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AI Disruption, App Store Power Moves, and Publisher Pressure Continues

From Apple’s updates for app marketers to the slow erosion of publisher traffic by AI, here’s what’s actually shaping business, marketing and tech this week.

Author

Andy Francos
June 15, 2025

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Welcome

Hello and welcome to all new subscribers. 👋

Apple dropped its latest WWDC updates this week - Liquid Glass is here, and iOS just got a whole lot shinier.

Over in Hollywood, Disney is coming for Midjourney in what could be a landmark IP battle between studios and generative AI.

And back in retail land, M&S finally got its online orders working again after a cyberattack knocked them offline for over a month and a half.

Here’s a quick dive into the stories that shaped business, tech and marketing this week 👇

📖 What I have been reading this week in business, marketing & tech

👆 Tap-worthy reads from this week.

News sites getting crushed by Google

Start Owning the Audience, Not the Algorithm

News outlets have been here before. Where Google Search once chipped away at ad revenue, AI is now threatening the core of journalism itself — with AI agents generating content and bypassing publishers entirely.

A recent WSJ article pointed to declines in organic traffic for HuffPost, Business Insider, and even the Journal itself — blaming Google’s AI tools. But the reality, as always, is more complex.

The decline of publishers built on organic traffic is becoming harder to ignore. Google’s AI Overviews have driven impressions up but clicks down, disrupting a model that sustained the web economy for years. And as users increasingly turn to LLMs for answers, the move away from traditional search behaviours becomes more pronounced.

News (and maps) are one of the few verticals that haven't been impacted by AIOs, given the nature of the content, I've not yet seen an AIO ahead of a 'Top Stories' feature for a breaking news story. However, AI Mode is coming and will be a different story altogether. I will do a newsletter on this at some point.

If you're a publisher, now is the time to double down on building your own audience - through subscriptions, newsletters, video, podcasts, and content partnerships. Diversification is no longer optional.

While the WSJ noted a decline in organic search traffic, Similarweb data suggests it has plateaued. At the same time, direct traffic is rising — likely reflecting a growth in subscriptions and more users accessing the Journal via its website and app.

HuffPost’s organic search traffic has more than halved over three years, reflecting a steep decline in SEO visibility as AI tools replace traditional discovery paths.

Business Insider’s organic traffic fell 55% from April 2022 to April 2025, aligning with internal restructuring and broader shifts in how users access content.

Despite concerns, WSJ’s organic search traffic has remained relatively stable. Direct traffic is up, suggesting stronger reader loyalty and a growing subscriber base.

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Apple's WWDC 2025 conference delivers

The Big App Marketing Wins from WWDC25

WWDC25 delivered one of Apple’s strongest keynotes in years — unveiling iOS 26, the new Liquid Glass design language, powerful on-device AI, and a more Mac-like iPad experience.

But beyond the headline features, there were some seriously game-changing updates for app marketers too.

  • 🍏 App Store Tags
    Auto-generated tags now appear in search/category listings. Editable in App Store Connect to boost visibility across curated collections.

  • 🔑 Keyword-targeted CPPs
    Custom Product Pages can now be tied to keywords from your metadata, finally allowing search-specific creative testing and improving conversion rates.

  • 📈 100+ New Analytics Metrics
    Track monetisation, user journeys, and retention with deeper views on trials, reactivation, churn, and cohort-level performance. Bonus: 7 filter options per report.

  • 📦 Revamped Sales & IAP Reporting
    Sales reports now break out in-app purchases, subscription billing issues, and win-back offers, helping optimise LTV and customer flows.

  • 🧠 AI-Powered Review Summaries
    User reviews are now summarised by AI on product pages—good UI and app stability could meaningfully influence conversion.

  • 🎮 Standalone Games App
    Apple’s new ‘Games’ app acts like a mini App Store. It has its own editorial, discovery surfaces, and metadata. Game devs: prep accordingly.

  • 🧪 AdAttributionKit
    Apple’s SKAdNetwork successor supports privacy-first campaign tracking and improved attribution across paid UA channels.

  • 🔍 Visual Intelligence Search
    Users can tap on product screenshots or UI elements to search features—making clear, functional design more important than ever.

  • 🎨 Liquid Glass & Icon Overhaul
    New OS-wide visual style includes layered icons. While optional, outdated visuals may hurt perceived app quality in the store.

If you're an app marketer and are having troubling selling in localisation of your apps, then check on this YouTube short below on a recent case study at Be Franc.

Boost your app’s discoverability with smart localisation

Thank you

Thanks for reading this week’s edition. In over 30 years of working in digital, I can honestly say this is the most exciting, challenging, and rewarding time I’ve ever known.

More Franc Talking episodes are in the pipeline - covering everything from life inside a leading FTSE250 fintech to the future of native advertising in an AI world.

This Friday, I’ll be recording a new session with Yuliya Trayan, Affiliate & Partnerships Lead at Finom, to explore what the future holds for affiliates in the age of AI.

Stay tuned!

Andy