Be in The Know
⛔ A Black Gen Zer’s message to brands: Cutting DEI policies comes at a cost.
🔍 Meanwhile, Google tells employees why it’s ending DEI hiring goals.
💰 OpenAI will air its first Super Bowl ad.
🧸 LEGO brought to life a fan-designed Paddington Bear set and it’s everything.
💌 Apple launches Invites, a new app for creating custom invitations.
☕ Starbucks members get a free 12 oz coffee the Monday after the Super Bowl.
🧵 Turns out Threads is driving more engagement than X.
💬 Google Business Profile adds WhatsApp and SMS features.
👻 Snapchat’s growing creator community was one of its biggest assets during Q4 2024.
😜 Just for fun: A nerdy deep dive into how AI detectors work.
♻️ Capri Sun offers an alternative to the pouch.
Google’s Top Tips for Marketing in 2025
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Google’s VP and General Manager of Ads and Commerce, Vidhya Srinivasan, shared these top tips for your 2025 marketing agenda:
Embrace AI as a business essential.
- AI isn’t just an advantage—it’s a necessity for driving profitability.
- Companies leading in AI adoption saw ~60% higher revenue growth than those still in early stages.
- AI can help marketers do more with tighter budgets while meeting high business expectations.
Think beyond the traditional funnel.
- Consumers engage across multiple platforms and devices simultaneously.
- AI helps predict consumer behavior and enables brands to connect across search, video, and shopping moments.
- Use AI-powered campaigns to engage customers where they stream, scroll, search, and shop.
Prioritize privacy for data-driven success.
- Privacy-preserving technologies are crucial as first-party data remains essential.
- Features like trusted execution environments protect user data while enabling effective measurement.
Read the full post over at Think With Google.
Q for You
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Watch
Seal’s The Deal
Hey, so… we’re pretty sure we know which Super Bowl ad everyone will be talking about on Monday.
It’s Seal singing “Kiss From A Rose,” except he is a seal (marine mammal) and the song is actually about Mountain Dew now.
It’s as terrible and magical as it sounds. By all means, spoil the surprise and watch it now.
