<h3 dir="ltr">SUMMARY</h3> <p dir="ltr">Ryan Alford breaks down 8 major stories shaping business and marketing&mdash;from Shopify&rsquo;s AI assistant and a historic railroad merger to PepsiCo&rsquo;s prebiotic cola and Nike&rsquo;s rapid sneaker lab. Plus: TikTok&rsquo;s 60-minute videos, Sprite x Jalen Hurts, and more.</p> <h3 dir="ltr">TAKEAWAYS</h3> <ul> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Shopify's introduction of the AI assistant Sidekick and its impact on e-commerce.</span></p> </li> <li dir="ltr" style="font-size: 10pt;" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">The merger between Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern, creating a coast-to-coast railroad network.</span></p> </li> <li dir="ltr" style="font-size: 10pt;" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">PepsiCo's launch of a prebiotic cola aimed at health-conscious consumers.</span></p> </li> <li dir="ltr" style="font-size: 10pt;" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Live Nation Urban's new creator network for connecting brands with influencers.</span></p> </li> <li dir="ltr" style="font-size: 10pt;" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">The increasing role of investors in the single-family housing market.</span></p> </li> <li dir="ltr" style="font-size: 10pt;" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Nike's Air Imagination Lab for rapid sneaker prototyping using 3D printing.</span></p> </li> <li dir="ltr" style="font-size: 10pt;" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Sprite's NFL marketing campaign featuring quarterback Jalen Hurts and player-led storytelling.</span></p> </li> <li dir="ltr" style="font-size: 10pt;" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">TikTok's testing of longer video uploads, potentially challenging YouTube.</span></p> </li> <li dir="ltr" style="font-size: 10pt;" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">The National Sports Collectors Convention in Chicago and its significance in the collectibles market.</span></p> </li> <li dir="ltr" style="font-size: 10pt;" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">The overarching theme of reducing friction in business processes to enhance efficiency and customer satisfaction.</span></p> </li> </ul> <p>&nbsp;</p>