Brand breadth, loyalty, and physical stores are helping it take share in a soft market.
The new Stablecard platform risks confusing customers and complicating branding.
Brands are using product enhancements to defend share, though that alone may not be enough.
Target aims to shape meal discovery, while Ahold Delhaize offers a more direct path to conversion.
Pinterest urges holiday advertisers to start soon: Brands that wait risk missing shoppers who research and buy well before Black Friday.
Retailers pulled out creative stops in July, from Nike's star-studded World Cup campaign to Lego's massive trophy installation in New York City. Here are the brands that broke through the noise, created memorable experiences, and made strategic bets on their future.
Kroger is betting that organizational alignment and retail intelligence will transform how brands approach growth strategies, moving beyond siloed advertising campaigns to create sustainable, category-expanding partnerships. "It's more than most publishers or most in kind of a media-focused world are gonna be focused on, you know, the next impression," said Christine Foster, group vice president of commercial strategy and operations at Kroger Precision Marketing, in a conversation at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. "For us, it really is about that next sale."
CringeMart highlights convenience and discretion, helping position the app as an everyday shopping destination.
NRF’s latest data suggests retailers can ease broad security as criminal tactics evolve.
The club’s fast fulfillment and trusted curation can help premium regional products scale nationwide.
It’s deciding who to reach, when to engage, and what customers need.
Live sports remain advertising's last reliable mass-reach environment, and 2026 is proving the point: the NBA Finals shattered viewership benchmarks, the FIFA World Cup is reaching US audiences across every screen, and leagues are moving content onto streaming channels. This FAQ covers how sports audiences are changing, where the ad dollars flow, and how marketers should plan sports investments in 2026.
PubMatic, Optable create a workflow for agent-to-agent deals: The automation is already live, syncing campaign briefs to publisher audiences in real time.
Snapchat and LinkedIn curb AI slop: Brands may earn more reach with original reporting than generic AI posts.
ChatGPT sells more ads, but underdeveloped buying tools and limited shopping use may curb its revenue goals.
Snap beats revenue estimates as US audience shrinks: Marketers should stay selective until the platform proves it can support durable ad demand.
81% of US Instagram users watched Reels, but only 39% uploaded content to Reels, according to an April report from Morning Consult.
Snapchat adds agency tools and HubSpot integration: The company aims to make lead gen, attribution, and ROAS easier for performance marketers.
Short-form video is where social platforms are concentrating their ad innovation in 2026. Instagram is monetizing the moment after a Reel ends, YouTube Shorts earned the industry's first short-form measurement accreditation, and episodic formats are turning casual scrolling into appointment viewing. This FAQ covers the formats, inventory growth, and creative practices shaping short-form video advertising.
Consumers are collecting memberships much faster than they're building habits. The average consumer now belongs to 17.4 loyalty programs, up 60% over the past decade, according to Upside’s “Escaping the loyalty plateau” report. But active participation has risen just 8% over the same period, to 8.4 programs.