs will force companies operating in the competitive cash-pay GLP-1 space to continue offering temporary discounts or lower their prices altogether.
The data: Nearly two-thirds of US adults (64%) have an unfavorable view of the House’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, per KFF polling. Our take: If they aren’t already, healthcare marketers ought to be launching blitz campaigns about the bill’s potential ramifications. For instance, they could put pressure on lawmakers in the Senate by citing just-released study estimates that the proposed changes to Medicaid may result in ~25,000 preventable deaths annually due to how many patients will lose their physician, forgo needed medications, and put off screenings like mammograms.
The trend: Gen Z adults and boomers are more likely to strongly support vaccines for disease prevention than middle-aged generations. The takeaway: Gen Zers mirror older people’s pro-vaccine stance. This might be surprising, but it also presents an opportunity for brands and marketers who can no longer assume that young consumers are purely skeptical of the healthcare system. Marketers will want to tap influencers and edutainment to make sure accurate information on vaccines and other evidence-based treatments is readily available.
The news: Anne Wojcicki, the co-founder and CEO of 23andMe, is set to recoup control of the company after outbidding Regeneron Pharmaceuticals in a bankruptcy action. Our take: 23andMe will have a brand reputation problem assuming Wojcicki regains control. The company’s best path forward, considering past mistakes, is tapping into new consumer health and wellness categories rather than enterprise partnerships with pharma.
The news: Novo Nordisk missed an important patent filing deadline in Canada for its weight loss and diabetes drug semaglutide, opening the door to generics as soon as next year. Our take: If Sandoz and other generic makers start selling semaglutide GLP-1 drugs in Canada next year, FDA approval for states may not matter. If drugmakers do start selling generic GLP-1s in Canada, Novo will see Ozempic brand sales drop, but the GLP-1 market could see a generics’ explosion.
The news: Streaming watch time outpaced cable and broadcast combined for the first time ever. Streaming accounted for 44.8% of TV viewing in May, per Nielsen, compared with broadcast’s 20.1% and cable’s 24.1%.Our take: With TV viewership increasingly fragmented, advertisers that abandon cable and broadband entirely could leave many consumers behind. Brands should use a hybrid placement model that makes selective investments in linear TV while using streaming to reach younger cord-cutters, helping to retain flexibility as user habits fluctuate.
The news: Meta’s $14 billion investment in Scale AI drove Google to cut ties with the startup. With Meta now owning a 49% stake, Google could be concerned that contracting with Scale would give Meta access to its proprietary data. Our take: Big Tech is racing to consolidate control over AI and cloud security infrastructure. Independence and agility could help companies avoid vendor lock-ins and data entanglement as regulators close in.
The news: Google blamed a faulty, untested policy update—not overloaded infrastructure—for triggering a Google Cloud outage that took down Gmail, Cloudflare, Shopify, and many others. It admitted to skipping standard risk safeguards, per CNBC. Our take: The next outage is a matter of when, not if—and the time to prepare is now. CMOs should pressure vendors for transparency, diversify martech stacks to reduce dependency, and ensure business continuity plans cover cloud failures and system disruptions.
The news: Weaker-than-expected travel demand is driving JetBlue Airways to launch cost-cutting measures, including eliminating underperforming routes, ending service in some cities, halting nonessential aircraft refreshes, and restructuring its leadership team, per Bloomberg. Our take: Macro uncertainty is compounding the pressures on already struggling companies—whether it’s JetBlue, auto parts maker Marelli, or home furnishings retailer At Home—as each grapples with weakened demand, rising costs, and limited financial flexibility.
24% of shoppers have used generative AI (genAI) in shopping experiences, while 35% are aware of the use of genAI in shopping and plan to use it in the future, per November 2024 Capgemi data.
Programmatic ad buying is undergoing a sea change: Microsoft’s DSP closure signals a smaller role for Big Tech in managing third-party ad inventory—so who will take its place?
H-E-B is expanding its retail media footprint with the launch of a new self-service advertising platform, developed in partnership with Epsilon.
The news: Reddit rolled out two AI-driven ad tools—Reddit Insights and Conversation Summary Add-ons—to tap into its massive archive of user conversations to help brands reach more audiences effectively, per Reuters. Reddit is using generative AI (genAI) to distill user sentiment and track subreddit trends for sharper ad targeting. Our take: Where Meta and Google rely on targeting individual users, Reddit is spotlighting group dynamics and a shift toward community-led marketing. If these tools succeed, they could offer a new avenue for how brands approach discovery, feedback, and brand perception.