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End-of-Week Wrap-Up: Reflections, Resilience, and What’s Next in Marketing

Strategy is best met with innovation

September 11, 2025

In partnership with

Finish the Week Strong

Hey there,

Welcome to the End-of-Week Wrap-Up, where we highlight tools, tips, and ideas that fuel your growth.

Before we dive into this weeks hustle we want to take a moment to remember Charlie Kirk, the students impacted by the Colorado shooting, and those lost and who protected during 9/11. We live in a very broken world and it is up each of us to do our best to be an example to the next generation. Our thoughts and prayers go out. It puts into perspective what is truly important in our lives.

Take a moment to pause and reflect…

Now, let’s jump into what is happening in the marketing space. This edition covers skyrocketing ad costs, employees-as-influencers, using ChatGPT for a SWOT + competitor audit, fresh ad spend and consumer sentiment data, and our big announcement with Ritz-Carlton Residences.

🚨 Our Big News

Chasing Creative has been tapped to lead growth marketing for The Ritz-Carlton Residences, Hammock Dunes—a flagship oceanfront project in Palm Coast. Check out the full release here:
👉 Read the Press Release

  • U.S. digital ad spend is projected to hit ~$650B in 2025, with long-term growth toward $1.48T by 2034.

  • Digital video is outpacing the field—up 18% YoY, expected to hit $72B this year.

  • Retail media search (think Amazon, Walmart) is seeing major budget shifts as brands chase high-intent shoppers.

Takeaway: Agencies need to lean into video and retail media strategies while doubling down on ROI tracking.

Keep This Stock Ticker on Your Watchlist

They’re a private company, but Pacaso just reserved the Nasdaq ticker “$PCSO.”

No surprise the same firms that backed Uber, eBay, and Venmo already invested in Pacaso. What is unique is Pacaso is giving the same opportunity to everyday investors. And 10,000+ people have already joined them.

Created a former Zillow exec who sold his first venture for $120M, Pacaso brings co-ownership to the $1.3T vacation home industry.

They’ve generated $1B+ worth of luxury home transactions across 2,000+ owners. That’s good for more than $110M in gross profit since inception, including 41% YoY growth last year alone.

And you can join them today for just $2.90/share. But don’t wait too long. Invest in Pacaso before the opportunity ends September 18.

Paid advertisement for Pacaso’s Regulation A offering. Read the offering circular at invest.pacaso.com. Reserving a ticker symbol is not a guarantee that the company will go public. Listing on the NASDAQ is subject to approvals.

📉 Consumer Confidence Snapshot

  • Conference Board Index (Aug): 97.4 (down from 98.7 in July, below the 101.9 recession signal).

  • University of Michigan Sentiment: 58.2 (6% drop MoM, 14.3% lower YoY).

Why it matters: Consumers are cautious—brands that provide trust and tangible value will win attention and wallets.

📈 Ad Cost Increases

Social CPMs are climbing: Facebook +89%, TikTok +92%. Conversions remain solid (26% of Facebook ad clickers still buy), but your budget buys less. Make sure tracking and creative optimization are on point—every dollar must pull its weight.

🤝 Employees Now Influencers

The stigma around personal branding is gone. Companies are leveraging employees’ LinkedIn, TikTok, and Instagram presence to expand reach. Done right, it’s a win-win: employees build their brands while businesses amplify authentic voices.

🤖 ChatGPT for SWOT + Competitor Analysis

Use these prompts to quickly generate actionable insights for your business or clients. They’ll help you evaluate strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats—and compare your brand against competitors to uncover gaps or advantages.

SWOT Analysis Prompt

Act as a seasoned growth strategist. Do a detailed SWOT analysis for [Your Business or Product].  
– Use specific examples and data-driven reasoning for each point.  
– Suggest 3–5 actionable steps to leverage strengths and opportunities or mitigate weaknesses and threats.  
– Present the output in two formats:  

1. A table (columns: Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) with concise bullets.  
2. A 100–150-word newsletter snippet summarizing the biggest insight and teasing readers to learn more (friendly, conversational tone).

Competitor Audit Prompt (Optional Add-on)

Compare [Your Business] with these competitors: [Competitor 1–5].  
– Analyze pricing, positioning, and messaging.  
– Include a comparison table and list 3 improvement steps for us.  
– Flag any surprising opportunities or gaps.

☕ Boost Your Week

  • Pipedrive: Streamline your pipeline and close deals faster.

  • Drink Daze – Use code BLAKEWISZ for 20% off your coffee pick-me-up.

  • Prefer a coffee alternative? Early Bird with code BLAKEWISZ is a solid choice.

You’re almost to the weekend—keep executing and refining.

Cheers,
Blake