In today’s episode, we talk about how stablecoins differ from the crypto hype cycles of the past like bitcoin and NFTs, the risks stablecoins introduce for traditional financial institutions, and from the consumer side, do people actually want or need stablecoin payments. Join the discussion with host and Head of Business Development, Rob Rubin, Senior Analyst, Grace Broadbent, Vice President of Content, Suzy Davidkhanian, and Principal Analyst, Tiffani Montez.
Santander’s Bank of Antandec UK advertising campaign featuring the iconic British TV broadcasting duo Ant and Dec has concluded after six years, per Little Black Book. The series of 15 ads followed the Bank of Antandec as it humorously and unsuccessfully tried to compete with Santander’s products. By investing in a long-running, character-driven narrative, Santander put on a show and achieved a level of engagement and memorability that a simple product-focused ad could never achieve. It also showed consistency by building and maintaining its brand voice over the span of the campaign.
PayPal debuted PayPal links, a new peer-to-peer (P2P) payment request method available for US consumers. When PayPal bought Venmo, it prioritized growing that brand’s P2P clout in the US rather than absorbing it into the PayPal brand. Making a new, more convenient P2P payment method available only on PayPal and not Venmo could be a sign the company is trying to reestablish PayPal’s perception as a financial “everything” app rather than just its strong association as an ecommerce payment method.
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) has proposed new rules updating the requirements for displaying the official FDIC sign on digital platforms, per Davis Wright Tremain LLP. Ultimately, these changes are a win for FIs and their customers. The current, often-confusing signage can lead to confusion about how customers’’ money is protected. By focusing the signage at the most relevant touchpoints—like logging in or opening an account—and requiring clear, consistent warnings for uninsured products, the FDIC is making it easier for consumers to make informed decisions about their money.
Best Buy is relying on its store footprint, rich first-party data on tech shoppers, and in-house creative capabilities to win more spending from endemic and nonendemic advertisers. Best Buy is smart to lean into its physical footprint to differentiate itself in retail media. While some advertisers remain reluctant to lean into in-store due to measurement concerns, Best Buy’s ability to tie purchases back to consumers and to literally turn its stores into billboards should help ease those worries. If it can succeed, Best Buy can move beyond its tech niche to become a more serious player in retail media.
Meta is building on its WhatsApp messaging ad options, expanding opportunities for brands to show up in WhatsApp statuses after an initial introduction in June. Meta’s expansion of WhatsApp status ads creates a timely chance for brands to connect with consumers when they’re highly engaged, attentive, and seeking actionable solutions.
Klarna and Affirm will be available for in-store payments via Apple Pay in the US and the UK, per a press release. As more providers find ways to enable BNPL in store, they need to convince consumers to choose their products over card-linked installment plans, which offer the perks of paying over time with competitive rewards and cash back. Gen Zers are demonstrating a distrust of credit cards in favor of debit cards, so Affirm and Klarna could lean into their BNPL-enabled debit cards as a way of seeming like a “safer” financing choice for younger consumers. Eschewing the risks of revolving debt may be more desirable than points rewarded for Gen Zers.
American Express launched the Amex Travel App, Amex Passport, and a new Centurion Lounge feature ahead of its anticipated Platinum card refresh. Amex’s next challenge will be preserving that its product’s convenience isn’t usurped by an outside genAI travel product. Consumers are already starting to use AI to plan travel, and agentic AI could soon start booking it for them as well. Amex needs to be prepared to have a product that rivals genAI in ease and capability so that the issuer doesn’t lose spend to third-party travel platforms during users’ queries.
AI and agents will drive 21% of holiday orders globally, an estimated $263 billion in sales, per Salesforce’s holiday forecast. GenAI is both a disrupter and a gamechanger for retailers. To avoid being left behind, retailers need their own AI tools—either built in-house or with partners like Microsoft, Google, and OpenAI—to ensure they can deliver personalized, relevant recommendations and shopping experiences. At the same time, companies need to optimize every piece of content on their sites—from product listings to reviews to FAQs—for discoverability on AI search engines to avoid falling into oblivion.
US shoppers spent steadily throughout the summer, a welcome sign of resilience as retailers brace for a tougher holiday season. While August’s retail sales report is fueling optimism around holiday spending, the strong topline growth obscures growing cracks—mainly among lower- and middle-income consumers, who are stressed about their financial situations and worried about the softening labor market. Those concerns, along with broader economic uncertainty, are keeping shoppers squarely focused on maximizing value.
A real-world study on Novo Nordisk’s obesity drug showed patients had significantly reduced “food noise,” which are persistent, unwanted thoughts about eating. Novo surveyed 550 US adults taking Wegovy for weight loss for at least four months. Food brands are already adapting to the weight-loss trend by adding new products tailored to GLP-1 users and right-sizing portions. We detail this in our “Impact of Weight Loss Drugs 2025” report. But there are more opportunities for GLP-1 drugmakers and food companies to partner. We could see GLP-1 friendly grocery lists curated by nutrition experts and integrated into platforms like Instacart or Uber Eats, for example. Or collaborations with ready-made meal companies like Factor or Daily Harvest, which already offer GLP-1 options.
Heading into the holiday shopping season, US adults plan to spend over $900 on average on consumer tech products, but they’re concerned about tariffs and prices, per a new CNET survey. Consumers’ top four worries revolve around costs, including tariffs and pricing (52%), finding quality tech at affordable prices (48%), affording new tech (38%), and straining finances (26%). Retailers and consumer tech brands will need to prove their value to earn sales. Bundles are a good bet, and short-term free subscription offers will likely bring in shoppers that could convert to recurring subscription revenues down the road.
The FDA claims Hims & Hers’ compounded GLP-1 offering is being falsely marketed on its website, and its Super Bowl weight loss drug ad is under scrutiny for omitting side effect and risk information. Telehealth players in the copycat GLP-1 space can easily change marketing language online, and likely don’t have to worry about adhering to drug advertising laws that apply to pharma manufacturers—yet.
Dozens of pharma direct-to-consumer (D2C) TV ads are under fire as the FDA demands at least 40 commercials be pulled off the air or changed. A spate of untitled warning letters posted on the FDA’s website charge that the TV ads—from Big Pharma companies including AbbVie, AstraZeneca, Novartis, and Pfizer—are false or misleading. It directs marketers to respond within 15 days with plans for corrective action or defend why the ads do not violate guidelines. This is just the first wave of targeted FDA enforcement on high visibility pharma broadcast TV ads. Marketers and ad agencies need to immediately review commercials for potential problems under the new stricter compliance, and proactively retool them. Analyze the FDA letters to figure out what is now acceptable, and dedicate resources, including new generative AI tools, to create and review ads. Create flexible, modular TV ads that can be changed or reworked quickly if needed.
Google, the latest Big Tech company to reach a $3 trillion market cap, is committing £5 billion ($6.39 billion) to expand its UK footprint and anchor AI and cloud growth in one of its most important ad markets. Google expects the expansion to help drive as much as £400 billion (about $511 billion) in AI-related economic activity for the UK by 2030 while supporting about 8,000 local jobs annually. By building infrastructure, tech giants are laying the groundwork for ad expansion across Europe. Each multibillion-dollar bet buys influence, regulatory goodwill, and a stronger grip on the region’s digital backbone.
Meta Connect, the company’s annual developer conference, will highlight how it’s weaving AI, VR/AR hardware, and ad technology across its platforms. Meta is expected to shift its multibillion-dollar bet from VR to smart glasses. Meta is shifting from experimental hardware to AI as the company’s true growth engine. Smart glasses may grab headlines, but the near-term payoff—and competitive edge—will come from campaigns built on AI. The bigger test is whether Meta can fuse its hardware, AI, and ad products into a cohesive platform that justifies its massive spending and persuades both consumers and advertisers to buy in.
New York Fashion Week (NYFW) is no longer about who sits in the front row—it’s about who shares the clips. N4XT Experiences has tapped Viral Nation as its exclusive social partner across NYFW, LA Fashion Week, and BEAUTYDAYS, enlisting 900 creators to capture and amplify content in real time. Influencer voices now account for nearly a quarter of NYFW’s media impact, showing how creators have become central to fashion’s cultural resonance. Viral Nation will manage NYFW’s entire digital presence, tracking social performance and ensuring fashion weeks function less as insider events and more as global cultural engines.
Amazon is keeping Prime Big Deal Days to two days—October 7 and 8—a shift from July's four-day Prime Day sale. The retailer said the two-day window aligns with its broader holiday strategy. With just 28 days between Thanksgiving and Christmas, the season will be a sprint. Amazon is pacing itself—and other retailers should, too. That approach lets Amazon and its third-party sellers conserve budget and promotions for Cyber Five, when competition peaks.