What happened in marketing: TikTok and Meta's AI fever + YT's Community notes push
This Week: Cannes marked launch of a million updates, retail media to OOH. Meanwhile, we have some crazy stats to worry about this week. 🧃
Cannes is over. If you were there, at least you got some rest. If you weren't, a handful of updates are below. As always, data to help with decision-making is at the end of the newsletter
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Top 6 Updates of the Week
Meta launches AI Chatbots, business messaging tools and Threads API. (BD)
TikTok launches Symphony, a new creative AI suite with AI avatars, Adobe Integration and more. (FB)
Instagram launches livestreams feature for close friends. (TV)
YouTube launched their own version of X-like Community Notes. (BG)
Bytedance, TikTok-parent launches IG clone ‘Whee’ on Play store. (TT)
Cannes: Watch every Grand Prix-winning ad. (TD)
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Trending 🏃♂️➡️
John Deere chooses Rex Curtiss as Chief Tractor Officer. (CL)
Amazon Ads launches new cookie-free ad relevance tech. (AG)
Disney’s aggressive bids to win streaming ad dollars are leaving rivals in shambles. (YZ)
WPP and IBM’s new partnership to upgrade B2B marketing with GenAI. (AA)
Surfshark’s social experiment shows 78% of people are open to giving away their personal data for a cup of coffee. (LB)
Amazon live and GroupM launch new shoppable content partnership. (AZ)
Runway launches Gen-3 Alpha, upgrading video generation capabilities. (RT)
Disney+Hotstar introduces pause ads feature for CTV feed. (AB)
How AI search is changing the way advertisers approach search advertising. (WD)
OpenAI CTO’s creative vs AI statement: Some creative jobs may go away, maybe they shouldn’t have been there in the first place. (LY)
US Surgeon general wants social media warning labels. (CB)
Snapchat launches new AR experiences, powered by AI. (read)
Cognitiv Partners With Adform to Offer ContextGPT to EU Advertisers. (read)
Google Cloud and Stagwell to launch AI-powered capabilities for marketers. (ERP)
You saw the crocs with Pringles, Ore-Ida is trying to protect tater tots with new pants in recent ad campaign. (TD)
Euros: Heineken launches ‘HeineCare’ beer insurance to get free refills if you spill beer in the heat of the moment. (view)
Paddy Power’s troll tweet turns real, England vs Denmark was sleepy.
Snapchat launches brand safety verification and measurement with IAS. (AS)
VANS’ CMO brings back the brand to its skateboarding roots. (AD)
TikTok 🎶
TikTok seen testing website links in organic videos, this could be game-changing. (leak)
TikTok expands their OOH offering ‘Out of Phone’ with UGC content inclusion. (TT)
TikTok under fire, AI tool accidentally let you put Hitler’s words in paid actor’s mouth. (NS)
News Corp and TikTok held talks over video content deal. (CB)
TikTok showing new ‘Caution’ misinformation alerts on political content. (JS)
TikTok confirms it offered US Government a ‘kill switch’ in 2022. (BBC)
TikTok shares their Opening Brief on Unconstitutional Ban. (NS)
TikTok launched Interactive Taylor Swift Experience celebrating Eras Tour. (MB)
TikTok showing video categories for videos about locations, like Dallas. (View)
Instagram & Threads 🗂️
Instagram adds music for carousel posts with Video. (TR)
Thread API finally launched this week. (FB)
Instagram launches ‘auto-share to threads’ feature for posts, everything gets copied to threads. (JS)
IG encouraging users to share their posts through DMs. (HB)
More than half of IG users would delete app over unstoppable ads. (CL)
Instagram prompting users to manage their likes if they are unliking posts from a creator. (XC)
IG is looking more blue, is it a test or redesign push? (TR)
You can now add a collaborator on an Instagram reel after posting. (View)
Instagram highlighting new threads posts in your threads profile tag. (VW)
Meta 😅
Facebook tests ability to auto-share first two posts of the day to broadcast channel. (FB)
Meta creates a way to watermark AI-generated speech. (MT)
Apple and Meta may face EU regulator charges for failing to allow marketplace competition. (VW)
Facebook Reels tests ‘Auto A/B testing’ feature. (IT)
Meta updates Page insights API updates, deprecating 80 metrics. (MT)
Meta AI removes block on election-related queries in India. (TC)
Meta Ads launches GA4 integration, currently expanding to selected accounts. (LN)
Meta phases out Dynamic Creative and the A/B testing for CTA buttons is gone. (JM)
The Option to create meta ads for broadcast channel growth is now available. (BV)
X (Twitter) 🕹️
X enters a 26-episode video podcast partnership with Khloé Kardashian. (XD)
X pitches advertisers on potential of Big 3 Tie-In campaigns. (ST)
X Analytics to show you audience user activity, when users are most engaged. (XD)
Only premium subscribers will be able to livestream on X. (soon)
X working on adding video suggestions for next video on TV app. (XC)
A Summary of Elon Musk’s interview at Cannes Lions. (NY)
X becoming LinkedIn, will soon allow you to add work experience on desktop. (SK)
Youtube 📸
YouTube changes their editor policy, allowing creators to edit videos over 6 hours. (YT)
YouTube launches Shoppable Ads with Instacart. (CL)
YouTube announces Multi-select comments feature in published tab. (SB)
Youtube Shorts gets Title & Description update on Android. (YT)
IAS expands brand safety and suitable measurement for YouTube to include performance max and demand gen campaigns. (PR)
YouTube cracking on premium plans bought using VPN for cheaper prices. (PM)
YouTube will prompt iOS users to ‘Allow’ tracking for more personalized ads. (GB)
Google 🔦
Google rolls out Local Service Ads on Maps. (SL)
Google Clarifies Organization Merchant Returns Structured Data. (SJ)
Google AI overviews only appearing for 7-9% of queries, down from 17% few weeks ago. (SL)
Google streamlines Youtube, Display ad content controls. (SL)
Google launches June 2024 spam update and it’s not getting good response. (SL)
Google Analytics Adds User Conversion Rate Metrics. (SL)
New Study shares SEO visibility has shifted from Review sites to eCommerce & UGC sites. (Amsive)
Display & Video 360 Instant reports will soon be available using Bid Manager API. (GB)
Google clarifies return policy precedence and adds new guidance on marking up categories. (DV)
Agency News
Havas plans $400M investment on AI to be spent over next 4 years, launches Converged . (WK)
Gut and Globant launched new ‘Gutsier’ global network. (MA)
Peroni shortlists four agencies in global creative review. (LV)
General Motors changes creative, CRM and content agencies overhauled its roster. (LB)
Fjällräven chooses Cactus Agency for ad campaign launch. (AW)
Dentsu announces global expansion of Innovation labs. (LB)
Spotify launches In-house creative agency and AI voice ads. (PR)
IKEA hires Catch Comms agency in Saudi Arabia. (PR)
DAC Group Wins Local SEO Brief from Boots. (BY)
Hawke Media acquires PRP Group, specialising in education PR. (LB)
72andSunny launches new strategy studio. (LB)
WPP’s Burson officially launches with new visual identity and agency proposition. (EM)
Hennessy adds The Lede Company and Game Seven to agency roster. (WK)
R/GA announces Commerce Design service in partnership with IPG. (LB)
Havas launches consultancy dedicated to GLP-1 innovation. (CL)
San Francisco Bay Coffee appoints Cutwater as Creative and Media AOR. (AS)
Brands & Ads 🏓
My Favourite: Nike threatening Adidas’s position at Euros with a star studded and creativity-filled ad, it’s a bop. (VW)
CGI trend is over, It’s time for real sh*t with House of Dragons taking over the Empire State Building. (FC)
TheRealReal’s viral campaign fighting counterfeits with Canal Street Installation. (LB)
Cetaphil’s social media campaign #Made for Phil targeting men’s love of skincare. (NS)
Heinz says, “even AI thinks it has to be Heinz”, a brand-centric campaign as usual. (ZT)
Oscar Mayer’s 12-hour cooking tagline might win the brand building game, keeping it Oscar. (HB)
Bill Shatner and Canadian stars aren’t being nice about Open-Net Salmon Farms, the campaigns prompts Canadians to do the same. (FK)
David Hasselhoff is doing the lifeguard duty for Aquaventure Dubai, keeping an eye on adventurous guests. (LB)
Pilgrim’s ad campaign promoting new nuggets line-up showcases everything creatively and targets the love of different veggies. (ad)
Morrisons celebrates 125 years of British Foods in latest ad campaign. (LB)
SAXX says, your balls deserve to be seated in first class, even if you aren’t in it. (watch)
McDonald’s Canada shakes up its frequent fryer program with international flavours. (LB)
Ineos Grenadier, new rival to Land Rover launches globally with campaign from Wonderhood Studios. (MB)
Get Pokémon cookware for yourself, Le Creuset’s new collection is out now. (VW)
Will Arnett and Corporate Natalie giving Dunkin’Terns a summer push. (AD)
AI 🤨
Claude AI launches 3.5 Sonnet model and new Artifacts feature. (FT)
Apple holds back AI releases in EU due to Digital Markets Act. (CT)
Zuora acquires Sub(x) AI firm to eliminate A/B testing for paywalls. (AF)
HeyGen AI storytelling platform raises $60M Series A. (AP)
OpenAI acquires Rockset, a real-time analytics database. (OA)
Roblox’s road to 4D Generative AI begins. (RX)
Google publishes new research on generating audio for video. (LL)
Sam Altman says he wants a for-profit future for OpenAI. (TF)
TBWA, The Disruption Company launches Collective AI. (NS)
Huawei launches Harmony OS to power new devices with AI. (TC)
Adobe upgrades Acrobat AI chatbot to add image generation and pdf analysis. (AA)
Wired’s investigation into Perplexity AI says it is a bullshit machine. (read)
WPP unveils AI Production Studio. (LB)
Brave Search integrating its own search results with its Leo AI assistant. (TC)
Reddit
Reddit updates conversation ads with new user-focused updates. (RV)
Reddit shares new research into discovery trends: from search to research. (NS)
Reddit's traffic was up 39% year over year in May, according to Similarweb. (BN)
Microsoft & LinkedIn
LinkedIn looking at B2C marketers with intentions to increase ad business. (read)
Microsoft Clarity now integrates with Hubspot. (MS)
Microsoft accepts responsibility for issues raised in hack report. (AX)
Microsoft to sunset GPT Builder on July 10. (MS)
Marketing & AdTech
PwC confirms Ozone’s cookieless capabilities, the platform can address individuals 83% of the time in tested cookieless environments. (OP)
Apple Search Ads introduces new daily budget recommendations. (SN)
Daily Mail’s new global video strategy includes publishing of 15-to-30 minute long videos + new ad offers. (TM)
Sally Beauty and Instacart’s nationwide partnership to offer same-day delivery. (PR)
Brandwatch enters social customer care space with launch of Case Management. (WE)
The Lukens Company Named Agency of Record for American Leprosy Missions. (MB)
Button introduces Innovative Retail Media Inventory Solution at Cannes Lions. (NW)
Razorfish unveils R-Index, A data solution in collaboration with Google Cloud. (FS)
LTK’s new creator commerce feature ‘LTK DMs’ to enhance shopping experience. (ST)
FOX and The Trade Desk announce extensive advertising integration across FOX Portfolio. (FC)
MrBeast is planning to launch a beverage brand and mobile game in 2025. (TB)
Oracle will end all of its ad products by Sept. 30. (AW)
The launch of Infosys Aster, new AI-amplified marketing suite for B2B and B2C brands. (PR)
Captiv8 launches Branded Storefronts, new social commerce offering for Influencers. (CT)
Quad and Swiftly partner to advance digital in-store retail media network. (PR)
Gaming and Lifestyle Brand Xset acquires Illusive Media. (FC)
Hispanic Marketing Council launches 25th edition of Hispanic Market Guide. (Read)
I research these updates to talk to
myselfabout them, so if you have a moment, please consider leaving a comment. Or Join the discord. I would love to know what you think, is there an update that stood out to you? Let me know.
The Pulped; Market Data & Studies of the week
Reuters’s research shares X/Twitter is losing their position as news leader in social, meanwhile TikTok is continuously making gains globally. (report)
Samba TV’s research highlights a decline in diversity in TV shows, in past 5 months representation of non-white leads in top TV shows decreased by 12% compared to 2023. (more)
Retool’s new State of AI report shares 85.5% people using AI have increased their productivity.
Since late 2023, writing code or queries to AI dropped 5.4 points from 47.5 to 42.1% as did copywriting, from 32.9% to 28%. (more)
It seems like they wrote this report using AI, a lot of repetition, so use AI for summary. 😅
Over 55% of Indian Millennials followed news daily, compared to about 36% of Gen Z with males significantly more inclined to current events, news & politics. (Weber Shandwick)
Connected audio now reaches 68% of the population in UK, podcast reach up from 11% in 2018 to 21% in 2024. (more)
Comeback of Humour: More than purpose, surprise or novelty, humor is the most prominent factor behind many of the most popular commercials in modern history. (research)
European Ad Fraud Study Shows 62% IVT Reduction in Channels with Tough Anti-Fraud Standards. (tag)
The trend of prioritising creative has lead to 30% brands recently moving creative work in-house, and 31% expect to do so in the next year. 77% senior marketers says creativity is more crucial now than ever before. (Canva & MMA Global Report)
45% consumers share they would stop supporting a brand if they knew it was either deliberately or accidentally funding climate disinformation through advertising as 49% of the consumers said they play in order to escape. (Human8)
54% of consumers believe that 'valuing their time' is among the most important traits brands should be delivering on, and 49% believe 'transparency' is most important. (BL)
Across Ad Agencies, a 40% increase in freelance contracts in Q1 2024 compared to the same period in 2023. (worksome)
53% US Women share this sentiment of fighting to receive the medical care they need. Plus, 2 in 5 women struggle to access medicare during pregnancy and childbirth. (State of Maternal Health)
Consumers are spending twice as much when they use their credit cards for interest-free instalments compared to traditional BNPL plans. + 82% of merchants confirm an increase in card-linked instalments for in-store purchases. (PYM)
AARP’s poll results reveal U.S. Voters 50–64 Lean Republican, While Voters 65-Plus Lean Democrat. (read)
Bain & Company’s research shares 9 in 10 companies have already deployed or are piloting generative AI technology. (survey)
Americans Win the Gold Medal for Taking Fewest Vacation Days in the World, meanwhile Japanese people are seven times more likely to take vacation monthly. (Expedia)
Amid increase in Inflation, 48% of all consumers have considered abusing retailers' policies for their benefit, including stacking coupons (50%) and reselling highly-sought out products (15%). (read)
In a recent survey, 72% consumer report they will join a customer loyalty program before making their first purchase. (Snappy)
69% respondents see an essential role for employers in ensuring workplace inclusivity, suggesting the implementation of inclusive job ads and comprehensive diversity training. (randstad)
Public data in New York City shows that Uber has increased how much it earns per ride by 218% over the past five years. (Obi report)
Deloitte: 80% of CEOs Feel Pressured by Employees, Customers and Boards to Improve Human Sustainability. (read)
Advertisers finding it hard to get attention as 75% of media users multi-task, and over 60% of media users simultaneously consume multiple forms of media content. (more)
91% of Gen Z and 87% of Millennials share that they feel it is important for employers to offer programs to help manage finances. (Logica)
Gracenote’s research shares inclusive-media buying opportunities and share new data into diverse media, like Hulu is the most inclusive in terms of Asian American Pacific Islanders with 32.2% AAPI share of cast. (read)
New research shares 85% of people in a committed relationship grant their partner access to their persona online accounts – for Gen Z, it's 95%. (Malwarebytes)
Home sellers in 2024 spend an average of $54,616 to sell their homes and costs usually exceed their expectations. (Clever)
A purchase increase of 50% to 60.9% in consumers buying carrot, as more consumers are buying fresh today, carrots are the new love. (The Packer)
75% Of Consumers believe it is important that clothes made from forest-derived fibres are sourced from sustainably managed forests. (SJ)
A recent survey shows, 40% consumers purchased immediately instead of delaying, because there was a discount offer. (circana)
Poland's consumer prices up 2.5% YoY in May; goods prices up 1.2% YoY. (F2F)
KPMG’s UK research shares consumers are cutting costs through different ways, 32% saying they are buying more promotional / discount produce.
13% consumers saying they are using credit card more. Rising to 19% in London. (Read)
Millennials and Gen Z Allocate Three Times More of Their Investment Portfolios to Alternative Investments than Older Generations. (BofA Private Bank Study)
Only 19% of U.S. consumers acknowledging that they consume ultra-processed foods daily.
For AI Chatbot errors, 54% of consumers placed the responsibility primarily with the company using the chatbot, not the developer. (YouGov)
MarTech Releases & AI
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Content Opportunities / Ideas of the week
24 June: Midsummer / Upcycling Day / St. John’s Day / International Fairy Day / National Pralines Day / Please Take My Children to Work Day.
25 June: Global Beatles Day / National Catfish Day / International Day of the Seafarer / World Vitiligo Day / National Leon Day / Anthony Bourdain Day / Goat’s Cheese Day.
26 June: World Drug Day / World Refrigeration Day / National Canoe Day / National Chocolate Pudding Day / National Stitch Day / Glastonbury Festival begins.
27 June: Hellen Keller Day / Pineapple Day / National Bingo Day / National Sunglasses Day / National Work from Home Day / The Bear Season 3 / Industrial Workers of the World Day.
28 June: Dream Big Day / National Logistics Day / Happy Heart Hugs Day / International Body Piercing Day / National Insurance Awareness Day / Christopher Street Day / National Cream Tea Day / Pride Day.
29 June: World Industrial Design Day / National Camera Day / World Rainforest Day / World Sand Dune Day / UK Armed Forces Day / International Mud Day / Tour de France begins / International Day of the Tropics.
30 June: Social Media Day / International Asteroid Day / Log Cabin Day / Blink-182 Day / National Meteor Watch Day.