The news: CI&T and Project Nemo have developed a prototype app called Nemo, Art of the Possible, designed to help adults with learning disabilities manage money independently and securely, per Stock Titan. The app includes calm mode, adaptive onboarding, emergency savings, and user-controlled support to promote financial inclusion. Our take: With one in five US adults experiencing learning or attention challenges, banks have a major opportunity to broaden access. By partnering with fintechs to deliver inclusive tech like Nemo, financial institutions can better serve underrepresented users and improve financial health, experience, and loyalty across their customer base.
The news: Google reduced its sub-$500 million smart TV budget by 10%, laid off a quarter of its 300-person TV staff, and scaled back investments in connected TV (CTV) initiatives like Google TV and Android TV, per The Information. The latest changes prioritize YouTube and cloud, which now drive Alphabet’s $110 billion annual run rate. Our take: Advertisers should reallocate budgets toward YouTube’s growing ad ecosystem while exploring emerging CTV platforms like Roku and Amazon Fire TV. Google’s retreat creates openings for competitors to capture market share in CTV advertising.
The news: Financial institutions (FIs) must prioritize generative engine optimization (GEO)—the evolution of SEO—or risk disappearing from AI-powered customer journeys, according to The Financial Brand. As tools like ChatGPT increasingly guide users in choosing financial products, FIs must ensure their content is optimized for visibility and relevance within these AI environments. Our take: Nearly 80 million Americans are already using generative AI search engines, and that number is growing. FIs that move early to optimize their content will increase visibility and credibility with AI-driven consumers, while those who delay risk losing brand presence altogether.
The news: Microsoft is planning a major round of layoffs next week in its Xbox division as part of broader corporate restructuring, per Bloomberg. This marks Microsoft’s fourth major job cut in 18 months and follows mounting pressure to raise margins after buying Activision Blizzard for $69 billion. Our take:For advertisers and marketers, this signals that the future of Xbox isn’t hardware but an ecosystem. Aligning campaigns with emerging touchpoints like cloud gaming, mobile access, and VR could help brands stay in front of where players are headed.
The news: The Trump administration is mulling new policies to make pharma advertising more difficult, per a Bloomberg report. Our take: RFK previously acknowledged the First Amendment hurdles in an outright pharma ad ban. But if he takes an alternate path with new D2C ad regulations, it’s a win for the industry. Pharma companies can budget for extra media costs of additional TV time and the loss of ad tax deductions, but they get to keep D2C advertising.
The trend: At Cannes Lions 2025, Meta, TikTok, Google, and others made clear that AI-powered ad automation is no longer an experiment—it’s the plan. The news: Meta and TikTok each emphasized agency relationships, but both platforms expanded generative AI tools that let brands generate and manage campaigns without intermediaries. Amazon, Comcast, and Google are doing the same, pushing toward platform-native, self-serve ad models. Our take: As automation replaces traditional support services, agencies face existential pressure. To stay relevant, holding companies will need to prove they offer value that AI can’t replace—fast.
The news: Under pressure to deliver on AI investments, Big Tech companies like Meta and Apple are seeking to acquire AI startups. Failing that, they’re looking to hire away founders and key personnel to boost their own capabilities. Our take: The recent complications between OpenAI and Microsoft reveal that partnerships and investments aren’t always compatible with a startup’s growth. Expect Meta and Apple to pit money over mission as they hire away founders and key engineers, leaving AI startups high and dry, similar to how Google hired ex-Googlers from AI chatbot startup Character AI. The AI startup talent pool could be shrinking as startups and founders get acqui-hired by Big Tech.
The news: The rise of AI-generated music has pushed the music industry to shift from takedowns to traceability. Instead of blocking AI-generated songs like the viral Drake-The Weeknd fake, new systems aim to detect synthetic content at every stage—training, production, upload, and distribution. Key takeaway: Advertisers should partner with platforms using AI detection for metadata-tagged AI tracks to ensure brand-safe music placements. Marketers who embrace traceable AI music can stay compliant and transparent while supporting artists’ rights and tapping into scalable, brand-safe sound.
The news: The European Commission said it would abandon efforts to pass a law against corporate greenwashing, citing a “simplification agenda” to remove red tape and make the EU more attractive for business. Our take: Many companies will take the easing of environmental oversight in the US and the EU as an excuse to water down their sustainability initiatives. That could lower costs in the short term—but at the risk of alienating the large swath of consumers who factor sustainability into their purchase decisions and are quick to identify greenwashing.
The findings: A new study reveals that subtle changes in older adults' everyday financial behavior, detectable in banking data, can signal cognitive decline and financial vulnerability up to a decade before formal intervention. These changes include reduced spending on hobbies and travel, fewer online logins, and increased fraud reports or PIN reset requests, indicating a rise in financial errors and susceptibility to fraud due to early-stage dementia. Next steps: By identifying these risk factors, banks have an opportunity to not only prevent fraud but also solidify their role as trusted financial partners throughout customers' entire journeys. This also creates pathways to build relationships with their older customers’ caretakers or family members when permission is granted, enabling personalized support and long-term financial planning.
The trend: Healthcare advertising motivates consumers to go online to do more research, or talk to a medical professional—but the majority of people have privacy concerns about personalized ads. Our take: Healthcare marketers are eager to use AI and targeting technology to make one-to-one connections with consumers. And it’s true that personalized ads can be more useful for people. However, marketers need to use transparent labeling, use conspicuous ad tags on social media, and preface targeted emails with explanations about why they’re being sent.
The news: Cybersecurity researchers discovered 16 billion leaked login credential files across 30 previously unreported data sets. It’s considered the biggest data breach in history, affecting major platforms including Facebook, Google, Apple, GitHub, Telegram, and US government services, per Fortune. Our take: With billions of credentials now on the loose, marketers should treat brand systems as compromised. Auditing accounts, enforcing password resets, and demanding stricter multifactor or QR-code based methods are necessary safeguards. The cost of prevention pales compared to recovering from compromised campaigns, stolen customer data, and ransomware resulting in damaged brand reputation.
The news: A new report indicates major banks committed a staggering $869 billion to fossil fuel companies in 2024, an increase of $162 billion over the previous year. Most large US banks have also pulled back from global climate alliances, signaling a broader industry shift away from sustainability commitments. While profitable, these investments risk alienating younger generations like Gen Z, who deeply value environmental, social, and governance (ESG) practices and authenticity from financial institutions (FIs), and already demonstrate low trust in banks. This puts FIs at risk of further eroding crucial customer loyalty. Our take: FIs that remain committed to ESG should focus on these actions in their marketing campaigns targeting Gen Zers.
The news: The Trade Desk has partnered with Rembrand to bring AI-generated in-content product placements to its Kokai platform. Advertisers can now programmatically insert branded elements like packaging or signage into videos across the open internet and connected TV. Rembrand claims these placements increase unaided awareness by 1.5x and boost brand recall by up to 31%. TTD also added three AI creative partners: Nova, Spaceback, and Bunny Studio. Our take: This marks a shift toward immersive, scalable ad formats that don’t disrupt the viewer experience. The move strengthens TTD’s AI credentials while giving brands new ways to be seen—without being skipped.
The news: YouTube unveiled Open Call at Cannes Lions 2025, a new platform-native feature allowing advertisers to post campaign briefs that monetized creators can directly respond to with self-produced content. The initiative removes the need for traditional influencer matchmaking, giving brands centralized control over content submissions, approvals, and performance via Google Ads. Our take: As costs rise and brand safety concerns mount, Open Call could tilt the branded content ecosystem in favor of marketers. It simplifies creator discovery, improves ROI measurement, and could lead to longer-term omnichannel partnerships. YouTube’s move positions it as a central hub for scalable, data-informed influencer marketing.
E.l.f. SKIN is blending product marketing and comedy with “Sunhinged,” a comedy special that doubles as a PSA for sun protection.
Netflix House shows the power of brand marketing: The streamer’s retail play capitalizes on cheap real estate and consumer demand for experiences.
The news: Despite reports that the CFPB plans to repeal Section 1033 of its Open Banking Rule due to legal challenges, financial institutions (FIs) shouldn’t abandon their open banking efforts. Citizens Bank, for instance, still intends to leverage open banking for secure data sharing and an improved customer experience, driven by market demand rather than regulatory requirements. Our take: Open banking is still the "next step in banking technology" and will continue to advance due to rising customer expectations around data sharing. FIs that retreat risk falling behind in a market that demands transparency, personalization, and interoperability.
The news: Two recent surveys from Duke University and MarTech reveal a common theme regarding technology and AI adoption: Martech underperforms not because of weak tools, but because of weak infrastructure. Our take: The real competitive edge isn’t adoption speed, it’s integration depth. Marketers who lead data strategy and coordinate teams will win the future. Failure to integrate will result in marketers ending up with tools they can’t use.
The insight: Walmart sees a (near) future where customers will shop directly from their smart TVs—preferably one powered by Vizio, which the retailer purchased for $2.3 billion last year. Our take: Shoppers are gradually becoming more comfortable with the concept of shoppable TV. Whether those occasional behaviors become habit will depend on platforms’ ability to offer ads that are personalized and relevant. That puts Walmart at an advantage, given its troves of first-party data—although it faces tough competition from the likes of Amazon and Roku.