Direct-to-consumer (D2C) brands like Eyebuydirect are overcoming traditional barriers in high-consideration purchase categories like eyewear.
Lloyds, NatWest, and Truist are redefining banking with generative AI. Lloyds moves beyond individual use cases to rethink processes entirely, aiming for a customer-facing AI agent by late summer 2025. NatWest shifted to reimagining entire customer experiences, empowering all 70,000 employees with AI tools to rapidly explore new possibilities. Truist focuses on "knowledge extraction," a low-risk, high-reward use case demonstrating immediate value. Continuous experimentation and adaptable strategies are crucial for AI implementation, requiring agile learning, boundary-pushing, and prioritizing employee buy-in for customer-focused solutions.
The news: Meta’s AI app is drawing backlash as users unknowingly publish private chats—some serious—under real names due to a confusing share feature, per TechCrunch. Many people thought they were using the chatbot or saving notes in private, only to find that their prompts—which included topics like gender identity, medical concerns, tax evasion, and job interviews—were visible to strangers. Our take: This episode poses significant issues for Meta regarding the metaverse, AI, and advertising.
The news: Disney and Universal are suing AI startup Midjourney, alleging copyright infringement. The lawsuit states that Midjourney pirated their content libraries and continues to produce “innumerable” copies of their characters, including Shrek, Homer Simpson, and Darth Vader. Our take: A victory for the studios could cut off AI companies’ access to media libraries, accelerate a shift toward paid content licensing deals, and set legal precedents to help web publishers and IP owners protect their content from data scraping.
43% of creators and influencers in North America say AI tools help them streamline their workflows, according to April 2025 data from URLgenius. However, nearly a third (30%) say they haven’t noticed any impact.
The trend: Retailers and brands are rapidly weaving generative AI (genAI) into their operations to boost efficiency and scale without adding significant headcount. The breadth of the initiatives signals an abrupt shift in many companies’ thinking about genAI from a useful tool to a potential core business driver. Our take: GenAI enables companies to do more with less—a crucial advantage at a time when macro uncertainty is making many firms wary of increasing their headcount. As early adopters scale their efforts and share results, momentum will grow—prompting others to follow out of necessity, not choice.
The data: Physicians are more bullish on AI in healthcare than patients. Our take: Doctors are still figuring out AI themselves—but they can’t lose sight of how important it is to keep patients informed. They’ll need to get patient consent for use cases such as transcribing visits, and should opt out of using AI if their patients aren’t comfortable with it.
The news: With scams on the rise, advertisers and brands need to be thoughtful with their communications to keep it out of junk folders. 96% of US adults get at least one scam email, phone call, or text message each week, per CNET. Our take: To stop volume fatigue, brands should avoid inundating users’ phones and inboxes with constant messaging. Social media could offer a less-saturated space where short-form content can exemplify brand personality and where users are more likely to expect engagement.
The news: OpenAI finalized a deal with Google Cloud to supplement its Microsoft Azure infrastructure, per Reuters. The deal addresses OpenAI’s growing compute needs as its annual revenues hit $10 billion, up from $5.5 billion in December. OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google Gemini are the biggest rivals in the AI industry. The cloud deal effectively ends Microsoft’s exclusivity as ChatGPT’s cloud provider and is likely another indicator that the two companies are growing apart. Our take: The OpenAI-Google Cloud alliance signals a new era of pragmatic AI partnerships and the importance of diversified cloud strategies to support the explosion in AI usage.
The news: Starbucks is rolling out “Green Dot Assist,” a generative AI (genAI) assistant built with Microsoft Azure and OpenAI, to 35 locations this month. The tool, which is accessed through iPads, aims to streamline operations, reduce service times, and improve accuracy for baristas while reducing reliance on manuals or intranet searches. Our take: Competitors and the industry will be keeping an eye on how Starbucks integrates AI assistants at scale. This is a potential blueprint for using AI not just for automation, but to enhance human touchpoints while increasing efficiency—provided all the moving parts work together.
On today’s podcast episode, we discuss how to get folks to buy something they can’t go and see in a store, how D2Cs should be thinking about generative AI, and how one DTC is negotiating the tariff minefield. Listen to the conversation with our Senior Analyst Sara Lebow as she hosts Principal Analyst Sky Canaves and CEO and president of Eyebuydirect Sunny Jiang.
The news: Adobe and Amazon are redefining how marketers produce video ads by launching new generative AI tools aimed at small and mid-sized businesses. Adobe Express for Ads, unveiled today, supports direct publishing to platforms like Google, Meta, and TikTok, while Amazon’s AI video tool can transform product pages into multiple ad variants. These tools cater to resource-limited advertisers seeking scale and performance. Our take: The video ad market is maturing fast—and AI is making it more accessible. As more marketers pilot GenAI tools, early adopters will gain an edge in personalization and efficiency, turning creative experimentation into reliable results.
The news: Google’s search dominance is slipping as AI innovations threaten its ad business. Its global web visits declined 1% YoY in April, according to Similarweb data published by AdWeek, compared with 182% growth for OpenAI’s ChatGPT and 181% for Perplexity. Google’s searches on Safari also dropped for the first time ever in April. In March, about 77% of all Google searches that triggered an AI Overview garnered zero clicks, which could dissuade advertisers from spending on the platform. Our take: As AI transforms search and keywords become less important, publishers and brands may need to rethink strategies for how their content is discovered and how they attract search users. AI-optimized content will likely become the next battleground for visibility and performance.
The news: Smartphone makers and developers may be misplacing their focus on on-device AI as consumer interest nose-dives from already low levels. Only 3% of smartphone owners are willing to pay extra for AI features, per CNET’s 2025 Smartphone Innovation Survey, down from 6% in September. Our take: Enterprise customers may be a better bet for on-device AI adoption considering public consumers’ disinterest and privacy concerns. To boost use among consumers, smartphone makers could focus on easy-to-use features that are accessible to those new to AI and roll out AI upgrades incrementally rather than all at once to avoid AI overload.
The trend: AI is no longer just a buzzword on the Croisette—it’s the centerpiece of Cannes Lions 2025, with executives demanding more than excitement. Amy Fenton of MarketCast and Grant Gudgel of Verve say this year’s focus is on how AI works in real life, not just on paper. Our take: Cannes 2025 is where AI must prove its value. From content creation to performance optimization, marketers are moving past experimentation and demanding results. Accountability, transparency, and real creative impact will be the true benchmarks. AI isn’t just in the spotlight—it’s being asked to deliver at scale, with substance.
Agentic AI, an advanced form of AI combining machine learning, LLMs, and automation, is set to revolutionize retail banking by creating intelligent digital employees. The Financial Brand predicts it will act as a "financial GPS on steroids," offering personalized, proactive financial support by understanding full customer context and anticipating life changes. This could significantly enhance customer experience, particularly appealing to Gen Z's preference for self-service. However, our take suggests a potential cost: job displacement in banking. The ideal scenario involves banks adopting Agentic AI while retaining customer-facing staff, balancing efficiency and personalization with the essential human touch.
The news: In a bold power play, Google dropped Android 16 just one day after Apple unveiled iOS 26 at WWDC, a divergence from its usual September release. The timing steals some of Apple’s spotlight, escalating the tech rivalry while injecting new energy into the smartphone wars. Key takeaway: Google’s fast-tracked and AI-infused Android 16 update signal a shift in mobile strategy aimed at overtaking the iPhone. Developers and advertisers should prioritize Pixel-first app experiences, optimize for desktop-like multitasking on mobile, and reimagine engagement for an OS that’s more utility driven. A Pixel-first rollout for Android 16 indicates Google is pushing its own hardware platform, making Pixels more attractive to consumers who want the latest features first.
A large majority of US consumers are somewhat (26%), very (32%), or extremely (34%) concerned about AI spreading misinformation, according to an August 2024 survey from the Pew Research Center.
The news: A CBS investigation discovered hundreds of deepfake ads on Meta platforms promoting “nudify” apps that create sexually explicit content based on images of real people. The analysis of Meta’s ad library found at minimum hundreds of deepfake ads across Facebook, Instagram, Threads, Facebook Messenger, and Meta Audience Network. Our take: The rise of deepfakes on major platforms like Meta emphasizes AI’s potential to erode consumer trust and raise brand safety risks—forcing advertisers to navigate a growing gap between innovation and lagging safeguards.
The news: Walmart rolled out Sparky, its generative AI (genAI) assistant, to all Walmart app users this week—a preliminary step that puts it closer to achieving its agentic ambitions. Our take: By broadening Sparky’s capabilities, Walmart is trying to position itself not only as a shopping destination, but also as a place where consumers can go when they need everyday life advice or information—such as how to fix a leaky faucet or help with event planning. Whether the retailer succeeds will depend on how well Sparky works, and whether it can convince shoppers to overcome their current skepticism of AI tools.