TL;DR

_Agency_ updates

• For The Drum’s deep dive into all things data, our very own Ardalan Salam, VP, Data & Technology and Michael Maiman, VP, Performance Media wrote about how data enabled TikTok’s rapid rise.

_Interesting_ campaigns / creative

• Budweiser has launched BudMag, a mini music magazine printed on the inside of the 12-packs. (AdAge)

  

• Rip Curl and Fiji Tourism ran the world’s first virtual surf competition without participants even knowing they were involved. (Campaign Brief)

  

• A new spot from Canada Post sees invisible boxes gliding through highways and roads to tout carbon transparency. (The Drum)

  

• Absolut launched a new campaign that transforms AI-generated imagery into real cocktails inspired by Canadian neighborhoods. (The Drum)

  

Audiences

• A majority of US Gen Z adults (56%) and millennials (52%) have bought a product because it had an interesting logo while 34% of all US adults have. (Morning Consult)

  

• Two-thirds (64%) of TV/video buyers think that creator-driven video can be considered premium. (Media Post)

  

• 34% of US adults used points or rewards on travel purchases to save money, a 6 point increase since last summer. (Morning Consult)

  

• Only 22M urban Indian adults (1.6% of the total population) see 3+ Hindi films/year in theater, indicating movie-going is actually a luxury. (Ormax)

Platforms

• TikTok creators are rushing to build their Instagram and YouTube followings amid threats of a potential ban, leading to a surge in content migration between platforms. (CNBC)

• Sling TV lost 200K subscribers in Q1, bringing its total subscriber count down to 2.1M. (Streamable)

• Amazon launched a new service, “Amazon Anywhere,” that lets customers purchase physical products from its online store while playing video games or interacting in virtual reality. (AP)

• Horizon Worlds creators can’t make events anymore, making it much more difficult to build communities on the platform. (The Verge)

• 25% of employees will be laid off across the Showtime, MTV Entertainment Studios and Paramount Media Networks groups in the US. (Variety)

• TikTok is launching a new “TikTok World Hub” for brands that's designed to help them learn how to connect with audiences and get discovered. (Tech Crunch)

• Meta is giving Facebook and Instagram creators a way to make money based on how many people view their videos in a bid to compete with TikTok. (Bloomberg)

• The total number of Disney+ subscribers declined slightly in Q1 to 157.8M, down from 161.8M in the prior quarter. (THR)

• Twitter introduced new features including emoji reactions for DMs and end-to-end DM encryption. (The Verge)

• BET+ is introducing an ad-supported tier called BET+ Essential. (AdAge)

• Total ad revenue for the podcast industry reached $1.8B during 2022, falling short of the $2.1B expectation and indicating a slowdown. (THR)

• By the end of 2023, 330M SVOD subscriptions, or 20% of the global SVOD market by subscriptions, will be via operator bundles. (Digital TV Europe)

• Sony’s Pure Flix, a faith-based streaming service, will merge with Great American Media, putting Pure Flix's content in front of traditional TV viewers. (CNBC)

• Amazon is forming Amazon MGM Studios Distribution to handle the placement of its shows and movies on outside services. (The Verge)

• Hulu content will be added to Disney+ to create a "one app experience." (CNBC)

Content

• Production of shows including "Stranger Things" and "Severance" has been paused due to the ongoing writers' strike. (HuffPost)

• Taylor Swift announced the re-recording of her album "Speak Now (Taylor's Version)" as part of her ongoing efforts to regain control of her music catalog. (Pitchfork)

• "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" had the second biggest US opening of the year, bringing in $118M in its domestic box office debut. (Variety)

• "Atlanta" and "Better Call Saul" earned their second Peabody Awards, having previously won the honor for their respective first seasons. (THR)

• LATAM is the second fastest growing region for the music industry, just behind Sub-Saharan Africa, seeing 2022 revenue gains of 25.9%. (IFPI)

• "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" debuted to $28M in China over the weekend, making it Hollywood’s biggest China opening of 2023 thus far. (THR)

• Engagement with sports content is rising fast on the TikTok, with virtually all major sports seeing increases in activity over the past year. (Social Media Today)

  

• Peacock will stream all 2024 Olympic events, and the opening ceremony and key finals will stream live. (THR)

_Tech_ _&_ AI

• Amazon is building a team to generate photos and videos for advertisers using AI. (The Information)

• OpenAI no longer relies on API customer data to train its large-language models and ChatGPT. (CNBC)

• Microsoft is introducing a new chat ads API that lets publishers pick their own ad formats. (Marketing Dive)

• Spotify has pulled tens of thousands of AI-generated tracks from its platform that were made with the AI platform Boomy. (Engadget)

• Google is testing generative AI technology for shopping that will present unique product recommendations and create personalized images for shoppers. (BoF)

• Google dropped its waitlist for AI chatbot Bard and announced new features including dark mode and export functions. (The Verge)

• Eventbrite integrated GPT capabilities into its platform, helping creators save time on event pages, email campaigns, and social media ads. (Tech Crunch)

• GSMA, the organizer of Mobile World Congress, faces a potential fine of up to €20M for GDPR violations related to its AI-driven event participant matchmaking service, AEDP. (Tech Crunch)

• In addition to AI-generated profile summaries and job descriptions, LinkedIn is also experimenting with generative AI feed posts. (Social Media Today)

Location-based _entertainment_

• Restaurants are embracing reservations that target higher-income diners as more consumers book their tables ahead of time. (CNBC)

• The Immersive Disney Animation experience is coming to Los Angeles in June and incorporates Disney titles like Snow White, The Little Mermaid, Frozen and Encanto. (THR)

• Oakland and Bally's Corp have an agreement in place for the Athletics MLB team to construct a $1.5B stadium on a portion of the Tropicana Las Vegas site. (NBC)

• Kendrick Lamar, Foo Fighters, and Shania Twain will headline at Austin City Limits Music Festival 2023. (KXAN)

• Disney World will lift park reservation requirements and bring back dining plans in 2024. (USA Today)

• Knott’s Berry Farm in California and Carowinds in North Carolina have joined Worlds of Fun in Missouri in implementing new chaperone policies due to unruly behavior. (BlooLoop)

• Bally's received site plan approval for its $1.7B Chicago casino, solidifying its plans to begin construction in late 2024. (Yogonet)

_Mental_ health

• 95% of people in a study by Mind said their mood improved after spending time outside. Treat your mind and body to some time in nature!

• Here is a customized Spotify playlist to listen to while spending time in nature.