And just like that, it’s August! Here is a recap of industry news from the last week. As always, sources are in the hyperlinked text after the headline.
Brand + Retailer
- Uber cut a third of its marketing staff. The Wall Street Journal
- Summary of recent earnings from Facebook to Netflix to Amazon. eMarketer
- Barney’s nears bankruptcy filing with plans to close most stores. The Wall Street Journal
- Why Airbnb, Target and Walmart are betting on the experience economy. Fast Company
- Apple and Goldman Sachs are planning to launch their credit card in August. AdAge
- Shake Shack launches delivery. Fast Company
- CVS targets millennials with Prime-like membership. CNBC
- Whole Foods wants to help decorate your next party. Fast Company
- Inside Nuuly, Urban Outfitters’ attempt to take on the rental market. Modern Retail
- Amazon adds a styling service to Prime Wardrobe. RetailDive
- Levi’s is moving away from off-price retailers. Fortune
- Amazon quietly launches private-label CPG products for commercial clients. AdAge
- 3M invents an ingenious way to ship packages without cardboard boxes. Fast Company
- Amazon wants to rule the grocery aisle, not just at Whole Foods. The New York Times
- CapitalOne reports data breach affecting 100M customers and applicants. The Wall Street Journal
- Brandless’ new CEO is dumping it’s $3 price point, hitting the stores and going big on CBD. Forbes
- L’Oreal says sluggish US makeup market has hit sales. CNBC
- How multi-billion dollar brand Carters became a staple while competitors shutter. Washington Post
- Textile waste has increased 811% since 1960. Supply Chain Dive
- Kroger is upping its advertising game. Fortune
Social Media + Marketing
- Victoria’s Secret hires transgender model. Fast Company
- Beauty brands are setting their sights on TikTok. Glossy
- Pinterest rolls out new shopping features. VentureBeat
- A rebrand will soon remind people that WhatsApp and Instagram are from Facebook. AdWeek
- Streetwear subscription company ThreadBeat now spending half of its media budget on Instagram. Digiday
- General Mills’ Boxtops for Education goes digital. Biz Journals
- Pinterest reports strong demand for advertising on its platform. AdAge
- Twitter adds 5 million users, tops sales estimates. AdAge
- Amazon tests audio ads for Alexa Music. AdAge
Start-ups + Emerging Tech
- London is exploring facial recognition in security cameras. Financial Times
- Doubling down on business travel, Airbnb acquires Urbandoor. TechCrunch
- New Media buys Gannett for $1.4B to form local news giant. AdAge
- This startup wants to democratize custom sneaker ownership. TechCrunch
- Amazon to kill the Dash button. CNN
- How Walmart, Kroger are investing in AI and robots. Forbes
- Ikea creates six homes of the future. Fast Company
International
- Google will allow EU users to choose their default search engine when setting up Android devices. Fast Company
- India proposes user safeguard rules fro ecommerce platforms. Bloomberg
- AI as the way to win Chinese millennials and GenZ. Jing Daily
- The shadowy internet industry of click farms are booming in China. Yahoo
