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Welcome back to The Brief by Kuro House, where we break down the most important stories in marketing, media, and tech, giving you the details you need to stay sharp. Today, we’re diving into the ever-widening gap between ad budgets and impact, the real numbers behind generative AI’s effect on ecommerce, shifting cable news ratings, a digital media turnaround at The Daily Beast, and a political ad controversy that’s putting AI-generated content under the microscope. Let’s get into it.
Our first story is a wake-up call for marketers everywhere: brands are spending more on ads, but getting less in return. According to Shutterstock’s 2025 Creative Impact Report, which was detailed by Adweek, marketing spend jumped an eye-popping 33% between 2023 and 2024. But the effect on purchase intent only rose 17%. That’s a 12% “impact gap,” and it’s only getting worse—overall impact has fallen another 8% in the first eight months of 2025, creating a cumulative 20% gap since 2023. Cal Roberts, director of creative strategy at Shutterstock, says the problem is fundamental: brands have lost touch with who their audiences are, and they’re betting on the wrong channels. The report, which analyzed more than three years of campaign and purchase intent data from over two dozen brands, points to a crisis in marketing effectiveness. Volume-based strategies just aren’t working anymore, especially as AI makes it easier to flood the market with content. The data shows that emotional connection and cultural relevance are now the biggest drivers of creative impact. Shutterstock, which recently merged with Getty Images and rebranded as a creative company, is positioning itself to help brands navigate this new landscape. The takeaway? If you’re still relying on “set-it-and-forget-it” marketing, you’re falling behind—quality and relevance are the new currency.
Next up, let’s talk about generative AI and ecommerce. This holiday season is the first where retailers are truly building their strategies around generative AI, according to Adweek. Consumers are turning to tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and retailers’ own AI-powered platforms to research and buy products—sometimes skipping traditional search engines altogether. ChatGPT, for example, now lets users shop directly from the app, with support from major players like Walmart, Shopify, and Etsy. Adobe reports that U.S. holiday ecommerce sales are expected to grow 5.3% year-over-year, and AI-driven traffic is playing a key role in that growth. But it’s a double-edged sword: while generative AI is helping retailers attract new customers through better research and discovery, it’s also cutting into traditional search traffic. Retailers need to adapt quickly to harness the benefits of AI-driven traffic without losing their grip on established channels.
Shifting gears to media, we’ve got some fascinating numbers from the cable news world, courtesy of TVNewser via Adweek. For the week of October 13, 2025, Fox News, MSNBC, and CNN all saw growth in total viewers during both primetime and total day. But when you look at the advertiser-coveted 25-54 demo, only CNN managed week-to-week gains—MSNBC actually lost viewers in both dayparts. Fox News dominated with 98 of the top 100 weekly cable news telecasts, averaging 2.33 million primetime viewers and 229,000 in the demo, up 2% and 4% respectively from the previous week. MSNBC averaged 822,000 primetime viewers, up 1%, but its demo numbers dropped 19%. CNN, meanwhile, saw double-digit gains: up 15% in total viewers and 21% in the demo during primetime. Year-over-year, though, all three networks are down—Fox News is down 6% in primetime viewers and 24% in the demo, while MSNBC and CNN have seen even steeper declines. The data paints a picture of a fragmented audience and a fiercely competitive environment, with Fox News still leading in overall viewership, but CNN making gains where it counts for advertisers.
In the world of digital media, The Daily Beast is making headlines for a very different reason: for the first time in its 17-year history, the publication is on track to turn an annual profit. As reported by Adweek, The Daily Beast has been profitable through the first nine months of 2025 and expects its first full year in the black, according to president and COO Keith Bonnici. Next year, they’re even projecting a low seven-figure profit. This milestone comes after a tumultuous period that included an ownership change, layoffs, and a public fight over leadership. Despite a softer political news cycle than last year, The Daily Beast grew its audience by 16% and boosted revenue by 20%. It’s a clear sign of a sustained turnaround—and a reminder that digital media can still thrive with the right strategy and a bit of resilience.
Finally, we have a story that’s stirring up controversy around the use of AI in political advertising. According to Adweek, Andrew Cuomo’s latest AI-generated attack ad against his mayoral rival Zohran Mamdani crossed several lines before being quickly deleted. The ad depicted Mamdani sprinting through New York City, then cut to a scene of him eating rice with his hands—an image widely called out as a racist caricature. It then shifted to a montage of AI-generated clips, including a Black man in a keffiyeh shoplifting, a man beating a woman, a supposed sex trafficker, and a drug dealer, all digitally rendered to appear as Mamdani supporters. The montage was slammed online as both racist and misleading, raising serious questions about the ethics and oversight of AI-generated political content. It’s a stark example of how new technology can amplify old prejudices—and why marketers and political strategists alike need to tread carefully.
That’s it for today’s episode of The Brief by Kuro House. As we’ve seen, whether it’s the widening gap between ad spend and impact, the rise of generative AI in ecommerce, shifting media landscapes, or the pitfalls of AI-driven political ads, the only constant is change. Staying relevant—and responsible—has never been more important. Thanks for joining us, and we’ll see you next time with more insights to keep you ahead of the curve.
