Gemini, Advantage+, Trump, DeepSearch and Earnings

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• OpenAI launches Deep Search – I tested ChatGPT’s deep research with the most misunderstood law on the internet. (read)

• Pam Bondi instructs Trump DOJ to criminally investigate companies that do DEI. (CT)

• Google launches Gemini 2.0 Pro, Flash-Lite and connects reasoning model Flash Thinking to YouTube, Maps and Search. (VB)

• Apple’s viral Invites App requires an iCloud+ subscription to host an event. (NB)

• Meta launches new Advantage+ AI features to enhance campaign performance.

• Pinterest shares rocket 19% on strong revenue and user growth.

• LinkedIn amps up vertical video tools as uploads jump 36%.

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• DEI: Amazon erases the term from earnings report, Target is getting sued by shareholder for removing DEI, Google is also anti-DEI now and Coca-Cola is getting boycotted. Pinterest lists DEI attacks as potential business risk, Zuckerberg’s charity confirms support for DEI and other companies that removed the term from annual reports

• UK study says school phone bans don’t affect students’ total screen time.

• Google market share slips, AI referrals and regional search engines rise. (read)

• Jacquemus inks beauty deal with L’Oréal. (read)

• Billie Eilish launches new fragrance, Your Turn.

• Snapchat launches new features: Snap Modes, GenAI stickers and more. (AK)

• ChatGPT search is now available to everyone – no sign up required. (read)

• Google hit with two class-action lawsuits by Australian publishers claiming misuse of dominance. (read)

• Ex-Meta employee sues the tech giant, alleging a ‘toxic pattern of silencing women’. (read)

• Miami Beach uses Fake Reality Show to discourage spring break. (watch)

• ‘We’ve Already Won’: Podcasters and Influencers gain new standing in Trump’s White House. (read)

• Google lifts self-imposed ban on using AI for Weapons and Surveillance.

• Daily Mail owner to merge print and online teams to meet digital ‘challenges’.

• 🥖 Fashion: Gucci axes creative director Sabato De Sarno and Calvin Klein returns to the runway With Veronica Leoni.

• Burger King denies terminating Dentsu contract as Instagram post indicated. (TR)

• AI-Generated Slop is already in your public library. (4M)

• Amazon Q4 ad revenue climbs 18% but misses Wall Street estimates, total profit hits $20 Billion in holiday shopping period. (AK)

• Bluesky will soon give users ability to limit replies to followers only. (BP)

• ‘Montoya, por favor!’: the viral Spanish clip that could change reality TV for ever.

• ♨︎ What killed Liquid Death in the UK? Let’s start with our potable tap water. (NS)

• Paramount to turn over records on Skydance Deal amid standoff with FCC. (DK)

  • Paramount & Domain Capital Group ink feature Slate co-finance deal.

  • Paramount, Nielsen strike new measurement deal, ending months-long feud.

• Shein poised to slash valuation to $50 billion in London IPO.

• Ikea teams up with dating app Breeze to offer unique Valentine’s date at their stores. (read)

• Sulley adds a fur-covered sandal to Monsters Inc. Crocs Collab.

• Havas is acquiring retail media agency Channel Bakers. (AW)

• Amazon secretly tracked consumers through their cellphones, lawsuit alleges.

• Can this tech billionaire save the media from an AI apocalypse? (read)

• Pop-Tarts maker Kellanova beats quarterly sales, profit estimates on steady demand. (TR)

• How Emily Sundberg’s ‘Feed Me’ newsletter made her into a rising substack star.

• Clarks marks 200 years with new documentary film featuring Liam Gallagher, Ghostface Killah, Raekwon, Martine Rose, Yasiin Bey and other legends.

• Dentsu and Adobe speed up client AI content production with Adobe GenStudio Dentsu+. (RT)

• The Dunkings are back with new meal deal and juicy couture collab + more big game surpirses. (TF)

• SZA partners with True Food Kitchen to benefit LA wildfire victims. (CZA Salad)

• The Right’s answer to ‘Call Her Daddy’ might be podcaster Brett Cooper. (read)

• Neutrogena kickstarts 2025 with Tate McRae ambassadorship. Meanwhile L’Oréal Paris is ruling the world with Reneé Rapp.

• White House says it will cancel $8 million in Politico subscriptions after a false right-wing conspiracy theory spreads. (WT)

• Publicis chief says new business helped it overtake advertising rivals.

• Salesforce laying off 1,000 during hiring push.

• Super Bowl Ads try to dodge Culture’s multiplying hot buttons. (AP)

  • $3M-$5M fees are norm this year as ad spots lean Into celebs.

  • ‘No one knows the difference’: Why some brands opt for regional ads during the Super Bowl.

• US Bill banning social media for youngsters advances. (PC)

• Disney lost 700,000 subscribers to Disney+ by the end of 2024, but grew profits. (watch)

• How Trump’s tariffs could make your Shein and Temu orders more expensive. (read)

• David Schwimmer calls on Elon Musk to remove ‘deranged bigot’ Kanye West from X over ‘hate-filled, ignorant’ rant.

• Grubhub confirms data breach affecting customers and drivers.

• Anheuser-Busch CEO asks Retail, Wholesale partners to switch ‘Domestic’ Beer for ‘American’.

• US immigration is gaming Google to create a mirage of mass deportations. (read)

• Android users can now download TikTok app via APK.

• OmniHuman: ByteDance’s new AI creates realistic videos from a single photo. (AR)

• TikTok announces programming for Black History month. (read)

• Trump wants a TikTok deal, but China still might let it die. (MB)

• ‘Cute Winter Boots’ Meaning: TikTok code word shows limits of activism. (Read)

• TikTok highlights its power and usefulness with “TikTok Sparks Good” campaign in Canada.

• Trump says U.S. government could buy TikTok.

• Parents suing TikTok over children’s deaths say it ‘has no compassion’.

• Elon Musk says he is not interested in buying TikTok.

• TikTok stole our Hearts, but can It last?

• Instagram working on the ability to edit profile grid layout.

• Instagram tests Reels pause feature as TikTok remains in limbo.

• Threads app publishes new educational materials for creators. (AM)

• Adam Mosseri reveals to Paparazzi that hashtags for boosting likes and views don’t work.

• Threads testing ability to share custom feeds with your community. (TF)

• Instagram testing ‘Cut Silences’ feature in reels editor. (AT)

• Threads continues to improve search function.

• Instagram adds WhatsApp Connection Sticker for Stories.

• Threads experimenting with spoiler tags and post templates. (ST)

• Twitch adds built-in exporting to Instagram.

• Leaked Instagram deals reveal Meta is offering TikTok creators as much as $300,000 to post. Read the contract terms.

• Instagram previews AI features from the upcoming Edits app.

• Meta’s Threads is getting a feature you’d have thought it already had. (Tagged)

• Meta employees brace for job cuts. Here’s everything we know so far.

• Meta launches new program to improve speech and translation AI.

• Stape launches new product: Meta’s Signals Gateway. (FB)

• Meta expands GenAI transparency for Meta’s ad products and services.

• Meta will reportedly flood the market With AI wearables in ‘Year of Greatness’. (CT)

• House Democrats press Mark Zuckerberg on Meta’s policy changes.

• Meta taps ad agencies to help devise AI ad tools.

• Jesse Eisenberg: I don’t want to think of being associated with Zuckerberg.

• Meta is studying how humans and robots can collaborate on housework.

• Meta says this is the make or break year for the metaverse.

• Mark Zuckerberg already spotted buddying up at Donald Trump’s White House.

• Meta removes existing customer budget cap from Advantage+ shopping.

• Meta says it may stop development of AI systems it deems too risky. (read)

• WhatsApp testing feature to allow guests in chat events.

• Meta shares new insights and stats into the evolution of Metaverse.

• X must grant researchers access to data on the Germany election.

• Advertising boycott shows effect: X now also sues Lego, Pinterest and Nestlè. (DS)

• Musk to rehire Treasury DOGE staffer behind racist posts after Trump endorses idea.

• X makes communities posts more visible to non members in the app.

• ‘Things Are Going to Get Intense:’ How a Musk Ally plans to push AI on the Government.

• X improves video consumption layout for better engagement with content.

• Elon Musk’s X has signed up a new adtech partner as it looks to bring on more advertisers. (ST)

• Android users can now preregister for the Grok App. (TC)

• Reddit community banned as user spat with Musk intensifies. (TG)

• Soon users will be able to personalise their Grok AI experience.

• Calls grow in Canada to ban Musk’s X, Tesla and Starlink.

• X is rolling out a new “Premium Member” dashboard on the side of the main timeline on the web.

• Snapchat hits 453M Daily Active Users as advertising revenue grows.

• YouTube Analytics update: Device-Type Data In audience tab. (SJ)

• Pinterest celebrates Black History Month 2025 with ‘Tailored’ campaign.

• YouTube and Repurpose partner to give creators 3 months free access.

• YouTube Music might replace the Song/Video switcher. (SL)

• Snapchat CEO’s latest interview with Colin & Samir podcast. (Watch)

• Youtube expands access to communities feature.

• YouTube Q4 ad sales hit record $10.5 Billion, parent Alphabet projects $75 Billion in 2025.

• Marketers remain cautious about investing in Snapchat amid TikTok uncertainty.

• NFL, YouTube unveil teams for Super Bowl LIX Weekend Flag-Football game: Squads of Creators, Athletes and Celebs to face off in New Orleans.

• Hollywood wants its next ‘Beast Games’. (read)

• Snapchat offers ad-free subscription package.

• YouTube removing ‘Guest’ profile from TV apps, but the mode is still there.

• Warner Brothers is mysteriously dumping obscure and wonderful movies on YouTube for free.

• Snapchat introduces Department of Angels, an initiative to assist in LA wildfires recovery effort.

• Alphabet revenue disappoints investors on weak cloud sales.

• Google Ads simplifies conversion tracking with new tag manager feature.

• Anti-DEI firm Google celebrates Black History Month.

• Google algorithm changes blamed for 50% traffic drop to news site The Sun. (SJ)

• Google starts testing new Search ‘AI Mode’ internally – Here’s an early look at it.

• Google adds new guidance for merging GA4 & Search Console Data. (ST)

• Google Ads update: Misleading Landing Pages now demoted. (SL)

• Google Analytic simplifies cost data import.

• Google AI Overviews now with detailed shopping comparisons.

• Google Ads updates Dating & Companionship Ads policy.

• Product studio now available within Google Business Profiles.

• Google Business Profiles reinstatements now include case & 5 upload documents. (SL)

• Imagen 3 in Gemini for Gmail, Workspace can now generate people .

• Google Local Reviews decreasing over past 24 Hours. (ST)

• Google offers tagging support appointments for advertisers.

• Google launches JavaScript User-Defined Aggregate Functions (UDAF) in BigQuery.

• Google Merchant Center Next fixes product download frustration.

• Within hours, open source AI developer releases tool similar to OpenAI’s Deep Research. (SJ)

• Adobe launches new add-on for Acrobat to simplify legal contracts for you. (MG)

• Google faked Gemini AI output in Super Bowl ad. (TC)

• OpenAI introduces data residency in Europe.

• I tested OpenAI’s o1 model in Microsoft Copilot and it’s a little overwhelming. (XD)

• Lyft is using Anthropic’s Claude AI for customer service. (SR)

• Cloudflare’s new feature makes it easier to track authentic images online. (TC)

• OpenAI and the California State University system bring AI to 500,000 students and faculty. (TV)

• Verizon will let you add Google One AI Premium for $10/month. (NT)

• Copilot’s powerful new ‘Think Deeper‘ feature is free for all users – how it works.

• OpenAI’s o3-mini now lets you see the AI’s thought process. (TC)

• Replit Review: The Best Code Generator There Is? (read)

• OpenAI changes ChatGPT o3-mini to work more like DeepSeek-R1, but faces backlash from users.

• DeepSeek gets an ‘F’ in Safety from researchers. (VB)

• OpenAI to open a new office in Germany.

• AI systems with ‘unacceptable risk’ are now banned in the EU.

• Mistral’s AI chatbot comes to iOS and Android. (TC)

• Google to digitally watermark AI-Adjusted images in Magic Editor.

• OpenAI to work with Los Alamos, other US national laboratories to make nuclear weapons ‘safer’.

• Samsung and Cielo introduce SmartSigns to improve retail advertising with AI.

• Microsoft Ads launches Performance tools and other product updates for February.

• Microsoft is forming a new unit to study AI’s impacts. (SL)

• Microsoft Bing advertising revenue Up 21%.

• LinkedIn video views up 36%, new tools & courses available. (SJ)

• Phishing scam targets Microsoft Ad accounts via Google Search.

• LinkedIn shows breakdown of profile appearances with new ‘Where You Appeared’ analytics.

• Microsoft adds LinkedIn Audience Insights to Performance Max.

• Microsoft Teams is getting a Facebook-like feed and follow button

Marketing &….

• NMPA hits Spotify with ‘Extensive Podcast Takedown Action’ targeting alleged infringement.

• A reviews site embroiled in AI scandal is back from the dead. (TV)

• Mavely announces $1.4 Billion GMV run rate and exponential growth headed into 2025.

• Workday cuts nearly 2,000 employees. (RT)

• Rakuten launches Programmatic Loyalty: AI-Powered ad Solution drives performance and guarantees ROAS for retailers.

• Carl’s Jr. returns to racy advertising years after it abandoned ‘Bikinis and Burgers’. (BN)

• Prime Video subscribers’ ad tier class-action lawsuit dismissed.

• JCDecaux to double London digital roadside footprint. (UK)

• WordPress leader Mullenweg silences Joost De Valk.

• Brands are set to win the Super Bowl, Fox’s ad sales chief explains why. (AK)

• AppsFlyer lays off 7% with IPO on the horizon. (JG)

• WMG strikes Spotify, Amazon Music deals and buys Tempo stake.

• Olivier Leone launches Creative Agency Pragma.

• Apple’s new research robot takes a page from Pixar’s playbook. (NR)

• SeenThis joins Amazon Ads network.

• Alexis Ohanian-backed AI Startup Plot raises $4.1M to decode social video. (NG)

• Grocery TV is selected by Giant Eagle to scale its In-Store Retail Media Network.

• The teens spent an average of 1.5 hours on their smartphones during a 6.5-hour school day over two study periods in 2023, the researchers wrote in JAMA Pediatrics. 1 in 4 teens spent more than two hours on their phone during the school day. (read)

• UK January box office jumps 10% on genre and arthouse films. (read)

• 82% Gen Z (18-26) have used AI search tools at least occasionally, and they favor social media for product discovery. 79.8% prefer Google or Microsoft Bing for general information searches. (read)

• “Girls were four percent more likely to launch their own business by the age of 35 when 16.7 percent of their female classmates had entrepreneur parents, compared with when 5.3 percent of their classmates did,” Kellogg Insight reports. “Girls who had an entrepreneur parent were as much as 59.3 percent more likely to become an entrepreneur by age 35.” (read)

• ChatGPT answered about 54% of queries with search turned off, with the remaining 46% of queries using search.

  • The average ChatGPT prompt length was 23 words, with a high of 2,712 words.

  • The average ChatGPT search length was much lower – just 4.2 words, with a high of 301 words. (read)

• American Kids are getting even worse at reading: 67% of eighth-graders who scored at a basic or better reading level in 2024 was the lowest share since testing began in 1992. Amazon’s Thursday Night Football is averaging 22.9MM viewers compared to 35.9MM for NBC’s Sunday Night Football and 35.3MM for ABC’s Monday Night Football. (read)

• New research shares Out-of-home viewing gives a sizable boost to NFL ratings—increasing weekly average viewership of primetime games by up to 10%. (Outlook)

• According to the 2022 report, creative/design directors are earning a median salary of $115,000 CAD. For the business owners whose teams grew, 41% stated they hired full-time employees, and only 18% stated that they hired part-timers, freelancers or contractors. (read)

• VCCP and Cowry Consulting shares most memorable super bowl ads from the past decade: Budweiser’s Puppy Love 2014, State Farm’s Like a Good Neighbaa 2024, Forever’s The Framer’s Dog 2023, Hyundai’s First Date 2016, Mr Clean’s You gotta love a Man WhoCleans 2017 and more.

• Wealthy people are more likely to engage in prosocial behavior such as donating money or volunteering, according to a new global study. (Sky is Blue)

• US job growth slows in January; unemployment rate at 4.0%. (read)

• 40% of Americans had no idea that their smart gadgets might lose software support one day. And nearly 70% of the 2,130 people surveyed believe that smart appliances such as fridges, washing machines, and ovens should continue to work even after losing support. (read)

• Most Influential Brands in Canada 2024: Google, Amazon, Youtube, Apple, Facebook, Walmart, Netflix, Microsoft, VISA and Samsung. (more)

• Only 51% of CMOs believe their current MOM (Marketing Operating Model) is high performing. 44% CMOs are building in-house media capabilities, yet 41% plan to eliminate in-house agencies and re-outsource work. (read)

• 86% of Black Americans are convinced that tariffs will raise consumer prices this year. (read)

• Consumer awareness boosts demand for low-methane beef, study reveals. (read)

• US: More than half say the country’s healthcare industry needs an overhaul. Only 40% of the public is content with their personal insurance and their local hospital. (read)

• After analysing more than 21 million job adverts and surveying 5,000 UK workers, Reed found marketing salaries grew by 3% over the past 12 months, compared with the 6% national average. (read)

• 42.45% of Millennials surveyed said they find products using Google, while Boomers rose even further to 55.9%. 41.1% of Gen X also said they rely on Google Search. (read)

• Boomers+ are much more likely than younger generations to say that they’re looking forward to watching the game (72% versus 49% of Gen Z and Millennials). Younger consumers are more interested in eating and drinking (56%) than any other activity, including the commercials (51%), the game (49%) and the halftime show (47%). (read)

• 34% of U.S. workers—including 48% of Gen Z employees—have posted about their jobs or employers negatively on social media. 20% don’t answer company communications outside of work hours. (CR)

• Only 21% of millennials think it’s possible for their generation to buy a home — a percentage that’s dropped by more than half since 2024, when 52% of millennials thought homeownership was within reach.

• Google AIO Impact – SEO & PPC CTRs at all time low. (read)

• 10 Feb: World Pulses Day / National Umbrella Day / Teddy Day / National Flannel Day / Plimsoll Day / Oatmeal Monday / International Cribbage Day / Surviving Black Hawk Down on Netflix.

• 11 Feb: International Day of Women and girls in science / National Inventors Day / National Latte Day / Promise Day / Full Moon / Safer Internet Day / World Day of the Sick.

• 12 Feb: Hug Day / Georgia Day / Safety Pup Day / NAACP Day / Darwin Day / Red Hand Day / Daytona Pole Day.

• 13 Feb: Digital Learning Day / Black Love Day / World Radio Day / Kiss Day / Galentine’s Day / International Condom Day / Self Love Day / International Natural Day / Giving Hearts Day / Berlin Film Festival.

• 14 Feb: Valentine’s Day / World Sound Healing Day / World Bonobo Day / Have a Heart Day / International Book Giving Day / National Black Literacy Day.

• 15 Feb: Singles Awareness Day / World Hippo Day / World Pangolin Day / National Wisconsin Day / Support an Independent Pub Day /

• 16 Feb: National Almond Day / World Whale Day / Innovation Day / National Tim Tam Day / NBA All-Star Game / BAFTA Film Awards.