Axios Sunday Brief: Pumpkin Concierges Boom as Penske Media Sues Google

Lead: On September 14, 2025, Axios spotlighted a booming “pumpkin concierge” industry delivering and decorating seasonal displays nationwide, and Penske Media filed an antitrust lawsuit accusing Google of siphoning traffic with AI summaries.

Nut Graf: These developments underscore shifting business landscapes: brick-and-mortar traditions are being outsourced to specialized service providers, while legacy publishers are fighting to defend their digital ad revenues against Big Tech’s AI-driven content aggregation.

Pumpkin Concierges Harvest Six-Figure Revenues

Trend: Homeowners and small businesses in markets from Minneapolis to Charlotte are paying $300-$1,275 for curated porch pumpkins assembled by professional decorators.
Scale: One Texas entrepreneur reports six-figure annual sales and plans to franchise; Virginia’s “Pumpkin-in-Chief” offers packages up to 96 gourds with setup and removal included.
Why It Matters: Busy families and brands seek festive curb appeal without the labor, driving demand for outsourced holiday installations and reflecting a broader market for turnkey seasonal services.

Penske Media Takes Google to Court

Complaint: Penske Media Corporation alleges Google illegally uses PMC journalism to fuel AI overviews, reducing click-through traffic by 20% on search results linking to Rolling Stone, Billboard and The Hollywood Reporter.
Antitrust Stakes: The suit, filed in D.C. federal court, argues that “AI Overviews” threaten publishers’ ad-supported business models by delivering users direct answers instead of site visits, a practice dubbed “Google Zero”.
Response: Google contends AI summaries boost overall search engagement and referral diversity, promising to defend the claims as “meritless”.

What’s Next

Pumpkin Season: With holiday earnings rising, concierge services may expand into other décor markets, from holiday lights to event theming.
Legal Battle: The outcome of PMC’s case could set a precedent for how publishers negotiate AI-powered search features and protect original content in the generative AI era.