Matthew A. Gilbert, MBA

10/07/2026

I have been quoted in the E-Commerce Times article "AI Recommendations Put Brand Loyalty to the Test: Adobe." Adobe found that 59% of 1,000 surveyed consumers would drop a preferred brand for an unfamiliar one if AI recommended it, yet 83% kept buying from brands AI introduced. For marketers, that makes discovery only the first step. As I told the reporter, "AI opens the door, but the brand still has to earn the second purchase."

https://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/ai-recommendations-put-brand-loyalty-to-the-test-adobe-178681.html

An AI recommendation can put an unfamiliar brand ahead of a shopper's favorite. Adobe's findings reveal the stakes for winning customers — and keeping them.

09/16/2026

My insights were featured in an article about how grocery stores boost spending without raising prices. On shrinkflation, I noted: "Unlike a direct price increase, shrinkflation bypasses critical thinking." The piece covers shrinking package sizes, misleading unit pricing, multi-buy promos, loyalty-app discounts, and store layouts designed to drive impulse buys.

Grocery prices may look unchanged, but stores are using subtle tactics to increase spending.

08/04/2026

MarthaStewart.com quoted me as one of two experts in "3 times to always choose generic household products over name brands." The piece covers over-the-counter medications, cleaning products, and personal care items. My input helped shape the overall article, but one specific tip made it in directly: don't trust the sticker price alone, check the unit price.



https://www.marthastewart.com/when-to-buy-generic-household-products-12027902

07/17/2026

I was interviewed by NTD News about the future of the news industry as AI-powered summaries reshape how people find information. I discussed Google's new pilot program, which offers publishers visibility in AI overviews in exchange for broader rights to their content, and what's at stake for publishers who opt in or out.

I explained that "there's definitely been a shift in how people look for information," noting that many readers "already see what they already need" and never click through to the original article. I warned this poses a particular risk to investigative journalism, since deeper reporting "gets lost in the shuffle" when AI systems favor short, top-level takeaways over substance.

I also noted that publishers' content may end up feeding AI systems "whether or not they even are aware of it," and pointed to one practical response: building direct audience relationships "through subscriptions or through newsletters, email lists."

What does the future hold for the news industry as more people read...

07/16/2026

I am cited in an NTD article titled "How to save on the household grocery budget," which covers practical ways shoppers can cut costs amid rising financial stress. Tips include watching for shrinkflation, buying store brands, and buying in bulk. I'm quoted advising shoppers to bypass larger chains like Publix or Kroger for value-focused retailers like Aldi or Walmart, and comparing lime prices between the two to show organic isn't always worth the premium. The piece also warns against paying for groceries with credit cards.

https://www.ntd.com/how-to-save-on-the-household-grocery-budget_1158927.html

The good news is that it’s easier than ever to save on grocery store expenses, particularly with digitally based strategies that organize and streamline food, drink,...

07/09/2026

I was quoted in the E-Commerce Times article "Poor Ad Recall Threatens Brand Discovery, Visibility in AI Era" about why so much advertising fails to stick with consumers. The piece, based on Adobe's brand recall report, found that only 17% of consumers could recall the names of the last three ads they saw after just 24 hours.

A few takeaways stood out: ads get forgotten when they're irrelevant, misleading, or intrusive rather than genuinely engaging; frequency alone doesn't build recall, message quality and consistency do; and as AI increasingly mediates discovery, brands now face the dual challenge of being forgotten by people and invisible to the AI systems people use to find them.

Here's what I told them:

"They [brands that play it safe and don't push creative boundaries] chase trends, rehash old concepts, or copy competitors without explaining why a consumer should choose their brand. If an ad is forgettable, no amount of repetition will improve its ability to generate brand recall."

"Brands need to go out of their way to set themselves apart from the competition, both in the products they offer and their promotion of them."

"Consumers have almost no attention span, so if you don't catch their attention in the first three to five seconds, they will move on. It's gotten to the point where the hook that previously engaged a consumer to watch the rest of your ad has actually become the ad itself."

https://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/poor-ad-recall-threatens-brand-discovery-visibility-in-ai-era-178626.html

Adobe research found consumers quickly forget advertising, creating new challenges for brand recall and discoverability as AI influences how people search for products and services.

07/01/2026

I was quoted in the E-Commerce Times article “Impulse Buying Taking Backseat to Deliberate Shopping: Report” about how inflation and economic pressure are changing consumer purchase behavior. The piece, based on Bazaarvoice’s 20th Shopper Experience Index, found that 97% of shoppers now consult multiple sources before buying, a shift away from impulse purchasing, as they look to verify value and authenticity before committing.

Several themes ran through it: shoppers want AI as a research assistant, not a decision-maker; influencers still drive discovery but no longer close the sale, since consumers leave social apps to cross-check claims against reviews and search; and rising costs have made consumers more analytical about even small purchases.

My contribution is as follows: “At this point, every dollar matters. This all boils down to the cornerstone of marketing: value. Cost-conscious consumers are looking to maximize their purchases to make sure they’re getting what they’re paying for. Retailers need to be mindful of this and go out of their way to not just demonstrate the value of their products, but ensure their pricing is competitive.”

https://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/impulse-buying-taking-backseat-to-deliberate-shopping-report-178616.html

Shoppers are taking a more deliberate approach to buying, relying on reviews, search, and multiple sources to validate products before making purchasing decisions.

06/29/2026

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the national fertility rate fell to 53.1 births per 1,000 women in 2025, the lowest on record, with the South and Midwest highest and the Northeast lowest. High birth counts don't mean high fertility rates: birth count reflects population size, while fertility rate measures births per 1,000 women aged 15-44.

Los Angeles had the most births nationally but a low rate due to its sheer size, while Texas counties like Dallas and Harris combined high volume with high rates. Rural and micro counties had fewer births but higher rates than dense metros.

For marketers, the addressable market for baby and family products is shrinking nationally but concentrating in Sun Belt and rural areas rather than big metros, a reason to localize targeting instead of relying on broad regional assumptions.

For college enrollment, these patterns signal where applicant pools will hold up better in roughly 18 years (the South, Midwest, and high-fertility rural counties) versus where the cliff will deepen (the Northeast and low-fertility metros like Los Angeles). Institutions recruiting today should weight long-term strategy toward the South and Midwest.

https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2026/06/fertility-rates.html

Counties with the highest numbers of births have some of the lowest fertility rates.

06/26/2026

64% of Americans now pay for sports subscription video on demand (SVOD). But fragmentation is undercutting that adoption: nearly half have missed games hunting for the right app, and 41% don't know where to watch the World Cup. Young viewers are swapping full games for clips, subscribers are churning seasonally, and 30% of non-payers say piracy simply works better. For marketers, this means ad reach is splintering across apps and formats, making it harder to guarantee audience delivery against any single live sports buy.

https://www.emarketer.com/content/sports-streaming-has-fragmentation-problem--fans-losing-patience

04/30/2026

Earlier this month I delivered a personal branding workshop to the Young Professionals Group of the Little River Chamber of Commerce. I used a six-part framework that moved from self-discovery to action, helping participants clarify their values, define what made them unique, and create a clear plan for long-term success. During the workshop, attendees:

1. Identified their core values and clarified what mattered most to them.
2. Reflected on their achievements, skills, and strengths to define what made them different.
3. Defined their purpose, outlined how they could make a difference, and described the value they could offer others.
4. Identified places to promote their brand both online and in person.
5. Designed a personal logo that visually represented who they are.