SOCIAL

📊 Instagram has added a Competitive Insights feature.

📸 TikTok awards show is coming to LA, red carpet and all.

🏆 So, check out the nominees for the TikTok Awards.

🥸 New option for private Facebook groups to go public.

💸 YouTube Shorts reports record ad revenue.

AI

🧠 Grammarly rebrands to Superhuman, launches a new AI assistant.

🤖 AI slop myths, debunked: What’s harmful, what’s hype, what’s just meh.

🥤 Coca-Cola uses AI (again) for this year’s holiday ad.

⚖️ Perplexity AI accuses Amazon of bullying with legal threat over Comet browser.

📊 How GA4 records traffic from Perplexity Comet and ChatGPT Atlas.

CULTURE

💚 Netflix tells us how to get, how to get to Sesame Street.

💍 Why brands like Ramp, Whataburger, and Hellmann’s are sponsoring weddings.

Monday: AI is basically the new front door for local discovery. Everyone is asking ChatGPT and Gemini for “best coffee near me” instead of scrolling Google Maps, which means local visibility now depends on the data AI can trust and prioritize. Here’s how AI is changing local marketing.

Tuesday: The rules of social media marketing have shifted dramatically this year. Organic reach is declining, so paid social the primary way for small biz to gain visibility. Social media is now more of an investment than a free channel. Organic content does still matter, but its role has changed. Here’s what you should know about the new order.

• According to our poll, 69% of marketers spend less than 20% of their marketing budgets on social media.

Wednesday: Some new research suggests that telling people who your product is not for can actually be more persuasive than saying who it is for. People were up to 48% more likely to choose a product when it used negative framing, like “Not for risk-taking investors,” rather than positive framing, like “For a safe investment.” Here’s why negative framing works and how to activate it.

Thursday: At Semrush’s Spotlight conference, Sarah Adam, head of influencer marketing at Wix, shared three steps for brands looking to scale their influencer strategy without sacrificing what makes it real: Discovery, creative freedom, and feedback. Here’s how not to kill authenticity with your brief.

Can you solve this puzzle? ⏳

A Carney posted: “What’s the difference between trending, original audio, and royalty-free sounds? Does it matter which one I use?”

Lindsay posted: “Would it be helpful to have a matchmaker for clients and agencies/freelancers? Someone who serves as an interface to better connect clients with the right agency or freelancer? Does anything like this exist already?”

“The Daily Carnage was the newsletter that brought us the most meaningful demo clicks and new trials.” — Danielle Blanchette, Digital Summit (2025)

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Catch up on the conversation with an episode of The Daily Carnage Show:

• Marketer Burnout: A Crisis of Creativity (16:29)
• Unhinged Marketing: The Age of Absurdity (15:07)
• State of Marketing: Pride Month, Neurodivergence, and More (18:40)
• Game-Changers: The Cannes Lions 2025 Shortlist (18:47)
• Brand vs. Planet: The Chilean Sea Bass (9:41)

Answer: Hug Your Cousin Day.

Shout out to lawyers, notaries, and your one friend with a 32-step skincare routine.