GumGum

Global holiday shoppers are tightening their belts. 🎁💸 Our new global survey reveals consumers are entering the holiday season with caution: - 60% plan to cut back on spending - 75% are worried that economic challenges will impact their budgets - Nearly 6 in 10 expect to spend $500 or less on gifts and celebrations As shoppers become more mindful of their spending, brands need to adapt by delivering relevant, contextually aligned campaigns that connect meaningfully, even when budgets are tight. 🔗 See more insights about how holiday shoppers across the U.S., UK, Canada, Germany, Belgium, and Australia are prioritizing their budgets this year: https://bit.ly/4nanmRg

This week's ✨ Ad Memory Lane ✨ features interviews from our Hispanic Heritage Month mixer in LA earlier this month. Hosted by Noe Marti Segui, this episode showcases some of the ads that stuck with mixer attendees, including our very own Vanessa S., and Liliana Argüello, MBA, SHRM-SCP, Virginia Tirado, and Natalia Gutiérrez. From Nicaragua's "Noticiero" ad to Venezuela's Frescolita jingle, to the "Yo Quiero Taco Bell" ad and Juicy Fruits' "The Taste is Gonna Move You" commercial, this episode covers it all. We're excited to close out Hispanic Heritage Month with this special edition. Tune in and let us know what you think! 🧡

We wanted to take a minute to celebrate some recent award wins that we're proud of: ✨ Our activation at POSSIBLE, in partnership with Sequence Events, is a Gold Winner at the MarCom Awards. It was also shortlisted for two experiential categories at this year's The Drum Awards! ✨ Our Publisher Development Director, EMEA/APAC, Kamran Vahabi, has been shortlisted for Ad Tech Rising Star at #TheWires2025 by ExchangeWire. ✨ We were shortlisted as Sustainable Stewards for the Givsly Impact Awards for our work measuring and reducing carbon emissions across our campaigns. ✨ Our Sales team in Australia has been shortlisted for Sales Team of the Year at this year's B&T Awards. Congratulations to all of our teams and partners who made these acknowledgments possible. We're excited to be attending the upcoming award ceremonies!

💥 Don't miss a new EMARKETER feature, where our CMO Kerel Cooper discusses why contextual advertising and understanding mindset are growth opportunities for brands seeking performance, privacy compliance, and relevance. As marketers seek to connect with people on an emotional level, contextual is poised to help them cut through the noise and reach people when they are most receptive, rather than relying on demographics or past behaviors. 🔗 Read the full article now to learn more about why mindset matters more than ever for digital advertising: https://bit.ly/3JaEF6y

From Japanese brands like Kewpie to global giants like McDonald’s and Dior, in Ep. 19 of Ad Memory Lane, we learned what ads were most memorable for our clients at the GumGum Japan Tokyo Summer Party. 🇯🇵 🎉 What ad stuck with you growing up? Special thanks to our GumGum Japan K.K. team for bringing AML to life in Japan!

The wait is now over for both Swifties and casual observers alike: Taylor Swift's 12th studio album, “The Life of a Showgirl,” is here, and we can’t wait to discuss it. 💿 GumGum’s Mindset Graph™ found that mentions of “Taylor Swift” jumped 108 percent from October 2nd-3rd, reaching nearly three million in one week. The album debuted with a staggering 3.5 million first-week units, surpassing Adele’s “25” for the biggest Billboard 200 debut ever. Moments like this demonstrate how quickly culture evolves and how powerful it can be when brands adapt to it. At GumGum, we can help brands looking to tap into these cultural moments and become a part of them. 💫 Our resident Swiftie, Shannon Scanlin, breaks down the release, the ripple effect, and how the world is reacting. 👇 Watch below and tell us your initial thoughts on the new album and how it’s taken the world by storm.

The sneaker wars aren’t just about sport anymore. They’re about mindset. Nike’s new “Why Do It?” campaign emphasizes perseverance and performance, reinforcing its legacy as a sports powerhouse. But challengers like Hoka and On are rewriting the rules, carving space in lifestyle, fashion, and wellness culture. Our latest analysis using GumGum’s Mindset Graph reveals this divide clearly: 👟 Nike dominates in sports categories like basketball and the Olympics 💫 Hoka over-indexes in comfort and women’s fashion 🔥 On leads in luxury and street style For brands, the takeaway is simple: it is not just what you sell, but the mindsets and moments you show up in.

In celebration of Hispanic Latiné Heritage Month, GumGum's HOLA ERG hosted Una Noche de Comunidad: A Latiné Community Mixer 🎉 !  This event was a beautiful evening dedicated to culture and connection across the Latiné community, where we opened the doors of our New York and Santa Monica offices to Hispanic Latiné professionals. With over 50+ people across both offices, they enjoyed delicious Latiné food from Guisados and Black Rican Vegan and musical entertainment from Mariachi Tierra Mia and BomberxNYC! The night was a true celebration of the rich tapestry that makes up Hispanic/Latiné culture! Special thanks to Upperman Photography 📸  for capturing amazing headshots of our guests at our Santa Monica mixer! Thank you to everyone who joined us! ¡Gracias a todos! 🥳 Shoutout to our amazing HOLA planning committee Leticia Ortiz-Morazan, SHRM-CP, Shelby B., Vanessa Rivero, Noe Marti Segui, and Victor Daniel Garcia Castillo! #HispanicHeritageMonth #DEIB #culture

✈️ If someone’s searching for a flight to Nice, Airline X isn’t the only brand that benefits from reaching them in real time. Think about everything packed in that suitcase: sunscreen, sandals, headphones, snacks, luggage. The opportunity for relevance expands far beyond one category. That’s the power of contextual targeting, meeting people in the moment when their mindset is most open to discovery. 📊 Research from ADWEEK and GumGum shows that while marketers know real-time relevance drives success, many still default to demographics or past behavior, missing these critical moments.

We wanted to share some takeaways and photos from our CMO Kerel Cooper's recent panel about navigating growth through context, trends, and AI at MidwestCon. 🔥 On the panel, the group spoke about the importance of cultural nuance for sustained growth, how brands can understand the "why" of trends before deciding to chase or shape them, the ways that AI can amplify (not replace) human-centered creativity, and how contextual can help brands connect with people in the moments that matter. Thanks, MidwestCon, for hosting such a great event and inviting us to participate!