The marketing and advertising world is in burnout crisis.

Shannon outlines signs of burnout and some of the primary causes, including digital overload, multitasking, unsustainable demand and unrealistic expectations, role creep, generative AI, and more.

Finally… how do we fix it?

🎙️ Stream now (17 min):

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😬 Brands were all-in on the Coldplay concert couple. Should they have been?

👖 American Eagle’s Sydney Sweeney campaign faces backlash for “eugenicist ideas of beauty.”

🔥 Starry ties free soda to hot temps as extreme weather sways marketing.

🎮 Spotify and Netflix partner on “Happy Gilmore” game promo.

🚗 Audi reinvents the car manual.

🎒 JanSport bets on weirdly relatable content for its TikTok back-to-school campaign.

🎓 Cambridge University’s St. John’s College gets a slick new look.

According to Adobe’s July 2025 survey, 77% of ChatGPT users in the U.S. now use the AI platform as a search engine.

Nearly 1 in 4 Americans say it’s their first stop for finding information. Gen Z leads the charge, but even baby boomers are tapping in.

Here’s what you need to know:

🔍 People are turning to ChatGPT for:

• Everyday questions (55%)
• Creative brainstorming (53%)
• Financial advice (21%)
• Online shopping (13%)

🚀 Why they prefer it:

• It summarizes complex topics quickly (54%)
• Fewer clicks than Google (33%)
• Better for open-ended questions (81%)
• Feels more personalized (77%)

📈 How marketers are adapting:

• 47% use ChatGPT for promotion and content creation
• 66% plan to boost AI visibility this year
• 76% say it’s essential to appear in AI-generated answers
• Top content formats: data-driven stories (57%) and how-to guides (51%)

Google is experimenting with a new feature called Web Guide, available through Search Labs, that reimagines the search results page with help from AI.

Instead of a simple list of links, Web Guide groups webpages into thematic categories based on your query, making it easier to explore different angles of a topic.

Powered by a custom version of Google’s Gemini AI, Web Guide uses a “query fan-out” approach, launching multiple related searches simultaneously to surface more relevant results.

Think of it as a more intelligent, exploratory version of search, especially useful when you don’t know exactly what you’re looking for.

As you know, Astronomer’s CEO and Chief People Officer resigned over some extramarital PDA on Coldplay’s Kiss Cam.

It was an unfortunate moment for the data workflow brand, but Astronomer is taking it in stride.

Namely, they’ve named Gwyneth Paltrow as their temporary spokesperson. And she happens to be the ex-wife of Coldplay’s Chris Martin.

In a 60-second video viewed over 27 million times, Paltrow deadpans answers to more recent questions (like “OMG, WTF”), drawing attention back to the brand.

“[Astronomer] is thrilled so many people have a newfound interest in data workflow automation,” she says.

It’s a seasoned PR move from Maximum Effort for a brand that unwittingly became a household name overnight.

Remember, sometimes ducking isn’t the best look!