Social video’s momentum continues as advertisers direct the majority of their social network budgets toward it. Lines are continuing to blur between streaming platforms and social networks, especially as the latter increases its emphasis on video.

The tactic: Levi Strauss is reducing its SKU count—even as it expands the range of items it sells—to minimize tariff costs and maximize full-price sales. Our take: SKU rationalization is becoming a necessity for Levi Strauss and other brands and retailers looking to manage the impact of tariffs.

The news: The battle for streaming dominance is heating up between Netflix and YouTube, as both look to assert themselves in an increasingly crowded field. The platforms accounted for 20% of all TV viewing time in May, per Nielsen data. Our take: YouTube’s appeal as a (mostly) free platform means it’ll likely continue its dominance—but all hope isn’t lost for Netflix, which continues to lead in paid streaming offerings. YouTube’s ad-supported free model reinforces its lead against Netflix—but Netflix can compete better if it can justify its premium price with exclusive content and an improved user experience.

The insight: The gulf between top-tier luxury brands like Brunello Cucinelli and the rest of the market is widening as ultra-wealthy consumers become the primary growth driver for the industry. Our take: Luxury brands have to work harder than ever to win over cautious consumers. While many are chasing the money by recalibrating their assortments—and price points—to woo high net worth individuals, this strategy could backfire by making brands even less appealing to the aspirational shoppers who still account for the majority of luxury sales.

While a plurality of consumers in the western hemisphere start their product searches on search engines, social media platforms are significant search launching pads for consumers in Argentina (17.8%), Brazil (16.8%), and Mexico (18.0%), according to November 2024 data from ESW and EMARKETER.

On today’s podcast episode, we discuss the weight-loss drugs revolution: how they work, their efficacy, how they became so popular, and how they’re reshaping multiple industries. Join Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson and Senior Analysts Rajiv Leventhal and Beth Snyder Bulik. Listen everywhere and watch on YouTube and Spotify.

Men’s care brand Every Man Jack employs a strategic calendar-based marketing approach that shifts focus throughout the year, responding to consumer behavior and competitive pressures.

Retail media is not just for retailers anymore. US commerce media ad spending is projected to hit $118.4 billion by 2029, growing at a 15.3% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), per a May EMARKETER forecast.

The news: Fox News is seeing a rise in ad revenues as advertisers look to curry favor with the Trump administration, per a Financial Times report. Advertisers are hoping to reach “an audience of one,” per Fox’s head of ad sales, after it was revealed that President Trump is a regular viewer of the channel. Our take: Ad spending is becoming increasingly political, influenced by who holds power, what media they consume, and how brands position themselves in a partisan media environment. Brands are increasingly expected to take a stance—even if it means aligning themselves with controversy.

The news: Amazon Web Services (AWS) will launch an agentic AI marketplace designed to help enterprises browse and install AI agents from a variety of startups from a one-stop shop. Our take: The AWS agent marketplace could become a high-value channel for both discovering and distributing automation tools. Enterprises already on AWS’ platform should consider exploring new agent integrations, while startups have a chance to get in front of decision-makers before the market gets even more crowded.

The results: Amazon’s first four-day Prime Day event helped push US ecommerce sales to $24.1 billion from July 8–11—a 30.3% YoY increase, according to Adobe Digital Insights. Our take: Prime Day has cemented its place as a mid-summer shopping tentpole—and not just for Amazon. Other retailers, ranging from Dollar General to Walmart, leaned into the promotional window, turning July into a new retail battleground. Beyond sales, the event is a massive advertising opportunity. One of the under-the-radar reasons Amazon doubled the event’s length was to provide more ad inventory. Stretching Prime Day to four days gave brands more time to reach high-intent shoppers—and Amazon more room to expand its already-massive high-margin retail media business.

The situation: Despite persistent US-China trade tensions, the Chinese economy is proving more resilient than many expected. Our take: China is navigating a high-stakes global environment more deftly than expected—a promising sign for Chinese retailers. Stronger-than-anticipated export growth, solid GDP performance, and growing trade diversification point to a more stable macroeconomic backdrop. That creates an opportunity for Chinese retailers and manufacturers to tap into rising domestic demand while expanding into alternative export markets. If this momentum holds—a big if—they could potentially outpace the 2.0% YoY retail sales growth that we currently forecast.

The news: Google snatched AI coding startup Windsurf’s IP out from under OpenAI in an acqui-hire that includes Windsurf’s CEO, co-founder, and some R&D employees. Our take: Google’s nonexclusive licensing approach could help it avoid regulatory pushback, though employees not involved in the deal may be left out to dry. Deals like this show that control over developer tools is becoming a major strategic advantage for tech companies and could indicate that the Big Tech fight for AI talent and executives is only just beginning.

The news: AI agent adoption in business is happening at an accelerated rate with companies like Intuit, Capital One, and Highmark Health revealing how agents are solving problems and disrupting enterprise workflows, per Venturebeat. Our take: Enterprise AI agents have moved from labs to the front lines. For marketing leaders, that means a clear opportunity to start applying agents to accelerate creative work and squeeze inefficiencies out of existing workflows. As AI agent use becomes mainstream, ensuring an oversight on safety and reliability will become necessary requirements in protecting brand reputation.

The news: xAI, Elon Musk’s AI company, issued a public apology after Grok posted extremist, antisemitic, and politically incendiary content. The chatbot described itself as “MechaHitler” and repeated far-right rhetoric—shortly after Musk pushed to make the chatbot “less politically correct.” Our take: Despite Grok’s competitive performance, its volatility may keep it off the table for marketers running AI pilot programs—like NinjaPromo, which is piloting AI tools that combine its proprietary models with external LLMs for predictive analytics, generative content, and programmatic ads aimed at boosting ROI and automating workflows. Before trusting any platform, CMOs must ensure their tool’s transparency and determine how each model reasons—and what values or biases are embedded.

Social search is gaining ground. Roughly two-thirds of US consumers search on at least one social platform in ways that can influence every part of the consumer journey.

Social network user growth will be slow on a worldwide level, but 2025’s meager 2.9% increase will still equate to more than 115 million new users. Facebook remains in the lead in most countries and regions, even though its share of internet users is declining.

The news: The trade war between the US and the rest of the world is heating up again, thanks to President Donald Trump’s latest threats to boost universal tariffs and impose stiffer duties on Canada and Brazil. Our take: The newly announced duties—should they come to pass—will push the US into the heavy tariff scenario outlined in our tariff report. Based on our forecast, that would mean a 1% decline in retail sales this year, the first contraction since 2009, as rising prices force consumers to prioritize essentials.

Retailers and CPG brands may face challenges as President Donald Trump’s so-called “big, beautiful bill” takes effect, ushering in sweeping changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

Though TikTok Shop faces the dual challenges of economic instability and a tenuous presence on US app stores, marketers are still taking advantage of its positioning as both a social platform and ecommerce engine.

On today’s podcast episode, we discuss the growing AI literacy gap, how to tell if your organization is ready for AI, and what not to do when it comes to AI adoption. Join Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson, Senior Analyst Gadjo Sevilla, and Professor and AI Advisor to the Deans at Rice Business School and Founder and CEO of AI company DemistifAI Kathleen Perley. Listen everywhere and watch on YouTube and Spotify.

The data: About 2 in 3 people have at some point decided not to fill or refill a prescription medication, according to the M3 MI MARS Consumer Health Study of over 20,000 US adults. The final word: Pharma companies should create informational resources on the reasons side effects occur, while being transparent at the onset about what patients should expect. Drugmakers can also tap into digital channels such as online patient communities and social media platforms like Reddit, where patients regularly discuss their experiences with treatments. This could help brands gather insights that inform future drug development or the creation of new patient support programs.

The trend: Investments in AI-powered digital health startups drove an increase in total VC funding for the sector throughout the first half of 2025, according to a recent Rock Health report. The big takeaway: Making AI an essential element of your digital health platform isn’t a differentiating factor anymore—it’s a requirement to draw investor interest and customer adoption. To stand out, healthcare AI players and their marketers should demonstrate the real-world impact of their tech through published research and case studies. And they must be careful not to overstate their AI capabilities, as doing so will drive potential and current customers to a competitor’s solution.

The trend: Healthcare professionals are worried that social media influence promotes unhealthy fad diets, per a new Sermo survey. Our take: Healthcare professionals risk losing credibility with patients, who are turning to more relatable (albeit maybe more unreliable) social media influencers. Doctors and nurses will need to enroll in CME nutrition courses and lean into their medical expertise when patients are in the office to offer guidance on nutrition, without seeming heavyhanded.

The news: Pharma companies can earn a speedier path to approvals for new drugs if they agree to lower US prices to global levels. The takeaway: Pharma companies are on board with faster drug approvals and higher global prices, but they still make the bulk of their profits on US sales. By adopting good faith balanced stances—advocating for fairer pricing, but highlighting innovation—pharma can notch wins with the administration and consumers.