The news: Apple CEO Tim Cook confirmed plans to “significantly” increase AI investments, including acquisitions. The iPhone-maker acquired seven firms this year, some focused on AI, and remains open to deals of any size to boost capabilities, per Business Insider. Our take: Apple’s focus on efficiency and partnerships suggests incremental but impactful AI-driven tools will emerge, especially around privacy-first and device-dependent personalization. Prepare for evolving Apple AI features that emphasize user privacy. Balance campaigns between Apple’s controlled environment and more open, AI-reliant ecosystems like Google’s and Meta’s to optimize reach and precision.
Kroger has consolidated its retail media, consumer insights, and loyalty marketing capabilities under the Kroger Precision Marketing (KPM) brand.
The news: Figma’s high-profile IPO—valued at $19.3 billion—lands it squarely in the league of top-tier software-as-a-service (SaaS) platforms and indicates renewed competition in cloud-based tools that agencies rely on for their campaigns. Our take: Instead of being subsumed by Adobe, Figma is now free to chart its own course. Going public gives it the independence to scale, expand its ecosystem, and challenge incumbents directly. For advertisers, Figma remaining independent gives agencies added choice. As creative tools compete for market share, expect faster innovation, more flexible pricing, and features tuned for digital-first campaigns.
The news: OpenAI is preparing to launch GPT-5, a model that will combine traditional GPT capabilities with o3-series reasoning—marking a major leap in performance and model simplification. Our take: GPT-5 could streamline content creation, search, and CX workflows, leading to renewed industry adoption and customization. Enterprise customers should test GPT-5’s API early. Align adoption with marketing workflows and consider consolidating tools into a single platform to reduce costs. Early movers will shape the future of customer engagement.
OpenAI is preparing to launch GPT-5 in early August. The newest and most powerful model combines traditional GPT capabilities with o3-series reasoning—marking a major leap in performance and model simplification. The consolidation play with GPT-5 could further cement OpenAI’s dominance if competitors are slow to respond.
On today’s podcast episode, we discuss what “authentic storytelling” looks like in practice, surprising findings about the authenticity levels between print and digital, and what’s most important when it comes to a “brand’s handshake.” Join our conversation with Senior Director of Podcasts and host, Marcus Johnson, Senior Director of Briefings, Jeremy Goldman, and Vice President of Brand Marketing at Quad, Heidi Waldusky. Listen everywhere you find podcasts and watch on YouTube and Spotify.
Fandom has partnered with Experian and Audigent to enhance its AI-driven Helix platform, integrating over 2,400 syndicated audience segments to deliver deeper fan insights. The move empowers marketers to combine third-party data with first-party fan behavior, unlocking targeting based on motivations, not just demographics. Early results show significant brand lift in awareness and purchase intent. This partnership marks Fandom’s evolution into a data-rich media platform, aiming to help advertisers tap into emotional fandom signals across CTV, mobile, and digital. Despite criticism over ad clutter, the platform’s scale and Gen Z reach position it as a leader in culture-driven targeting.
The news: Z.ai’s new open-source GLM-4.5 model is undercutting DeepSeek and US rivals in cost and efficiency and intensifying global AI competition. Our take: For marketers, open-source tools like Z.ai offer affordable alternatives to costly AI platforms, levelling the playing field for smaller agencies looking to compete. But Z.ai (formerly Zhipu) is on the US Entity List due to its Beijing ties after OpenAI flagged its rapid progress. With this in mind, companies piloting open-source options should do so cautiously and consult with compliance teams before integrating.
On today’s podcast episode, we discuss how retail media is impacting traditional search marketing, and how marketers can best leverage themselves on the wave of new retail media network platforms. Then, we break down how AI tools will affect the future of paid search advertising. Join our conversation with guest host and Director of Reports Editing, Rahul Chadha, Principal Analyst, Sarah Marzano, and Senior Analyst, Max Willens. Listen everywhere you find podcasts and watch on YouTube and Spotify.
The insights: YouTube isn’t Google Search, and brands need to recognize it as a unique platform. Its algorithm prioritizes clicks, watch time, and retention over keywords. Brands and content marketers that rely on blog-style SEO risk getting buried as YouTube and Netflix battle for attention. Our take: Treating YouTube as a strategic content hub, not a recycling center, gives marketers and brands a competitive edge in reach, trust, and conversion potential. By mastering engagement levers—compelling thumbnails, sharp hooks, and strong retention—brands can turn viewers into loyal subscribers and warm leads.
The news: The Nintendo Switch 2 shattered hardware sales records despite a $150 price hike over its predecessor and higher game and subscription prices. US sales hit 1.6 million units in June—the best console launch month ever—surpassing the PlayStation 4’s November 2013 record of 1.1 million. Our take: Nintendo’s end-to-end control over hardware, software, services, and first-party games sets it apart in a gaming industry chasing endless content and fragmented subscription models. By owning the full experience, Nintendo delivers consistency others can’t. To ride the wave, brands can partner with Nintendo for themed consoles, accessories or in-game downloads. Or, they could seek out third-party developers for subtle, story driven placements in games.
The news: The Trump administration unveiled a sweeping AI action plan that trades oversight for acceleration—seeking to supercharge US dominance in artificial intelligence by dismantling regulatory guardrails, undercutting state authority, and fast-tracking infrastructure and development, per Wired. Our take: For marketers, this could mean an influx of new tools, looser content moderation, and shorter time to market for AI-driven campaigns. Marketers should audit their AI tools, implement AI best practices and safety training, and prepare for faster deployment cycles in a looser regulatory environment.
AI is rapidly becoming foundational to marketing strategy, with 63% of teams now using it for planning—up from 28% in 2023, per Boathouse. Customer service and analytics have seen similarly sharp increases, supported by rising investments in CRM systems, CDPs, and automation tools, according to Twilio. As AI’s footprint grows, marketers are reallocating spend toward digital formats like social, CTV, and video, where AI can optimize targeting and performance. This trend reflects a broader shift: the most successful marketers are embedding AI into the fabric of their decision-making, not treating it as a plug-in. The gap is widening fast.
Conversational analytics tools like Adverity’s Data Conversations are helping marketers bypass traditional data bottlenecks by enabling instant, plain-language access to performance insights. No longer dependent on engineers or BI teams, marketers can now ask natural-language questions and receive real-time analytics—reducing inefficiencies and encouraging deeper experimentation. This shift coincides with growing investment in AI and analytics, especially amid economic pressure to optimize spending. With autonomous agents and AI assistants poised to automate reporting and flag anomalies, the landscape is moving toward faster, more agile decision-making—so long as teams implement governance, training, and clear frameworks for responsible adoption.
The news: Salesforce’s Agentforce has handled over 1 million AI support chats from its customers in the past nine months, resolving 84% of queries and cutting customer support case volume by 5%. The impact on business? About 500 Salesforce support engineers were reassigned to higher-value service roles, per VentureBeat. Our take: For brands, the lesson is clear—automation alone won’t win loyalty. Build or refine AI that reflects a brand’s voice and emotional intelligence. Lean on clarity, empathy, and easy handoffs to humans to reinforce user experience, which in turns drives loyalty and satisfaction.
Criteo is modernizing retail media by launching a global auction-based ad platform and integrating with Mirakl to enable self-serve advertising for over 100,000 third-party sellers. This dual move addresses two persistent challenges: outdated fixed-price ad systems used by most retailers, and untapped ad spend from marketplace sellers. The auction system gives advertisers more control and performance insights, while Mirakl opens up a scalable, automated path for small sellers. Criteo also brings standardized attribution and reporting across retail partners—fixing transparency gaps. These changes position Criteo as a full-spectrum solution for brands, retailers, and sellers looking to compete in a fast-evolving market.
Privacy regulations are mounting. Signal loss is accelerating. Omnichannel advertising has become impossibly complex. These forces are driving marketers back to MMM for holistic, privacy-safe measurement.
The news: The window to monitor AI’s reasoning in chatbots and agents is quickly closing, according to 40 researchers from Google DeepMind, Anthropic, OpenAI, Meta, and more. In a rare show of unity, the researchers stated that chatbots and agents are shifting from human-readable chain-of-thought reasoning to opaque, non-verbal methods, per VentureBeat. Our take: The collective call for transparency and standards marks an inflection point. Without urgent action, AI systems may soon outpace our ability to audit them—leaving marketers, creators, and regulators flying blind. Unseen logic means unchecked bias that could result in reputational damage.
The news: The breakneck speed of AI development makes bugs easier to miss and slower to patch, leaving platforms vulnerable to flaws and potentially leaked data. This week, Meta revealed it had patched a bug in January that would have let its AI chatbot users access others’ private prompts and responses, per TechCrunch. Key takeaway: As AI tools become central to marketing workflows, so do the risks tied to prompt exposure, IP leaks, and client data breaches. Marketers must approach AI adoption with the same scrutiny they apply to any vendor handling sensitive assets.
Generative AI is playing a growing role in video advertising, with 22% of all video ad creative enhanced by genAI in 2024—a figure set to reach 39% by 2026, per IAB. Smaller advertisers are leading the way, using genAI to scale affordable, personalized content. Major platforms like Meta, TikTok, YouTube, and Amazon are fueling adoption with built-in tools that boost ROAS and compress production timelines. While creative speed and flexibility are increasing, many marketers still face hurdles around measurement and platform-level data transparency. As capabilities improve, genAI is transforming video from a production bottleneck into a performance engine.