What happened in marketing: UK vs Privacy, TikTok returns, Youtube loves AI and Spotify...
This week: Youtube is more about AI and TV, TikTok is back in US App Stores, UK vs Apple and EU's plan to create the next big AI.
ICYMI: The brand and agency news recap alongside some other news was shared on Saturday…
Attention is like money–you can waste it or invest it. If you invest it in my paid newsletter, you'll get dividends for years.
Top 5 Updates of the Week
TikTok returns to US app stores. (FT)
YouTube Shorts gets Google DeepMind’s Veo 2 tool to create AI-generated videos. (NB)
Meta is ready to bring Trump into play in fight against EU rules. (BG)
U.K. orders Apple to let it spy on users’ encrypted accounts.
OpenAI ‘paid $70M for Reddit content’ as AI licensing grows – report.
Trending 🗞️
Netflix says its brief Apple TV app integration was a mistake.
OpenAI rejects Elon Musk’s $97.4 Billion bid for control of the company. (read)
Spotify to launch new premium service aimed at music ‘superfans’. (read)
Chinese companies work around Trump to keep selling to Americans.
EU ditches plans to regulate tech patents, AI liability, online privacy. (AK)
Adobe debuts ‘Production Quality’ Video AI offerings. (read)
Reddit blames Google algorithm changes for weak growth, the platform reaches now up to 101.7 million daily active users.
Reddit is also planning to introduce a paywall this year.
Reddit and Intercontinental Exchange collaborate to research, build, and offer new data and analytics products for the financial industry.
Australia introduces two-year ban on property purchases by foreigners. (read)
Apple TV+ app to be offered for android devices. (read)
ICYMI: OpenAI to launch GPT 4.5 and 5 in upcoming weeks and months. (read)
Dove debuts first-ever comedic ad during SNL50: The Anniversary special to celebrate its most MOISTurizing body wash yet. (read)
Laid-off Meta employees blast Zuckerberg for running the ‘cruelest tech company out there’ as some claim they were blindsided after parental leave.
With a series of layoffs planned by JPMorgan for 2025, CEO Jamie Dimon dismisses employee petition against full-time RTO mandate, says, ‘Doesn’t Matter to Me’.
Net-a-porter sets China exit deadline on March 20.
Amazon's new shopping feature lets you search for products even if they're not sold on Amazon.
US consumer watchdog broadens layoffs beyond probationary staff, sources say. (TR)
Apple announces launch of new device this week, 19 February. (TC)
New York State Senator announce new legislation designed to mitigate the harmful impacts of addictive social media platforms.
Bluesky gets growth and analytics tools with BlueSkyHunter launch.
Meta’s awful ‘Horizon Worlds’ ad helps explain $70 Billion Metaverse loss. (BP)
EU to mobilise €200 billion for AI investment.
Amazon launches Canva integration for creators to easily design and publish to Storefronts.
The Beauty Industry Slowdown, Explained. (read)
EU’s Disinformation Code moves closer to becoming DSA benchmark.
Roblox, Discord, OpenAI, and Google found new child safety group.
Nike and Kim Kardashian’s Skims partner on new fitness brand.
Channel 4 to relaunch streaming offering as it doubles down on digital strategy, the company will launch IG and TikTok channels. (TR)
BuzzFeed thinks its new social platform can save social media. Why am I not convinced?
Thomson Reuters announces new $150 million corporate venture capital fund.
Reuters also won its first major AI copyright case in the US.
Former DDB creative legend Ari Weiss dies at 46. (RIP)
Klook raises $100 Million as travel booking platform targets younger audience.
Make America Wealthy Again — Inside corporate America's 'quiet' campaign to change Trump's mind on mass deportations. (read)
Phishing tests, the bane of work life, are getting meaner. (read)
Condé Nast, McClatchy and other publishers accuse AI firm Cohere of copyright violations. (read)
Also, Trending 👣
Can Burberry weather the storm? ‘It’s always Burberry weather: London in love’ ad campaign is soo good.
Vietnam's strict new social media regulations strangle free speech, report says.
The murky Ad-Tech world powering surveillance of US military personnel. (WT)
Netflix readies pan-European rollout of its in-house ad tech amid pricing competition.
Kroger & Walmart expect GLP-1 drugs to grow pharmacy sales but hurt grocery.
Papa John’s and Domino’s both introduced toiletries that’ll make you smell like pizza.
Amazon sees NBA as linchpin for ad-sales efforts in 2025.
ChatGPT’s political views are shifting right, a new analysis finds. (PC)
X to pay Donald Trump $10m to settle lawsuit over Capitol attack – report. (read)
Mastercard launches anti-money laundering service “TRACE” to combat financial crime in Asia Pacific.
Exclusive: Shein executive seeks to reassure investors after Trump crackdown on low-value imports.
From flavored foam to ‘Friends,’ how coffee creamer became a $5 billion category.
GIPHY Search Trends for Valentine’s Day — cuffing season is August–October, February is for the lonely hearts and also for the sneaky links and situationships.
A new generation of ‘Unbeatable’ Fake IDs is bedeviling bouncers.
Trump demands ‘Radical Left Reuters’ return a $9 million government contract. He’s the one who paid it out in the first place. (read)
Havas Life Medicom rebrands, relaunches as Havas Life London.
TikTok 🎶
TikTok grabs market share from Shein despite looming risks.
TikTok launches “Action 5 pilot” sustainable ad campaign.
TikTok Shop to launch in Mexico this Month, sellers open businesses in Region. (AR)
TikTok’s Discover List 2025: Dasha, Reece Feldman, the Rapping Chef and more creators making a global impact. (read)
TikTok CEO hints at job cuts as talks with Trump Team continue.
TikTok published Digital Safety and Privacy guide for Safer Internet Day. (MB)
TikTok and Luminate release the latest Music Impact Report: 84% of songs that entered the Billboard Global 200 in 2024 went viral on TikTok first. (RD)
Austrian knife attack suspect was radicalised on TikTok, officials say.
TikTok Shop launches ‘Most Loved Badge’ for exceptional products.
Lidl becomes first supermarket to sell on TikTok Shop.
Facts Matter: How TikTok protects U.S. user data.
AppLovin could be the next TikTok, Analysts say.
TikTok is showing a new “Creation ideas” section in TikTok Search.
Instagram & Threads 🗂️
Instagram starts testing new button that might downrank comments.
Threads gains momentum among brands, research reveals.
Instagram’s limited-edition features for Valentine’s Day. (TR)
Threads testing feature to hide “replies” tab from your profile.
Meta 🚌
Meta to show rival ads providers on Marketplace after EU antitrust fine.
Meta’s AI may not be as good for ad growth as Investors think.
Former Facebook employees launch Venture Fund for social media influencers.
Meta plans investments into AI-driven humanoid robots, memo shows.
Meta building Big-Ass undersea internet cable. (FB)
EssilorLuxottica plans Meta Ray-Ban Manufacturing Rampup.
Meta warns users its AI systems will scan DMs when prompted. (CT)
Meta partners with Artists for the AI Action Summit in Paris.
WhatsApp launches new chat themes to reflect your style.
Meta expands access to support for third-party ad placement blocklists.
Meta announces the Language Technology Partner Program.
Senator pushes Zuckerberg on "Perverse Abuse" of nudify ads after 404 media report.
Meta and Childhelp launch curriculum to help students avoid online exploitation.
Meta says alert about Pages targeting under 13s was sent in error.
Zefr expands Pre-Impression content avoidance for Meta feed and reels. (read)
WhatsApp will let users link social media accounts to their profile.
British semiconductor designer Arm looks to launch its own chip after landing Meta contract.
Meta curbs privacy teams’ sway over product releases.
Meta shares insights on avoiding romance scams this Valentine’s Day.
X & Elon
Elon Musk’s xAI releases its latest flagship model, Grok 3.
X adds ‘Moment of Death’ form to violent content policy. (DS)
A Musk ally was accidentally given broad access to sensitive U.S. Treasury data.
Elon Musk’s xAI discussing $10 Billion raise at $75 Billion valuation.
X's Angela Zepeda on X Money and X TV marketing campaign.
Dell nears deal to sell $5 billion in AI servers to xAI, Bloomberg News reports.
Elon Musk’s X blocks links to Signal, the encrypted messaging service. (ST)
X doubles its Premium+ plan prices after xAI releases Grok 3. (TC)
X Money will give each user a QR code.
ICYMI: Apple resumes advertising on X.
Youtube, Pinterest & Snapchat 🕹️
YouTube Surprise: CEO says TV overtakes mobile as “Primary Device” for viewing. (VB)
Snapchat shares Valentine’s Day data for marketer: 72% of Snapchatters say they would visit a brand’s website/store after seeing an intriguing ad on Snapchat for a holiday they are gearing up for.
YouTube citations in Google AI Overviews surge 25%. (SJ)
YouTube Shorts text-to-speech feature now available on iOS.
Channel 4’s social audiences thrive, driven by YouTube and Channel 4.0.
Snapchat sees growth opportunity in SMBs. (read)
YouTube reaches CBS agreement for Paramount+ bundle. (read)
Snapchat shares India’s AR Developer community has grown by over 50% in two years.
YouTube is testing on Android a new sticker for YouTube Shorts, “Quiz”.
Marketers remain cautious about investing in Snapchat amid TikTok uncertainty.
YouTube's new comment redesign is 'threading' on thin ice.
Pinterest names Cecile van Steenberge as VP of International Sales.
Google 🔆
Google Business Reviews outage is over.
Google News transitions to automatically-generated publication pages.
Google adds member pricing beta type to Merchant listing pricing structured data.
Google CrUX report update targets LCP & Network delays.
Google updates its gambling and games advertising policy. (SJ)
Google tightens Customer Match data rules in major privacy update.
Google Ads adds PMax usefulness indicator to measure search themes impact. (ST)
Google reassures that #Anchor URLs In GSC are okay. (SL)
Google Ads releases Performance Max usefulness indicator.
Google Search now uses Speculation Rules API to make search faster.
New in Google Demand Gen Ads: Automatically create short videos.
Google Ads posts notice for brand guidelines March 2025 update.
Google AI chief tells employees company has ‘all the ingredients’ to hold AI lead over China’s DeepSeek. (SL)
Reference past chats for more tailored help with Gemini Advanced.
Google shares updates on new digital protections for kids, teens and parents. (ST)
AI 🤨
SAP debuts Business Data Cloud with Databricks to turbocharge Business AI. (read)
Wayfair wants AI images to stoke IRL purchases. (MG)
Robotics Startup Figure AI in talks for new funding at $39.5 Billion valuation. (TC)
Anthropic may be launching a new hybrid AI model with advanced reasoning.
CVS launches AI-powered Health app for consumers and tracking. (KH)
Alibaba says it will be Apple’s AI partner in China. (SR)
Anthropic launches Economic Index, an initiative aimed at understanding AI's effects on labor markets and the economy over time. (TC)
Whisk, a Google Labs experiment, is expanding to more than 100 new countries. (TV)
Suger, API-first platform raises $15 million Series A to automate workflows for B2B marketplaces. (NT)
Apple aims to bring AI features and spatial content app to Vision Pro, Bloomberg reports.
Canvas sharing is now live in ChatGPT. (view)
AI chatbots distort the news, BBC finds - see what they get wrong. (read)
Amazon's AI revamp of Alexa assistant nears unveiling.
Cambridge and Essex AI growth could be slowed by electricity cost. (VB)
DeepSeek halts app downloads in South Korea amid privacy concerns.
Confluent and Databricks partner to usher In new age of real-time AI.
Airbnb CEO says it’s still too early for AI trip planning. (TC)
The New York Times adopts AI tools in the newsroom.
Perplexity launches its own freemium ‘deep research’ product.
Matchmakers in India now have a competition: AI.
Microsoft & LinkedIn
Microsoft study finds AI makes Human Cognition “Atrophied and Unprepared”.
LinkedIn improves content sharing by adding more options to share button. (SL)
Microsoft confirms it’s getting out of HoloLens hardware entirely.
Marketing &….
FOX corporation acquires Red Seat Ventures.
Tumblr to join the fediverse after WordPress migration completes.
Aldi renews ParalympicsGB sponsorship for a decade. (TV)
Marketo unveils new email designer as part of January updates.
Woolworths bringing advertising to scales and checkout screens.
Then there were two: Network 10 confirms ThinkTV exit. (RT)
UMG teams up with Music Health Alliance for mental health fund.
Telegram launches new updates: AI-Powered Sticker Search, Improved Videos and more.
24 Seven, privately held marketing solutions firm acquires CORE Resources. (BN)
DoubleVerify launches content-level controls on Meta.
Walmart partners with GreenPod Labs to strengthen U.S. supply chain.
LGBTQ+ Streamer Revry blasts The Trade Desk alleging unjust practices in letter to clients. (AH)
Demandbase partners with ForgeX to deliver new ABM Certification Program.
Amid uncertainty, ad tech mavens turn to startups. (read)
Why you may see ads on Disney+, even on ad-free tier.
Westfield & Disney continue collaboration for 3 more years. (JG)
WMG strikes Spotify, Amazon Music deals and buys Tempo stake.
Phynd raises $10M for subscription-free smart TV cloud gaming platform.
Bauer Media sells Octave stake to News UK. (NR)
New partnership integrates Canva’s design capabilities into HubSpot.
MarTech & Resources
EyeCandy - The visual technique library that every creative needs.
LifeStreet - The mobile marketing platform built for performance advertisers.
Tofu - The Integrated marketing platform raised $12M Series A to cut martech bloat for GTM teams.
The Fictional Brand Archive - The space for creatives and marketers to get inspiration.
The Pulped; Market Data & Studies of the week
47% trust AI to benefit the public, more than social media (39%) or Congress (42%). 52% of men trust AI compared to 43% of women. 65% of those with graduate degrees or earnings over $100K trust in companies using AI. Only 13% feel “very confident” in identifying AI-generated content; 30% feel “somewhat confident.” (read)
TikTok and Instagram dominate influencer campaigns, accounting for 83% of brand collaborations in 2024. Male influencers earn 40% more per collaboration than their female counterparts despite women holding 70% of the influencer market. (read)
Next-gen materials could represent 8% of the total fiber market by 2030, equivalent to approximately 13 million tons. (Fashion)
TrustPilot’s Valentine’s Day report shares 72% consumers said they never feel an obligation to spend a specific amount on Valentine's Day. 27% think the forced "romantic" Instagram post is the most cringe Valentine's Day tradition and 35% are spending less because of inflation concerns.
Of 1,500 consumers surveyed, 49% said they’ve felt unfairly pigeonholed by a targeted ad. And more than half have occasionally thought, ‘Who approved this?’ when encountering targeted ads. (read)
51% of all AI answers to questions about the news were judged to have significant issues of some form. 19% of AI answers which cited BBC content introduced factual errors – incorrect factual statements, numbers and dates. (read)
Total revenue in UK OOH grew 7.7% in 2024 to reach £1.4bn. (TML)
Analysis of social media language reveals the psychological interaction of three successive upheavals. (read)
Gen Z apparel shoppers aren’t loyal. While 59% of consumers prefer sticking to familiar brands, only 46% of Gen Z do the same.
Women make up 74% of fashion courses, but 12% of creative directors. (read)
Social media is the top source of political and social issues for 42% of respondents aged 16-30, with television second (39%). A significant majority (76%) of young people believed they had been exposed to disinformation and fake news in the seven days prior to the survey, whereas 70% of the participants in the survey were confident they could recognise disinformation. (EU)
The Times Generation Z study revealed that only a fifth of 18 to 27-year-olds believed that marriage was “irrelevant”, while a third thought it better for a couple to be married before having children. (read)
More than half of Glance users reported an increase in their budgets this Ramadan, with 50% of shoppers expecting to spend over Rp 3 million and 22% anticipating expenditures above Rp 5 million. (Indonesia)
TD Survey reveals 45 per cent of Gen Z respondents say they have been the victim of a financial fraud or scam attempt, compared to 34 per cent of Millennials and 26 per cent of Gen X. (Canada)
Gen Z employees aged up to 27, 50% didn’t want to be middle managers at all and 70% dismissed such jobs as “high stress, low reward”. (read)
I will be back on either a regular or new schedule from March…