All Activity

The third Gulf war augurs a more anarchic world — and more dependence on a less credible US View the full article

Compliance comes for every industry. Healthcare has HIPAA. Retail had the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard. Now it’s defense industrial base (DIB). With the rollout of the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC), the Department of War (DOW)—and Katie Arrington’s advocacy through her former role as DOW chief information officer—are forcing a generational shift in how the defense supply chain protects sensitive data. CMMC isn’t mere guidance. It’s a contractual line in the sand that won’t stop with mega defense contractors. CMMC covers the small and midsize businesses across the U.S. that keep the nation’s economy moving and its security intact. It will transform how contractors operate, how deals get done, and who gets to stay in the defense supply chain at all. The scale is hard to ignore. Tens of thousands of businesses are already on the wrong side of it. For the defense industrial base, this isn’t a policy tweak. It’s a seismic and costly shift. And for business leaders across the supply chain, CMMC is quickly becoming the four-letter word they can’t avoid. CMMC DEFINED CMMC sets a new standard of trust between the DOW and the companies that support it. In September, the DOW issued the long-awaited final rule implementing CMMC. It says federal contractors must now evaluate their ability to protect Controlled Unclassified Information, a broad category of sensitive data. Under this final rule, which went into effect on November 10, CMMC requirements will now be a contractual condition of eligibility for defense work. The rule will phase in over three years, from self-assessments to third-party verification. THE BURDEN OF READINESS WILL BE DISPROPORTIONATELY DISTRIBUTED The defense industrial base includes 220,000 companies. Around 76,000—including 57,000 small businesses—will require at least Level 2 CMMC certification within the next seven years. Thousands won’t be ready. And they’re not fringe players. They’re suppliers, subcontractors, software developers, tech partners, and systems integrators. For many, this will be their first serious cybersecurity audit. Level 2 sets a high bar. Contractors must implement all 110 security controls defined in NIST SP 800-171. That means access controls. Incident response plans. System integrity. Vulnerability management. And certification requires a third-party audit, complete with evidence, audit trails, and remediation plans. Then there’s the cost, which will likely affect smaller members of the DIB hardest. Industry estimates put CMMC compliance at more than $63 billion over the next two decades. For small and midsize firms, new audit expenses will compete directly with R&D, hiring, and delivery. While the largest contractors have fulfilled CMMC requirements for decades, small shops who have to add disproportionately high compliance costs may decide that defense work is no longer worth it. The results will reshape the defense industrial base. Expect consolidation, spinoffs, and acquisitions. CMMC status will show up in diligence decks. And cyber risk will be weighed right alongside revenue and growth. COMPLIANCE WILL RESHAPE THE MISSION CMMC also signals a broader shift once compliance is no longer a self-managed check-box exercise. Workflows must embed controls. Data protection must account for location, device, user identity, and context. Security must travel with the data. That includes when a contractor uses a personal device, accesses a cloud application, or supports a mission from a remote site. In other words, the scope of CMMC will affect how daily work gets done, and it will run through nearly every aspect of our economy. CMMC will shape software vendors, logistics providers, training companies, professional services firms, and even those operating in classified-adjacent spaces. The time is now to prepare the defense industry to preserve its businesses, secure our nation, and support our military’s mission. Steve Tchejeyan is the president of Island. View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. I do not like cleaning; my roommate, however, loves it. A good cleaning gadget has the power to unite us—I need something that makes cleaning bearable, and she needs something that makes it extra innovative and fun. And if there's one gadget that lives up to the hype for both of us, it's the Bissell Little Green carpet and upholstery cleaner. It's currently on sale for $74.99 (a cheeky 25% off its list price of $99.99) as a part of Amazon's Big Spring Sale. Bissell Little Greeen Mini Portable Carpet & Upholstery Deep Cleaner (Tea Green) $74.99 at Amazon $99.99 Save $25.00 Get Deal Get Deal $74.99 at Amazon $99.99 Save $25.00 In my small Brooklyn apartment, this small size is a huge deal. A carpet and upholstery cleaner is must-have to protect my home against whatever grime I track in every day from the New York City streets. And over in Pennsylvania, Lifehacker's Managing Editor Meghan Walbert shares that the suction and cleaning power on this machine have never let her down, especially in the face of her Yorkie-Shih Tzu terrier's nervous digestive system. Our Little Green guy is so lightweight and easy to transport, I forget sometimes that I don't actually own one myself. The truth is I'm able to borrow it from my neighbor so often, it feels like it's communally owned. Luckily, today's sale is just the push I needed to buy one for myself. Hey, I might even spring for the cordless mini version, also on sale right now for $116.99. Our Best Editor-Vetted Amazon Big Spring Sale Deals Right Now Apple AirPods Pro 3 Noise Cancelling Heart Rate Wireless Earbuds — $199.99 (List Price $249.00) Apple iPad 11" 128GB A16 WiFi Tablet (Blue, 2025) — $299.00 (List Price $349.00) Samsung Galaxy Tab A11+ 128GB Wi-Fi 11" Tablet (Gray) — $209.99 (List Price $249.99) Sony WH1000XM6- Best Wireless Noise Canceling Headphones — $398.00 (List Price $459.99) Apple Watch Series 11 (GPS, 42mm, S/M Black Sport Band) — $299.00 (List Price $399.00) Blink Video Doorbell Wireless (Newest Model) + Sync Module Core — $35.99 (List Price $69.99) Fire TV Stick 4K Max Streaming Player With Remote — $34.99 (List Price $59.99) Amazon Kindle Colorsoft 16GB 7" eReader (Black) — $169.99 (List Price $249.99) Deals are selected by our commerce team View the full article

Top performers don’t leave things to chance. In business, they rely on advisors to help them make better decisions and get results faster. The same idea works for fitness, too. Many executives already have the discipline to show up at the gym. What often separates consistent progress from plateaus is strategy, not effort. Personal training provides structure, accountability, and expert insight that help turn hard work into measurable outcomes. If you’re used to improving performance at work, this approach should sound familiar. It’s about using expertise to get better results, more efficiently. THE POWER OF A PERSONAL PLAN There’s no shortage of workout plans online. You could find a program in seven seconds flat. But the question isn’t “Is there a plan?” It’s “Is this the right plan for me?” A good personal training relationship starts with getting to know you. A good trainer should learn about your goals, fitness level, schedule, past injuries, energy, and what might get in your way. The plan fits your needs, not the other way around. Creating a plan with this approach helps you make lasting progress. Instead of random exercises, you get a plan with purpose and structure. A personal trainer does more than give you a checklist. They create a program, see how it’s working, and make adjustments as you get stronger, more skilled, and more confident. FORM, FUNCTION, AND THE ART OF NOT HURTING YOURSELF Most successful professionals understand the difference between activity and strategy. A CEO doesn’t launch a new product without a roadmap. A lawyer doesn’t walk into court without preparation. A financial advisor doesn’t build a portfolio without a plan. The same distinction exists in fitness. You can visit any gym with good intentions and work hard. However, a structured training plan ensures your effort aligns with your specific goals, such as building strength, improving mobility, preventing injury, or maintaining energy during long workdays. A skilled trainer starts with an assessment. Movement patterns, injury history, recovery capacity, and lifestyle demands inform the approach. For executives with challenging schedules, efficiency is essential. Each session is purposeful and aligned with long-term goals, rather than random experimentation. This is where coaching adds value. An effective trainer monitors progress, refines programming, and ensures your training evolves as your body adapts. THE TECHNICAL ADVANTAGE OF EXPERT COACHING Even experienced gym-goers benefit from expert feedback. Many professionals have exercised for years. However, subtle improvements in movement quality (how you hinge, squat, rotate, or stabilize) can significantly enhance performance and reduce injury risk. It’s one reason high-performing leaders invest in coaching. Executives like Mark Zuckerberg and Richard Branson, for example, have spoken openly about working with trainers to maintain energy, resilience, and focus. A trained eye is essential in identifying these opportunities for improvement. A knowledgeable coach can recognize inefficiencies that even experienced athletes may miss. They understand biomechanics, fatigue patterns, and how to adjust movements when recovery, travel, or stress levels change. For example, golf coach Sean Foley helped Tiger Woods adjust his swing mechanics to reduce strain on his body and improve efficiency. When evaluating a trainer, ask about certifications, specialties, and experience with clients who share your goals. The right trainer serves as a performance partner, not just a workout leader. LEADERSHIP LESSONS FROM THE GYM The gym serves as an effective environment for applying leadership principles. Progress requires discipline, patience, and adaptability, all qualities recognized by executives. You set goals. You implement a plan. You measure results. And you adjust as needed. Coaching serves a similar purpose in both contexts. The right coach helps identify blind spots, maintain perspective, and overcome plateaus that are difficult to address alone. Personal training mirrors leadership development in several ways. Accountability, feedback, and structured challenges foster growth that is difficult to achieve independently. INVEST IN LONG-TERM PERFORMANCE Many executives approach fitness with the same mindset as business investments, focusing on long-term returns. Strength training, mobility work, and structured conditioning promote longevity, mental clarity, and sustained performance. These benefits increase over time. Most people are not training for competition. They train to maintain energy. They want to improve resilience. And their goal is to improve or maintain health throughout their demanding careers and active lives. With a strategic approach, fitness shifts from short-term goals to building a foundation for long-term performance. YOU DON’T HAVE TO DO THIS ALONE A key lesson across business, leadership, and fitness is that meaningful progress rarely occurs in isolation. I work with a trainer myself. Yes, even the president of Crunch Fitness benefits from the structure and accountability provided by having someone to remind you—sometimes directly—that the weight bar will not lift itself. Working with a trainer keeps me consistent, focused, and accountable, especially on days when motivation is low. This is the true value of personal training: not just motivation, but partnership. The most effective performers, whether in the boardroom or the gym, understand that the right guidance often distinguishes effort from real results. Chequan Lewis is president of Crunch Fitness. View the full article

Plus a six-step process for ushering prospects through to virtual CFO services. By Jody Grunden Building the Virtual CFO Firm in the Cloud Go PRO for members-only access to more Jody Grunden. View the full article

Plus a six-step process for ushering prospects through to virtual CFO services. By Jody Grunden Building the Virtual CFO Firm in the Cloud Go PRO for members-only access to more Jody Grunden. View the full article

Austria’s governing coalition on Friday announced plans to ban social media use for children under 14, joining a string of other countries in drawing up restrictions for young people. Alexander Pröll, the official in Chancellor Christian Stocker’s office responsible for digitization, said that draft legislation will be drawn up by the end of June. He said that “technically modern methods” of age verification will be used that allow users to verify their age while respecting their privacy. It wasn’t immediately clear when the plan to introduce a minimum age, which will need parliamentary approval, might take effect. Australia in 2024 took the lead, becoming the first country to eject children under 16 from social media with the intention of protecting them from harmful content and excessive screen time. A similar ban in Indonesia is due to start taking effect on Saturday. In Europe, lawmakers in France in January approved a bill banning social media for children under 15, paving the way for the measure to enter into force at the start of the next school year in September. Spain last month announced plans for a social media ban for under-16s. Denmark last fall announced an agreement for an access ban for under-15s. The British government said in January it would consider banning young teenagers from social media. Austria’s three-party centrist coalition is now joining the trend. “Today is a good day for children for children in our country,” Vice Chancellor Andreas Babler said at a news conference. “In the future, we will protect children and young people with determination against the negative effects of social media platforms.” “We will no longer look on as these platforms make our children addicted and often also sick,” he said. The Austrian government plans to accompany the ban with an effort to beef up schools’ teaching of how to use media and deal with artificial intelligence. —Associated Press View the full article

Lowering minimum standards and using a 2018 proposal as a basis for change may be the quickest path, according to Donald Layton, Freddie Mac's CEO from 2012 to 2019. View the full article

A typical chart of accounts (CoA) is a structured list of financial accounts used by organizations to organize their financial transactions. Each account is assigned a unique identification number, which helps categorize them into groups like assets, liabilities, and revenue. For example, asset accounts might start with ‘1’, whereas liabilities begin with ‘2’. Comprehending this numbering system is crucial for effective financial management, allowing for streamlined reporting and data retrieval. But how exactly does this structure impact your financial operations? Key Takeaways Chart of Accounts (CoA) uses a unique numbering system to identify and categorize financial accounts efficiently. Asset accounts typically begin with ‘1’, while liability accounts start with ‘2’. Expense accounts are numbered from ‘5XXX’ to ‘7XXX’, facilitating easy identification in financial reports. Revenue accounts are designated with a ‘4XXX’ prefix, ensuring clarity in income tracking. The numbering structure allows for future account additions by leaving gaps in the sequence. What Is a Chart of Accounts (Coa)? A Chart of Accounts (CoA) serves as a foundational tool for organizing your financial information, ensuring that you can efficiently track and report your transactions. It consists of a structured list of accounts customized to your organization’s specific needs, typically categorized into assets, liabilities, equity, revenue, and expenses. Each account is assigned a unique number, which facilitates easy identification and organization. For example, in a standard chart of accounts numbering system, asset accounts may start with ‘1’, whereas liability accounts begin with ‘2’. You can refer to a sample chart of accounts with numbers to visualize this structure better. Comprehending typical chart of accounts numbering is essential for maintaining accurate financial records and enhancing overall financial management. Importance of a Well-Defined Chart of Accounts When businesses implement a well-defined Chart of Accounts (CoA), they create a structured framework that categorizes financial transactions, which improves clarity and consistency in financial reporting. This organization supports compliance with accounting standards like GAAP or IFRS, ensuring that your financial statements are accurate and reliable for audits. A well-defined CoA additionally aids in efficient data retrieval and analysis, allowing you to make informed decisions based on accessible financial data. By systematically organizing accounts, it simplifies your bookkeeping processes, reduces errors, and boosts overall financial management. Regularly reviewing and updating the CoA is essential for maintaining its relevance and scalability, enabling your business to adapt to changes in operations or regulatory environments effectively. Structure of a Chart of Accounts Comprehending the structure of a Chart of Accounts is crucial for effective financial management. It’s divided into two main sections: Balance Sheet Accounts, which include Assets, Liabilities, and Equity, and Income Statement Accounts, covering Revenue and Expenses. This organization not solely helps you categorize accounts with a unique numbering system but likewise guarantees that financial data is presented clearly and systematically. Account Categories Overview The structure of a Chart of Accounts (CoA) is fundamental for organizing financial information in a clear and systematic way. Typically, it includes major categories like Assets (1XXX), Liabilities (2XXX), Equity (3XXX), Revenue (4XXX), and Expenses (5XXX – 7XXX). Each account within these categories is assigned a unique numerical code, ensuring consistent identification across financial statements. This numbering convention makes it easy to expand the CoA, with intentional gaps left for future account additions. Moreover, accounts are organized in a logical sequence, allowing you to navigate and retrieve information efficiently. The CoA’s structure adheres to accounting standards, such as GAAP, which helps maintain accuracy and clarity in financial documentation. Numbering System Significance A structured numbering system in a Chart of Accounts (CoA) greatly boosts financial reporting clarity and consistency. By categorizing accounts based on type—assets, liabilities, and equity—you streamline data management. For instance, assets usually start with ‘1’, liabilities with ‘2’, and equity with ‘3’, creating a logical sequence. This structure often includes gaps between numbers, allowing for future additions without disrupting order. Here’s a simple example of how this might look: Category Starting Digit Example Account Assets 1 101 – Cash Liabilities 2 201 – Accounts Payable Equity 3 301 – Retained Earnings This consistent numbering improves identification and retrieval, supporting better financial decisions. Balance Sheet Structure Organizing a balance sheet effectively relies on the structured format of a Chart of Accounts (CoA), which is divided into three primary categories: Assets, Liabilities, and Equity. Asset accounts, starting with the digit ‘1’, include cash (1010), accounts receivable (1020), and inventory (1030). These categories help you track what your business owns. Liability accounts begin with ‘2’, featuring obligations like accounts payable (2010) and short-term debt (2020), ensuring clarity about what you owe. Finally, equity accounts, assigned the digit ‘3’, represent ownership interests, including common stock (3010) and retained earnings (3020). This structured numbering system improves clarity and efficiency in financial reporting, allowing you to easily track and analyze your company’s financial position. Balance Sheet Accounts Balance Sheet Accounts play an important role in presenting a company’s financial health, and they’re organized into three primary categories: Assets, Liabilities, and Equity. These accounts are vital for comprehending the overall financial position of your business. Here’s how they break down: Assets (1XXX) – Resources owned by the company, such as cash, accounts receivable, and inventory. Liabilities (2XXX) – Obligations owed to creditors and suppliers, including accounts payable and notes payable. Equity (3XXX) – Ownership interest in the company, encompassing common stock and retained earnings. Proper Structuring – The numbering and organization improve clarity and compliance with accounting standards, ensuring accurate financial reporting and analysis. Income Statement Accounts Income Statement Accounts serve as essential tools for evaluating a company’s financial performance over a specific period. They’re divided into two main categories: Revenue accounts, typically coded 4XXX, and Expense accounts, ranging from 5XXX to 7XXX. Revenue accounts capture all income generated from business activities, giving you insight into sales performance and operational success. Conversely, Expense accounts detail various costs incurred during normal operations, including operating expenses and other categories. Each account is assigned a unique three-digit code, which aids in tracking and reporting for effective financial analysis. By organizing these accounts properly, you improve clarity in financial statements and guarantee compliance with accounting standards like GAAP, making your financial data more reliable and accessible. Chart of Accounts Numbering Convention A well-structured Chart of Accounts (CoA) numbering convention is crucial for maintaining clear financial records. This convention typically employs a numerical system where major categories are identified by leading digits. For instance, you might find: ‘1’ for assets (e.g., cash: 101, accounts receivable: 102) ‘2’ for liabilities (e.g., accounts payable: 201) ‘3’ for equity (e.g., common stock: 301) ‘4’ for revenues (e.g., sales revenue: 401) Each account number usually consists of four to five digits, allowing for easy identification and grouping. Gaps are left for future expansions, ensuring consistency and clarity in financial documentation. This structured approach improves efficient data retrieval and reporting, streamlining your financial management processes. Best Practices for Managing a Chart of Accounts Managing a Chart of Accounts (CoA) effectively requires adherence to best practices that boost its usability and relevance. First, maintain a logical sequence in numbering, leaving gaps for future additions to prevent confusion. Regularly review and update your CoA to guarantee it aligns with your organization’s evolving needs and accounting standards. Use clear, concise descriptions for each account, making data retrieval and reporting easier. Limit the number of accounts to avoid unnecessary complexity, which can complicate financial reporting and hinder effective decision-making. Furthermore, incorporate departmental codes within the numbering system to improve tracking of expenses and revenues by specific departments or functions. Following these practices will streamline financial management and improve overall organizational efficiency. Common Software for Chart of Accounts Management Choosing the right software for managing your Chart of Accounts (CoA) can greatly improve your financial management processes. Here are some common software options to evaluate: QuickBooks: Offers customizable reporting and project accounting features, making it versatile for various business needs. Sage Intacct: Known for extensive functionalities, it ranges from $15,000 to $35,000 annually, suitable for larger operations. NetSuite: A robust accounting platform priced between $100 and $300 per user per month, focusing on scalability for growing businesses. Xero: A cloud-based solution starting at $15 per month, providing ease and flexibility in managing your CoA. These options typically automate account number assignments, enhancing efficiency and ensuring compliance with accounting standards. Examples of Chart of Accounts When setting up your Chart of Accounts, you’ll find common categories like assets, liabilities, and income, each with specific account codes for easy reference. For instance, you might use 1000 for Bank cash accounts and 2000 for Accounts Payable, which helps in organizing financial activities. This structured approach not just streamlines your tracking but furthermore improves the clarity of your financial documentation. Common Account Categories A well-structured Chart of Accounts (CoA) is crucial for any business, as it categorizes financial transactions into distinct groups for better organization and analysis. The common account categories help you track your finances effectively: Assets (1XXX): Includes Cash (1010), Accounts Receivable (1020), and Inventory (1030). Liabilities (2XXX): Encompasses Accounts Payable (2010) and Short-Term Debt (2020). Equity (3XXX): Represents owner investments and retained earnings. Revenue (4XXX): Tracks income from Sales Revenue (4000) and Service Income (4100). Expenses, ranging from 5XXX to 7XXX, may include specific costs like Rent Expense (6000) and Utilities Expense (6100). This numbering convention guarantees easy identification, retrieval, and accurate bookkeeping for financial reporting. Sample Account Codes Comprehension of sample account codes within a Chart of Accounts (CoA) is essential for maintaining organized financial records. Each account typically starts with a digit that signifies its category. For instance, asset accounts begin with ‘1’; you might see cash labeled as 101, accounts receivable as 102, and inventory as 103. Liability accounts usually start with ‘2’, so accounts payable is coded as 201 and short-term debt as 202. Expense accounts, ranging from 6000 to 8000, include utility expenses at 6500 and payroll expenses at 7000. A well-structured CoA allows for flexibility; for example, you can add a new account for office supplies as 1020, fitting seamlessly between existing codes. Importance of Organization Organizing your Chart of Accounts (CoA) is crucial for effective financial management, as it directly impacts the clarity of your financial documentation. A well-structured CoA categorizes your financial transactions into major categories, ensuring easy access and comprehension. Here are some key benefits of a well-organized CoA: Clarity: Each category, such as assets or liabilities, starts with a specific digit, making account retrieval straightforward. Compliance: It helps meet accounting standards like GAAP or IFRS by providing a systematic categorization. Scalability: Gaps between account numbers allow for future additions as your business evolves. Relevance: Regularly reviewing and updating your CoA keeps it aligned with current operations, enhancing financial reporting accuracy. Benefits of a Customized Chart of Accounts When businesses customize their Chart of Accounts (CoA) to fit their specific operational needs, they gain significant advantages in financial management. A personalized CoA allows you to create account categories that accurately reflect your revenue and expenses, leading to more precise financial tracking and reporting. This clarity improves financial documentation, making it easier for stakeholders to interpret your financial statements. By providing relevant data, a customized CoA supports better decision-making and advances financial analysis. Furthermore, aligning your CoA with industry standards guarantees compliance with regulatory requirements as well as addressing your unique operational characteristics. In the end, a well-defined CoA simplifies accounting processes, reduces errors, and boosts overall efficiency in financial management and reporting, which is essential for any successful business. Frequently Asked Questions What Is the Typical Chart of Accounts Numbering System? The typical chart of accounts numbering system organizes accounts numerically, with major categories assigned specific starting digits. For instance, asset accounts start with ‘1’, whereas liabilities begin with ‘2’. Each account gets a unique number, often five digits, ensuring clarity and ease in identifying account types. This structure aids in maintaining balance in double-entry accounting, as you’ll see accounts like cash labeled as 101 and accounts payable as 201, facilitating effective financial reporting. What Is the Chart of Account Numbering? The Chart of Accounts (CoA) numbering system is a structured method that assigns unique identifiers to financial accounts. Each account type starts with a specific digit; for instance, asset accounts begin with 1, whereas liability accounts start with 2. The numbering often includes gaps for future additions, like 1010 and 1020. This organization helps you easily identify account types, improves clarity in financial statements, and simplifies reporting and data retrieval processes. How Should I Number My Chart of Accounts? When numbering your chart of accounts, start by categorizing accounts into groups like assets, liabilities, and equity. Use a numbering system where assets begin with ‘1’, liabilities with ‘2’, and equity with ‘3’. Assign unique four or five-digit numbers, leaving gaps of at least ten numbers between accounts. This approach allows for future additions. For example, you could number accounts as 1010, 1020, and 2010, ensuring clarity and organization in your financial reporting. What Is the Normal Order of a Chart of Accounts? The normal order of a chart of accounts (CoA) starts with Balance Sheet accounts, which include Assets, Liabilities, and Equity. Next, you’ll find Income Statement accounts, categorized as Revenue and Expenses. This structure helps you maintain clear financial organization. For example, Assets are usually numbered 1XXX, whereas Revenue is assigned 4XXX. Conclusion In conclusion, a well-structured Chart of Accounts (CoA) is crucial for effective financial management. By categorizing accounts into assets, liabilities, equity, revenue, and expenses with a systematic numbering approach, you can streamline data retrieval and improve reporting accuracy. Implementing best practices and utilizing appropriate software can further refine CoA management. Customizing your CoA to fit your organization’s needs guarantees that it serves as a valuable tool for financial analysis and decision-making. Image via Google Gemini This article, "Typical Chart of Accounts Numbering: What Is It?" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

The real estate investment trust declared an all-cash offer of $10.80 per share from CrossCountry superior to the fixed stock exchange ratio bid from UWM. View the full article

Probe was launched after monitoring group said it witnessed ‘high levels of family voting’ at Gorton and Denton pollView the full article

It’s no secret that children and adolescents have a lot more eyes on them these days thanks to everything from social media to cameras in everyone’s pockets. This experience (along with encouragement from brands such as Disney) has created space for young people to mimic adults, embracing cosmetics and anti-aging creams. Now, Italy’s consumer protection regulator says it is looking into the marketing strategies of some of the main contributors to this phenomenon: beauty companies. The country’s Competition Authority (AGCM) has launched two investigations into Sephora and Benefit Cosmetics for allegedly failing to clearly indicate that their products are not for children or adolescents. Instead, it raises concerns that both brands have “unfair commercial practices” that encourage children to compulsively buy everything from anti-aging creams to serums. Sephora and Benefit Cosmetics are both owned by LVMH, the French luxury conglomerate. “The investigations were opened over concerns that important information—such as warnings and precautions for cosmetics not intended for, or tested on, minors—may have been omitted or presented in a misleading manner,” the AGCM states. Using these products can have health consequences for young people, including scarring and allergic reactions. The Competition Authority also calls out Benefit Cosmetics and Sephora’s use of children’s peers to encourage sales. “The companies also appear to have adopted a particularly insidious marketing strategy, involving very young micro-influencers who encourage the compulsive purchase of cosmetics among young people, a particularly vulnerable group,” the regulator states. Micro-influencers are typically defined as creators with less than 100,000 followers. Research has found that they can be seen as more trustworthy “regular people” than influencers with larger followings. Fast Company has reached out to Sephora, Benefit Cosmetics, and LVMH for comment. We will update this post if we hear back. The phenomenon of “cosmeticorexia” In a statement on Friday, AGCM said the type of marketing tactics allegedly used by the beauty brands are linked to a phenomenon known as “cosmeticorexia.” A study published this month in the Journal of Dermatology and Therapy defines cosmeticorexia as “a culturally reinforced preoccupation or obsession with achieving ‘flawless’ skin that can lead to excessive, age-inappropriate, or compulsive use of cosmetic products and procedures.” It blames factors such as the increasing number of “cosmeceutical” products, or those that span cosmetics and medicine. It also points to social media’s influence, a space that can “reward” content about routines and a focus on appearance. The trend shows no signs of slowing down. The teen personal care market is expected to grow 6.6% or $12.75 billion globally between 2025 and 2030, according to market research. North America alone is expected to account for 39.3% of that growth. View the full article

Google is testing AI-generated summaries in YouTube feeds, replacing video titles with auto-written synopses. Some YouTube users are seeing video titles replaced by AI-generated summaries in the Android app. Reports on Reddit showed title-less video cards with collapsible summary boxes instead. The details. Video thumbnails remain, but titles are missing in some cases. AI summaries appear in expandable text boxes beneath each video. Users must tap to expand summaries to understand the content. The test appears limited to YouTube on Android. Why we care. This further abstracts creator metadata and reduces control over how your YouTube content appears. Titles remain a critical ranking and click-through signal. Replacing them with AI summaries can impact keyword targeting, brand voice, and intent matching — and increase the risk of inaccuracies that hurt performance. The context. Google is also testing AI-generated headline rewrites in Search, extending the same approach beyond Discover and now potentially into YouTube. Google confirmed a “small” and “narrow” experiment replacing original page titles with AI-generated versions in Search results. According to Google, the goal is to better match queries and improve engagement. But examples showed Google shortening or rewording headlines, changing tone and meaning. Reaction. Early feedback suggests a worse browsing experience. Expanding summaries slows discovery and adds friction to content selection, which runs counter to YouTube’s engagement goals. What’s next. There’s no official confirmation from YouTube on a broader rollout. The missing titles may be a bug, but the AI summary feature aligns with Google’s broader push into generative AI. View the full article

Lyft has recently announced a strategic collaboration with NVIDIA, set to enhance its operational capabilities through cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI) technology. This partnership, unveiled during the NVIDIA GTC AI Conference, aims to optimize Lyft’s rideshare platform and lay the groundwork for future autonomous vehicle deployments. For small business owners, particularly those engaged in service-oriented sectors, this development presents both promising opportunities and potential challenges that deserve attention. The core of this initiative is the integration of NVIDIA’s AI technologies to bolster Lyft’s predictive modeling systems and mapping infrastructure. By enhancing these critical functionalities, Lyft intends to improve how it connects riders with drivers, ultimately streamlining service delivery and operational efficiency. As Siddharth Patil, EVP of Rideshare Experience & Marketplace at Lyft, stated, “This collaboration represents how AI infrastructure will be the backbone of modern mobility.” Small businesses operating within the mobility or logistics sectors can draw several key benefits from Lyft’s AI upgrades. Primarily, the enhanced predictive modeling capabilities will likely result in improved rider-driver matching, significantly impacting service quality. For small businesses that utilize rideshare services for logistics or as part of their customer experience, this means potential reductions in wait times and increased reliability in transportation options. Moreover, the introduction of a next-generation mapping platform aims to enhance safety and accuracy in navigation. Improved guidance systems can help businesses avoid traffic bottlenecks and other issues that delay deliveries. The integration of advanced mapping functionalities may also provide richer data insights, leading to more informed decision-making in route planning. Lyft’s commitment to advancing autonomous vehicle technology through this collaboration can also influence small businesses interested in integrating similar tech-driven solutions. The interaction between fleet management systems and AI can pave the way for creating more efficient delivery models. For instance, businesses that rely on logistics might consider partnerships with companies like Lyft to harness AI-powered fleets for their transportation needs. Yet, this initiative brings with it certain challenges small business owners must consider. The integration of such high-level AI technologies can lead to a transformative shift in operational norms. Smaller enterprises may find it daunting to compete with larger companies that can invest significantly in similar technologies, potentially widening the gap between enterprises with advanced capabilities and those with limited technological resources. Additionally, as Lyft moves toward a fleet of autonomous vehicles, there may arise regulatory challenges that could affect how small businesses can integrate these technologies into their operations. With evolving regulations surrounding autonomous vehicles, staying informed and compliant will be essential for businesses looking to leverage such innovations in their service offerings. The collaboration with NVIDIA is not limited to rideshare improvements. Lyft’s recent acquisition of Freenow expands its operations and regulatory relationships in Europe, elevating its capacity for growth on a global scale. This move signifies that the implications of this partnership extend beyond immediate rideshare enhancements and into broader mobility solutions that small businesses can leverage. Rishi Dhall, VP of NVIDIA Automotive Business, emphasized the significance of this partnership, stating, “From optimizing millions of daily rides to mapping complex road environments, this collaboration demonstrates AI’s power to solve real-world challenges at massive scale.” This collaborative effort not only reinforces the importance of AI in addressing current logistical needs but also signals a shift toward a hybrid ecosystem of fleets, combining fleet-owned, partner-deployed, and consumer-owned vehicles. Ultimately, as Lyft surges ahead with AI technologies, small business owners need not only to adapt to new operational landscapes but also to recognize emerging opportunities that can enhance their sustainability and growth. Investors in technology should consider aligning with AI platforms, as these integrations can yield transformative changes in productivity and service delivery. With the right strategies, small businesses can harness these advancements to remain competitive in an increasingly tech-driven world. For further details on Lyft’s integration with NVIDIA and its implications, you can explore the original post here. Image via Google Gemini This article, "Lyft Partners with NVIDIA to Boost AI and Autonomous Vehicle Technology" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

The debate over North Sea oil and gas resembles a bar brawl between opponents who can’t see straightView the full article

It’s the Friday open thread! The comment section on this post is open for discussion with other readers on any work-related questions that you want to talk about (that includes school). If you want an answer from me, emailing me is still your best bet*, but this is a chance to take your questions to other readers. * If you submitted a question to me recently, please do not repost it here, as it may be in my queue to answer. The post open thread – March 27, 2026 appeared first on Ask a Manager. View the full article

‘Omnibus’ claim comes days before regulator unveils details of mis-selling redress scheme View the full article

We’ve all seen the charts going viral on LinkedIn. They’re everywhere at this point. Multiple industry studies, even this research from Semrush, confirm that Wikipedia and Reddit are the top-cited domains across major LLM platforms — and CMOs are running with this data. The response is predictable: Just search for any bottom-of-funnel (BOFU) software query, and you’ll find Reddit threads in the top-ranking positions. This is exactly why the market is currently flooded with “Reddit SEO” agencies: Just stop. Taking this macro context — or a few isolated, high-ranking SERPs — and pivoting your entire GEO strategy toward Reddit or Wikipedia is a massive strategic error for the majority of B2B brands. Why CMOs are misguided by the Reddit hype The algorithmic tide is running toward massive community forums and open-source encyclopedias. That shift is real — but how it’s being interpreted isn’t. The charts driving this executive FOMO are mathematically accurate, but they’re strategically misguided. Applying them as a universal GEO playbook ignores why that aggregate data exists and why certain pages rank for high-intent queries. Reddit is the primary target because it’s perceived as easier to influence. While the industry respects Wikipedia’s ironclad editorial guardrails, Reddit is often viewed as an open loophole. This is a classic case of marketing whiplash, where teams abandon foundational principles to chase the shiny new object. To understand why Reddit and Wikipedia are a high-effort, low-upside channel for the vast majority of brands, you have to look at the context executives ignore. Your customers search everywhere. Make sure your brand shows up. The SEO toolkit you know, plus the AI visibility data you need. Start Free Trial Get started with Macro studies analyze hundreds of thousands of randomized keywords These studies add up citations across a randomized database that covers everything from pop culture to generalized consumer advice. As Alex Birkett points out: “Wikipedia, Reddit, and YouTube are heavily cited by LLMs because they are massive websites with a topical footprint that spans into a million different areas.” By default, they’ll always get the most aggregate LLM citations. High-ranking Reddit threads on BOFU queries can’t be reproduced When you see a Reddit thread driving CTR for a specific BOFU software query, it’s tempting to view it as an SEO loophole that can be easily reverse-engineered. This is incorrect. In reality, this is a scenario where the “voice of the customer” largely dictates who gets recommended. This isn’t an SEO hack or a growth trick. It’s the culmination of years of actual human peer reviews and real discussion on a topic that has reached a definitive consensus. Your marketing team can’t microwave this historical, multi-year, authentic brand sentiment. Claiming you need a Reddit or Wikipedia strategy because they are the most-cited domains overall is like claiming spaghetti carbonara is the most-eaten dish in Italy. Yes, it’s ubiquitous and popular, but just because it’s everywhere doesn’t mean you should put it on the menu at a high-end steakhouse. Dig deeper: Rand Fishkin proved AI recommendations are inconsistent – here’s why and how to fix it The illusion of ‘hacking’ Reddit and Wikipedia for AI visibility Even if you ignore the macro context and decide to aggressively pursue a Reddit or Wikipedia SEO strategy, you’ll quickly realize how LLMs actually process data. Hacking them for AI citations is an illusion built on a fundamental misunderstanding of what LLMs are looking for. When you look at the mechanics of AI citations, two massive roadblocks emerge. Historical consensus can’t be microwaved Thirsty SEO agencies will frequently pitch Reddit marketing services, promising to generate hundreds of upvotes and comments to trigger LLM visibility. But the data shows LLMs don’t care about manufactured virality. Up to 80% of Reddit threads cited by AI have fewer than 20 upvotes, according to Semrush. More importantly, the average age of a cited post is roughly 900 days. LLMs are surfacing historical, established consensus, not yesterday’s growth hack. Wikipedia editors will just delete you The exact same brutal reality applies to Wikipedia. A Princeton University study analyzing AI-generated Wikipedia content revealed exactly what happens when marketers try to “hack” the encyclopedia with generative tools. Researchers found that when users utilized AI to create self-promotional pages for businesses, the articles were mathematically lower in quality, lacking proper footnotes and internal links. The result? Human moderators quickly identified the low-effort content, deleted the pages for “unambiguous advertising,” and actively banned users. Paraphrasing destroys narrative control Even if you successfully infiltrate a subreddit or a Wikipedia page without getting banned, you lose control over your product positioning. Benji Hyam notes that Reddit mentions are typically too short and lack the depth necessary for an LLM to associate your product with a specific problem and solution. The Semrush data also proves this: AI tools don’t quote Reddit word-for-word. They blend and paraphrase discussions (showing a semantic similarity score of just 0.53). Your carefully crafted value proposition will be mashed up with random, anonymous user comments, or stripped down to dry, encyclopedic neutrality, diluting your brand narrative entirely. Posting on Reddit isn’t an SEO strategy — it’s shouting through a bus window, hoping to join the conversation. At best, it’s a short-term tactic. At worst, it actively damages your brand. Get the newsletter search marketers rely on. See terms. The hidden risks of astroturfing The lack of ROI is only half the problem when it comes to building a Reddit or Wikipedia presence. The much larger issue is the active harm it can inflict on your brand’s image. Brands that treat these platforms as loopholes for AI citations fundamentally misunderstand their architecture. As Eli Schwartz points out, trying to replicate decades of genuine human conversation with templated brand messaging isn’t just ineffective — it’s a massive reputational hazard. Reddit communities are aggressively moderated Subreddits and wiki pages are policed by passionate human moderators and veteran Wikipedia editors. They’ve seen every variation of corporate infiltration. A new account dropping a link, manufacturing enthusiasm, or violating Wikipedia’s strict conflict of interest (COI) guidelines is flagged, reverted, and banned almost immediately. Sometimes, this is accompanied by a public callout (featured on subreddits like r/hailcorporate), causing more brand damage than the campaign was ever worth. LLMs ingest deleted spam and banned accounts This is the most critical and misunderstood risk. Reddit sells its data directly to companies like Google and OpenAI. Wikipedia’s entire edit history is completely open source. LLMs aren’t just scraping the public-facing websites. They’re receiving the entire firehose of data (including deleted posts, reverted wiki edits, and banned accounts). When your agency’s fake comments or promotional product descriptions get removed by moderators, those AI models still see the manipulation. Astroturfing creates a permanent negative trust signal Because the AI models have full visibility into the moderation pipeline, links or mentions flagged as inauthentic carry negative weight. By attempting to game the system, you’re essentially training the AI to associate the brand with spam and coordinated manipulation. Dig deeper: How to build an organic Reddit strategy that drives SEO impact Where AI actually looks for ground truth Once you accept that hacking Reddit or Wikipedia is both ineffective and dangerous, you have to look at where LLMs are actually pulling their answers from when a buyer is ready to make a purchase. When you filter for high-intent, BOFU prompts, the “Reddit/Wikipedia is everywhere” narrative falls apart. Using AI visibility platforms like Scrunch AI exposes Reddit’s and Wikipedia’s true influence on specific target categories. For one B2B client, tracking 300+ custom prompts generated thousands of LLM responses, but just two specific Reddit threads were responsible for the vast majority of citations. The Wikipedia data was even more revealing. For high-intent software queries, the encyclopedia barely registered. When AI tools cited Wikipedia, they were almost exclusively scraping broad, top-of-funnel category definitions, or pulling background facts from a specific company’s history page. Data from Grow and Convert shows the same thing. For trucking software queries, LLMs consistently cited domains like PCS Software and TruckingOffice. For project management queries, the AI cited specialized software review sites and niche blogs. This is a far cry from the overwhelming dominance promoted by SEO/GEO research studies. If you’re chasing platforms simply because they cover massive topical geography, you’re making a painful error. You don’t need to be visible everywhere. You only need to be visible in the specific digital neighborhood that influences your flagship category. Dig deeper: ‘Search everywhere’ doesn’t mean ‘be everywhere’ How to actually earn AI recommendations: Owned content and niche citations Winning in AI search requires optimizing for targeted influence rather than aggregate metrics. The most effective GEO strategy abandons massive topical geography and focuses entirely on the pillars you can actually control. Publish deep, human-written owned content Your website remains your most powerful asset. To be recommended, you must provide the specific, granular depth the AI needs to understand your value. Your key product and solution pages need to explicitly cover: Who the product is for. How it’s used. The specific pain points it solves. Its core benefits. This depth is exactly what gives you a chance at showing up for the highly specific, long-tail queries a customer types into an AI when evaluating products. Execute targeted citation outreach Use AI visibility tools to identify the specific, niche domains that currently influence your flagship categories. Once you know which industry blogs, review sites, and peer publications the LLMs are actually citing for your BOFU queries, execute targeted outreach to earn your place on those exact lists. Dig deeper: How paid, earned, shared, and owned media shape generative search visibility See the complete picture of your search visibility. Track, optimize, and win in Google and AI search from one platform. Start Free Trial Get started with If you want a Reddit or Wikipedia strategy, respect their ecosystems Reddit and Wikipedia carry real authority, and earning trust there is valuable independent of AI visibility. If you choose to invest in them, it must be a long-term play, not a marketing hack. Engage authentically on Reddit: Answer questions, provide unique insights, and participate in discussions where your buyers actually hang out. Build street cred before recommending your own tools. Build a branded subreddit for transparency: Create an official space for your team to share expertise, host AMAs, and answer product questions openly. Monitor conversations for product insights: Use the platform to spot emerging pain points and shifts in sentiment before they hit traditional search engines. Leave Wikipedia to the experts: If your brand genuinely deserves a Wikipedia page, it will be created by independent editors using reliable secondary sources. Don’t try to write your own product entry. The path to AI visibility runs through your own domain and the highly specific digital neighborhoods your buyers trust. AI engines reflect the authority you already have. If you want the algorithm to recommend your brand, then you have to do the work to actually be recommendable. View the full article

Kathy Hochul, the governor of New York, has proposed a delay to the state’s landmark 2019 climate law, saying its goals would be too costly and could worsen already-expensive utility bills. But a coalition of climate, labor, and community groups counters that there are serious costs to not meeting the law’s climate goals—like more expensive energy bills, lost jobs, and health impacts caused by pollution. Delaying the law would cost New Yorkers nearly $9,000 on their energy bills per household over five years, due to the loss of billions of dollars in energy credits or rebates, according to an analysis from NY Renews. The proposed rollbacks would mean roughly 150,000 jobs lost statewide, as well as 5,000 premature deaths and 4,000 asthma hospitalizations over the next five years. Hochul’s proposed Climate Law changes In 2019, New York state passed the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, known colloquially as the Climate Law. It was signed into law by Hochul’s predecessor Andrew Cuomo. It was a landmark policy, making New York “one of the first states to put in law enforceable mandates that the state decarbonize and take steps to meet its climate goals,” says Stephan Edel, executive director of NY Renews. The law requires cutting greenhouse gas emissions 40% by 2030 (as compared to 1990 levels) and 85% by 2050. In a recent op-ed, Hochul proposed pushing that 2030 goal to 2040, and also changing the way the state measures methane emissions, which experts say means much of this pollution could go undetected. While the Climate Law sets emissions reduction targets, it doesn’t specify how the state should meet those goals. Hochul was supposed to release the regulations for mandating these reductions by January 2024; she did not, and is now being sued by environmental groups for missing that deadline. In her op-ed, Hochul proposed issuing those regulations for how the state reduces emissions by the end of 2030, pushing back the entire enforcement of the Climate Law. The law will save households money In making her proposals, Hochul has said the effort to meet the Climate Law’s 2030 targets would actually make utility bills spike, and even cause gas prices at the pump to surge more than $2 a gallon. Those figures reportedly come from a memo from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (which the governor controls). But multiple environmental groups dispute those estimates. The high costs represent a “worst-case scenario” calculation, Edel says, that doesn’t reflect the actual policy that would take place. NY Renews’s own research says these programs help save money for households, particularly for low-income and disadvantaged communities. Another group, Earthjustice, also disputed the costs, telling The New York Times that the figures should include rebates and subsidies for energy customers, and that the state used an “exaggerated figure for penalizing polluters.” Edel adds that the governor’s office hasn’t been “transparent” in how it put that memo about costs together. (Fast Company has not viewed the NYSERD memo, and has reached out to Hochul’s office for comment.) Climate crisis is too urgent to kick down the road Concerns about rising utility costs and gas prices are valid. But those concerns are being driven by fossil fuels. That’s been clear with the conflict in Iran; New York gas prices have spiked 21% since the unrest began. “What we could do best to sustainably stabilize and lower bills is actually get people off fossil fuels, make their homes more energy efficient, and in doing that [make their homes] healthier and safer,” Edel says. The NY Renews analysis looks at the state’s own research on the impact of climate programs to quantify what New Yorkers would lose out on if the law is delayed and altered. Along with causing New Yorkers to miss out on $9,000 in household energy bill savings over five years, and 150,000 jobs statewide, the analysis finds that the state will lose between $15 and $60 billion in local revenue. That’s money that would have been invested in communities for things like rooftop and community solar, electric buses, weatherization for affordable housing, and infrastructure and resiliency projects. Hochul has framed the Climate Law as something at odds with affordability efforts—claiming that its delay would protect residents from future costs. NY Renews says that’s not supported by the research. Delaying the law also conflicts with the urgency climate experts say is needed to address these issues. “If we give the governor the power to kick the can down the road,” Edel says, “it fundamentally undermines the rationale of having . . . legally mandated climate goals, [and] the idea that this is an urgent problem that needs to be addressed.” “The governor should not have the discretion to just be like, ‘Yeah, I don’t feel like dealing with climate change,’” he adds, “because it’s really here.” View the full article

U.S. stocks are falling Friday as Wall Street stumbles toward the finish of a fifth straight losing week, which would be its longest such streak in nearly four years. The S&P 500 sank 0.8% in early trading, deepening its losses after falling the day before to its worst drop since the war with Iran began. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 402 points, or 0.9%, as of 9:35 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 1% lower. The losses are a break from Wall Street’s pattern this week, where the U.S. stock market flip-flopped from gains to losses each day as hopes rose and fell about a possible end to the war. Moments after the U.S. stock market finished its dismal Thursday of trading, President Donald The President offered another potential signal for hope. He extended a self-imposed deadline to “obliterate” Iran’s power plants to April 6 if it doesn’t allow oil tankers to resume their exits from the Persian Gulf to the open ocean through the Strait of Hormuz. Oil prices pulled back briefly after The President’s announcement in a sign of hope in financial markets that some normalcy may return to the Strait of Hormuz. But oil prices resumed their climb as the sun moved westward from Asia to Europe and back to Wall Street. Despite The President’s second announcement of delay this week, fighting continued in the Middle East. Iran gave no signs of backing down, while Israel threatened to “escalate and expand” its attacks on Iran. “The diplomatic dissonance this week between the U.S. and Iran dismayed investors,” said Doug Beath, global equity strategist at Wells Fargo Investment Institute. “By the end of the week, risk appetite could not withstand the fog of war.” “Any further statements by The President about a deal are white noise to the markets,” Jim Bianco, president and macro strategist at Bianco Research, wrote in a social media post. “Only if the IRANIANS say the talks are going well will it impact markets.” The price for a barrel of Brent crude rose 2.2% to $104.15 and is up from roughly $70 before the war began. Benchmark U.S. crude rose 3% to $97.28 per barrel. The fear in financial markets is that the war will disrupt the production and transport of oil and natural gas in the Persian Gulf for a long time. It could keep so much oil and gas out of the world’s markets that it sends a punishing wave of inflation through the global economy. Not only would it raise prices for drivers buying gasoline, it could push businesses that use any trucks, ships or planes to move their products to raise their own prices. If the war continues until the end of June, strategists at Macquarie say the price of oil could reach $200 per barrel, which would be a record. Such worries have virtually eliminated hopes among traders that the Federal Reserve could cut interest rates this year to boost the economy. While lower rates would help give the job market and prices for investments an upward jolt, they would also risk making inflation worse. Long-term Treasury yields rose even further in the bond market following Friday’s rise for oil prices. The yield for the 10-year Treasury climbed to 4.46% from 4.42% late Thursday and from just 3.97% before the war began. That rise has already sent rates jumping for mortgages and for other loans taken by U.S. households and businesses, slowing the economy. On Wall Street, most stocks fell, including four out of every five in the S&P 500. One of the few stocks to rise was Netflix, which added 0.8% a day after announcing price hikes for its services. In stock markets abroad, indexes fell in Europe following a mixed finish in Asia. AP Business Writers Chan Ho-him and Matt Ott contributed. —Stan Choe, AP Business Writer View the full article

If you only skim the headlines lately, you’d believe “conscious consumerism” is in full retreat, backpedaling to obscurity. ESG has become a political flashpoint. Corporate purpose feels diluted. DEI has been rebranded, softened, or even shelved altogether. Brands, wary of backlash, are pulling back from impact language. And yet, consumers didn’t get the memo. According to our own 2026 Conscious Consumer Report, conducted with our partners Ipsos and Engage for Good, 40% of North American purchases are now influenced by social and environmental considerations, which is up from 38% in last year’s report. That growth struck even during inflation, heightened price sensitivity, and what we’re continuing to see as peak “anti-woke business” rhetoric. So we like to flip this concept on its head. Conscious consumerism isn’t collapsing. It’s normalizing, and it includes Republicans, too. THE MYTH OF THE AFFLUENT LIBERAL SHOPPER Two long-standing assumptions no longer hold. First, higher income no longer predicts ethical purchasing. Sustainable shopping or values-driven purchasing doesn’t map neatly to affluence. In fact, our most engaged segment, Sustainability Stewards, are nearly twice as likely as disengaged shoppers to say price had “much more influence” on their purchasing decisions over the past year. In other words, the most values-driven consumers are also highly price sensitive. Second, this behavior transcends party lines. In the U.S., conscious purchasing is only marginally (2%) more associated with Democrats than Republicans. Values-driven behavior spans the political spectrum. So ultimately, the conscious consumer is not ideological, but rather mainstream. And for brand leaders navigating a polarized market, that should be helpful and clarifying. The claims that resonate most aren’t partisan, they’re actually practical. THE REAL BARRIER: CONFUSION Last year, we identified the biggest obstacle to conscious consumerism: claims confusion. Brands were simply missing the mark. Nearly half of consumers walked away from products with unclear sustainability claims. Among the most conscious shoppers, that number surged to 87%—so much lost opportunity. So this year, we decided to pressure test the claims, by using the drivers and motivations for what actually drives purchase, and a very clear pattern emerged. Consumers favor claims that deliver immediate, personal benefit, or “me now, not we later.” Claims like durability, safety, and ingredient transparency outperformed future-focused or science-heavy sustainability language by 3-4x. When we reframed more abstract claims to make the human benefit explicit (e.g. “Simple, non-toxic ingredients that are better for your health” or “Every purchase feeds your family and a family in need”), purchase motivation increased in 71% of consumables claims and 67% of wearables claims. That’s significant. The largest gains came from claims that previously felt indirect or ideological. Adding clear, everyday language made them tangible. “Fair working conditions” performed better when rewritten as “made by people receiving living wages in safe working conditions,” for example. Ultimately, this approach isn’t about diluting impact. It’s about translating it, and some brands already understand this intuitively. Patagonia leads with durability, i.e. “Built to last, making sustainability synonymous with quality.” Seventh Generation emphasizes products made without harmful chemicals, translating environmental care into family health. Allbirds showcases comfort first, and communicates materials used second. Oatly has a refreshing point-of-view around innovation and trial and error, and is humorous and self-deprecating. These brand examples don’t abandon impact; instead they anchor it in everyday value and humanity. THE CONFIDENCE GAP Interest in corporate impact remains strong. Sixty-two percent of Americans and Canadians say they’re somewhat or very interested in learning about a company’s social and environmental actions, but nearly three in four report low or no trust in business impact communications—that’s a trust gap. When asked which sector has the greatest ability to improve the health of people and the planet, business ranks second behind the government. But when asked which sector they’re most confident will take action, confidence drops significantly. In the U.S., confidence in government falls 24 points between perceived ability and expected action, placing it last among surveyed sectors. Silence from organizations doesn’t ultimately reduce that risk, but rather it amplifies suspicion. Greenhushing reinforces the narrative that responsible business is fading, even when purchasing data says otherwise. This indicates that consumers see potential, but they doubt follow-through. As sustainability and social impact professionals, we know trust isn’t built on promises, but on capability and character: products that deliver what they claim, and companies whose actions align with their words. When that foundation is in place, communication becomes a growth lever versus a liability or weakness. A STRATEGIC IMPERATIVE: FIND YOUR AUDIENCES The findings challenge two dominant narratives we’ve seen: that sustainability is fading as a purchasing driver, and that it only matters to affluent liberals. Conscious consumerism is growing and evolving, having found among audiences long assumed to be disengaged or harder to reach. And the path forward isn’t louder ideology but clear, more cogent strategy. Who should brands target? Everyone. What should they say? Lead with immediate human benefit. Where should they say it? In decision-making moments, where clarity drives conversion and credibility builds trust. The backlash narrative may be loud, but the actions and behavior couldn’t be clearer. Brands that are able to translate impact into everyday value, and prove it, won’t just weather this moment, they’ll grow and ultimately thrive because of it. Phil Haid is founder and CEO, Public Inc. View the full article

Just six weeks after launching its ad pilot, OpenAI has hit a significant milestone — and the platform is still in its early stages of rollout. The numbers. Over $100 million in annualized ad revenue, generated from less than 20% of eligible US free and Go tier users seeing ads daily Around 85% of Free and Go users are eligible to see ads — meaning the current revenue represents a fraction of the platform’s eventual ad capacity More than 600 advertisers are now on the platform What’s coming next. Self-serve advertiser access is on track to launch in April Geographic expansion into Canada, Australia, and New Zealand is being explored OpenAI has hired former Meta ad executive Dave Dugan to lead ad sales Why we care. ChatGPT’s ad business has scaled to $100 million in annualized revenue in just six weeks — and that’s from less than 20% of eligible users seeing ads today, meaning the inventory is about to get significantly larger. Self-serve access launching in April is the moment this becomes accessible to the broader advertiser market, not just the 600+ brands currently in the managed pilot. Getting in early, before competition drives up costs, is the same playbook that rewarded early movers in search and social advertising. The quality picture. OpenAI says fewer than 7% of ads are rated by users as “low relevance” — a metric the company says they are actively focused on improving alongside user trust. The bigger context. Ads are a key part of OpenAI’s path to profitability ahead of an anticipated IPO. Executives have told investors the company expects to generate more than $17 billion from ChatGPT consumers in 2026 — with advertising representing a meaningful slice of revenue from its free user base. The bottom line. $100 million in annualized revenue from less than 20% of eligible users in six weeks is a strong early signal. When self-serve access opens in April and the eligible audience expands, the numbers could scale quickly — and advertisers who have been waiting on the sidelines may soon find the platform harder to ignore. View the full article

OpenAI have been pumping out the ads ads for free-tier ChatGPT users in the US for over a month now, and early testing suggests they’re more frequent and more targeted than many users might expect. How often they appear. In a test of 500 questions across the mobile app, roughly one in five questions in a new conversation thread triggered an ad at the bottom of ChatGPT’s response — always as a website link button, always tailored to the topic of the question. What kind of ads appeared. The range was broad — dog food, hotel bookings, productivity software, cruise vacations, streaming services, corporate credit cards, AI coding tools, and basketball tickets, among others. Travel questions triggered ads most frequently; asking for help planning a trip to Palm Springs surfaced a Booking.com ad that automatically searched for hotels in that location. The “poaching” dynamic. When a question mentioned a brand by name — DoorDash or Netflix, for example — the ad that appeared was sometimes for a direct competitor. Marketing professors describe this as a longtime staple of digital advertising now migrating to AI. Why we care. ChatGPT ads are appearing roughly once every five questions on the free tier, with targeting based on conversation topic and memory — making it an emerging channel advertisers should monitor, particularly given the “poaching” dynamic that allows brands to appear against competitor mentions, a tactic already proven in search advertising. What OpenAI says. Ads do not influence ChatGPT’s answers Full conversation content is not shared with advertisers Ad targeting is based on question topic, past chats, and whatever ChatGPT has stored in memory about the user Early signals show low ad dismissal rates and no impact on consumer trust metrics The irony. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman called ads “a last resort” in 2024, saying the mix of “ads plus AI is sort of uniquely unsettling.” The company is now expanding the rollout to Canada, Australia, and New Zealand after its US pilot. The big picture. Neither Google’s Gemini nor Anthropic’s Claude currently features sponsored ad buttons in outputs — though Google has said it’s not ruling it out. OpenAI is essentially pioneering a new ad format, and how it handles the balance between monetisation and user trust will shape whether AI advertising becomes a lasting industry or a cautionary tale. Spotted. Digital marketer Glenn Gabe, shared on X how the ads are showing on mobile and confirmed it isn’t showing on Plus accounts. The bottom line. For advertisers, ChatGPT’s ad inventory is becoming real, even though there is still a long way to go to prove ROI. However the platform’s credibility depends entirely on whether users feel the ads are eroding the experience. That’s a tension worth watching closely as the rollout scales. Dig deeper. I Asked ChatGPT 500 Questions. Here Are the Ads I Saw Most Often – Wired (subscription needed). View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. If you have some spring chores to tackle in your yard, a good set of cordless outdoor tools can save you time—but cordless outdoor tools can also be expensive. Cordless lawn and gardening tools use high-capacity batteries, which can cause a steep increase in price. Amazon has some Big Spring Deals on landscaping tools that can save you up to 62% off on the equipment you need to tackle your spring to-do list. This 24-volt chainsaw is 35% offIf you need to trim a tree or clean up fallen branches, a chainsaw can speed up the process. Although most battery-operated chainsaws aren’t quite as powerful as traditional gas-powered ones, a good quality battery can give you enough power for most things you would use a chainsaw for in your yard. The Greenworks 24-volt, 10-inch chainsaw is on sale for $97.99, down from 149.99. The saw comes with a 24-volt, two-amp-hour battery and a charger as well. Greenworks 24V 10" Cordless Compact Chainsaw (Great For Storm Clean-Up, Pruning, and Firewood), 2.0Ah Battery and Charger Included $97.99 at Amazon $149.99 Save $52.00 Get Deal Get Deal $97.99 at Amazon $149.99 Save $52.00 These 40-volt tool deals are perfect for most yards Whacking weeds is a big part of keeping your yard look manicured, especially in springtime. Getting a trimmer that lasts long enough to get some work done can be expensive, so a 40-volt, two-amp-hour battery is a good investment to avoid running back to the charger every few minutes. The Greenworks 40-volt, 12-inch string trimmer and 390 CFM leaf blower combo is on sale for $124.99, down from 189.99. This combo comes with a 40-volt, two-amp-hour battery and a charger. It’s rated to work at maximum capacity for at least an hour and can be used on about a third of an acre per charge. Greenworks 40-volt, 12-inch string trimmer and leaf blower combo $124.99 at Amazon $189.99 Save $65.00 Get Deal Get Deal $124.99 at Amazon $189.99 Save $65.00 The Greenworks 40-volt, eight-inch cordless edger is on sale for $190.95, 36% off its regular price. The edger tool comes with a 40-volt, four-amp-hour battery that you’ll be able to use right out of the box. The edger is rated to tackle about one mile of edging and can run for at least an hour before needing a charge. A spare Greenworks 40-volt, two-amp-hour battery is on sale for $49, 62% off its regular price. If you already have a Greenworks set of 40-volt tools, this battery is compatible with those sets. Having at least two batteries allows you to charge one battery while you’re using the other so you don’t need to wait for a fresh battery. This is a battery-only deal, so you’ll need a Greenworks 40-volt charger to use it. If you have a larger yard, check out this 60-volt tool setIf you have a larger yard, it might take more than an hour to trim. A 60-volt battery will give you a little more power and run-time so you can get more done between battery swaps. The Greenworks 60-volt yard tool combo set is on sale for $209, 34% off its regular price. It comes with a 13-inch string trimmer, a 540 CFM leaf blower, a 60-volt, four-amp-hour battery, and a charger. The set can run for 90 minutes and the string trimmer can trim about two miles worth of weeds on a single charge. Our Best Editor-Vetted Amazon Big Spring Sale Deals Right Now Apple AirPods Pro 3 Noise Cancelling Heart Rate Wireless Earbuds — $199.00 (List Price $249.00) Apple iPad 11" 128GB A16 WiFi Tablet (Blue, 2025) — $299.00 (List Price $349.00) Samsung Galaxy Tab A11+ 128GB Wi-Fi 11" Tablet (Gray) — $209.99 (List Price $249.99) Sony WH1000XM6- Best Wireless Noise Canceling Headphones — $398.00 (List Price $459.99) Apple Watch Series 11 (GPS, 42mm, S/M Black Sport Band) — $299.00 (List Price $399.00) Blink Video Doorbell Wireless (Newest Model) + Sync Module Core — $35.99 (List Price $69.99) Fire TV Stick 4K Max Streaming Player With Remote — $34.99 (List Price $59.99) Amazon Kindle Colorsoft 16GB 7" eReader (Black) — $169.99 (List Price $249.99) Deals are selected by our commerce team View the full article

Allan Leighton rejects chancellor’s assertion that petrol retailers are price gouging as store chain’s profits sinkView the full article