ENVIRONMENT

💧 Microsoft is trying to fix its water usage problem.

📸 Polaroid takes a shot at data centers.

SOCIAL

🤝 Collaborative posts are coming to LinkedIn.

☕ Starbucks pilots TikTok program for boosting employee-generated content.

AI

🤖 Google AI Overviews cite self-serving listicles, but recommend competitors 69% of the time.

👻 Snapchat introduces AI ad creation tools.

🤖 Google adds AI bot to Ad Manager.

🤖 Meta launches new AI glasses models.

STREAMING

📺 Why streaming sponsorships are the most efficient buy in TV.

🛍️ Meta updates its livestream shopping tools.

📺 Instagram looks to take on streaming services with longer-form, episodic and live formats for its TV app.

Monday: New research finds that people react significantly more negatively when they learn an emotional message was written by AI rather than a human. Across six experiments involving more 2,200+ participants, AI-authored emotional messages consistently triggered feelings of inauthenticity and even moral disgust. Here’s what’s at risk.

Tuesday: 77% of Redditors say they visit two or more communities to validate a purchase decision, while 63% say they’re more confident in decisions informed by Reddit discussions than those influenced by other social platforms. Even more telling: 58% say seeing a brand answer customer questions directly in a thread increases their trust in that brand. That’s why brands need to participate in conversations, answer questions, and help buyers evaluate their options. Take a closer look.

Wednesday: This year’s Cannes Lions Titanium shortlist is stacked, but we’re breaking down our five favorites that change the game and raise the bar in the latest episode of The Daily Carnage Show. Winners are announced TODAY. Who are you rooting for?

Thursday: Do you need a chatbot, a virtual assistant, or both? While the terms are often used interchangeably, they solve different problems. Chatbots excel at handling high-volume, repetitive interactions, while virtual assistants are designed for more complex, context-aware support. The right choice depends less on the tech itself and more on the experience you’re trying to create. Here’s what you sohuld consider.

Can you solve this puzzle? 🤝

Don’t miss the latest episode of The Daily Carnage Show, “Marketing as Infrastructure: Our Cannes Titanium Lions Picks,” Shannon shares the Carney shortlist of campaigns that raised the bar and changed the game over the last year.

🎙️ Plus, catch up on Season 2:

• Silent Spring: Is Rainbox Capitalism Dead? (11:41)
• The Future of Google Search (9:56)
• GLP-1s are Disrupting Every Sector (9:56)
• Spirit Airlines 2.0: Will it Fly? (11:08)
• Major Platform Updates (8:17)
• Nike Runs into Controversy (12:19)
• Transgressive OOH (18:45)
• Your Brain on AI (12:33)
• Meta, McDonald’s Mukbang, and The OpenAI Mess (14:41)
• Ethics in the AI Era (18:33)

🎙️ Now streaming on Youtube, Spotify, Amazon Music, and Apple Music.

👽 Weigh in on The Daily Carnage Subreddit:

The Daily Carnage Show Ep 2.11 Discussion: “Whether or not it appears on a Cannes Lions shortlist… What work from 2025-2026 do you think raises the bar for marketers and brands? Drop your kudos and links here!”

🎙️ The Daily Carnage Show is growing!

So, we’re excited to share a new sponsorship opportunity.

Book a Pre-Roll Ad at the top the episode with your preferred script, on-screen text, and link in description.

🎧 Podcast advertising is one of the highest-performing brand channels:

• 60%+ of listeners say they’ve searched for a product after hearing it on a podcast.
• Podcast ads consistently outperform display ads on engagement and recall.
• Pre-roll ads are among the most-heard placements, with the strongest completion rates.

🗣️ This is your opportunity to reach a highly engaged audience of marketers, creatives, and strategists when they’ve got their listening ears on.

Interested in sponsoring an upcoming episode? Reach out and let’s build something together.

Jell-O, 1966

Answer: Meta Nova.

So, uh… what’s so furious about the Meta Fury model?