Among US podcast ads, pre-roll spots generated about 5% more website visits during Q2 than those in the middle of an episode. While that margin is fairly slim, both placements produced better results than post-roll, likely because earlier spots catch listeners before they drop off.

Franchises don’t just rule movies: They’re also ruling your TV screen. Amazon’s ‘Lord of the Rings’ show premiere raked in 25 million viewers globally.

Computing under the sea: The US is getting an underwater data center. It’s fast, cheap, and efficient, but there might be a limit on how many the ocean can handle.

6 Amazon warehouses, 6 solar fires: Solar panel fires and explosions at Amazon facilities were linked to poor installation practices. The problem underscores the need for more cleantech training and safety.

As UK inflation continues to surge unabated, shopping habits are in flux. Consumers are cutting back on discretionary spending, as well as switching to private labels, and shopping around more to find better deals. Our previous Analyst Take discussed how retailers should react to these trends. This follow-up will consider how different categories are being affected and share our take on retailers that are well positioned to weather the inflationary storm.

The initiative will explore the use of a US CBDC in the wholesale, retail, and international sectors.

The payments fintech launched an ewallet to tap digital payments demand in Europe.

Personalization pays if brands get it right: Consumers want content tailored just for them, but the challenges can be daunting for marketers.

Disney looks to emulate Amazon with membership offering: The entertainment giant could also advance its flywheel by introducing in-app commerce for Disney+ and improving cross-selling opportunities.

Nearly $2 billion in US out-of-home (OOH) ad spend went to billboards in Q2, accounting for about three-fourths of OOH. That said, billboards’ share decreased by 9 percentage points with that money going to transit as commuters return to buses and trains.

Shopify warns merchants against using Amazon’s ‘Buy with Prime’ service: The move is a sign that Shopify is growing concerned about its ability to combat the retail giant.

Overall digital ad spending in the US is set to grow by 17.8% in 2022, a steep deceleration from 2021’s 38.3% boom but still ahead of 2020’s pandemic-skewed slowdown. Industry-level digital ad spending has mirrored these extreme swings in recent years—with individual highs and lows often spread far apart from the median. Starting this year, however, most industries will settle into more steady spending patterns closer to the national average.

Starbucks faces off against workers on TikTok, and the latter is winning: That’s a problem for any brand with a substantial group of Gen Z consumers.

This week, our Reimagining Retail podcast crew gave their predictions on what will drive the next phase of ecommerce growth, ranked from least “spicy” to four-alarm fire.

On today's episode, we discuss what brand new forecasts the forecasting team cooked up in Q2, including influencer marketing spend by platform and tier, luxury ecommerce, and US prescription drug sales. "In Other News," we talk about Apple Pay's meteoric rise and what DoorDash's Q2 performance says about the future of the food delivery space. Tune in to the discussion with our senior forecasting analyst Iwona Drapala and director of forecasting Peter Newman.

As restaurant delivery slows, Uber and DoorDash focus on groceries: The pivot is working as we expect both companies to gain a larger share of the grocery intermediary market.