The Weekly 10: marketing, media and industry statistics to know now — February 4, 2026 edition

From projected Valentine’s Day spending to The New York Times’ digital advertising revenue, these are the data points we’re paying attention to right now.

The estimated average budget for Valentine’s Day gift shoppers this year — an increase of 5.8% from last year and a new record — according to projections from the National Retail Federation (NRF).

The increase in daily downloads for the vertical-video app Upscrolled from Jan. 29 to Jan. 31, according to the company. Upscrolled, which also announced that 500,000 new users joined the service during those three days — pushing its total user base above the 1-million mark — has emerged as an alternative to TikTok.

The share of Americans with a negative economic outlook (i.e., those who feel pessimistic about the U.S. economy over the next sixth month) who say humorous Super Bowl ads (vs. emotional or informative ads) will resonate most with them this year, according to a new survey from Civic Science, which polled 1,823 U.S. adults.

The share of Americans with a positive economic outlook who say humorous Super Bowl ads will resonate most with them this year, according to the same Civic Science research.

The year-over-year decline in beer sales at U.S. retailers in 2025, according to new NielsenIQ data. Ciders, super-premiums and non-alcoholic beers were the only categories that saw growth, as spending on malt drinks, hard seltzer, imports, domestics and craft brews all decreased.

The number of consumers enrolled in Starbucks’ loyalty program by the end of last year — a new all-time high — according to the company.

The year-over-year growth in paid video ads on LinkedIn, according to new investor materials published by Microsoft, LinkedIn’s parent company.

Digital advertising revenue for The New York Times in Q4 2025, an increase of nearly 25% year over year, which the publisher attributes to “strong marketer demand” and “new spots for advertising.”

The share of marketing leaders who say their team’s lack of generative AI skills/understanding poses a “high risk” to their organization when it comes to using AI tools, according to a new survey from the Association of National Advertisers (ANA).

The share of millennial consumers who say they consider returns policies when choosing retailers — more than boomers (65%), Gen X (66%) or Gen Z (62%) — according to a new FedEx study.