Hollywood Fears Retaliation After Anti‑Paramount Letter
"The worry is that this letter, and people who signed it, end up becoming Larry Ellison’s blacklist." Brian Lowry's latest column for @get_status is about Hollywood's growing concerns with Paramount WBD deal—and how major figures are speaking out, even though they fear there may be retaliation: https://www.status.news/p/hollywood-paramount-warner-bros-discovery-petition-concerns
SELFmagazine's Closure Ends Frontline COVID-19 Stories
I'm so disheartened to learn that @SELFmagazine is closing. During the pandemic, I found folks on the frontlines to interview about how they were coping with COVID-19 from a nurse anesthetist to a grocery store manager for the What It’s...
Rebuild Your Campaigns for Immediate Performance Boost
So spend yesterday rebuilding a lot of our campaigns and oddly today is popping. Some of the best numbers since last week. If you're still seeing bad performance today as you have all week I suggest trying this in your campaigns.
Twitch Launches Fast‑track Partner Program for Cross‑platform Creators
Twitch has a new recruitment page that fast-tracks creators to get Twitch Partner. Creators with followings on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Twitter, or Snapchat are asked to enter their follower counts and usernames. Twitch will then reach out if you are a...
Lennybot Now Lives Inside Substack, Ready for Queries
New: Lennybot now lives natively within my Substack. Trained on all of my ~350 newsletter posts and ~300 podcast interviews. Check it out, ask it a question: https://t.co/3DzeiuQpl6 You can also text or call him anytime: +1 (877) 537-9455 https://t.co/DT4mtt7gtH
Hollywood Rebounds: Massive Movie Production After Pandemic Slump
I’ve got good news for you guys: Hollywood is making a lot of movies. The pivot is remarkable. It has been at least six years, since the advent of COVID, that declining attendance, a flood of investment in streaming, the erasure...
257K Views Per Clip
TBPN's 257K views per clip turned their ad business from $5M to $30M in a single year. I dive into what I call "The Clip Economy" in my latest newsletter: bit.ly/ClipEconomy
Consumer Media Usage Paused, Growth Expected Soon
Consumer Media Usage Stalled Last Year, But is Expected to Grow Again - Marketing Charts https://buff.ly/7RhbUKq
Admitting Old Content Strategies Fail Is the Hardest Step
The HARDEST part of changing any part of how you create content is knowing that it has worked for years, and now admitting that it doesn't.
Analytics Reveal Audience Gaps, Guide Dual-Format Strategy
Here's how keeping an eye on your analytics, can help you shape your strategy 👇 I was reviewing one of my client's social media performance from their recent launch and we noticed... → Their carousel posts are primarily (we're talking like...
Parents Blame Algorithms, Short Videos for Kids' Harm
Will all the parents claiming the very concept of recommendation algorithms and short form video as a format killed their children be protesting?
YouTube Adds Playables, Gifts, and Full Audio Library
A few things our @youtube teams launched this week: 🕹️ @youtubecreators can now play select games (Playables) directly from their mobile vertical livestreams, easily connecting with their audiences at any time, any place. 🎁 We're rolling out Gifts to horizontal livestreams...
Billion-Dollar Success Came From Streaming Life Nonstop
Everyone thinks you need a 'brilliant idea' to start a business. But Justin Kan's $970M company started by strapping a camera to his head and live-streaming his entire life 24/7. Here's how a real-life Truman Show turned into a billion dollar...
Social Media Harms Marginalized Youth, Contrary to Company Claims
Social media companies try to fend off age limits by claiming they are a "lifeline" for kids from marginalized groups. But as trans activist Lennon Torres shows, from her own experience and from Meta's own research, the opposite is closer...
Consistency Converts; Virality Only Attracts Strangers
Nobody buys from the person they just discovered. They buy from the person they've been quietly watching. Going viral gets you strangers. Showing up consistently gets you buyers. Tracked where every client came from over 12 months. Not one came from a post that went...
AI‑spun Scraped Content Will Soon Hit Google Penalties
This digital marketing agency has been scraping original content and publishing their own versions, using AI to scale up the amount of information in the articles (while saying nothing new 😅) I was wondering how long it would take Google to...
ChatGPT Ad Costs Halve, Minimum Spend Slashed to $50K
ChatGPT ads are getting cheaper -> Ad buyers say ad rates for ChatGPT are falling from $60 CPM to as low as $25 and the minimum spend to advertise is down to $50K from $250K at launch "One ad exec said...
From Rejection to $50M Daily: Netflix’s Rise
In 2000, Netflix wanted to sell itself to Blockbuster for $50 million. Blockbuster laughed at them. Today, Netflix generates $50 million in profit in less than a day.
Joe and Tracy Host Live Interview with Analyst #3
Just thinking about Joe and Tracy interviewing Citrini Analyst #3 on a live pod here.
AI Generates Claude Design Video From Blog and Tweets
Made this 30 second video of Claude Design just by pasting in the Claude Design blog post and some tweets from @AnthropicAI employees Kinda speechless. https://t.co/9uFxO3LKzf
Timeline Reveals Build‑up to Eric Swalwell Story
‘Keep digging’: What happened in the days leading up to the @sfchronicle Eric Swalwell story: https://t.co/PkEkbdDtfV
Experts Slam Non‑specialist Analogies in AI Debate
I love it when podcast hosts and newsletter compilers cite other non industry or non expert sources on a complex issue to try and dispute one of the architects of the entire AI revolution... Jensen on nuclear weapons analogy: "Comparing...
Agentic Web Arrives: 5 Key AI Search Shifts
The Agentic Web is Here: 5 AI Shifts I'm Discussing with Clients about AI Search - Marie Haynes https://buff.ly/VRW47KT
Junk or Jackpot Finale Tops Charts—Binge-Worthy Treasure Hunts
Junk or Jackpot is streaming right now on @hgtv @hbomax and @discoveryplus. Our Season 1 finale hit #2 on all of discovery+. Six episodes. Collectors with insane stuff. Home renovations funded by what we find. Laughing, crying, jaw-dropping appraisals. If...
Threads Finally Recognizes Web Power Users' Importance
I’m just glad that after two years, they’ve finally acknowledged that power users (brands, journalists, etc.) use Web, and that Threads Web should be treated with similar importance as other platforms
CTV's AI‑driven ID Graph Fuels Full‑funnel Growth
Wow, @vibedotco hitting $227M ARR with +264% YoY growth tells you exactly where advertising is heading. CTV has finally cracked the performance code. Advertisers are shifting 30%+ of their total marketing budget into one channel, that level of conviction drives serious...
AI Videos Outshine Hollywood's Diminishing Production Value
I originally thought this was some kind of fan-made AI video, which is both a testament to how good the AI video generators have become and a grim sign of how bad the “big” expensive Hollywood movies look now
Brands Shift to Advocacy-Driven Creator Partnerships
I chatted with @gilliannivy for @adage on why we’re seeing a lot of brands launch more advocacy based creator programs.
Olivia Rodrigo Debuts New Music Live on Apple Music
9am LA time.. @oliviarodrigo will be on the radio show to chat about her new music. Tune in live and free on @AppleMusic to hear it first: https://t.co/4bdr4A5q06
Competition and Privacy Law Clash over Micro‑targeted Ads
Reason number five thousand two hundred and twenty three why enforcement of competition laws and privacy laws overlap in a digital world. Especially with Google and Meta. Their biz is microtargeted mostly performance based ads delivered based on unprecedented...
Netflix CEO Downplays Nielsen Viewership Metric Shift
On yesterday’s Netflix earnings call, CEO Greg Peters addressed my scoop on Nielsen’s now-delayed methodological change that would depress NFLX’s share of total TV viewership. Peters: ok but that doesn’t change how people are really watching TV and it won’t affect...
Comments, Not Feed Posts, Drive Brand Impact
Harsh but true: Your brand feed posts don't matter. The comments do. “It’s not just about posting cadence and chasing follower growth. The best social media teams are optimizing their resources and time to live in the comments” Lessons from Social Media...
Get Instant Email Alerts for New Modem Futura Episodes
Want to know when a New Modem Futura episode drops? Get a 10-second email alert so you never miss one → https://t.co/tcR9TfPzS2
Distribution Is Just Sales in a Different Voice
Distribution and sales are not different departments. They're the same conversation at different distances. Every piece of content is either moving someone toward a decision or away from one. There's no neutral. The cold emails that get replies don't sound like cold emails. The content...
Pinterest's Monetization Gap Signals Potential Upside
Pinterest stock looks undervalued. New analysis argues its ad revenue per user is way below peers like Meta. Closing that "monetization gap" could mean major upside. investing
Google's Dan Taylor on AI Mode & Evolving Marketing Measurement
In this week’s episode of the Mobile Dev Memo podcast, I speak with Google’s Dan Taylor about AI Overviews, AI Mode, the evolution of marketing measurement as platforms like PMax have gained a greater share of spend, Google’s UCP protocol,...
Netflix's TikTok‑style Feed to Boost Engagement and Ads
All the $NFLX bears are not pricing in a addictive TikTok-style video feed coming out at the end of April. This means doomscrolling clips from shows, movies & video podcasts. How it benefits Netflix: • ad revenue (big one )...
AI Could Police Journalism, Threatening Whistleblowers
From the people who brought you the destruction of Gawker.... Can AI judge journalism? A Thiel-backed startup says yes, even if it risks chilling whistleblowers https://t.co/11ib6IKtWl
Influence Is Everywhere, Yet Brands Can Still Connect
Brands are competing for influence. At Marketecture Live, Joanna O'Connell, Chief Intelligence Officer, @OmnicomMediaGrp , broke down how consumer decision-making has fundamentally changed: - Influence now comes from everywhere: friends, creators, AI, communities - Trust is shifting away from institutions toward people and...
Meta Editor Auto‑adds Related Media, Risk Unintended Publishing
Meta media buyers, LOOK OUT 👀 If you go to EDIT an ad, even just to look at an ad's setting without changing anything, the system automatically adds Related Media. It won't publish automatically, buuuut, it will queue to publish the next...
Immersive Map View Videos Revolutionize Google Ads
If you focus on the ad side of Google, you should be following Anthony. Here's just another great find, which is super interesting. "Immersive map view videos in ads".
Google’s Gemini Powers Massive Ad Purge and Local Dominance
And beyond 8.3B ads removed by Google (with the help of Gemini), here is another important area where Google has a massive advantage -- Local. I'm sure OpenAI is like, "Whoa... do we have to do that as well? Can...
Exploring Economic Forces in Planet Money’s New Book
NEW ODD LOTS - THE PLANET MONEY/ODD LOTS CROSSOVER EPISODE @TheStalwart & I speak with @planetmoney's @mdc and contributor Alex Mayassi about their new book "Planet Money: A Guide to the Economic Forces That Shape Your Life" https://t.co/no4aqQgefa
OpenAI Stunned by Its Own Ad Platform Launch
I'm sure OpenAI is like, wait, what? ... as they roll out their new ad platform. LOL
YouTube Mobile App Now Supports Timestamped Video Sharing
Small, but great addition -> You can now share a timestamped video via the YouTube *mobile* app - finally https://t.co/Oh7r8BfN1b https://t.co/47TfWrfyHM
Google Ads Safety Improves Year‑Over‑Year, Report Shows
Google Ads Safety report - here are the numbers year over year for the past several years https://www.seroundtable.com/google-ads-safety-report-41173.html
Success Lies Beyond the Click, Not the Creative
Most distribution systems don't die at the top. They die at the handoff. Ad performs. Page doesn't convert. Email opens. Link doesn't get clicked. Content lands. No next step exists. Everyone optimizes the first moment. Nobody designs what happens right after it. Ran paid campaigns with 4%...
For You Feeds Prioritize Dopamine over Real Information
Even though my For You tab has gotten better at being tailored to my interests (markets/AI, politics, sports), it’s more brain rottish/bad dopamine than the Following tab, just trying to push my buttons more than inform me.
X Pushes Explicit Content to 13‑year‑olds, Report Finds
Explicit content consistently recommended to 13-year-olds on X, report finds A new report found X is recommending explicit content to users posing as 13-year-olds. 80% of sexual searches returned graphic results, often within the top results. Teen feeds shifted fast, with 30.5% of...
Turn Your Email Newsletters Into a Morning Audio Brief
I built something. A daily personalised audio newsletter briefing. The host tells me what came in, what the interesting ideas were & how I might be able to apply it. It gets delivered at 6am each morning and I just sit with...