AKQA vs Deloitte

AKQA Creates Google Pixel Garden Theory Campaign with Musiala

Google has launched a new social-first campaign titled 'Garden Theory' for its Pixel 11 Pro smartphone, featuring Bayern Munich's Jamal Musiala. The campaign was created by digital agency group AKQA and showcases the phone's AI assistant Gemini and the 'HiLight' LED feature, which alerts users to important calls. The conceptual theme suggests that, like a garden, the phone provides a serene environment allowing users to focus amid digital noise. The campaign will run on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and other digital platforms like Highsnobiety. It was produced by the production company Zero, directed by Rogelio González, with set design by Nina Oswald and floral artist Valentina Teinitzer De Pasquale. The campaign highlights how the Pixel 11 Pro helps users concentrate on what matters, aligning with Google's messaging that the device is designed to help users stay present.

• Google launched a product campaign for the Pixel 11 Pro called 'Garden Theory'.
• The campaign features footballer Jamal Musiala from FC Bayern Munich.
• The campaign was created by AKQA, a digital agency group.

HubSpot gives high performers the edge in new global campaign with AKQA

AKQA has launched a new global campaign with HubSpot, titled 'HubSpot gives high performers the edge', marking a new client partnership and campaign launch.

Consumers Distrust AI Agents for Holiday Shopping

A new Deloitte survey of 4,000 U.S. consumers reveals that only 16% trust AI agents to complete holiday purchases on their behalf, while 66% worry about how AI assistants use their data. Despite this, 37% feel more comfortable using AI agents than they did six months ago. Retailers are building the infrastructure to enable AI-driven shopping, but consumer hesitancy remains a significant barrier. Other pre-holiday surveys also show reluctance toward agentic shopping. The findings suggest that while the technology is advancing, widespread consumer adoption is not yet imminent.

• Only 16% of consumers trust AI agents to complete holiday purchases, per Deloitte survey.
• 66% of consumers worry about how AI assistants use their data.
• 37% of consumers are more comfortable using AI agents than six months ago.

CRM Recency Segmentation Drives Holiday Repeat Purchases

This article merges two topics: CRM segmentation for holiday repeat purchases and the growing challenge of holiday returns. For retailers, customer-friendly return policies increase fraud and profit loss. The NRF's 2025 Retail Return Report shows 15.8% of annual sales end in returns, nearly $850 billion in lost sales in 2025, with holiday return rates at 17% and online returns at 19.3%. Fraud accounts for 9% of holiday returns, and 75% of retailers report worsening trends. Hidden losses arise from lack of item-level tracking, leading to inventory inaccuracies and wasted labor. Meanwhile, a marketing guide recommends using recency ladders to segment customers into recent, active, drifting, and dormant groups, with always-on campaigns for recent customers and targeted email/paid media for lapsed ones. Deliverability is crucial for dormant groups, and personalized messaging is emphasized. Sensormatic Solutions sponsors embedded RFID tags for real-time inventory tracking and fraud detection, improving the returns process. Meta's Conversions API is highlighted for targeting high-value users.

• Deloitte forecasts holiday sales growth of 4.0% to 4.8% in 2026, with online sales rising 7.5% to 8.4%.
• RFM (recency, frequency, monetary value) is used to segment customers into four levels, with recent customers (last nine months) included in campaigns throughout the year.
• Dormant customers should receive no more than three emails, and paid media campaigns should run from mid-November through Cyber Monday week.

Deloitte: 28% of Holiday Budgets Spent by End of October

Retailers are navigating a value-driven holiday season, with forecasts varying from Deloitte and NRF predicting 4% and 4.2% sales growth to more cautious projections from Circana and Simon-Kucher. Target is enhancing its strategy with over 8,000 new gifts (most under $20), an AI assistant, and daily deals from Nov. 1. Kohl's is responding with clear pricing, gift bundles, buy-now-pay-later via Klarna, and same-day delivery partnerships. Despite a Q2 net sales decline, Kohl's raised its full-year outlook. Meanwhile, logistics and retail hiring is intensifying, with UPS and Amazon adding 100,000 and 300,000 workers respectively, and NRF forecasting holiday sales to surpass $1 trillion for the first time. Gen Z accounts for 40% of retail applicants, prompting streamlined hiring processes. The overall strategy reflects cautious optimism amid price-sensitive consumer behavior.

• Forecasts vary: Deloitte and NRF predict growth of 4% and 4.2%, while Circana expects -1% to +2.5% and Simon-Kucher projects -5.5%, yet NRF forecasts holiday sales to surpass $1 trillion for the first time.
• 77% of consumers say inflation changed shopping behaviors; only 22% trust advertised discounts, and 38% are 'holiday value seekers' spending 12% more.
• Target offers over 8,000 new gifts (most under $20), launches AI 'Ask Target', and plans daily deals from Nov. 1 with early Black Friday promotions Nov. 5-7.