Iloprost, a drug that can prevent the need to amputate frozen fingers and toes due to frostbite, has been approved as a treatment for frostbite by the FDA. The drug has already been used to treat frostbite for years in a number of European countries and elsewhere in the world. It works as a vasodilator, widening blood vessels and improving blood flow. Iloprost prevents blood clotting and is also used to treat blood pressure-related illnesses.

RCS (Rich Communication Services) is a standard that supports rich features in text messages, including high-quality GIFs, videos, and other interactive elements. Android phones already support it and Apple will likely support it as part of the upcoming iOS 18 update. Marketers' usage of RCS will likely continue to grow, especially once it's supported on Apple devices. Some example use cases include sending personalized messages, asking for the user's location to recommend an action in the user's physical environment, and embedding a carousel with five or more options that users can swipe through.

VanEck has filed for the first U.S. Solana ETF, claiming that SOL is a commodity like BTC and ETH. This filing follows the SEC approving spot BTC and ETH ETFs, aiming to track Solana's price through the VanEck Solana Trust on the Cboe BZX Exchange.

Peppa Pig and Play-Doh reached new customers and grew brand favorability by tapping into Amazon's first-party data and video capabilities. Hasbro's Peppa Pig campaign focused on households with children and adults between the ages of 18-34. This resulted in a 21% YoY increase in branded searches, an 18% YoY increase in sales on Amazon, and a 14% increase in brand favorability. Hasbro then ran a similar campaign for Play-Doh in the U.S., which resulted in a 14% increase in ad recall, a 4% increase in brand favorability, and a 6.4% higher purchase rate among ad viewers.

Bitcoin's recent price rebound above $57k was supported by record-high inflows into U.S. spot BTC ETFs of around $300M on July 8th, the highest since early June. Institutional investors seem to be using the price dip as a buying opportunity.

Chinese-owned platforms Shein and Temu have rapidly grown to challenge Amazon's dominance in the U.S. ecommerce market driven by aggressive marketing, innovative supply chain management, and a focus on under-served demographics, despite facing logistical pressures and ethical scrutiny.

The "Deals for You Days" event on TikTok Shop led to a historic spending high of $52 per U.S. shopper, breaking a trend of declines and capturing 37% of Chinese e-commerce sales in the U.S. This performance brought TikTok Shop closer to competitors Shein and Temu, despite lower overall spending. The success, fueled by impulse purchases, highlighted TikTok's potential in e-commerce.

Kit Kat's new U.S. logo, designed by Sterling Brands, features bulkier, straighter letters with a dark drop shadow that exude an energetic and clean aesthetic, much like a loud snap. The rebrand aims to enhance the brand's iconic 'break' while maintaining the familiar shape and size of the packaging, offering a cleaner and somewhat retro look. This redesign comes as Hershey seeks to boost candy sales amidst consumer cutbacks on discretionary spending.

Nearly one-third (31%) of U.S. adults doing back-to-school shopping this year are going into debt to pay for it (or already have), up from 29% in 2022. That includes 24% who are using credit cards and carrying balances, and 13% who are using buy now, pay later services like Affirm or Klarna. Nearly half (46%) of back-to-school shoppers are employing strategies to save money this year, like seeking out more deals or coupons than they did in the past (28%), buying cheaper brands (21%), or buying fewer school supplies than they did in previous years due to the cost (19%). 14% of people feel pressured to spend more on school shopping than they're comfortable with, while 18% say school shopping did or will strain their budget this year.

Apple introduced Apple Intelligence at WWDC 2024, focusing on integrating AI features into existing apps like Mail, Messages, and Siri. The platform uses large language models for tasks such as text summarization and image generation, aiming for a seamless user experience. A beta version will roll out in the U.S. this October, with broader international support planned for 2025.

Google's AI Overviews, powered by the Gemini language model, faced heavy criticism for inaccuracies and dangerous suggestions after its U.S. launch. Despite the backlash, Google expanded the feature to six more countries, raising concerns among publishers about reduced traffic and misrepresented content. AI strategists and SEO experts emphasize the need for transparency and better citation practices to maintain trust and traffic.

In an X Spaces audio stream, the team behind the Trump Family's new crypto project confirmed plans to launch a governance token called WLFI, available only to accredited investors under an SEC Regulation D exemption. The token, which is non-transferable and offers no economic rights, will focus on governance participation amid ongoing regulatory uncertainty in the U.S. In the stream, Donald Trump called crypto “one of those things we have to do, whether we like it or not.”