CANNES LIONS

🏆 The Cannes Lions Titanium 2026 shortlist is here.

🦁 Creator marketing trends to watch at Cannes Lions 2026.

SOCIAL

⚽ Meta apps get temporary World Cup makeovers.

🎬 The Edits app is getting a desktop version and an AI production assistant.

CAMPAIGNS

🎁 Why T-Mobile is going all-in on customer rewards.

👔 How brands are celebrating Father’s Day.

💸 Bezos who? Etsy ads highlight “non-billionaire” Jeffs.

🍸 Absolut is staging a Madonna comeback.

AI

📌 Pinterest expands its AI ad suite for SMBs.

🔍 Research: it’s easy to use Reddit to manipulate AI search.

🤖 Meta launches AI Mode in Facebook search to answer questions.

Monday: As Google PMax and Meta Advantage+ automate more of the campaign management process, we have fewer manual controls than ever before. The algorithm is doing the targeting, placement, and bidding. But we still control the signal we’re telling those platforms to optimize toward. The problem is that we often choose conversion events based on what was easiest to set up rather than what actually predicts business success. Treat conversion events as a strategic business decision, not a tracking task.

Tuesday: We tend to treat LinkedIn like a 24-hour platform. Publish a post, collect engagement for a day, and move on to the next one. But new data suggests that might be an outdated approach. The average LinkedIn post now has a half-life of roughly 23 hours, and high-performing content can continue resurfacing in feeds for two to three weeks. That means a single post has the potential to generate meaningful visibility long after the initial publishing window. What does that mean for brands?

Wednesday: After DEI rollbacks across the U.S. (and the 2023 Target incident), many brands have scaled back their financial and public support for LGBTQ+ initiatives inside and outside of their organizations. In the latest episode of The Daily Carnage Show, Shannon breaks down the 2010s era of rainbow capitalism and pinkwashing, which both harmed and benefitted the community. Is it officially over? Plus, which brands are still showing up for Pride Month when it’s politically complicated to do so?

Thursday: Software buyers increasingly ask ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews for recos instead of clicking through search results. So, we need to start thinking beyond blog posts and start creating video content designed to answer the questions buyers are already asking. AI tools love structured, educational content. YouTube videos come with titles, descriptions, chapters, and transcripts that AI systems can easily parse, summarize, and cite. Here are a few video formats worth prioritizing.

Can you solve this puzzle? 🖊️

Don’t miss the latest episode of The Daily Carnage Show, “Silent Spring: Is Rainbow Capitalism Dead?” Shannon breaks down the 2010s era of rainbow capitalism and pinkwashing, which both harmed and benefitted the community. Is it officially over?

Plus, which brands are still showing up for Pride Month when it’s politically complicated to do so?

🎙️ Plus, catch up on Season 2:

• The Future of Google Search (9:56)
• GLP-1s are Disrupting Every Sector (9:56)
• Spirit Airlines 2.0: Will it Fly? (11:08)
• Major Platform Updates (8:17)
• Nike Runs into Controversy (12:19)
• Transgressive OOH (18:45)
• Your Brain on AI (12:33)
• Meta, McDonald’s Mukbang, and The OpenAI Mess (14:41)
• Ethics in the AI Era (18:33)

🎙️ Now streaming on Youtube, Spotify, Amazon Music, and Apple Music.

👽 Weigh in on The Daily Carnage Subreddit:

The Daily Carnage Show Ep 2.10 Discussion: “After DEI rollbacks across the U.S. (and the 2023 Target incident), many brands have scaled back their financial and public support for LGBTQ+ initiatives inside and outside of their organizations.

Has your organization or brand pulled back support this year? Or are they holding steady when it’s politically complicated?

What kinds of conversations are you having with leadership and peers about marketing Pride Month in the 2020s? We’d love to know.”

🎙️ The Daily Carnage Show is growing!

So, we’re excited to share a new sponsorship opportunity.

Book a Pre-Roll Ad at the top the episode with your preferred script, on-screen text, and link in description.

🎧 Podcast advertising is one of the highest-performing brand channels:

• 60%+ of listeners say they’ve searched for a product after hearing it on a podcast.
• Podcast ads consistently outperform display ads on engagement and recall.
• Pre-roll ads are among the most-heard placements, with the strongest completion rates.

🗣️ This is your opportunity to reach a highly engaged audience of marketers, creatives, and strategists when they’ve got their listening ears on.

Interested in sponsoring an upcoming episode? Reach out and let’s build something together.

Apple, 1985

Answer: Snap’s AR glasses will cost $5,000.

Actually, they’ll run you $2,195.