This is the first installment of our “Mexico Ad Spending Benchmarks” series, which helps ad buyers and sellers calibrate their spending and revenue mix against the market.

This is the first installment of our “Mexico Ad Spending Benchmarks” series, which helps ad buyers and sellers calibrate their spending and revenue mix against the market.

This is the first installment of our “Mexico Ad Spending Benchmarks” series, which helps ad buyers and sellers calibrate their spending and revenue mix against the market.

This is the first installment of our “Mexico Ad Spending Benchmarks” series, which helps ad buyers and sellers calibrate their spending and revenue mix against the market.

Marketers have long associated connected TV (CTV) with big-budget national campaigns, but that’s rapidly changing. As CTV technology becomes more sophisticated and accessible, local businesses are entering a new era of precise, data-driven advertising that blends digital accountability with TV’s scale.

Dupes are being purchased at high rates among affluent consumers, even more than those with lower incomes. 70% of high-income US adults (earning $150,000 or more) have tried a dupe private label product, per April 2025 First Insight data. This outpaces the 53% of mid-income consumers ($51,000 to $149,000) and the 41% of low-income consumers (under $50,000) that bought dupes.

This is the first installment of our annual “Mexico Ad Spending Benchmarks” series, which helps ad buyers and sellers calibrate their spending and revenue mix against the market.

The news: Startup ElevenLabs launched Eleven Music, a platform that gives brands and creators copyright-safe tools to generate custom music and audio. Users can enter prompts in plain English—such as “make me an upbeat disco track with background vocals”—and get a track within minutes, per The Wall Street Journal. Our take: Services like ElevenLabs can democratize music creation for video campaigns and empower smaller brands to create original campaign content with minimal effort. But with growing concern over AI’s role in creative industries, brands should remain transparent about AI use, keep human creatives on staff as backstops, and use AI when it can complement rather than replace human work.

Demand for food delivery strengthened in Q2, DoorDash and Uber said, as more customers become used to ordering restaurant meals and groceries online. Order frequency on Uber’s delivery platform reached all-time highs during the quarter, CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said in prepared remarks, while volumes and profitability for the unit also hit record levels. Delivery bookings jumped 20% YoY, while revenues surged 25%. DoorDash also broke records, with total orders (up 20% YoY), marketplace GOV (up 23%), and revenues (up 25%) all surpassing previous quarterly highs. Food delivery is one area that is so far immune to uncertainty—a sign that consumers are increasingly wedded to services that offer convenience, and are willing to pay a premium (or at least a membership fee) to get food and other goods delivered quickly to their doors.

The results: The US toy industry returned to growth in the first half of 2025 after a flat 2024 and a sales decline in 2023, per a new report from Circana. Dollar sales rose 6% YoY, and unit sales increased 3%. The average selling price also climbed 3%, its first meaningful increase after three years of stagnation. Our take: The toy industry is at a crossroads. While Hasbro and Mattel have both raised their full-year outlooks, short-term risks—from tariffs to economic anxiety—are building. If those pressures persist, the category’s recovery could quickly stall. To stay resilient, brands should double down on the strongest demand drivers: licensed IP and the fast-growing “kidult” segment.

The news: Google faces another anticompetitive accusation as ad tech company OpenX becomes the latest player to challenge Google’s grip on the digital advertising ecosystem. OpenX filed a lawsuit accusing Google of anticompetitive conduct in the digital ad space, claiming the company’s actions “crippled competitors like OpenX at every turn,” preventing fair competition. Our take: Google’s dominance means advertisers won’t completely cut spending—but OpenX’s lawsuit is building on advertisers’ growing concerns over Google’s control of the ad ecosystem and curiosity about viable alternatives.

The news: McDonald’s delivered strong Q2 results that topped analysts’ expectations, signaling a rebound in its core US market. Our take: McDonald’s regained its footing in Q2 after posting its steepest same-store sales drop since the pandemic. While rivals like Yum Brands and Chipotle struggled with consumer pullback, McDonald’s played to its strengths by leaning into value, nostalgia, and limited-time promotions.

Michael Kors owner Capri credited a sequential improvement in demand for its better-than-expected quarter and upgraded FY forecast. In an otherwise difficult quarter for luxury, Capri’s bullishness stands out. But it has a lot of work to do to revive its brands—particularly Michael Kors, which, following the sale of Versace, now accounts for nearly 70% of revenues.

Time spent with social media is plateauing, but Gen Z and Gen Alpha are still platform-hopping. As Gen Zers steadily overtake millennials in terms of share, brands must understand the nuances of how each generation uses its platforms of choice.

The news: Google is gearing up for a wide release of ads in AI Mode search as advertisers grapple with concerns over brand safety and performance erosion in AI-curated environments. Our take: Even as concerns over Google’s ad dominance linger and advertisers consider competitors, cutting spend on Google entirely remains highly unlikely—but the dominoes are stacking up against Google. Ads in AI mode shows the search giant is taking steps to protect itself in an increasingly competitive ecosystem.

The news: More than one-third of Pinterest’s 570 million global users are men (30.4% in the US), driven largely by Gen Z, per the company’s first Pinterest Men’s Trend Report. Their searches—spanning fitness, grooming, parenting, and finance—upend stereotypes and signal new ad opportunities. Our take: Advertisers have an opportunity to plug into Pinterest’s male-centric expansion with the following strategies. Launch campaigns via the “Pinterest Man” hub and align creative with top categories (fitness, skincare, parenting). Partner with male creators to boost authenticity, engagement, and time spent. Use Pinterest’s gender-specific analytics and trend reports to optimize ad timing and targeting.

In an EMARKETER interview, Reddit COO Jen Wong shared optimism following the platform’s strong Q2, highlighting its focus on delivering ad outcomes over increasing ad load. Despite capturing just over 1% of US social ad spend, Reddit is growing ARPU through investments in machine learning, creative tools like Memorable AI, and advertiser infrastructure. Wong emphasized Reddit’s auction model supports full-funnel goals, while global expansion is underway through localized insights and self-serve adoption. She spotlighted Reddit Community Intelligence as a milestone, enabling brands to tap into decades of authentic discussion data. The company’s long-term bet: authenticity will outperform algorithms.

The news: President Trump said to CNBC on Tuesday that forthcoming tariffs on pharma products imported to the US could reach 250%. It’s the highest rate on pharma tariffs that Trump has mentioned to date. Our take: 250% is an enormous number, but it’s more of a threat than an end result that will impair the sector. Such a high levy rate will likely spur further manufacturing commitments, which is something Big Pharma is prepared for—especially if they’re given 18 months to move more production to the US.

The news: US-based rewards app Fetch opened the waitlist for the Fetch American Express Card. Our take: Fetch is positioned to take off for consumers who want rewards that help ease cost concerns when buying everyday essentials.

The news: Klarna and Afterpay will not share the majority of their consumers’ loan information with credit bureaus until they can receive confirmation that their customers will not be penalized for seeking buy now, pay later (BNPL) plans. Our take: Affirm’s early plunge into credit reporting has been blunted against its competitors’ refusal to participate in the system, but it still takes the reputational lead in terms of being a “trustworthy” provider.

The news: Big Tech’s Q2 2025 earnings reveal Microsoft, Alphabet (Google), Meta, and Amazon are expected to spend up to $364 billion to $400 billion collectively on capital expenditures in their 2025 fiscal years, with the vast majority targeted toward AI-related infrastructure, per The Wall Street Journal. Our first take: Big Tech is doubling down on generative AI (genAI) as its next growth engine. This massive buildout is already squeezing cloud margins, straining data center capacity and igniting a talent arms race.

The news: Roku launched Howdy, a streaming service for just $2.99 per month. It will initially be available through the Roku platform, with further rollout on mobile and beyond in the works.Our take: With 2.5% of all TV watch time—more than any other FAST provider—Roku has the audience to promote Howdy effectively. It must ensure that Howdy feels essential, not disposable, and that its content delivers real value. Still, with price sensitivity increasing and tolerance for ads shrinking, Howdy has clear appeal—especially among users seeking affordable streaming without sacrificing experience. If Roku executes on distribution and content strategy, Howdy could quietly scale into a meaningful revenue stream. Our take: With 2.5% of all TV watch time—more than any other FAST provider—Roku has the audience to promote Howdy effectively. It must ensure that Howdy feels essential, not disposable, and that its content delivers real value. Still, with price sensitivity increasing and tolerance for ads shrinking, Howdy has clear appeal—especially among users seeking affordable streaming without sacrificing experience. If Roku executes on distribution and content strategy, Howdy could quietly scale into a meaningful revenue stream. Our take: With 2.5% of all TV watch time—more than any other FAST provider—Roku has the audience to promote Howdy effectively. It must ensure that Howdy feels essential, not disposable, and that its content delivers real value. Still, with price sensitivity increasing and tolerance for ads shrinking, Howdy has clear appeal—especially among users seeking affordable streaming without sacrificing experience. If Roku executes on distribution and content strategy, Howdy could quietly scale into a meaningful revenue stream.

The news: Huntington Bank refreshed its brand with new logos, an ad campaign, and a suite of products to meet the evolving needs of its target customers, per a press release. The details: The brand refresh is changing not only the look and feel of marketing materials but thoughtfully addressing the needs of its target audience. Will it work?: The success of the rebranding will depend on preparation as well as buy-in from employees and customers. But what stands out as incredibly strategic are its products that thoughtfully address its target customers’ life-stage-related needs.

The news: After facing early-career challenges from the Great Recession and then the pandemic, many millennials are now wealthier than previous generations were at the same age. But a significant number remain anxious about their financial future and worry that their wealth could disappear, per The Wall Street Journal. Why this matters for banks: Just as Gen Zers feel they need to earn a whopping $587,800 per year to achieve financial success, millennials may need a reality check from their banking providers so they can productively work toward their financial goals.