Good morning. Today, consumer-centric companies seek new ways to get faster.

Yesterday I highlighted Nvidia’s extremely long view of its path to its dominance today. But the reality is that marketers have to simultaneously focus on the horizon and what’s happening right now. Two new reports help put the spotlight back on the ever-present, always-growing, need for speed.

Josh D’Amaro, who officially succeeded Bob Iger at Disney’s annual shareholders meeting on Wednesday, wants to accelerate the company’s machinery to use a franchise in one arena to boost another.

Disney hasn’t historically been known for speed, Ben Fritz points out in a deep examination for The Wall Street Journal, citing the five-year investment an animated movie like Pixar’s recent hit “Hopper” can require.

But, Ben writes:

You can see the new speed in action at Disney’s U.S. theme parks this Memorial Day, when the new Star Wars movie “The Mandalorian and Grogu” will hit theaters and a “mission” based on the movie will debut at Disneyland and Walt Disney World.

The value retailer Five Below meanwhile just logged higher quarterly profit and sales, saying customers have been receptive to its simplified, whole-dollar pricing (even above $5) and its work to get on trends as quickly as they come.

“In terms of marketing, we redirected spend towards social and creator content so that we could be faster and more agile in communicating newness and amplifying viral moments that customers were generating on their own,” CEO Winnie Park said during a Wednesday call with analysts.

Meeting customers in social media lets the company “dynamically engage with creator content,” Park added, “and amplify viral moments like the current squishy dumpling craze.”

I can testify to the sudden importance of that last item—I’m looking at my kid’s squishy dumpling from Five Below right now. She had to ask for it at the counter because the store near her school was enforcing a per-person purchase limit. 

A coalition of eight states has filed an antitrust lawsuit seeking to block Nexstar Media’s acquisition of rival broadcaster Tegna, a deal that if allowed to proceed would see the consolidation of hundreds of local TV stations, Gareth Vipers reports for The Journal.

“When ​broadcast media ​is owned by ‌a handful of companies, we get fewer voices, less competition, and communities lose the critical check on power that local ‌journalism delivers,” California ⁠Attorney General Rob Bonta said.

Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr has said he supported the deal and would move ahead with approval, though it would require a change to current television-station ownership rules.

President Trump has also publicly endorsed the merger, writing on Truth Social that a bigger Nexstar would balance out “the Fake News National TV Networks.”

Nexstar, which owns or partners with more than 200 stations across the U.S. and holds a majority stake in the CW Network, has aired ads in recent months featuring Trump while pushing for approval of the deal.

• The robotaxi race. Rivian and Uber announced a partnership Thursday to deploy 10,000 fully autonomous versions of the new Rivian R2 SUV that will be bookable exclusively through Uber’s app. Uber will invest up to $1.25 billion in the project if Rivian wins regulatory approval and meets milestones along the way, the companies said.
• Supplement stacking. Over-the-top supplement regimens are turning into bragging rights for the health-conscious and wellness-obsessed, growing business for influencers and affiliate sellers, and new terrain for startups. SuppCo, an app with 675,000 users, helps people track their stacks and assess the quality of certain supplement products.
• Lego-ganda. The colorful toy bricks from Lego are increasingly popular tools of the information wars that surround real wars, most recently on Iranian state TV. How did this happen?

The community where marketing leaders drop the corporate speak and share what’s actually happening. The WSJ CMO Council unites leaders from the world’s most influential brands including Adobe, Audi, Google, IBM, Intel, Johnson & Johnson, Meta, Taco Bell, P&G and Verizon.

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Banksy’s anonymity, once a key piece of his mystique, has been revealed. Expect his art to sell for even more. [WSJ]

JPMorgan Chase has formed an Athlete Council led by Dwyane Wade in an effort to provide wealth management and other services to more athletes. [CNBC]

Sony Pictures Entertainment and Pop Mart made their plan for a live-action Labubu movie official. [Deadline] 

How Walmart and Target’s strategies to show up in AI shopping tools stack up against one another. [Adweek]

Does your brand need a ChatGPT app? [Ad Age] 

Beef-tallow products and branding are going mainstream with a new presence in grocery aisles. [Modern Retail]

Chipotle today is introducing yet another new sauce, part of a strategy to keep pulling in Gen Z guests. [Restaurant Business]

Bravo has put “The Real Housewives of Miami” back on pause. [Variety]

“Dune: Part Three” and “Avengers: Doomsday” are in a standoff over the same release date. Movie theater chains aren’t pleased. [THR]