What happened in Marketing — OpenAI vs Microsoft, WhatsApp Ads and Virtual Protests
This week in Marketing: Ads on WhatsApp, OpenAI vs Microsoft, TikTok + Adobe, AI slop on YT Shorts, Reddit Insights and Top Creators of 2025.
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Forbes unveils 2025 Top Creators List, the fourth-annual definitive ranking of the 50-highest earning, most influential social media stars.
Meta brings ads to WhatsApp, the rollout will be delayed across the EU until 2026.
TikTok announces new updates to Symphony, introducing new state-of-the-art generative AI tools - Image to Video, Text to Video, and Showcase Products and more.
Reddit stock jumps after company rolls out new AI advertising tools.
Google’s frighteningly good Veo 3 AI videos to be integrated with YouTube Shorts.
OpenAI seeks new financial concessions from Microsoft, a Top Shareholder.
The Company wants Microsoft to forgo its rights to future profits from the AI start-up in exchange for a 33% stake in its restructured unit.
Top AI models will lie, cheat and steal to reach goals, Anthropic finds.
Reddit in talks to embrace Sam Altman’s iris-scanning Orb to verify users.
Canva to buy Sydney-based adtech start-up Magicbrief.
Kids are protesting ICE in Roblox.
We uncovered how Meta's AI app was full of accidental public posts that were really personal. It's now trying to fix that with warning labels.
Walmart is working towards allowing consumers to buy products while watching TV, a strategy to boost sales.
Instacart and Pinterest to launch new retail media collaboration.
Supermetrics acquires leading CDP, Relay42 to redefine the future of Marketing Intelligence.
Elon Musk's xAI is burning through $1 billion a month.
Rest in Peace Fred Smith, founder of FedEx (and Maybe the Luckiest Entrepreneur of All Time).
Adobe Firefly improves creative ideation with new mobile app, multimedia moodboarding and expanded AI models.
AI scraping bots are breaking open libraries, archives, and museums.
Michael Kassan sees more Ad Agency Holdco M&A in the next year.
You sound like ChatGPT. Researchers are already documenting shifts in the way we speak and communicate as a result of ChatGPT. (read)
Vibe coding fever: Solo entrepreneur’s Base44 acquired by Wix for $80 million.
Disney plans virtual ‘Concession Stand,’ ‘Storefronts’ for Disney+, Hulu, ESPN streamers.
16 Billion Apple, Facebook, Google and other passwords leaked.
The conversation around this leak is all over the place. Some people are calling this isn’t a new leak and Forbes is clickbaiting. A lot of TikTok creators are talking about this. Don’t panic, just check your passwords manager and update the password if required.
U.S. Creators and Congress collaborate on new caucus launch.
Reuters 2025 Digital News Report: The United States has among the highest proportion (15%) accessing one or more podcasts in the last week.
When it comes to underlying sources of false or misleading information, online influencers and personalities are seen as the biggest threat worldwide (47%), along with national politicians (47%).
A positive sign is that overall trust in the news (40%) has remained stable for the third year in a row.
Across all 48 markets, dependence on social media and video networks for news is highest with younger demographics, with 44% of 18–24s saying these are their main source of news and 38% for 25–34s.
X for news was 8 points higher than the previous year, reaching almost a quarter (23%) of the adult population.
Verizon and Amazon cancel support for Juneteenth celebrations.
eBay and Vestiaire Collective want an exemption from Trump’s tariffs.
The Florida phone network behind Trump Mobile’s ‘Made in America’ ambitions.
Most Trusted Brands 2025: Everyday essentials like Dawn Dish Soap, BAND-AID, UPS, and Tylenol are top the list for all U.S. adults.
Millennials rank Google, PayPal and Amazon in the first, second and 15th most trusted spots.
Comcast Advertising partners with Mastercard to measure ad performance.
New York lawmakers pass bill requiring social media warning labels.
Over third of public say older people ‘negatively stereotyped’ in ads. (UK)
McDonald’s urged to end Snapchat partnership over youth safety concerns.
Who the hell is exchanging McDonald’s points for Snapchat+?
iPhones and iPads now come with EU energy labels, here’s what they reveal.
At Cannes Lions, everyone was trying to sell your attention.
Who wants a BlackBerry? Apparently, Gen Z.
Dentsu India confirms role in media cartel probe, calls for industry-wide reform.
US Army Reserve swears in tech leaders from Palantir, Meta, OpenAI, and Thinking Machines.
'Copilot' this, 'Copilot' that. A watchdog wants Microsoft to change its confusing AI advertising.
PayPal’s new Storefront Ads expand merchant reach across the web.
Snap is acquiring Saturn, a calendar app used at thousands of high schools.
The Hollywood Reporter’s Top Marketers of 2025. (read)
Substack is pitching investors on a round between $50 million and $100 million that would value it above its roughly $700 million last round price.
Number of LGBTQ-inclusive films drops again, data shows.
Waymo plans to test robotaxis in New York City with supervision.
Telegram boss will leave fortune to over 100 children he fathered.
Prime Day is back July 8-11, with double the days and millions of deals.
Nonprofit run by former CEO Anne Wojcicki wins bid to acquire 23andMe for $305 million.
Microsoft research reveals we are now working an 'Infinite Workday.'
Spotify CEO Daniel Ek leads $694 million investment in defense startup Helsing.
Apple Executives have held internal talks about buying AI Startup Perplexity.
TikTok brings expanded suite of generative AI ad tools to WPP, Adobe.
Trump pushes back TikTok's sell-by date for a third time.
TikTok Shop debuts live price match as it readies for summer deals.
TikTok’s owner wanted to publish books. Not anymore.
TikTokkers are worrying over CapCut's terms of service update, but those concerns might be overhyped.
TikTok fuelling rise of fascist youth movement in the Philippines, experts warn.
Dutch government recommends children under 15 stay off TikTok and Instagram.
In the US, TikTok Shop sales have increased 120% compared to the same period last year.
TikTok hits Cannes, where a U.S. Ban seems a distant dream.
Shou Chew, TikTok’s chief executive, met with creators who posted about the meetings at the hotel, where rooms in the summer often start at 1,000 euros ($1,150) per night.
Threads is adding fediverse content to your social feeds.
Instagram is testing the ability for users to repost posts.
Threads is experimenting with Spoiler Alerts on Posts.
Is Instagram the new celebrity dating app?
Instagram users complain of mass bans, pointing finger at AI.
IG testing ability to create and share photo collages in DMs.
Instagram tests Edits App button in “+” posting tab to quick-jump from uploading to editing process.
Threads is working on a reward program for the “culturally relevant voices”.
👺 Report Break: 33% of leaders, or those who identified as "managers of managers," use AI frequently, meaning a few times a week or more, compared to 16% of individual contributors.
Meta's Advantage+ adds Gen AI tools for advertisers and agencies.
Meta testing new auto-generated video ads.
Meta advises page managers to include links in post comments.
Meta simplifes video content sharing on Facebook. In the coming months, all videos on Facebook will be shared as reels.
Integral Ad Science launches new contextual category reporting for Meta.
Meta to release smart glasses with Oakley and Prada, extending Luxottica partnership.
WhatsApp to bring ‘Channel subscriptions’ for exclusive content.
Facebook rolls out passkey support to fight phishing attacks.
Meta gains new ad safety certifications for Facebook and Instagram.
Meta held talks to buy Thinking Machines, Perplexity, and Safe Superintelligence.
Meta Platforms introduces a new feature set within its virtual reality (VR) ecosystem — Avatar Achievements.
Meta is in advanced talks to hire Daniel Gross and Nat Friedman as part of its new AI lab.
Why Iran is urging residents to delete WhatsApp amid Israel conflict—and WhatsApp’s response.
Tech giants Apple and Meta to escape sanctions for failing to meet EU digital rules.
WhatsApp is getting AI-powered summaries for unread chats.
YouTube launches Open Call to make it easier for brands to connect with creators.
YouTube releases Culture and Trends Report: 20th Birthday.
YouTube Shorts now averages 200 billion daily views.
Top 20 Hip-Hop Music Videos of All Time, According to YouTube’s Tuma Basa.
YouTube Music rolls out lyrics sharing on Android and iOS.
YouTube fixes crashing issue on mobile apps, tells iOS users to reinstall.
Neal Mohan at Cannes Lions 2025: What 20 years of YouTube reveals about creativity’s future.
YouTube might slow down videos if you use ad-blockers.
YouTube offers expanded monetization avenues for educational content.
YouTube Premium users on Reddit are speculating about price hike for family plan in Australia.
Google launches ‘Search Live’ real-time voice search in AI Mode.
Google now counts clicks from AI Mode.
Google Gemini can now see, hear, and understand your video clips.
Google updates its URL structure best practices document with added examples.
Google Ads adds new “Conv. value (incl. predicted)” metric.
Google Maps updates to help you get around Europe more sustainably.
Target CPC bidding comes to Google Ads Demand Gen.
Google launches Gemini 2.5 Pro, free app access continues.
Google expands Commerce Media suite for brands and retailers.
EU Advocate General advises top court to toss Google appeal against €4B fine
Google Ads stops auto-opting search campaigns into Display Network.
Gemini’s scheduled actions are rolling out, but there’s a catch.
Google PMax, Smart Campaigns to prioritize high-intent offline conversions.
Google Local Service Ads tests Background Checked Labels.
X sues to block a New York law that would make it share how it monitors hate speech.
Accounts peddling child abuse content flood some X hashtags as safety partner cuts ties.
Elon Musk’s A.I. Company faces lawsuit over gas-burning turbines.
X faces more scrutiny by EU watchdogs after $33 Billion acquisition By xAI.
X to offer investment and trading in ‘super app’ push.
Musk says Grok will be fixed after it tells the truth about right-wing terrorism.
Grok to soon automatically translate foreign language posts.
X hires its third public relations lead in less than a year.
Music publishers and X granted 90 day pause to copyright lawsuit for ‘good faith negotiations’ to try to settle out of court.
xAI is working on a screen-sharing feature for the voice mode on Grok web.
🔌 Report Break: The IBM Study of 1,800 marketing and sales executives found that while 81% of CMO respondents view AI as a game-changer, 84% report that challenges with rigid, fragmented operations limit their ability to effectively harness the technology. 64% of CMO respondents are now responsible for profitability, with 58% accountable for revenue growth.
Pinterest launches a trend-inspired coffee blend in partnership with Chamberlain Coffee.
E.l.f. Cosmetics partners with Pinterest to create Color Analysis Tool.
Reddit’s new feature integrates positive content from Reddit users directly below an advertiser’s creative.
Wikipedia is the latest platform to join the daily gaming craze.
With LTK integration, you can now shop 'The Bachelor' franchise while you watch.
Netflix to broadcast TF1 content in France.
Netflix, Yahoo in pact to expand Programmatic Ad Sales.
Uber Advertising brings Ride Offers to international markets.
Bluesky briefly suspended JD Vance’s account after he joined.
Amazon, Roku address CTV advertising reach and efficiency in new deal.
Temu battles TikTok-like backlash over data.
Netflix House to open in Philadelphia & Dallas late 2025.
Publishers refine Reddit strategies to tap into targeted referral traffic.
Mastodon updates its terms to prohibit AI model training.
Twitch CEO reveals two-thirds of platform revenue comes from viewer subs, not Amazon or Ads.
DuckDuckGo's 'Scam Blocker' just got a big upgrade.
Spotify preparing to launch long-awaited lossless audio tier on iPhone.
Tubi adds YouTube creator shows from Watcher, Rhett & Link, Dan & Riya.
Disney's DRAX and Amazon DSP partner for smarter ad buys.
Patreon is raising its fees for new creators this summer.
Midjourney launches an AI video generator.
BBC threatens Perplexity AI with legal action over unauthorised content use.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman says "we are past the event horizon." Is he right?
Snowflake and Acxiom collaborate for AI-driven marketing.
OpenAI updates ChatGPT search to improve its ability to understand user queries and to answer increasingly complex questions.
Viral AI 'cheating' startup Cluely just raised $15 million.
ChatGPT updates to improve tracking in analytics with more UTM parameters.
Infosys and Adobe announce strategic collaboration to improve AI marketing.
ChatGPT can now generate images in WhatsApp.
Adobe introduces LLM Optimizer to help teams improve AI search visibility.
Music streaming service Deezer adds AI song tags in fight against fraud.
Databricks co-founder rejects Anthropic's claim that AI will destroy 50% of junior office jobs.
Sequoia-backed Crosby launches a new kind of AI-powered law firm.
OpenAI and Jony Ive remove ‘io’ branding mentions over trademark lawsuit.
Apple sued by shareholders for allegedly overstating AI progress.
Sam Altman says Meta offered $100 million bonuses to OpenAI employees.
TF1 partners with GenAI Video Editor Aive for multiplying ad formats.
The AI Gender Gap: Here’s what it will take to close it.
Perplexity developing AI try-on tool to preview clothes before buying.
News Corp bets big on AI tools but journalists voice concerns.
OpenAI drops Scale AI as a data provider following Meta deal.
Mira Murati’s Thinking Machines Lab closes on $2B at $10B valuation.
Amazon CEO Jassy says AI will reduce its corporate workforce in the next few years.
KPMG launches KPMG Workbench: a multi-agent AI platform.
Microsoft's family safety feature is blocking Chrome.
Microsoft planning thousands of job cuts aimed at salespeople, Bloomberg News reports.
Microsoft creates a version of its 365 productivity suite that runs on-premises, as part of a move to satisfy European regulations.
LinkedIn CEO says AI writing assistant is not as popular as expected.
OpenAI’s $200M DoD contract could squeeze frenemy Microsoft.
Microsoft is finally bringing back this handy Teams feature after quietly removing it.
Microsoft confirms multi-year partnership to power its next-generation Xbox.
LinkedIn’s new B2B playbook shows ability to defend bad decisions drives B2B buying decisions.
McKinsey’s CMO Report: Since our previous survey, 20% fewer CEOs (70 percent, down from 90 percent) believe that marketing’s role is clearly defined and understood by the C-suite.
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Allan Freeman, Pioneering Movie Marketing Executive, dies at 88.
DoubleVerify casts itself as news ally in Cannes — as scrutiny mounts.
The launch of a council to support ads on news sites.
Salesforce looks to end ‘Do-Not-Reply’ marketing with Marketing Cloud Next.
The Guardian bets on unified programmatic ad selling as curation gains ground.
MiQ launches Sigma: A game-changer in Programmatic Advertising.
ZoomInfo partners with 5x5 Data to enrich B2B Intelligence.
Ad industry music quiz launches to raise funds for Nabs.
Multiply Media enters UK with Wildstone deal.
Kargo introduces new CTV ad units, helping brands win with creative science.
Ad Net Zero updates sustainability framework for emissions calculations.
Politics Joe puts video podcast behind paywall.
Berlin startup Superscale secures $5M to develop an AI marketing platform.
How a 1 percent Ad Tax could transform local news.
Sensor Tower acquires Live-Ops platform Playliner, expanding insights on top mobile games.
PMG announces Alli Marketplace, giving marketers access to Martech tools.
Clay and Gong integration may be the missing link in ABM.
You Know What Break: Samba TV’s research reveals brands that invested in Amazon Ads were 8.5 times more likely to reach light TV viewers, a critical audience who accounted for 77% of ticket purchases on Fandango. Amazon Ads are 25% more effective than their media weight at driving box office results.
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