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Welcome to The Brief by Kuro House—the podcast that keeps you sharp, curious, and up-to-date on the latest marketing moves shaping the industry. Today, we’ve got a packed lineup: from Amazon’s surging ad business and a bold leadership shakeup at WPP, to a CMO’s human-first approach to brand building, a high-stakes CMO hire at Kenvue, and The Trade Desk’s shot across the bow at the industry’s biggest platforms. Let’s dive in.
First up, Amazon’s Q3 earnings reveal a company operating at full throttle across its key business lines. According to Adweek, Amazon’s advertising business posted a staggering 24% year-over-year jump, hitting $17.7 billion in revenue for the second quarter. That’s not all—Amazon Web Services, the cloud-computing juggernaut, brought in $33 billion, up 20% and beating analyst expectations, with an annualized run rate now at $132 billion. CEO Andy Jassy highlighted that AWS is still capacity constrained, mainly due to power limitations rather than chips, and the company has added nearly 4.8 gigawatts of power to its infrastructure this year alone. On the advertising front, Amazon is touting new deals with Netflix, Spotify, and SiriusXM, and is bullish on the future of “agentic commerce”—where AI agents will guide online shopping, making digital experiences more personalized and efficient. Jassy believes this will further tilt the balance towards online retail, especially as AI shopping assistants like Amazon’s Rufus—used by 250 million people this year—are driving a 60% higher purchase completion rate. Despite a 69% drop in free cash flow due to heavy AI investments and a $2.5 billion FTC settlement over misleading subscription practices, Amazon’s outlook is unmistakably growth-oriented, with shares jumping 14% in after-hours trading. The message is clear: AI, speed, and scale are Amazon’s competitive edge.
Turning to the agency world, WPP’s new CEO Cindy Rose is facing a baptism by fire. As reported by Adweek, WPP issued its second profit warning of the year after disappointing Q3 results. Rose, a former Microsoft exec who took the helm just last month, was candid: “Our financial performance is certainly not where it needs to be.” Her turnaround plan is ambitious, focusing on simplifying offerings, competitive pricing, and a heavy dose of AI integration. She’s already shaken up leadership, inked a $400 million deal with Google to integrate advanced AI tools into WPP Open, and launched a self-serve version of the platform aimed at small businesses and performance marketers. Rose is also determined to revitalize WPP Media—formerly GroupM—after losing major accounts like Coca-Cola and Mars to Publicis. Despite the turbulence, Rose is optimistic, emphasizing WPP’s scale, talent, and new technology partnerships as the foundation for a comeback. A more comprehensive strategy is promised in the coming year, and all eyes will be on whether Rose’s bold, tech-forward approach can restore investor confidence and client trust.
On the brand leadership front, Doug Zarkin, CMO of Take 5 Oil Change, is rewriting the rules of marketing leadership with what he calls a “thinking human” approach. In an in-depth conversation with Adweek’s Marketing Vanguard podcast, Zarkin—whose career includes transformative stints at Pearle Vision, Victoria’s Secret Pink, and Avon—emphasizes the importance of people-first leadership. His framework? “People, process, progress, profitability”—in that order. Zarkin shared how his 11-year tenure at Pearle Vision, which led to the brand topping Entrepreneur’s Franchise 500, was rooted in assembling the right team and partnering closely with operations. He candidly discussed failures, like his initial attempt to scrap Pearle’s BOGO deals, which backfired due to overestimating the brand’s experience quality. Instead of giving up, he doubled down on research and rebuilt the customer experience before trying again—successfully. Now at Take 5, he’s applying challenger brand strategies, simplifying metrics, and focusing on meaningful data over data overload. Zarkin’s new book, “Moving Your Brand Out of the Friend Zone,” encourages marketers to treat every customer as if they were the only customer—a “thinking human” mindset he believes is essential for modern leadership.
Meanwhile, in the world of consumer health, Kenvue is making a high-profile hire to defend its billion-dollar Tylenol brand amid controversy. As detailed by Adweek, Tylenol has come under fire after Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. suggested—contrary to scientific consensus—that the pain reliever could be linked to autism when used during pregnancy. Former President Trump amplified the message, adding fuel to the fire. In response, Kenvue has recruited Jon Halvorson, formerly global SVP of consumer experience at Mondelēz International, as its new CMO. Halvorson is known for leveraging AI to optimize ad spend, but at Kenvue, he faces the daunting task of restoring public trust in Tylenol. Despite Kenvue’s robust defense—citing endorsements from the American Academy of Pediatrics, WHO, and the Autism Science Foundation—the real challenge is overcoming a rising tide of public skepticism toward health authorities. With Tylenol generating roughly $1 billion annually, Halvorson’s ability to craft credible, compelling messaging could be pivotal in safeguarding both the brand’s reputation and its bottom line.
Finally, The Trade Desk is taking direct aim at the industry’s “walled gardens”—the likes of Google, Meta, and Amazon—with its new “Own Your Future” brand campaign, as reported by Adweek. The campaign positions The Trade Desk as the champion of the open web, offering advertisers opportunities beyond the closed ecosystems of the tech giants. Activated across connected TV, digital out-of-home, display, mobile, and social channels, the campaign was produced in-house and is set to run through the end of the year before replacing the company’s prior “What Matters” campaign. Chief marketer Ian Colley told Adweek that this marks a strategic shift, emphasizing transparency and independence for advertisers who want to avoid conflicts of interest inherent in walled gardens. It’s a bold move, signaling The Trade Desk’s intent to be the go-to platform for brands seeking reach and flexibility across the broader digital landscape.
That’s it for today’s edition of The Brief by Kuro House. From Amazon’s AI-fueled growth and WPP’s high-stakes reinvention to people-first leadership lessons, a CMO’s reputation rescue mission, and the open web’s biggest advocate, it’s clear the marketing world is in a period of rapid evolution. Thanks for listening—stay curious, stay critical, and we’ll see you tomorrow with more insights to keep you ahead of the curve.
