Here’s what marketers need to know about the metaverse-aspiring game and its new ad platform — Roblox, which we have identified as one of the leading MMO (massively multiplayer online) games developing “proto-verse” platforms, is officially open for business. For brands that are curious about entering the metaverse, it is time to get your 3D brand assets ready. On Friday, Roblox announced a sweep of new…

From building bridges to AR interfaces to making niche products aspirational, here’s what brands can learn from the latest Apple event — The new iPhones are coming a little earlier this year, as Apple hosted its fall launch event a week earlier than it has done in previous years. At first glance, this “Far Out” event on Wednesday seemed to offer few real surprises, as the Cupertino company unveiled new lineups for…

The rising subscription prices, the incoming flux of ads, and the studios second-guessing their release strategy are turning some consumers against streaming — We’ve officially passed the peak of “Peak TV” (at least in the U.S. market) this summer, and it seems that a consumer backlash against streaming that has brewing under the surface is bubbling up to the top, as evidenced by the increasing churn rates.

From the comeback of physical toys to the continuing popularity of digital playgrounds, the future of play is hybrid and educational — There is no denying that the past few years have significantly accelerated the digitization of childhood. The play and learning experiences that dominate childhood have been largely moved online, with physical toys enhanced with digital elements and online platforms supplementing, if not outright replacing, real-world playgrounds for kids and teens…

How value-driven consumers are pushing forward food and beverage innovations — “You are what you eat,” the old idiom goes, but in the modern age of endless choices and decision paralysis, it’s more like “you are what you choose to eat.” Never before has our daily consumption been more driven by what we believe in. …

And how food and beverage brands can react through distribution and marketing innovations — The ways in which younger consumers discover and consume food and beverage products are increasingly driven by meme culture, and increasing on-demand availability of the food and grocery delivery services and ghost kitchens are further fueling the flame. Memes are more powerful than ever, as socially driven discovery starts to…

Gen Z’s embrace of alternative social platforms is changing how they use Instagram and TikTok, and foretells a major shift in online discovery — Move over, TikTok! There’s a new social platform that Gen Z can’t get enough of — BeReal, a photo-sharing social app initially launched in 2020, is quickly gaining popularity among Gen Z users over the past few months. …

Brands should heed the shifting dynamics in the OTT space as pandemic-spurred acceleration in streaming growth comes to an end — What’s Up with Netflix Lately? This week, Netflix announced that it has selected Microsoft as a “global advertising technology and sales partner” to help it launch an “ad-supported tier” that the global streamer announced in April. …

How financial service and B2B brands can better support the next generation of entrepreneurs — With contribution from Benjamin Hone on the final section For entrepreneurs and small business owners, it was the best of times, it was the worst of times. On one hand, no-code and low-code B2B services have significantly lowered the barrier to starting a business online and modernizing existing ones, creating…