Do Ya Know?
After 30 years, AOL’s Dial-Up Internet service officially comes to an end next month.
What’s the name of that iconic chirping and whirring sound your modem made while connecting?
Trending Stories
AI
😬 Sam Altman addresses the “bumpy” GPT-5 rollout and bringing GPT-4o back.
👀 The ad industry is dumping younger workers.
🔍 Google introduces Preferred Sources feature to customize Top Stories in Search.
🤐 Confessions of a marketer on pulling every client off Google’s PMax.
🧠 Perplexity offers more than twice its total valuation to buy Chrome from Google.
🔍 ChatGPT is using Google Search, multiple tests suggest.
CAMPAIGN
👖 The American Eagle ad controversy hasn’t driven sales, early data suggests.
🫧 Olipop drops a squeaky new flavor and scavenger hunt for The SpongeBob Movie: The Search for SquarePants.
SOCIAL
🏆 (We’re thrilled to announce that) LinkedIn gets new achievement animations.
🖊️ Is Instagram’s new Rosalía font giving Papyrus energy?
🛑 Reddit will block the Internet Archive.
🤝 Loyalty programs with active communities appeal to Gen Z, study finds.
What We Learned
Monday: Instagram has officially rolled out Friends Map in the US, giving us a new way to connect and discover location-tagged content. For creators and brands, Friends Map means more marketing opportunities.
Tuesday: New research from Snapchat, WPP Media, and Lumen Research confirms that true attention (eyes genuinely focused on an ad) is one of the most powerful predictors of business growth, especially among Gen Z.
Wednesday: Customers go through 5 essential stages before, during, and after making a purchase. While impulse buys happen, most purchases follow a logical path influenced by both rational and emotional triggers. These are the 5 stages of the consumer buying process.
Thursday: Volvo = safety. Coca-Cola = happiness. Nike = performance. Walmart = affordability. This kind of singularity works for category leaders, but challenger brands can win by pairing two distinct ideas. Here are the 3 benefits of multi-message positioning.
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Ads from the Past
SEGA, 1989
Did Ya Know?
Answer: The handshake.
Close your eyes. You’re at your family computer. Your mom finally got off the phone. You boot up, sign on… and there it is. That familiar sound. An orchestra of alien tones. You spin impatiently in your swivel chair. What comes next? Discovery, possibility, connection… 🤝
