As of late 2025, the retail and Quick-Service Restaurant (QSR) industries are at a pivotal moment. They aren’t just dabbling in AI anymore; They’re rewiring how discovery, ordering, service, and loyalty work.

With customer expectations rising and competition fierce, brands are searching for new ways to connect with their audience. Generative AI (GenAI) lets brands personalize at scale, compress creative cycles, and turn fragmented data into real-time, one-to-one experiences.

Consumer dining habits aren’t standing still, they’re shifting under the weight of economic pressures, evolving digital behaviors, and changing expectations around convenience. Quick service and sit-down restaurants are at the heart of these changes, serving customers who crave both speed and experience.

Get access to our FREE 2025 Ohio Market Heavy QSR & Sit-Down User Report that breaks down demographics, media usage, restaurant preferences, and market-specific insights across Cincinnati, Dayton, Columbus, Cleveland, and Toledo.

AI is evolving at lightning speed. From generative models with enhanced reasoning capabilities to hyper-real video generation, it’s easy to feel like you or your team are falling behind. By creating space for testing and exploration, you and your team can build confidence, ask better questions, and think critically about how to use AI responsibly.

Download our FREE workshop template to guide your team through hands-on AI image generation and discover how prompt crafting shapes results.

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The 2025 holiday season is certainly going to be a challenging one for retailers. With slower growth and shifting behaviors, it will be critical to adapt quickly and be strategic with marketing dollars. Holiday shopping timelines are starting earlier than ever, so brands must be ready to engage consumers well before Black Friday. Focusing on mobile, embracing social commerce, and using AI to personalize every interaction will help increase your relevance for a successful holiday season.

In today’s fast-paced, multi-sensory world, brands are constantly seeking ways to stand out and connect with audiences. While visual branding (logos, colors, fonts) has long been a cornerstone of identity, there’s another powerful tool that’s often overlooked: audio branding.

In fast-growing companies, misalignment between Sales, Finance, and Marketing isn’t just common, it’s costly. True growth happens when these teams move in sync, not in silos. It comes when teams, especially Sales, Finance, and Marketing, work in sync.

But too often, these teams operate in silos. Each has its own goals, language, and tools. And while everyone might be doing good work on their own, they’re not necessarily rowing in the same direction.

After decades leading finance and operations and partnering with businesses navigating rapid growth, I’ve seen how these silos hold these organizations back. More importantly, I’ve seen what it takes to break them down.

Discover how brands can authentically engage with soccer fans ahead of the 2026 World Cup.

Insights from Brandience media experts Bill Brassine and Ryan Grant reveal why soccer is a marketing opportunity you can’t afford to miss.

From grassroots tactics to digital targeting, they break down what it takes to show up in the soccer space with credibility, creativity, and cultural relevance.

In today's digital age, healthcare marketing has evolved beyond traditional methods to establish trust and engage new audiences. Community engagement is an essential strategy to foster this.

Given that good health is a universal priority, community engagement is highly relevant to healthcare marketing plans. For healthcare systems, building strong community ties not only builds patient trust but also drives better health outcomes.

Soccer’s explosive rise in U.S. popularity is reshaping the marketing landscape. No longer just a global pastime, the sport has become a cultural force uniting communities, igniting passion, and offering brands a rare chance to connect authentically with fans at every level.

With the 2026 World Cup in the U.S. approaching fast, now is the time for marketers to step onto the pitch and craft strategies that resonate deeply and last well beyond the final whistle.

As we hit the halfway point of the year, we’re revisiting our original 2025 social media trend predictions. What’s still trending? What’s now a must-do? And what’s just breaking through?

From AI behind the scenes to long-form video making a comeback, here’s your mid-year pulse check on what’s hot.