Arielle Feger

Article Jul 27, 2026 As AI becomes more embedded in everyday life, a growing number of brands, including Polaroid, are marketing the opposite.

When bridal boutiques start asking customers to sign weight-loss waivers and bra companies redesign products for changing body elasticity, it's clear that GLP-1 medications have moved far beyond a healthcare story. As reaches 12% to 15% of the US population, per KFF survey data, retailers across every category are discovering that changing consumer behavior requires more than just smaller portion sizes.

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.

“Advertisers are allergic to the news, oftentimes for the wrong reason,” said Michael Weaver, senior vice president of business development and growth at Al Jazeera Media Network during EMARKETER's Reframing Brand Safety in News Environments event last week. “But it's so neglected as a category, it's easy for a brand to distinguish itself when it really leans into the news.”

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.

On today's podcast, we discuss how to make the most of the back-to-school season, including where post–first-day spending is happening, how less obvious back-to-school brands can capitalize on the season, and whether to double down, scale back, or simply adjust classic back-to-school tactics.

On today's podcast episode, we discuss what back-to-school tells us about the holiday shopper, ways AI could show up during holiday shopping, and one holiday change retailers still have time to make to their digital marketing, promotional, or customer-experience strategy.

In today's podcast episode, we discuss what seasonality means today as shopping behaviors and consumer needs become less tied to a single moment on the calendar. How can seasonal moments help brands identify where new growth opportunities may be emerging? And what audience, motivation, or shopping insights can you carry forward into future campaigns and longer-term strategy?

In today's podcast episode, we explore what it means to be a truly intergenerational brand, what separates brands that are genuinely relevant to a new generation from those relying primarily on nostalgia, and what physical stores need to offer to give consumers a compelling reason to visit.

Retail media ad spending keeps climbing, but growth is slowing and the largest networks are tightening their grip. Off-site advertising, CTV, and AI shopping ads offer new revenue opportunities, while smaller networks face mounting pressure to stand out.