ReportWire

Tag: Marketing

  • U.S. Agrees to Cut Switzerland Tariffs to 15% in Trade Deal

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    The U.S. has reached a deal to reduce the crippling 39% import tariffs on Switzerland to 15%, easing a growing burden on the Alpine country’s export-dependent economy and the steepest tariff the Trump administration had imposed on a developed nation.

    “We’ve essentially reached a [trade] deal with Switzerland,” U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said Friday on CNBC. “They are going to send a lot of their manufacturing to the United States—pharmaceuticals, gold smelting, railway equipment.”

    Copyright ©2025 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8

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    Georgi Kantchev

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  • The Future Is Fragmented: Why Media Diversification Isn’t Optional Anymore

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    The marketing landscape has changed forever. Consumers now discover products in dozens of ways: a TikTok Shop haul, a Substack review, a Reddit thread, a podcast ad, or even an AI-generated shopping suggestion via their preferred LLM (Large Language Model). What used to be a clean funnel from awareness to conversion is now a tangled web of discovery.

    The funnel isn’t linear anymore. As I wrote in my last Inc. article, trust is the new KPI, and in this new environment, brands need to earn that trust across more touchpoints than ever before.

    The death of predictable discovery

    For a long time, media planning was predictable: Meta drove performance, Google captured intent, and press built credibility.

    But that world doesn’t exist anymore.

    Usually, by the time they reach checkout, they’ve already crossed at least seven different touchpoints. On the very high end, consumer journeys being cited as “20-500+ touchpoints” when you include all micro-interactions. It’s messy, human, and nonlinear.

    To understand why this matters, it helps to know what each channel actually does.

    • PR is about storytelling and trust. It’s what earns a brand its reputation–coverage in Vogue, Forbes, or a founder feature that shapes perception.
    • Affiliate connects that credibility to commerce. It’s the infrastructure that lets those same stories drive measurable sales through tracked links, commissions, and partnerships with publishers.
    • Paid media is the amplification layer. It turns proven stories or products into scalable growth across Meta, Google, TikTok, and beyond.

    The problem is that most brands still manage these disciplines in silos. One team builds awareness, another chases conversion, and another optimizes ads, each speaking a different language. But that’s not how people buy anymore. Discovery now happens everywhere at once. Managing PR, affiliate, and paid media as completely separate and distinct channels no longer reflects how people actually make decisions.

    The halo effect and the end of perfect attribution

    Marketers love data, but some of the most important effects, like how press shapes perception, how affiliate links legitimize a product, and how word-of-mouth compounds long after a campaign ends, can’t be neatly measured.

    The halo effect is one of them. It’s the bias that occurs when a positive impression of one product or story lifts the way consumers perceive the entire brand, subtly shaping trust, loyalty, and even future purchase decisions.

    You might see an increase in branded search or conversions and attribute it to an ad, when in reality, its media trail leads back to a newsletter, podcast, or creator mention that built trust weeks earlier.

    In today’s fragmented landscape, the real work of marketing often happens between channels. Brands that recognize this move away from chasing last-click data and start looking at their ecosystem as a whole.

    AI-powered discovery Is changing everything

    The rise of large language models like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google’s AI Overviews has accelerated this shift.

    These tools don’t just index pages. They synthesize. When someone searches for the best clean skincare brand, the AI pulls from thousands of data points: top-tier press (and old-fashioned press releases, believe it or not), Reddit forums, Youtube creator reviews, affiliate articles, and brand websites (make sure yours is optimized for GEO!).

    A brand’s visibility within LLMs depends on how often and how consistently your brand is mentioned in credible places.

    PR, affiliate, and paid media no longer operate in separate lanes. They feed the same system. Every link back to your website and piece of coverage that comes from a trusted, authoritative source (ideally a publication with a high domain ranking) contributes to the data LLMs use to surface brand and product recommendations.

    The future of search won’t be won by whoever spends the most on keywords. It will belong to brands that have built a trustworthy, widely referenced presence online.

    Why diversification has become a business imperative

    Here are three reasons why brands must diversify to remain visible, resilient, and relevant.

    1. It creates protection. When one platform changes its algorithm or costs spike, diversified brands can adapt without losing momentum.
    2. It deepens reach. Each channel attracts a different audience mindset. Diversifying ensures you connect with multiple types of customers, and not just repeating your message in an echo chamber.
    3. It builds AI visibility. The more credible mentions your brand has across platforms, the more likely it is to appear in AI-driven search results.

    Winning brands now treat their media presence like an investment portfolio, balancing proven channels with new, high-upside opportunities.

    How to build for a fragmented future

    If you’re a CMO or founder, here’s how to start:

    1. Audit your media footprint. Map where your brand appears across earned, owned, and paid channels. Identify where your customers are discovering products that you’re missing. What shows up on the first page of Google? It should look pristine with third-party reviews and “I Tried It” pieces from top-tier publications, organic 5-star consumer ranking, Youtube video testimonials, and positive Reddit chatter. Is there enough third-party content that’s going to help bring customers in with an automatic layer of credibility and validation?
    2. Design for collaboration. Make sure PR, affiliate, and paid teams are aware of and remain cognizant of one another’s respective KPIs and data. When channels work together, performance improves everywhere.
    3. Build credibility loops. A single earned story should power affiliate coverage and then be amplified through paid. Each layer reinforces the others.
    4. Measure influence, not just clicks. Track branded search growth, share of voice, and sentiment. These signals tell a fuller story of impact.
    5. Tell one story across many forms. Your message should feel consistent, whether it appears in a piece of earned media coverage, a creator post, or an ad.

    From funnel to flywheel

    The old playbook tried to control the journey: linear campaigns, rigid messaging, a clean cause-and-effect. The new one accepts what’s true now: people move in loops. They scroll, compare, forget, and rediscover. What matters isn’t control; it’s coherence–that every touchpoint still sounds like you.

    Fragmentation isn’t something to fear. It’s a chance to connect more meaningfully with the people who care (or untapped consumers who will soon care!) about your brand.

    The brands that succeed will be the ones that build credibility everywhere consumers turn: earned, affiliate, paid, and AI. Growth won’t come from dominating a single platform; it will come from creating consistency across them all. 

    When every touchpoint tells the same story, your brand doesn’t just get noticed–it gets remembered. 

    The early-rate deadline for the 2026 Inc. Regionals Awards is Friday, November 14, at 11:59 p.m. PT. Apply now.

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    Lauren Kleinman

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  • U.S. to Cut Tariffs on Bananas, Coffee and Other Goods From Four Countries

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    The U.S. plans to eliminate tariffs on bananas, coffee, beef and certain apparel and textile products under framework agreements with four Latin American nations, a senior administration official told reporters Thursday.

    The expected move—which would apply to some goods from Ecuador, Argentina, El Salvador and Guatemala—is part of a shift from the Trump administration to water down some of its so-called reciprocal tariffs in the midst of rising prices for consumers, as well as legal uncertainty after a Supreme Court hearing this month.

    Copyright ©2025 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8

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    Gavin Bade

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  • Reese Witherspoon Told Harvard Business School There’s One Social Platform Companies Need to Win On

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    The award-winning actor, producer, and serial entrepreneur launched her media company, which focuses on elevating women’s stories, with co-founder Seth Brodsky in 2016. Over the past nine years, the Los Angeles-based business, which manages Reese’s Book Club, has built up an audience of more than 4 million across its accounts. That’s not counting Witherspoon’s personal following, which has swelled to more than 45 million across Instagram, TikTok, and Threads.  

    That massive online presence enabled her company to be able to compile data about its audience and leverage those insights, all while bringing customer acquisition costs close to zero, Witherspoon said. Still, there is one platform that even Hello Sunshine has yet to master. 

    “One thing I think is a miss for us is YouTube,” said Witherspoon, who spoke to nearly 200 aspiring founders enrolled in Reza Satchu’s popular class, The Founder Mindset, which aims to teach MBA students about the judgement and characteristics needed to succeed as an entrepreneur. “We don’t have a big presence there.”

    Witherspoon joined the class last Tuesday for the inaugural session of a new Harvard Business School case study, which details her path from actor to founder to exit. In August 2021, Witherspoon sold a majority stake in Hello Sunshine to Candle Media, a firm backed by Blackstone, in a deal that valued the business around $900 million.

    As Witherspoon told the class, YouTube has one of the fastest-growing addressable audiences. More than 2 billion people log onto the platform each month. That’s more than double Netflix, Disney+, HBO Max, and Amazon Prime combined. YouTube has become television—the platform accounts for an industry-leading 12.4 percent of total watch time, according to Nielsen data. 

    “It’s just been a really tough one for us,” Witherspoon said. “If your business can crack YouTube, that’s pretty major.

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    Ali Donaldson

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  • Chips Held Hostage in Trade War Start Flowing Again to Auto Suppliers

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    Nexperia microchips are leaving China again, easing a shortage of simple but ubiquitous parts that threatened to paralyze the auto industry.

    German automotive supplier Aumovio, which was recently spun out of tire giant Continental, said Friday that the Sino-Dutch company’s semiconductors and components containing them were on their way from China to Aumovio’s distribution hub in Hungary.

    Copyright ©2025 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8

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    Stephen Wilmot

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  • 5 Marketing Tactics to Turn Customers Into Evangelists—Without a Big Budget

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    Reproductive health and money are two things you’re not supposed to talk about in polite conversation. But Empify founder and CEO Ashley M. Fox and Wisp CEO Monica Cepak built businesses that do exactly that—and they’re marketing them by cultivating passionate communities around their businesses.  

    Atlanta-based Empify is an app focused on bringing financial wellness and investing advice to everyone. It placed No. 145 on the Inc. 5000 this year. In 2024, it had $8.1 million in revenue and 300,000 email subscribers. 

    “If you don’t come from wealth, chances are you don’t feel like you deserve a seat at the table,” Fox said at a panel at the recent Inc. 5000 Conference & Gala in Phoenix. “I wanted to create a company that translated Wall Street knowledge into a language that an everyday person could understand and make them a part of a journey.” 

    San Francisco–based sexual and reproductive telehealth startup Wisp serves close to 2 million women and takes its name from the word “whisper,” as in women should not have to whisper about their health needs and concerns. “We’re uniquely positioned to help destigmatize conversations around sexual and reproductive healthcare,” Cepak says. “We really lean into our community as a way to help break through the noise that destigmatize taboo topics.” 

    Cepak notes that the company has raised just $2 million in funding to date, so “we had to make our marketing dollars work harder and smarter,” Cepak says. That’s meant a focus on community building and conversation-starting social media posts. And it’s working: Wisp placed No. 2,611 on the Inc. 5000 this year, with annual revenue of about $100 million, and more than 100,000 followers on TikTok. 

    Here are Fox and Cepak’s top marketing tips for building buzz and a community around your brand.  

    Get Personal 

    Fox, a former Wall Street trader, lost everything when she set out to build Empify. Hit with unexpected costs, she had to give up her New York apartment and move in with her parents. She doesn’t shy away from telling that story—in fact, she thinks revealing the “uncomfortable pieces” of her backstory makes her more relatable to Empify members who may have had their own money struggles. 

    “I found a way to meet my customers where they were, and I brought them into a space of empowerment,” says Fox. “People say, ‘Okay, she knows what it feels like to not be able to have $80,000 in debt, but she also has figured out how to pay it off.’” 

    Deploy Humor with Care 

    Wisp is known for its bold marketing and social media choices—and for being the first brand to use the word “vagina” on a billboard. Often, the company relies on humor as a way into awkward topics. The company worked with two comedians to create Bill, a recurring character in the company’s TV and TikTok videos. He’s a father of three daughters trying to navigate having conversations about health with his daughters.  

    Despite good intentions, humor can be tricky: What seems hilarious in a boardroom may not travel, and some jokes may inadvertently offend people. Cepak says Wisp tests ads on platforms like TikTok or Meta and solicits feedback before putting major dollars behind TV marketing. “We want to make sure that it resonates,” says Cepak. “We also build focus groups and ask our patients directly, ‘Hey, what do you think about this? Do you think your friends would like it?’” In some cases, customer feedback has changed the direction of ads.  

    Make Customers the Center of Attention 

    Wisp’s focus on customers extends to bringing them into conversations and even featuring them in online spots and ads—a smart strategy as influencer and celebrity endorsements are becoming less effective. “People feel like they can trust their peers,” says Cepak. “You want to hear from someone who’s been in your shoes, another woman who got stuck with a UTI in Vegas for the weekend and was in a bind but managed to get fast, affordable care. It starts with those micro conversations.” When Wisp does work with influencers, it ensures that they have already used its services. 

    As for Fox of Empify, she says she’s also beginning to tell the stories of her members, 94 percent of whom are first-time investors. “My video editor produced a video of an 80-year-old woman on camera with her daughter talking about she didn’t have her money in order, but now not only is she investing, she’s passing down this knowledge and her daughter is next to her and her daughter has two children,” says Fox. 

    Pick the Right Channels 

    TikTok is a great way to amplify your marketing message without a lot of work, says Cepak. “You can produce a few videos a day and very quickly iterate, test and learn, see what works. Maybe one of them goes viral, might take you a week or a few months, but that viral video puts you on the map in a way that is very difficult to replicate on other channels.” 

    Wisp is also investing in creating content likely to be picked up by generative AI tools like ChatGPT or Claude—dubbed GEO (generative engine optimization) or AEO (answer engine optimization). In fact, in her experience, the conversion rate for GEO is about five times that of traditional search engine optimization.  

    Fox found Empify gets the most traction on Instagram. And she says she hires younger people who can advise her on what’s doing well online and sample scripts. “I am allowing myself to trust the younger generation because I don’t want to master social media,” she says. “I want to be talent, wear the clothes, get the makeup done, and go back to running my business.” 

    Move the Conversation Offline 

    Customers increasingly want opportunities to build offline connections and have in person experiences, and both Wisp and Empify are working to fill that demand. “I go to as many of those events as I can. It’s a moment for real talk,” Cepak says. In some cases, people she has met have gone on to appear in Wisp ads or help with product development.   

    “It doesn’t have to feel super produced,” Cepak adds. “You don’t have to spend $50,000. We can literally be at a coffee shop, and I typically bring some stickers and some swag. It can feel more genuine and authentic that way as well.” 

    Fox is beginning to explore setting up chapters around the country and hosting events where members can sit around a table discussing how to build wealth. “People do want that human connection, even though they can learn on their own,” Fox says. 

    The early-rate deadline for the 2026 Inc. Regionals Awards is Friday, November 14, at 11:59 p.m. PT. Apply now.

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    Jennifer Conrad

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  • How Your Brand Can Win the Holiday Gift Guide Game in 2025

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    There’s power in a good recommendation, and now, in the age of AI and lightning speed consumer discovery, the stakes couldn’t be higher for brands striving for a successful holiday shopping season and close to 2025

    According to recent data from Accenture, 77 percent of consumers plan to use generative-AI tools to assist with holiday shopping, and 75 percent of heavy genAI users say they’re using those tools to explore new gift ideas. That shift means one thing: gift guides are no longer just about December sales, they’re actually shaping how algorithms learn what to recommend next now.

    As the founder of Dreamday and co-founder of The Quality Edit, I’ve seen both sides of this evolution from the earned-media side, helping brands secure high-authority placements, to the owned-media side, deciding which products deserve to be featured.

    Gift guides used to be simple: pitch an editor, land a placement, and hope for clicks. Now, gift guides and listicles are part of  a layered ecosystem where PR, affiliate, and editorial data all feed each other to culminate in a continuous cycle where insights from one channel fuel the next, creating smarter storytelling and measurable growth

    Here are Five Key Takeaways and Brand Best Practices from My 14 Years in the Industry:

    1. Pitching season started months ago, but it’s not too late.

    Legacy outlets like Oprah’s Favorite Things and Goop’s Annual Gift Guide close their lists in the summer. Digital publications begin their early brand and product vetting processes up in September. But there’s still space in November (and even early December for “Best Subscriptions to Gift” and “Shopping Guides for the Procrastinator”), especially in quick-ship and creator-driven (even Substack!) guides. Editors update stories weekly up until the last few days before the holidays. The key is timing, in addition to fit. Know exactly who you’re pitching and make a strong case for why your product belongs in the shopping story.

    2. Not all editors are the same.

    A recent piece on Meredith & The Media’s Substack reminded publicists what many these days forget: a freelancer, a staff commerce editor, and an affiliate manager are three different decision-makers.

    • Freelancers care about story fit and reader alignment.
    • Staff editors care about performance and update potential.
    • Affiliate managers (the quiet power players) care about commission structure, conversion, and data.

    Pitching all three the same way and using the exact same pitch is like pitching into the void—a missed opportunity. The brands that will win this season are the ones that are approaching these three distinct, yet complementary roles at once, by aligning editorial relevance with affiliate readiness and commercial viability.

    3. Relationships still matter most.

    Editors, writers, and managers are all human. The best coverage usually comes from someone who’s been using the product for months, not weeks. At Dreamday, we seed early (sometimes in February), so by Q4, there’s authentic familiarity felt by the journalist. When editors genuinely love a product (and have been using it all year), they advocate for it in meetings you’re not in. 

    4. Algorithms reward authority.

    Gift guides are quietly becoming one of the strongest authority signals for LLMs and generative-search models. A Strategist or Vogue mention isn’t just a bragging right; it’s training data. These placements now fuel the trust graph, shaping which products AI recommends and surfaces next.

    So while SEO and paid are still incredibly important pieces of the puzzle, editorial credibility has become the foundation of ChatGPT 5.0, which frequently references high domain ranking outlets and even press releases. The next wave of GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) isn’t built on backlinks; it’s built on trust.

    5. Personalization and performance are the new metrics.

    Editorial and commerce  teams are slicing gift ideas into hyper-specific, SEO-friendly angles: “for the minimalist traveler,” “for the wellness skeptic,” “for the skincare maximalist.” This isn’t particularly novel or new, but the most successful pitches I’ve seen match that same level of granularity. Paint a dynamic narrative via a compelling pitch that fits their reader’s mindset, and show affiliate data that proves it performs.

    The takeaway

    Gift guides may feel nostalgic, like something you’ve seen time and time again, but they’ve evolved into full-funnel growth engines. The smartest brands see them not as seasonal press, but as long-term, evergreen assets that compound credibility, performance, and discovery.

    In a world where AI amplifies authority, the best gift you can give your brand this season is trust: earned, optimized, and built to last.

    The early-rate deadline for the 2026 Inc. Regionals Awards is Friday, November 14, at 11:59 p.m. PT. Apply now.

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    Lauren Kleinman

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  • How China’s Chokehold on Drugs, Chips and More Threatens the U.S.

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    BEIJING—China has demonstrated it can weaponize its control over global supply chains by constricting the flow of critical rare-earth minerals. President Trump went to the negotiating table when the lack of Chinese materials threatened American production, and he reached a truce last week with Chinese leader Xi Jinping that both sides say will ease the flow of rare earths.

    But Beijing’s tools go beyond these critical minerals. Three other industries where China has a chokehold—lithium-ion batteries, mature chips and pharmaceutical ingredients—give an idea of what the U.S. would need to do to free itself fully from vulnerability. 

    Copyright ©2025 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8

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    Yoko Kubota

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  • To Grow Your Brand, Don’t Overlook This Audience

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    Growth is a non-negotiable for most brands. Yet in crowded markets where everyone uses the same playbook to chase the same customers, growth can feel elusive.

    There’s one source of growth that remain surprisingly underdeveloped: growth communities. These are audiences that are rapidly expanding in both population and influence, but remain overlooked in most marketing strategies.

    Edgar Hernandez is the chief strategy officer at MyCode, the largest multi-cultural media agency in the country. It defines growth communities as Black, Hispanic, Asian, Pacific Islander, LGBTQ+, Gen Z and Gen Alpha. Hernandez says that more brands should be thinking about these communities from the value they add as “not only the fastest growing, but also the fastest in growing GDP, and also driving business outcomes.”

    I’ve long said that marketing to underrepresented and underserved communities like these is not only the future of marketing, it’s just just good marketing.

    Brands that intentionally design their products, services, and experiences for all of their ideal customers attract and retain a more diverse customer base. 

    And because far too few brands focus on these communities, the ones that do, and serve them well, earn their loyalty as a result.

    Why so many brands miss the opportunity 

    Many brands try to take their existing playbook and simply copy-and-paste it for growth communities, expecting it to work.

    One-size-fits-all clothing rarely fits everyone well, in the same way that one-size-fits-all marketing isn’t effective as marketers think it will be.

    Yes, consumers come to a brand to solve a specific problem. But their identities profoundly influence how they discover a brand, build trust with it, evaluate their options, and ultimately decide whether they belong with it. These identity-based differences shape every stage of the customer journey.

    To succeed with growth communities, brands must be willing to adapt their approach—acknowledging cultural, generational, and experiential and societal nuances that influence buying behavior. 

    Hernandez warns brands about the dangers of using the same old approach to growth communities. “There’s ones that are taking generational playbooks and trying to apply it. The mediums have changed, the way people want to connect have changed, how people want to experience brands have changed.” He went on to add, “I would say to those brands that you’re putting yourself in an unfortunate position, where you’re not going to be relevant pretty quickly here. You constantly have to be adapting your playbook.”

    The authenticity gap

    Even as more brands recognize the value of growth communities, many struggle to communicate with them authentically. 

    One study showed that consumers biggest frustration for brands engaging in inclusive marketing, was that their efforts came across as inauthentic. One consumer commented that they would like brands to be, “more realistic and not use so many stereotypes.” Another shared, “Their efforts come off as going through the motions.” And another felt like brands don’t do enough to get what their doing right, “I feel like a lot of time they don’t consult with actual people from underrepresented groups to make sure their portrayals are accurate.”

    Many brand efforts with growth communities aren’t received well, because brands don’t equip themselves for success in the beginning. 

    From my perspective, whenever I see campaigns that don’t hit the mark with the underrepresented and underserved communities brands want to reach, it is due to a lack of customer intimacy. That leads to guessing, and running off of assumptions that are often based upon stereotypes. When brands take the time to understand the identities and communities they want to serve at a deeper level, they develop a clearer roadmap for how to engage and convert them.

    It’s for this reason, Hernandez and the My Code team created an intelligence center, filled with white papers that help brands get baseline knowledge of the fast growing and influential communities they want to serve.

    Targeting growth communities is a really smart strategies for brands that want to grow. But turning your attention to a community and winning over a community are two different things. 

    It takes intention, resources, and real effort to get it right. The reward for brands who commit to engaging these communities the right way is long-term growth, and a bigger impact for the communities you serve.

    The opinions expressed here by Inc.com columnists are their own, not those of Inc.com.

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    Sonia Thompson

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  • When Staying the Course Isn’t an Option 

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    Rely on the courage to rethink your strategy with these four pivots.

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    Beth Maser

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  • 6 Startups That Reveal the Secret to Attracting Gen Z Customers

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    Winning the hearts and loyalty of Generation Z is an uphill battle. As the first digital native generation, these young people have grown up with an endless stream of apps—shopping, working, learning, dating and making friends online. Gen Z has made TikTok a dominant force in social media and are passionate about their interests, from K-pop to climate change.

    Plenty of startups have tried to woo this demographic group, and many have failed. But a few select startups have found success in recent years by targeting areas that are of particular interest to Gen Z. Here’s a look at how some entrepreneurial companies have been successful in attracting Gen Z.

    Margins

    Founded late last year, Margins is a San Francisco-based company that is riding the BookTok wave. That substantial TikTok community lets Gen Z recommend, review and discuss books—and it’s driving sales for authors. Margins founders Paul Warren and Nick Punt saw quick success with their app, which helps BookTokers track what they’ve read and discover new books, adding a social element to a sometimes-solitary activity. Installs went from 400 to 60,000 in just 12 days. That number crossed 100,000 in April of this year.

    Doji

    Individual style is important to Gen Z, but putting a look together can be complicated. Founded in 2024 by Dorian Dargan and Jim Winkens, this NYC-based company blends fashion and tech, letting users create an avatar of themselves to virtually try on designer clothes. That lets younger users have access to styles they might not otherwise be able to test—and lets them experiment with different looks without fear of embarrassment. In May, Doji raised $14 million in seed money to expand the app and improve its AI models.

    Elin.ai

    Research by the Walton Family Foundation found that 42 percent of Gen Z struggles with depression and feelings of hopelessness. That’s part of the reason this generation has pushed to bring mental health to the foreground of the national healthcare conversation. Czech-based Elin.ai, founded in 2023 by Jan Romportl, Petr Stanislav, and Jiri Horacek, taps into that interest, using artificial intelligence to analyze screenshots and offer personalized advice to help users, helping them manage stress, anxiety and cyberbullying, among other challenges.

    Swsh

    Gen Z has been documenting its life in photos and videos for nearly two decades, so it’s no surprise, really, that photo-focused apps and companies resonate with those users. Swsh, founded in 2022 by Weilyn Chong, Nathan Ahn, and Alexandra Debow, is a New York-based photo sharing and social platform that is tailored to Gen Z interests. Users can filter out items from photos and use the app’s AI-driven facial recognition tool to search for photos of themselves. The company recently began offering the ability to password protect albums, so users can control who sees the shots.

    Corner

    Gen Z is a big proponent of shopping local, but they demand those stores have online shopping tools. (A 2023 survey found 73 percent of Gen-Zers and 75 percent of Millennials say they would be more inclined to browse and buy more often from small businesses that provide wider payment and delivery choices.)  Corner, founded in 2022 by Eliza Wu and Jake Xia, helps them do that with a layer of social media on top. It’s a mapping application, where the point is to discover and explore local businesses based on social recommendations. Rather than scraping other sites, the app has built its map from the ground up—and in three years, its users have added more than 275,000 locations. There are no star ratings, and while there are the expected restaurants and retailers, you’ll also occasionally find a listing for a spot to watch the sunset. The app has over 55,000 users across 450 cities.

    Beli

    A social network for foodies, New York City-based Beli was founded in 2021 by Judy Thelen and Eliot Frost. Users rank restaurants and other food-focused places, marking their favorite dishes. The app offers a score for how the app’s users liked the restaurant as well as one for how the individual user’s friends on the app liked it. Profiles can be public or private and the app has evolved into a dating app of sorts, connecting people with similar food interests. Gen Z has enthusiastically embraced it (roughly 80 percent of the app’s users are under 35), thanks to the social elements and the chance to express themselves. Beli now boasts over 60 million reviews globally, topping Yelp.

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    Chris Morris

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  • What Recent Domain Trends Signal About Global Brand Strategy 

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    As the global digital economy accelerates, descriptive domain names have become strategic brand assets for businesses, conveying product relevance, credibility, and intent to customers and audiences at a glance. Their growing adoption also offers valuable insight into broader digital and market trends worldwide. 

    Recent data from our recent survey at Identity Digital reveals a compelling trend: Seven of the 20 highest-value premium domains sold in early 2025 were .global. Alongside this, .world and .digital have also climbed in prominence among top-level domains (TLDs).  

    The interest in these TLDs reflects a larger shift: More businesses today are rooting their growth and brand identities within a truly universal digital landscape. This is no surprise, with tech spending expected to surge this year.  

    Today’s companies are approaching digital brand architecture by prioritizing clarity, scalability, and alignment with global operations via domains.  

    Descriptive domains are gaining traction with global businesses  

    The words used in a domain name play a critical role in brand perception. Choosing a domain that aligns with business function or audience expectations can significantly influence trust, memorability, and engagement with customers. 

    For international organizations, descriptive TLDs like .global, and .digital resonate because they offer immediate context behind a brand’s size and scope. For example, a company using .global conveys international reach, and .digital suggests a modern, technology-driven brand. 

    But these domains contribute to more than brand perception. They’re effective tools for simplifying navigation and enhancing digital discoverability for customers, particularly as businesses scale, diversify, or evolve their offerings.  

    As organizations expand into new markets and launch new offerings across multiple platforms, maintaining a cohesive digital presence becomes increasingly complex. Descriptive domains help bring order and clarity to this complexity. With a unique TLD, rather than maintaining siloed or inconsistent domain structures, companies can unify their digital assets under a clear, meaningful brand umbrella. 

    Boosting global domain strategy  

    While descriptive domains help unify and elevate a global brand presence, country-code top-level domains (ccTLDs) remain a valuable tool for companies seeking to expand into specific regions.  

    ccTLDs such as .au, .de, or .jp establish a clear connection to specific geographic markets and help build local trust. For example, a company expanding into Australia may use [company].au to increase visibility in local search results and reflect a commitment to operating within that region. In many cases, search engines also prioritize ccTLDs when serving localized content, which can result in higher rankings and better engagement with regional audiences. Of note, some ccTLDs require a nexus with the country to ensure the connection stays local. 

    In today’s global economy, companies can benefit from using both descriptive domains for international reach or ccTLDs for regional targeting. These domain approaches offer a comprehensive digital strategy aligned to both international and regional goals. 

    Smart domain strategies are powering the next generation of global brands 

    Domain strategy has become critical to modern brand building, and the growing adoption of TLDs like .global and .digital demonstrates a shift in how organizations are framing their future identity. 

    As businesses expand, diversify, and engage with increasingly distributed audiences, their digital infrastructure must evolve in parallel. Descriptive TLDs support this evolution by communicating global scale and innovation directly through the URL, simplifying digital navigation across business units or initiatives, and strengthening brand recognition and trust among audiences around the world. 

    The organizations investing in descriptive domains today are not only optimizing their online presence to support long-term growth but are also shaping the global brands of tomorrow. 

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    Akram Atallah

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  • Small Business Survey: These 3 Strategies Boost Holiday Revenue and Sales

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    We’re entering the most wonderful, and most busy, time of year for small businesses. But you have to play your cards right. 

    Constant Contact just released its 2025 Small Business Holiday Outlook report, with statistic-backed tips on how to maximize your sales this season. The survey includes responses from over 1,800 small business owners and around 2,500 consumers throughout the U.S., Canada, the UK, Australia, and New Zealand. 

    According to the survey, 60 percent of small businesses credit 50 percent of their annual sales to the end of the year. That might feel like a lot of pressure, but 77 percent of owners believe they’ll hit their revenue goals. 

    Here’s how to make the most of the holiday rush. 

    Off-Beat Marketing

    Social media is crucial. Nearly 40 percent of SMBs say marketing through socials is the most impactful route, while email marketing was only recommended by 18 percent of respondents. 

    It’s no coincidence that Duolingo killed off its mascot, or that David protein bars launched a frozen cod; getting creative is key. Thirty-three percent of businesses launched new, out-of-the-box marketing campaigns in 2025, which is over four times more than last year. 

    Strategic Discounts

    After businesses check off successful marketing from their holiday lists, the next task to tackle is promotions. Over half of businesses say that discounts and sales are the most effective, and 36 percent of owners plan to tap into that strategy this season. 

    Even with these power moves, economic pressures are a concern. Forty-six percent of businesses say tariff policies have negatively impacted them, causing them to raise prices and cut expenses. Inflation is a worry for 32 percent of respondents, followed by weak customer spending, cited by 22 percent. 

    Develop Returning Customers

    Luckily, consumers seem to be pulling their weight. Seventy-two percent report that they go back to the same small businesses every holiday season, and 88 percent say they’re likely to return after making a holiday purchase. The data shows it’s crucial to lean into those relationships to make sure you stay on customers’ radars this year.

    One last tidbit? The report found that businesses with fewer than 10 employees are less likely to prepare for this time. If this applies to your business, you have an opportunity to step out from the norm and get in line for the upcoming boom in sales.

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    Ava Levinson

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  • What to Know About Trump’s Latest Tariffs

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    President Trump’s tariff policies have taken numerous twists and turns this year.

    He and President Xi Jinping reached a trade agreement that will see the U.S. lowering tariffs on Chinese imports imposed this year to 20%. When added to tariffs imposed on Chinese imports during Trump’s first term, overall U.S. duties on Chinese imports will total around 47%.

    Copyright ©2025 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8

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    Chao Deng

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  • Costco’s Newest Membership Perk Isn’t Impressing Its Customers

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    Costco’s latest promotional offering just dropped, but members aren’t rushing to claim it. At select warehouse club locations, members can now take home complimentary three-pound bags of gala apples. 

    The shopping warehouse’s unique business model, wherein membership fees contribute largely to its revenue, means that it focuses on plugging its membership more than advertising specific products. Costco puts significant effort into encouraging people to join, or upgrade and renew existing memberships. 

    In the past Costco has offered enticing items like tote bags to coax customers into automatic membership renewals, but the promotional bag of apples is not as appealing, according to one Costco member. 

    “Giving away apples is like giving away white bread,” they told The Street. “It’s fine, I guess, but not very interesting. It’s certainly not going to get me to do anything different.” 

    Costco has previously been successful in pushing customers to upgrade to the Executive tier, which is $130 annually, with customers earning 2 percent cash back on most purchases, compared with $65 for the basic level. In June, for example, Costco started unveiling a new membership feature that allowed Executive Members to shop one hour earlier than regular members during weekdays and Sundays, and half an hour earlier on Saturdays. 

    The perk was well received. The company reported a 1 percent boost in sales at the end of September, and executive memberships increased by 9 percent, according to CFO Gary Millerchip.

    It explains why the apples that followed seemed to fall a bit flat. 

    What’s more, Costco shoppers have complained about employees tirelessly approaching them about memberships. Another customer told TheStreet that his membership makes sense for the amount that he shops, but he continues to face pressure.  

    “The last few times I’ve gone to check out, I’ve gotten the third degree about my membership,” he says. “It’s getting really old.” 

    For years, Costco’s membership system has served the brand well. But it’s apparent that taking a few steps in the wrong direction could turn people away. 

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    Ava Levinson

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  • How an Unlikely Brand Is Appearing Alongside Ralph Lauren at the Olympics

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    The Winter Olympics are less than 100 days away, and for Figs, this moment has been years in the making. After spending millions of dollars to outfit the Team USA Medical Team with its first ever official uniform in Paris, the Santa Monica, California-based company will be outfitting more than 150 health care professionals working onsite at the 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, which will take place this February and March in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy. 

    Each member of the Team USA Medical staff will get a kit with red, white, and blue scrubs, knitwear, outerwear, scarves, and gloves. As part of the collection, the brand will be bringing back some of its most popular items from the Paris games—including its stadium jacket, scrub leggings, and scrub jumpsuit—as well as unveiling new fabrications to withstand the freezing temperatures and windy conditions in the Alps.

    “We really leveled up in this games,” says Figs co-founder and CEO Trina Spear, who spoke to Inc. in an exclusive interview. “We’re not inside of a hospital. We’re on a ski mountain, having that be warm and technical, but also really comfortable…. It straddles both worlds.”

    Spear launched Figs with her co-founder Heather Hasson back in 2013 and upended the scrubs market with a vision of turning an interchangeable commodity into a consumer brand. With more tailored fits, fashionable shapes, and a direct-to-consumer model, the $1.32 billion company built a cult following and went public in 2021.

    This new limited-edition collection, designed for Team USA, is part of the company’s larger bet on sports medicine as a platform. Figs has a multi-year partnership with the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee—one that extends through the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, which Spear predicts will be “one of the biggest summer games ever.”

    Figs plans to construct a dedicated area for the medical team at the Team USA welcome house. This team HQ will also feature Nike and Ralph Lauren-branded spaces for athletes, who include household names and gold medalists, such as Lindsey Vonn, Chloe Kim, and Mikaela Shiffrin.

    “It takes an entire medical team to build these bodies that break records,” says Spear. “These are the people that are actually making it, so that Lindsey Vonn can go win a medal at age 41.”

    The goal of the Olympic partnership goes beyond KPIs, says Spear. She wants the Figs uniforms and space to celebrate the people “doing the world’s most important work on the world’s biggest stage” and hopefully inspire the next generation of doctors, nurses, and health care workers.

    “We’re building something really sustainable that hopefully will inspire other countries to outfit their medical teams in a similar way. This should be the standard, not the exception,” says Spear.

    For the non-Olympians, the Team USA-inspired collection will be available for purchase online and at Figs’s community hub stores in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, and Philadelphia starting in January. 

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    Ali Donaldson

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  • How to Dominate the Next Social Platform, According to Duolingo’s Playbook

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    It’s hard to overstate how important speed and experimentation are to finding marketing success. And that’s not just good advice for brand-building on TikTok, either. These days, if you’re fundamentally too slow and too scared, you’ll find yourself always playing catch up, basically setting your marketing budget on fire. But with the right mindset, you’ll not only earn success with TikTok audiences but also on whatever big platform comes next. 

    Just ask marketing trailblazer Duolingo, a fearless company whose social strategy was not limited to their TikTok account. While other brands either still see social media as a secondary responsibility for junior staff to run or wrap themselves in layers of rules and approvals, Duolingo moves at the speed of memes and culture. It understands that audiences aren’t waiting around for you to “align on messaging.” The proof of its approach lies in an 800+ percent increase in their market value since it began its social strategy. Forget fluffy brand awareness. That’s real business impact.

    Duolingo didn’t get billions of impressions by following old school rules of marketing. Its team felt empowered and supported to try weird stuff, see what landed, and double down fast. And if brands want to be ready for wherever the next wave takes them, it’s worth taking a few lessons on staying ahead of the curve from one of social media’s favorite brands.

    Build the right team, then get out of the way

    Most would probably point to Duolingo’s social-media team as its secret sauce. To its credit, the brand recognized that its team couldn’t be a bunch of traditional marketing veterans, so it brought together a perfect blend of social-media platform specialists so that its ideas are tailored for each audience and not composed in an environment as stale as a boardroom. Just as important, it gave that team unprecedented freedom to move intuitively—leading to a fast-moving, frictionless approach that many others should follow.

    Know thyself

    Before any brand starts posting, it needs to align deeply on who it is. This isn’t a simple voice and tone exercise, but an opportunity to go deep to uncover what’s off limits so that the rest is open territory. This approach is part of the reason Duolingo can be edgier than a typical brand. The goal is no more approvals and no more questioning—just seamlessly operating from a place where everyone on the team knows exactly what the brand is on social.

    Add personality over polish

    From the brand’s homicidal owl to its Dua Lipa jokes, the world that Duolingo built worked because it felt human, messy, and a little risky. Too often, brands spend a lot of time building robust but rigid strategies without room for experimentation. But social doesn’t work like that. It’s about posting and trying things, listening, and engaging in authentic ways. After all, people don’t connect with brands that sound like robots. They connect with brands that sound like people.

    Create a world, then live in it

    Duolingo is constantly in the comments, roasting people, replying in character, making inside jokes with its audience. It isn’t afraid to blur the line between brand and culture while actually talking back. That constant back-and-forth builds real community, allowing users to feel like they are in conversation with a friend rather than being marketed to.

    Go to the edge, then go further

    Don’t forget to double down on what works. Duolingo saw how much success was happening on its social platforms—from the tone that was created there—and it started to apply that tone elsewhere, including a high-profile Super Bowl campaign. Social is an amazing learning and testing ground that can then be replicated into other areas of the business or marketing. Be social-first in how you discover and test ideas, but then apply those ideas elsewhere.

    These are the organizational and philosophical tools that will not only keep Duolingo ahead, regardless of the platform, but also give a boost to any brand committed to building its muscles of empowerment, personality, and cultural fluency.

    The opinions expressed here by Inc.com columnists are their own, not those of Inc.com.

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    Jason Mitchell

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  • The Next Generation of Customer Experience

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    For decades, many organizations have tried customizing certain aspects of their marketing, sales, and customer experiences. Many started small, adding a first name automatically to emails, passing along discounts to repeat loyal buyers, and segmenting behaviors, audiences, and classes by demographics.

    Those tactics now feel outdated and forgotten. Customers in 2025 expect more and expect it to make a difference, largely due to the interactions most individuals have on a daily basis (i.e., Netflix, Amazon) that anticipate their buying intent in real time. This anticipation has redefined customer experience, and we’re well on our way to a future firmly rooted in what we call hyper-personalization.

    Hyper-personalization has become a major topic with many startups looking to gain an edge, and established companies seeking to cut their churn. The concept taps into advanced AI, strictly seeking faster data points revolving around behaviors, preferences, and context of customer behavior in near real time.

    This concept has provided the opportunity not to look backward at what customers did last week, purchases that were made, at what time, what price, and what discounts were used. Instead this system predicts what a customer will be searching for and buying next and delivering it at the right moment. If you think this sounds like an evolution that carries a hefty price tag that only the big players can afford, you’re wrong. The reality is that many CRM integrations, cloud-based tools, open-source, and AI models have leveled the playing field, with many fine-tuned on specific tasks.

    When small gets smart: A case in point

    Consider an example, a mid-sized specialty retailer in the Midwest, one of thousands of businesses seeking to compete with larger chains. For years, their marketing followed a familiar process: seasonal email blasts, loyalty rewards, leading into mass promotions. It’s an easy-to-execute approach but unfortunately it has little effect on retention and sales anymore.

    The company hadn’t adopted any advanced technologies or AI to date. After integrating a custom developed AI-driven engine into their CRM, the organization began seeing real-time data on browsing habits, purchasing frequency, and time-stamped shopping patterns. The company used this data to make effective changes in their campaigns. After the first quarter of use, repeat purchases rose over 25 percent, click-through rates with emails began to hockey stick sharply, with customer feedback praising the store as “finally understanding what I actually want.”

    This example showcases what implementations across several small and mid-size businesses (SMBs) and different industries are capable of producing when AI personalization is deployed within the right contexts. The technology is saving time and valuable resources to focus on higher-level functions while transforming customer experience. Preferences are seen and anticipated, which for SMBs creates loyalty that money alone cannot provide.

    The future is smarter—and more human

    Though AI is creeping into every sector and industry, it should be clear that many companies are replacing headcount with AI, and it’s backfiring tremendously. Hyper-personalization is no different. Though it’s utilizing AI, it should not be seen as a replacement for human interaction. It’s more about utilizing such technologies to make it feel more human. Chatbots that can sense frustration and adapt tone within responses, e-commerce sites can reshape product presentation based on visitor past behavior, or predictive analysis within supply chain can ensuring inventory meets demand. This provides comfort to customers that they’re heard and not just marketed to.

    In the end, hyper-personalization is an up-and-coming tool that isn’t just another “next step” in the customer experience. It’s a game changer and becoming the new baseline. Organizations that understand its benefits early may very well discover they don’t have to match the budgets of enterprise to win. Instead, SMBs need to be smarter, more nimble, and more adaptive at connecting with their customer base, one experience at a time.

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    Greg Cucino

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  • How to Drive More Sales Before December 31

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    Think about it: The ending is often the most powerful part of the story. It’s true for movies, championship games, and—yes—your business year.

    Right now, it’s the fourth quarter. The finish line is in sight, and how you close out the year can make or break your overall success. This isn’t the time to play small—it’s the time to swing big.

    At my own $119 million company, PostcardMania, Q4 is one of our busiest and most profitable seasons. In fact, along with Q1, it consistently drives the most growth. Since 2020, our annual revenue has grown an average of 14.8 percent—up from just 4.7 percent in the decade before. That’s a 215 percent increase in growth rate.

    My point? It’s never too late to adjust your strategy and change your trajectory, especially when consumer spending is at its peak like it is during the holidays. Here are the proven marketing strategies I use (and recommend to you) for finishing the year strong.

    Analyze your marketing

    To move forward, sometimes you have to look back. Take time to review your results from the past year. Which campaigns drove revenue? Which fell flat?

    Don’t just look at engagement—measure impact in terms of sales and ROI. Figure out which marketing channel had the highest return on investment, and then do more of it.

    For my business, direct mail has always had the highest return.

    In 2024, I did my own research and discovered that direct mail delivered six times more revenue per lead than digital ads. First we analyzed 115,393 leads and which ones converted. By dividing the income by the number of leads, we made $253.54 for every postcard lead versus $41.60 for every digital lead. That is a 500 percent difference!

    And it’s not just us: The research backs this up. One study found that direct mail recipients purchased 28 percent more items and spent 28 percent more money than those who did not receive the mail piece.

    If you want to test direct mail for your own business, I suggest direct mail retargeting. With a bit of code on your website connected to a direct mail automation platform, you can automatically trigger postcards to:

    • Shoppers who abandoned their carts
    • Website visitors who browsed but didn’t buy
    • Prospects who filled out forms but didn’t convert

    Add a special offer or discount to your postcard to give them a reason to return. These campaigns are as easy to set up as automated emails, and they’re incredibly effective.

    Give your fourth quarter everything you’ve got

    Holiday spending is no joke. Nearly half of small businesses earn 25 percent or more of their annual revenue during this season.

    If you’ve identified the channels delivering the highest ROI, now’s the time to double down. Increasing your marketing budget, even by a modest 3–10 percent, can significantly boost results.

    Don’t spread your budget thin. Pour more into the platforms and campaigns that directly generate dollars.

    The math is simple: Bigger marketing budgets often lead to bigger growth. For example:

    • PayPal spent 6.3 percent of revenue on marketing and sales, resulting in 7 percent revenue growth (FY2023)
    • Atlassian invested 16 percent, earning about 26 percent growth (FY2023)
    • Asana spent about 55 percent of its revenue, leading to 45 percent growth (FY2023)

    At PostcardMania, every time we’ve increased our marketing investment, we’ve seen returns. Our most successful clients are also the ones who commit the most consistently to large-scale campaigns.

    That’s why my No. one piece of marketing advice has always been and will always be that you have to market more than you think is reasonably sane to create any real momentum.

    Follow the money and you can’t go wrong.

    Q4 is your chance to end the year not just strong, but spectacular. By analyzing what works, doubling down on your most profitable channels, and increasing your investment, you’ll set your business up for record-breaking results.

    Don’t wait—swing big, finish strong, and let this be the year you close with a home run.

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    Joy Gendusa

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  • Trump Says He Will Raise Tariffs on Canada by 10% Over Ontario Ad

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    The U.S. will impose an additional 10% tariff on Canada, President Trump said on Saturday, a punitive measure in response to an ad campaign that he said misrepresented comments by former President Ronald Reagan.

    “Because of their serious misrepresentation of the facts, and hostile act, I am increasing the Tariff on Canada by 10% over and above what they are paying now,” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform on Saturday.

    Copyright ©2025 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8

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    Gavin Bade

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