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Welcome back to The Brief by Kuro House, where we cut through the noise to bring you the marketing stories that matter most. Today, we’re diving into a transformation in AI-powered publishing, a major shakeup in sports betting partnerships, fresh tools for marketers from Google Analytics, the retail comeback playbook from Catalyst Brands, and The Trade Desk’s latest moves to stay ahead of the competition. Let’s get into it.
First up, from Digiday, the Associated Press has spent the past year quietly overhauling its massive archive—tens of millions of articles, photos, videos, and audio—so that it’s machine-readable and ready for the AI era. This isn’t just about digitization; AP is making its content easily accessible for large language models (LLMs) to ground, cite, and, crucially, pay for verified reporting. The move comes as enterprise demand for retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) systems is exploding—think companies building their own internal AI tools that need trusted, rights-cleared information. AP’s archive is now tagged, rights-cleared, and accessible via APIs, and they’ve already started licensing this data to finance clients on the Snowflake Marketplace. Kristin Heitmann, AP’s chief revenue officer, sees use cases beyond news: supply chain monitoring, crisis management, environmental tracking, and more. This is part of a broader trend—The Economist, The Financial Times, and Dow Jones’ Factiva are all monetizing their archives for AI. Deloitte’s latest study shows that 38% of large companies are mixing internal and external AI tools, and 24% are building their own. AP’s partnerships now include OpenAI, Google’s Gemini, and Microsoft’s new AI content marketplace. The industry consensus? High-quality, verified journalism is becoming more valuable in the AI age, not less. As Jon Roberts from People Inc. put it, “The best AI has the best inputs and generates the best outputs…we need more good quality, high quality content, not less.” AP’s quiet moonshot may just reshape the economics of news for the next decade.
Switching gears to the world of sports and betting, Adweek reports that ESPN is discontinuing its ESPN Bet sportsbook, just a year after launching a $1.5 billion, 10-year partnership with Penn Entertainment. The split is amicable, but ESPN Bet struggled to break into the top five sports betting apps, despite the powerful ESPN brand. Instead, ESPN is pivoting to a new exclusive deal with DraftKings, making it the network’s official sportsbook and odds provider starting December 1. DraftKings will be deeply integrated across ESPN’s digital ecosystem, including a dedicated betting tab in the ESPN app, offering users access to sportsbook features, daily fantasy, and the new Pick6 game. Both companies are emphasizing responsible gaming, especially in light of recent betting scandals that have rocked the NBA. ESPN’s chairman, Jimmy Pitaro, sees this as a way to “super-serve passionate sports fans and grow our ESPN direct-to-consumer business.” The ESPN Bet brand will be rebranded as theScore Bet, launching alongside the start of sports betting in Missouri. The move signals ESPN’s commitment to sports betting, but with a sharper focus on user experience and responsible play.
Now, let’s talk about new tools for marketers. According to Adweek, Google Analytics is rolling out cross-channel budgeting tools to help marketers plan and manage ad spend across multiple platforms. These new features, currently in beta, include projection plans to forecast campaign performance and scenario planning tools to model how different budget levels could impact returns. The goal isn’t to change live campaigns, but to provide a unified dashboard with data-backed recommendations for future spend allocation. Steve Ganem, Google Analytics’ director of product management, says this is part of a larger vision for a “truly unified and simplified measurement experience.” Marketers can use these tools alongside Google’s attribution and conversion reporting features, which have also recently been upgraded. Notably, Google Analytics now supports automated importing of cost and impression data from Meta, TikTok, Snap, Reddit, and Pinterest, giving marketers a more holistic view of their cross-channel performance. All this comes as Google just posted its first-ever $100 billion quarter, with major investments in AI and cloud services driving growth.
On the retail front, Adweek’s Brandweek coverage takes us inside Catalyst Brands’ strategy for revamping legacy retailers. Formed in January by JCPenney and SPARC Group, Catalyst Brands now owns Aéropostale, Brooks Brothers, Eddie Bauer, Lucky Brand, Nautica, and JCPenney. Marisa Thalberg, Catalyst’s chief customer and marketing officer, admits that marketing JCPenney was “really daunting,” given its dated mall locations and shifting consumer perceptions. The new approach focuses on engaging communities on platforms like TikTok, inviting people to rediscover stores, and breaking down the “concrete walls” of old retail. JCPenney is splitting its marketing between loyal deal-seekers and younger shoppers looking for big brands, even offering a $10,000 wedding in Venice, California, as a playful nod to pop culture. Plus-size model Ashley Graham is helping to develop products and star in campaigns, broadening the brand’s appeal. Over at Brooks Brothers, CEO Ken Ohashi is modernizing the brand while honoring its history—like celebrating the 125th anniversary of the button-down shirt and highlighting how Brooks Brothers revolutionized the collar-and-shirt combo. Eddie Bauer, meanwhile, is repositioning from hardcore outdoor gear to a broader lifestyle brand, aiming to appeal to everyone from Everest climbers to dog walkers, without alienating loyal fans. Thalberg sums up the challenge: “We really try to not fire out existing customers in the process of trying to go flirt with some new ones…you have to be really thoughtful.” It’s a delicate balancing act, but one that could set the template for legacy brands everywhere.
Finally, let’s look at The Trade Desk’s latest performance, as reported by Adweek. The company posted $739 million in Q3 2025 revenue, an 18% increase year-over-year, with 85% of clients now using its Kokai platform. Kokai is delivering tangible results: a 26% improvement in cost per acquisition, 58% better cost per unique reach, and a staggering 94% higher click-through rate. CEO Jeff Green is bullish, arguing that The Trade Desk isn’t directly competing with Amazon’s DSP, which is mostly focused on sponsored listings and Prime Video rather than the open internet. Joint business plans now make up about half of The Trade Desk’s business, with 180 executed last quarter and 80 more in the pipeline, collectively worth billions. The company is also adding features to increase “agentic AI” use, allowing buyers to choose how they interact with the platform. In leadership news, Anders Mortensen has been appointed chief revenue officer, succeeding Jed Dederick after nearly 14 years. Looking ahead, The Trade Desk is forecasting at least $840 million in Q4 revenue, beating analyst expectations. Green remains confident, even as Wall Street keeps a close eye on growing competition and the impact of AI-driven search.
That’s all for today’s Brief. We’ve seen how AI is reshaping the value of journalism, how sports media is adapting to a fast-changing betting landscape, and how both legacy brands and digital platforms are finding new ways to stay relevant and ahead of the curve. As always, the only constant in marketing is change—and those who adapt with purpose and creativity will shape the future. Thanks for tuning in, and we’ll see you tomorrow.
