Be in The Know
🗞️ China reportedly considers selling TikTok US to Elon Musk.
💀 Meanwhile, U.S. TikTokers are getting the last laugh by migrating en masse to China’s RedNote app.
💡 Instagram shares key areas of focus for 2025.
❇️ Google Ads launches new barcode and QR code promotion formats.
🥾 REI shuts down its Experience program of classes, trips, and tours after 40 years.
💓 Givsly has a new tool for targeting people based on the causes they support.
🏈 What do people want from Big Game ads? Laughs, throwbacks, and feels.
📱 T-Mobile acquires Vistar Media’s DOOH system in strategic $600 million deal.
How Marketers Are Navigating New Tech
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Mediaocean surveyed nearly 700 marketing professionals to compile its 2025 H1 Advertising Outlook Report.
Here are some key findings from the data:
- Social media, digital display/video, and CTV are the fastest-growing channels, with 68%, 67%, and 55% of marketers planning to increase spending in these areas, respectively.
- Generative AI is the leading consumer trend, surpassing CTV. 63% of marketers identify it as critical.
- Automation has become the fastest-growing investment area, with a 17% increase in adoption since mid-2024.
- Advertisers are adopting multiple approaches to identity resolution to improve campaign measurement and attribution.
- Despite slight improvements, 86% of advertisers report a lack of synchronization between creative and media processes.
Dig into the report to better understand how the industry is adapting to shifting consumer behavior and advancement.
Smash or Pass 👍/👎
Tools
Million Dollar Headlines
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This is your regularly scheduled reminder to take a little break from ChatGPT and get inspired the old-fashioned way.
Why? Because somebody went to the trouble of compiling hundreds of hero sections from small-business websites that make over $1,000,000 in revenue.
That’s a whole lot of distilled success.
Reference the collection to find patterns, spark ideas, repurpose copy, or just learn a thing or two about what’s working for brands right now.
Classifieds
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What you get:
- 200 characters 📣
- An internal link 🔗
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Watch
The Capri Returns
Ford has brought its iconic Capri model back from the dead in Europe after 38 years—and this time, it’s an EV.
In three short films shot in Chile by Wieden+Kennedy London, Ford leans heavily into nostalgia with a mix of archival footage and dramatic new creative—from lightning bolts and stalking panthers to a Bond-esque car chase.
“To relaunch the Capri as a new electric vehicle, we wanted to tap into its iconic past. From its role as the go-to car for stuntmen to its appearances alongside music legends and movie stars, the Capri was a symbol of excitement, individuality, and style,” said David Colman, Creative Director at Wieden+Kennedy London.
