• YouTube’s new option will let you link Shorts to longer videos to drive more traffic.
• La-Z-Boy’s AI-powered “Decliner” generates SMS cancellation excuses to get you out of doing stuff.
• Lyft is launching in-app advertising.
• Victoria’s Secret Angels are back, and other social media trends.

TikTok’s holistic “brandformance” strategy leverages creativity, entertainment, and targeted advertising in one campaign to generate growth. Here’s how:

• Use entertaining content ads to join trends, generate demand, attract new customers, and increase earned media visibility.
• Embrace a full-funnel approach by shifting focus from short-term metrics to long-term returns.
• Leverage the power of sound and storytelling to drive brand recall in a competitive environment. Ads that use sonic brand cues are 8.53x more likely to be high performing.

Check out The Drum for the full scoop.

Gotta turn that TikTok into a Reel? If you don’t have the original file, you’re working with a watermarked video, which is not only a little sloppy but probably bad news for the algorithm. Use a browser tool like SnapTik to download a watermark-free version of your video (or any video) and you’re in business. It’s lightning quick — you just need a URL.

Budweiser Canada celebrates male friendships in the campaign—which statistically dwindle with age—by interviewing real men who haven’t spent time with their closest friends in ages. Anyway, call you bud for that beer.