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SEPTEMBER 15, 2025 |
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True or false? More consumers expect fewer brand-offered discounts during this holiday season compared to last year. |
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TOP STORY |
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Two companies that launched high-profile rebrands—and drew fire from customers, industry leaders, and even President Donald Trump—are handling the backlash in very different ways. |
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Cracker Barrel, after igniting a right-wing uproar with a new logo that dropped its “Uncle Herschel” character and the words “Old Country Store,” quickly backtracked. It scrapped the logo, shelved its remodeling plan, axed its DEI programs, and even revived its fresh-baked biscuits.
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Jaguar, by contrast, doubled down. The British carmaker’s full brand reset reimagined the iconic leaping jaguar motif as an angular “maker mark” rather than the traditional hood ornament. It also unveiled its Type 00 EV in a video showcasing the sedan’s sharp angles, butterfly doors, and bold finishes. Trump blasted it as a “stupid, seriously WOKE advertisement” and asked, “Who wants to buy a Jaguar after looking at that disgraceful ad?”
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But Jaguar hasn’t budged. |
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IN THE NEWS |
Google’s AI ad tools for retailers aim to address concerns over AI’s impact on traffic. Google is rolling out new ad tools for AI Overviews, targeting retailers in a bid to curb concerns about AI responses’ impact on referral traffic and clickthrough rates (CTRs), per a blog post. Read online |
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Other headlines: |
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Pinterest courts CPG advertisers with new shoppable ad format. The company is introducing “where to buy” links to make standard product image ads shoppable. Read online
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Instacart spins Amazon’s grocery expansion as a revenue opportunity. At this point, few retailers can compete directly with Walmart and Amazon on delivery speed, leaving room for third-party delivery intermediaries to help them bridge the gap. Read online
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Furniture retailers need to offer discounts or risk going bankrupt, says RH’s CEO. Elevated interest rates and prices and lackluster consumer confidence have left the housing market in rough shape. Read online | | | |
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ANALYSIS |
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Meta’s Q2 2025 earnings confirmed the company is not just weathering digital ad headwinds—it’s outperforming them. Even with softening engagement in mature markets, Meta is increasing ad revenues through stronger pricing, better AI tools, and new ad offerings on WhatsApp. But as Meta aggressively builds for an AI future, several questions remain. |
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