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The Online Fiction Boom Reimagining China’s History
If you could travel back in time, what year would you choose? What would you change about history? For a surprising number of Chinese people, their answer turns out to be the same: Use what they know today to save China from its unglorious past.In a new book titled Make China Great Again: Online Alt-History Fiction and Popular Authoritarianism, Rongbin…
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Inside the Kotex brand overhaul
Kotex is in the midst of a makeover.Or, rather, it’s in the process of “a complete brand overhaul” of everything from innovation to marketing to activation, Katie Moran, president of the adult and feminine care…
5 AI Models Tried to Scam Me. Some of Them Were Scary Good
I recently witnessed how scary-good artificial intelligence is getting at the human side of computer hacking, when the following message popped up on my laptop screen:Hi Will,I’ve been following your AI Lab newsletter and really…
All things creator marketing with Kay Hsu
Kay Hsu is global head of Spotify’s creative lab. She’s set to speak at Marketing Brew’s upcoming event, The Next Phase of Social & Creator Marketing, on May 12.Ahead of the event, we caught up…
AI Drafting My Stories? Over My Dead Body
Sportswriting legend Red Smith once said that writing a column is easy: “All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.” In 2026, though, no blood is required. All you do is sit…
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How Grant & Ash are rewriting the rules of creator brand safety
If you don’t know Grant & Ash, they have a song for you.Since 2022, creators Grant Gibbs and Ashley Gill,…
With One Million Displaced, Lebanon Turns to Digital Wallets for Aid
Since March, Israeli attacks on Beirut and the occupation of southern Lebanon have displaced over 1 million people. Families are…
Polymarket and Kalshi are turning TV programming into one big casino
When entertainment enthusiasts tune into TV and movie awards shows, there’s no way to tell who might take home the…
“Uncanny Valley”: OpenAI and Musk Fight Again; DOJ Mishandles Voter Data; Artemis II Comes Home
This week, our hosts discuss why OpenAI and Elon Musk’s legal feud is heating up once again—and happening alongside SpaceX’s…
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Meta’s AI push has made its way into ad creative. Not all marketers are happy about it
Something was off.Last summer, the clothing brand Snag Tights began noticing some AI-generated tweaks to its Meta ad creative, Brie Read, brand CEO, told Marketing Brew. The brand addressed it in a Facebook post in February: “If you see an ad from us that looks ‘off’ or has that strange…
Allbirds Is Pivoting to AI Compute. Sure, Why Not
On April 7, Allbirds sent out a press release celebrating its new “canvas cruiser” collection and a partnership with Pantone, the color company. One week later, on April 15, Allbirds sent out a press release announcing that the brand will “pivot its business to AI compute infrastructure.” AI comes at…
Sydney Sweeney is back for another American Eagle campaign
Syd’s back, tell a friend.On Wednesday, American Eagle unveiled its newest Sydney Sweeney campaign, continuing a top-dollar partnership from last summer that led to much conversation, controversy, and, ultimately, big results for the clothing brand.CMO Craig Brommers told us the first round of Sweeney ads was the “most successful campaign…
China Is Cracking Down on Scams. Just Not the Ones Hitting Americans
Governments around the world have been struggling to address the rise of industrial-scale scamming operations based in countries like Laos, Myanmar, and Cambodia that have cost victims billions of dollars over the past few years. The operations often have ties to Chinese organized crime, use forced labor to carry out…
How Gen Alpha is changing the in-store experience
For years, malls have been on the verge of death. Could online fatigue change that?Older generations grew up watching many facets of life shift from IRL to online, including shopping. But as younger generations search for places outside of home and school to hang out and watch as creators encourage…
The 70-Person AI Image Startup Taking on Silicon Valley’s Giants
Standing inside the HumanX conference in San Francisco’s Moscone Center, it’s hard not to feel like you’re at the center of the AI universe. Technology leaders swarm the building, and the headquarters of OpenAI and Anthropic are just down the block. But a 70-person startup headquartered 5,000 miles away in…
What’s up with those Museum of Sex bus ads?
If you’ve walked down any street in New York City recently, chances are high that you’ve seen an MTA bus and, with it, an ad for the Museum of Sex.Across the city, more than 3,000 buses are running with the museum’s logo plastered across the front, which has led to…
The US Army Is Building Its Own Chatbot for Combat
The US Army is developing AI models trained on data from real missions, with the goal of deploying a chatbot specifically for soldiers.“We have all of these lessons learned from missions like the Ukraine-Russia War and Operation Epic Fury,” says Alex Miller, the Army’s chief technology officer, in an interview…
How New York City FC got its pigeon mascot
On a Sunday in late March, MLS fans packed into Yankee Stadium—the temporary home of New York City FC—to watch Thiago Martins, Aiden O’Neill, and the rest of the home team take on Inter Miami FC and Leo Messi.Before the players took the pitch, though, all eyes were on the…
This Startup Wants You to Pay Up to Talk With AI Versions of Human Experts
The company isn’t exactly breaking new ground. The idea of a chatbot standing in for a human is fairly common. As is the idea of cashing in on it. For instance, Manhattan psychologist Becky Kennedy has built a parenting advice business that features a chatbot named Gigi trained on her…
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Axe asks soccer fans to go out on a limb for World Cup tickets
What would you do for a pair of World Cup tickets? Put on a ridiculous…
Mondelēz taps soccer stars to get people snacking during World Cup
Sports and snacks go hand in hand, and Mondelēz International has a wealth of experience…
Robotaxi Outage in China Leaves Passengers Stranded on Highways
An unknown technical problem caused a number of robotaxis owned by the Chinese tech giant…
Merrell’s pitch to non-outdoorsy consumers: Go outside instead
Touching grass is good for you, and it’s actually not that hard. At least, not…
Duolingo’s Luis von Ahn Wants to Delete the Blockchain
Luis von Ahn could have retired to a beach somewhere years ago. Best known as…