In my latest Digital Digest from August 13th, I talk about the extreme rise of AI usage, about Germany's "Marketing Salary Report 2025" and the complete deletion of the position “Head of Brand” at Burger King Germany.
Happy reading!
Yours, Verena
🚀 "2025 Digital Report": AI usage hits new high
"The Digital Report 2025" reveals that AI usage has surged to record levels. ChatGPT.com climbed to the fifth most visited website globally, attracting 16 billion visits in Q2 2025 – 62 % more than the previous year. With 486 million mobile users, ChatGPT vastly outpaces competitors like Microsoft Copilot and Google Gemini. >>> Marketing-Börse
😱 Pokémon and McDonald's partnership ends in disaster
A Pokémon collaboration with McDonald's ended prematurely in Japan after a chaotic day. The junior meal came with an exclusive Pikachu trading card. The promotion led to endless queues outside restaurants, exorbitant prices of $50 and more on eBay, and massive food waste. That's because Pokémon fans only wanted the card – and threw the food away. The police had to intervene due to fights breaking out on the streets. >>> Eurogamer
🔥 Perplexity’s bold $34.5 billion unsolicited bid for Google Chrome
The hottest leak of the day: AI startup Perplexity has made headlines by submitting an unsolicited $34.5 billion all-cash offer to buy Google’s Chrome browser – early double its own $18 billion valuation. The startup confirmed investor backing for the bid and pledged to invest over $3 billion in Chrome and Chromium within two years, though Google shows no interest in selling. >>> Bloomberg (€)
💦 UK urges people to delete emails and photos to help drought relief
Facing a severe drought, the UK’s National Drought Group has unexpectedly asked people to delete old emails and photos to save water – citing the large amounts data centres use for cooling. While installing rain barrels and fixing leaks are more conventional measures, the digital cleanup recommendation is symbolic and aimed at collective effort to reduce water demand. >>> The Verge
🛍️ Gen X emerges as biggest global spender in 2025
Generation X (ages 45–60) will outspend all other age groups in 2025, with a whopping $15.2 trillion in global spending – about twice that of China, making them the world’s second-largest consumer market. Their peak spending is expected to continue through 2033. >>> Brand Finance
😮 Unseen but effective: retail media’s hidden influence on shoppers
Just 40 % of Germans consciously notice retail media ads – but of those, 42 % find them inspiring and relevant to purchase decisions. In physical stores, over half the shoppers feel positively influenced by in-store advertising, while just 30 % see it as intrusive. The biggest untapped potential lies in engaging the 60 % who remain unaware. >>> WUV (€)
💶 ING to roll out Wero payment service this August
Competition for PayPal: ING Germany plans to add the European payment service Wero to its banking app in August, making it (next to Sparkasse) one of the first German banks with full integration. Wero enables instant transfers using just a mobile number or email, eliminating the need for account numbers. The move aims to reduce dependence on non-European payment systems. >>> Tagesschau
🍔 Burger King Germany believes it can do without a head of brand
Burger King Deutschland parted ways with its Head of Brand, Anna Mennel, who joined just over a year ago, in January 2024. The abrupt departure signals a bold belief within the company: they may no longer need a dedicated Head of Brand role, potentially consolidating branding responsibilities elsewhere, likely into broader marketing leadership. >>> Horizont (€)
🤑 Germany: Marketing Salary Report 2025 is here
The 2025 Marketing Salary Report for Germany finds that marketing professionals without management responsibility earn an average of €48,700 gross annually, slightly above the national average. Product marketing roles offer the highest average incomes at €58,300, while sectors like social media and event management have lower pay. Having a university degree increases earnings significantly, and satisfaction with pay remains low. Home office is the most valued benefit. >>> Absatzwirtschaft
🏠 German firms still back home office, but concerns remain
A "Leibniz-Zentrum für Europäische Wirtschaftsforschung" (ZEW) survey in June of 1,200 German companies – mostly in manufacturing and IT – shows that home office remains popular: 80 % in IT and about 50 % in manufacturing allow remote work once a week, jumping to 88 % and 98 % in larger firms. The benefits outweigh downsides, with employee satisfaction and easier hiring leading, though many firms cite drawbacks in internal communication and teamwork. >>> ZEW
