Winning the New Zero Sum Game

There isn’t much data currently available on Nike’s Olympics performance, but from what little is out there, it seems the Games were a success. During the opening week of the Olympics (July 26 to August 1), Nike increased visits to its direct-to-consumer (D2C) site, per data from Similarweb as reported by Reuters.

Problematic creator funds are a thing of the past: TikTok is sunsetting its creator fund one year after YouTube changed the game with a revenue-sharing model.

Ulta Beauty, for example, recently introduced GlamXplorer, an activity platform featuring beauty-themed games and puzzles. Currently in the pilot stage, players can earn prizes like discounts, free products, and exclusive offers. This was originally featured in the Retail Daily newsletter. For more retail insights, statistics, and trends, subscribe here.

Combining loyalty programs with retail media could help retailers secure additional advertiser dollars—53% of advertisers would like to see loyalty, promotions, games, and sweepstakes combined with retail media offerings, according to an August 2023 survey by Merkle. This was originally featured in the Retail Media Weekly newsletter. For more marketing insights, statistics, and trends, subscribe here.

Marketers, publishers, and media and tech companies have known for years that the third-party cookies and mobile IDs on which they built a thriving ad business would eventually disappear. What may have seemed like an abstraction in 2016 is now a looming reality: Google has said it will fully phase out Chrome cookies and potentially mobile IDs in late 2024. Google has repeatedly delayed this timeline, but even if the dates shift, it’s game time for the ad industry to accept and embrace the cookieless future.

The CFPB's proposed Personal Financial Data Rights rule accelerates progress toward open banking in the US, changing the game for customer retention.

Bundling is a game of adding complementary services together. Streamers are asking themselves, “What’s something that can bring additional value to a core proposition—therefore creating a new proposition—but doesn’t devalue the original product?” These trends dictate which alliances make the most sense. Consumers want simpler billing.

But in spring 2024, financial titans Chase and PayPal each launched one, positioning FMNs as an industry game changer. Growing demand and regulatory clarity will encourage more FMN launches this year. Advertisers will need more first-party data, thanks to ad targeting restrictions from the American Privacy Rights Act and Google’s ongoing changes to how it handles third-party cookies on Chrome.

On today's episode, we discuss how much Netflix and Disney+ will make from ads, what Snapchat+ is, how best to prevent customers from leaving you and trading down, Facebook's algorithm change to take on TikTok, why Apple and Google are coming for your car, an unpopular opinion about email newsletters, what the new "Squid Game" game show will look like, and more. Tune in to the discussion with our analysts Suzy Davidkhanian and Max Willens and director of reports editing Rahul Chadha.

LG and Samsung raise their connected TV game: While Samsung embraces interactivity, LG sharpens targeting with LoopIQ.

On today's podcast episode, we discuss the speed of AI adoption, what to make of ChatGPT's engagement lull, and how Nvidia is shaping AI's future. "In Other News," we talk about how Roblox's AI assistant could transform gaming and how Amazon is using its neural network to improve the NFL's game-watching experience. Tune in to the discussion with our analysts Jacob Bourne and Gadjo Sevilla.

Advertisers look to get into the game: Marketers can exploit the opportunities that video gaming presents to win new customers by identifying their target genre and desired outcomes.

Giving Ubisoft the rights to distribute games in the EU could appease UK regulators’ concerns, clearing the final stage in gaming’s biggest acquisition.

On today's episode, we discuss what to make of Apple's Vision Pro, the company's newly announced mixed reality (MR) goggles; how AI could improve shoppable TV; why retailers and customers aren't on the same page; how ads on the New York subway are changing; how Amazon plans to deliver packages to folks even faster; how long it actually takes to play a baseball game; and more. Tune in to the discussion with our vice president of content Suzy Davidkhanian and analysts Blake Droesch and Paul Verna.

On today's episode, we discuss password sharing and live sports on Netflix, what the definition of "convenience" is, if awards shows have turned things around, where we spend time with connected devices, sweetgreen's plan to automate all stores in five years, who invented the card game Uno, and more. Tune in to the discussion with our director of forecasting Oscar Orozco, vice president of Briefings Stephanie Taglianetti, and analyst Max Willens.

On today's episode, we discuss how generative AI will transform how content and creative teams function across industries, the relationship between Web3 and loyalty, brands focusing on games as a training ground for the metaverse, and more. Tune in to the discussion with our analysts Jessica Lis and Yory Wurmser.

Ad spend across digital channels has been mixed so far this year, with spend on social networks slowing and connected TV spend boosted by new ad-supported subscription tiers. Meanwhile, retail media is diversifying at a rapid rate as nonendemic retailers get in the game

Casper’s subway ads give commuters fun puzzles to solve while increasing its brand awareness. Albertsons Companies leverages a game to entice consumers to play for discounts and rewards. And Nike’s mobile app earns the brand a spot in consumers’ everyday lives. Here are five ways brands are embracing gamification across different stages.

On today's episode, we explore the "madness" surrounding the NCAA tournament each year, customers' reception of QR codes, soccer's rise in popularity in the US, discounts on Amazon Alexa, gaming subscriptions on the horizon, rules around how soccer players can celebrate during games, and more. Tune in to the discussion with our analysts Ross Benes and Dave Frankland and director of reports editing Rahul Chadha.

On today's episode, we discuss what to make of the early changes at Twitter, whether stores within stores really work, what to expect now that Netflix Basic With Ads is here, a drone Candy Crush ad in the sky, Sainsbury's playing the loyalty long game, an explanation of the ways US consumers cut costs, how much Americans love cheese, and more. Tune in to the discussion with our director of reports editing Rahul Chadha and analysts Suzy Davidkhanian and Max Willens.

On today's episode, we discuss what happens next now that the newsletter boom has faded, Uber getting serious about grocery, how Starbucks is defying inflation, whether Spotify can revolutionize podcast ads, robots doing all of our housework, an unpopular opinion about TikTok's hype, why so many baseballs are used during a game, and more. Tune in to the discussion with our director of reports editing Rahul Chadha and analysts Suzy Davidkhanian and Blake Droesch.

Despite a tightening ad market, the Super Bowl powers on: Fox has sold out spots for Sunday’s game, with prices stabilizing after last year’s jump.

On today's episode, we discuss whether Americans are becoming more price-sensitive, how Amazon's second Prime Day went, whether augmented reality is about more than having fun, what to expect from Netflix's "immersive" shopping experience, how delivery robots are kind of already here, an explanation of the holiday shopping trends we are paying the most attention to, where the song “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” came from, and more. Tune in to the discussion with our director of reports editing Rahul Chadha and analysts Blake Droesch and Suzy Davidkhanian.

As an optimization lever and digital currency, viewability has incentivized a web full of intrusive ad clutter. More than a fifth (21%) of observed ad impressions run on MFA websites that game viewability, according to a January 2023 study from the Association of National Advertisers (ANA).