Mastercard and LoanPro launched Loan on Card, a personal loan service for consumers and small businesses delivered through virtual and physical cards, per a press release. Loan on Card provides a patch for issuers trying to retain customers that otherwise would have fled to BNPL platforms for larger loans to avoid revolving debt on credit card transactions they couldn’t pay off within a month. BNPL platforms can still boast direct connections at the point-of-sale and the fact that even longer-term BNPL loans don’t appear on customers’ credit scores. Banks need to make sure their loans are just as accessible when consumers are shopping for bigger purchases—with real-time underwriting.
SoFi launched the SoFiUSD stablecoin on the Ethereum blockchain. The bank will also provide infrastructure that lets other banks and fintechs issue white-label stablecoins that are interoperable with SoFiUSD. “Stablecoins as a service” like SoFi’s offering—and Fiservs’—may democratize stablecoins to a broader base of financial institutions. Up until now, banks that wanted to issue stablecoins needed to develop their own decentralized finance (DeFi) infrastructure and internal compliance guardrails. A widespread entry into stablecoins would be a massive pivot for a banking sector used to dealing in fiat currency, normalizing stablecoins as a payment mechanism across the US—further blending traditional finance and DeFi.
Foot traffic trends softened retail in Q3, a potentially troubling sign for holiday spending, according to our Industry KPI data from Placer.ai. The four categories tracked—discount and dollar stores, grocers, department stores, and home improvement stores—had slower growth from July to September, providing more evidence that consumers are feeling the strain of higher living costs. The data points to a rocky year-end for department stores and home improvement retailers, which have struggled this year to overcome sluggish consumer sentiment and uneven spending. At the same time, retailers that offer necessities and can deliver clear value are positioned to win.
35 state attorneys general are pushing Meta for tighter enforcement of its advertising policies amid a “surge of misleading marketing for weight loss products” on Facebook and Instagram. The state AGs’ letter will surely get the attention of the FDA, meaning telehealth marketers must ensure they aren’t specifically promoting GLP-1s to people who don’t meet the clinical criteria or using messaging that body shames. Meanwhile, social media companies and advertising platforms need to strictly enforce transparency disclosures on AI-generated ads while closely reviewing all weight loss drug promotions, given the risks of misleading claims and unrealistic expectations.
Nearly half of US adults say TV and streaming drug commercials feel out of touch and downplay serious side effects.
Lilly and Novo gear up to market oral obesity drugs, expected to reshape the growing market with a less-invasive way to meet weight loss demand in pharma.
56% of weekly podcast listeners say podcast hosts are the type of influencer that matters most to them, nearly triple the share who say the same about social media influencers, according to an October survey from Cumulus Media and Signal Hill Insights.
NBCUniversal (NBCU) debuted AI-powered ad features ahead of the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show in 2026, giving advertisers the opportunity to leverage AI for better results in live TV and video-on-demand properties. Campaigns running on NBCU properties now gain access to the massive benefits of utilizing AI for TV, CTV, and VOD advertising.
The Academy Awards will leave ABC after nearly 50 years and stream exclusively on YouTube beginning in 2029—a decisive acknowledgment that audience attention has migrated to digital TV. The deal gives the Academy expanded year-round programming options, flexible sponsorship formats, and a global distribution footprint that linear networks can no longer match. YouTube, now the No. 1 source of US TV viewing time at 13%, gains a premier cultural event as it continues its push into live programming alongside NFL Sunday Ticket. For marketers, the Oscars’ move underscores how YouTube has become the industry’s default television—and a must-buy for premium reach.
As rising food-away-from-home costs push diners to prioritize value, Darden Restaurants is gaining ground with compelling offers like Olive Garden’s $13.99 Never Ending Pasta Bowl and LongHorn’s budget-friendly lunch plates, which helped drive strong Q2 sales and foot traffic gains. Net sales rose to $3.10 billion and same-restaurant sales exceeded expectations, though higher beef costs pressured margins. With both Olive Garden and LongHorn outperforming and fine dining posting modest growth, Darden has raised its full-year sales outlook, reflecting confidence that its value-forward approach will keep resonating with cost-conscious consumers.
Nike is in the "middle innings" of a multiyear turnaround, making tangible progress in rebuilding its wholesale business and reigniting growth in North America, even as deeper challenges persist. Revenues and earnings topped expectations, with wholesale gains helping offset continued declines in Nike Direct and a sharp pullback in Greater China. That progress has come at a cost, however, as promotions and tariff headwinds weighed heavily on margins. With direct-to-consumer sales and China unlikely to rebound quickly, Nike’s recovery will depend on steady execution and patience as it works through lingering structural and demand-related pressures.
OpenAI opened up its app store in ChatGPT to all developers, inviting them to create apps that operate directly inside ChatGPT’s user interface, per Engadget. Rather than downloading separate programs from the Google Play Store or Apple App Store, users can run mini apps directly inside the chat window. ChatGPT is growing as a content marketplace and shopping platform, offering a fresh surface for brand engagement. Start testing interactive brand utilities, see where conversational AI fits into user acquisition strategies, and identify branded content or tools that could eventually be packaged as digital goods.
Omnichannel strategies are crucial to capture multigenerational shoppers in their product discovery and research journeys. Nearly three-quarters (73%) of US Gen Zers say social media is their main source for learning about new products, per Salsify, and about two-thirds (61%) of Gen Xers discover products while browsing in physical retail stores. To earn the attention and trust of multigenerational shoppers, build channel-specific messaging and invest in measurement tools that track cross-channel behavior to see how different audiences are finding, researching, and buying products across platforms.
Coursera’s $950 million all-stock acquisition of Udemy is a consolidation play rooted in survival, not expansion. The deal brings together two of the largest US-based online learning platforms as demand for online education cools amid cheaper AI-driven learning tools and employers pulling training in-house, per The Information. Online learning is becoming a gated, premium environment shaped by AI and consolidation. As Coursera and Udemy merge, brands should expect fewer sponsorship slots, tighter rules, and higher prices.
On today’s podcast episode, we discuss what Crayola is aiming to achieve with its “Campaign for Creativity,” how the brand guides children from digital creation to hands-on creative play, and what’s top of mind for the art supplies company as it heads into the holiday season. Listen to the discussion with Vice President of Content and host Suzy Davidkhanian, Principal Analyst Sky Canaves, and Crayola Chief Marketing Officer Victoria Lozano.
46% of worldwide marketing decision-makers say reaching their target audience is the biggest challenge when advertising on social media, according to a March survey from DoubleVerify and Sapio Research.
Amazon has partnered with the fintech Slope to offer AI-underwritten financing to Amazon sellers and reduce friction in the lending process. Eligible US Amazon merchants will be able to apply for and access loans through their seller accounts. Amazon could position itself as the go-to platform for higher-volume sellers as well as a more sophisticated alternative to financial institutions—and compete aggressively based on accuracy of underwriting and the time between applications and loan funding. It is the wise move for banks to move into embedded lending for ecommerce rather than try to sell loans to these merchants directly.
Wells Fargo plans to renovate more than half of its branch network by the end of 2025 in large metro areas as well as in rural markets—and more are in line for 2026. The new design features interactive tools that support customer education with mobile and online banking. The pandemic dealt a blow to the branch as a channel, but its decline distracts from its changing role. Making branch networks more efficient means customizing services to the communities where they’re located, optimizing the design for customers whose banking behaviors emphasize digital services.