June 9 2023 - Fire-y Friday

👋Happy Friday friends, we made it. No fuss today, just the news – let's get into it.

Adobe plans to sell a generative AI subscription that includes copyright assurance. The subscription will offer access to generative AI tools across Adobe products, allowing customers to generate content like text and images. If a customer is sued for copyright infringement, Adobe will pay damages and provide assistance in court. This offering aims to position Adobe as a responsible player in the AI imagery space, ensuring that its products do not plagiarize or create offensive content. The pricing for the subscription will be negotiated with individual customers based on their organization's size.

TBWA has established a centralized global design studio called Design by Disruption (DXD) to emphasize design as a key differentiator. Led by Bruno Regalo, TBWA's global chief design officer, DXD is based in TBWA\Chiat\Day LA and has a core team in Los Angeles, as well as designers and strategists across the United States, Canada, and Brazil. The studio will offer end-to-end brand experience services to help clients connect with consumers beyond traditional advertising formats. TBWA's design offerings experienced significant revenue growth last year and played a crucial role in securing new clients such as LG and Sephora. DXD aims to be a bridge between communication and design, providing consultancy and creative work to clients. Its focus will be on conceptualization, execution, and creating cohesive brand experiences across various platforms.

Carvana shares jumped over 40% after the company announced improved profit outlook for the second quarter due to cost-cutting measures. Carvana had faced challenges in the past year, including falling used-car prices and the impact of rising interest rates and inflation. Carvana expects adjusted earnings of over $50 million for the second quarter, surpassing analysts' expectations of a $6.1 million loss. As of March 31, the company had a debt of over $8 billion.

• MLS and Athletics have collaborated to create a vibrant brand for MLS GO, an engaging program designed to introduce children to soccer. The project includes a dynamic word mark and a lovable mascot that embodies the lighthearted spirit of the league.

• McKinney has named Gretchen Walsh as its new president, making her the company's first female president in 54 years. Walsh was previously McKinney's chief client officer and will lead the agency's influencer strategy and health and wellness practice.
• Uber is introducing a new feature called Uber Carshare, allowing users to rent out their cars through the app, aiming to promote sustainability in its ride-hailing business. Users can list their vehicles and earn money when others rent them through the Uber app. Uber Carshare is part of the company's efforts to achieve a zero-emissions platform by 2040. It will compete with existing car-sharing marketplaces like Turo and GetAround in the US and will initially launch in Boston and Toronto.
• Cohere, an AI startup that offers access to natural language processing (NLP) powered by large language models (LLMs), has raised $270 million in a series C round of funding led by Inovia with participation from Nvidia, Oracle, Salesforce Ventures, and others, valuing the company at over $2 billion. Cohere's enterprise AI suite is cloud-agnostic and built to be deployed inside a customer's existing cloud environment or virtual private cloud (VPC), or on-site.

• Intuit QuickBooks has appointed R/GA to expand its brand positioning in Australia. R/GA won the multi-agency review after the brand called for a pitch process in January. R/GA will be the agency of record for QuickBooks in Australia, bringing creative campaigns to market across the brand’s integrated suite of products under a new global brand platform.
• Google will launch its long-delayed News Showcase product in the US this summer, paying over 150 news publications to feature their content. The move is aimed at supporting media outlets and comes after the company received criticism from news organizations for using content in its products without compensating publishers.
• Mark Zuckerberg addressed employees at an all-hands meeting to reassure them about the company's strategy, particularly its focus on artificial intelligence (AI) and the metaverse. Zuckerberg highlighted the incorporation of AI into various Meta products and discussed specific AI initiatives, including AI agents for Messenger and WhatsApp, AI media editing tools for Instagram stories, and internal tools like AI chatbots for employee feedback. He also encouraged employees to participate in a generative AI hackathon to explore new ideas. Zuckerberg also claimed that Apple has "no kind of magical solutions" to the problems of AR/VR hardware design that Meta's engineers and researchers "haven’t already explored and thought of". Despite the recent challenges, Meta's stock has performed well, more than doubling in value this year.
• A coalition of climate organizations staged a protest outside the offices of Wunderman Thompson, to criticize the company for its recent Shell ad campaign, which was found to be misleading by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA). The activists handed out "best in greenwashing" awards to Wunderman Thompson employees. The coalition is calling for a ban on fossil fuel advertising, similar to the restrictions on tobacco advertising. They argue that major polluting companies are attempting to present themselves as environmentally friendly while continuing to invest in fossil fuels. The protest comes as Shell's global media account is up for pitch, prompting further criticism from climate activists.

• The creator of third-party Reddit app Apollo has announced that the platform will shut down on June 30th, after Reddit decided to charge for API access to third-party developers. Christian Selig, who built Apollo and is the only developer working on the app, claimed it would have cost him around $20m per year under Reddit’s new rules. Selig also accused Reddit of slandering him and making the situation irrecoverable. Another Reddit app, RIF, will also shut down on 30 June because of the platform’s unwillingness to compromise, its developer said.
• LinkedIn has launched a generative AI tool called AI Copy Suggestions, which automates the writing process for ad campaigns. Users can generate introductory text and headlines for their ads, leveraging data from LinkedIn to ensure relevance. They have the option to make changes and align the content with their brand language. The feature uses OpenAI's GPT models and provides pre-written options based on the user's brand page, campaign objectives, targeting criteria, and audience.
• WhatsApp has introduced a new feature called "Channels," which allows accounts to send one-way broadcasts to followers and permits administrators to select who can follow their channel and whether it should be discoverable. The messaging app does not feature end-to-end encryption, but it does retain privacy measures such as preventing followers from taking screenshots or forwarding messages, while admin info and history is kept confidential. It is rolling out first to "leading global organizations" and select groups in Columbia and Singapore.

• Khan Academy has developed an experimental chatbot tutor for schools called Khanmigo that uses AI to simulate one-on-one human tutoring. This technology aims to automatically customize academic support and provide an alternative learning experience for self-directed students. However, critics argue that unproven automated tutoring systems like this one could make errors, foster cheating, diminish the role of teachers, or hinder critical thinking.
• Google is intensifying its efforts to bring employees back to the office by threatening to include nonattendance on performance reviews if workers don't comply with the three-day in-office requirement. The company had previously allowed for more flexibility with remote work. In contrast, Salesforce, which had embraced remote work early on, is attempting to entice employees back to the office by pledging to donate $10 per day to local nonprofits for each day workers report to an office over a two-week period. This comes as executives across corporate America are using a combination of incentives and threats to encourage employees to return to the office, while workers are hesitant to give up the flexibility gained during the pandemic. The tug-of-war over remote work continues, with executives believing that the office is crucial for innovation and collaboration, while workers argue that remote work has benefited their mental health and work-life balance.
• MullenLowe has unveiled a new global identity that unites its offices in 57 markets worldwide. The new logo is an evolution of its iconic octopus imagery and reflects its fluid, ever-changing business model. MullenLowe's Head of Design, João Paz and Head of Brand and Communications, Lu Borges spoke about the new identity which includes a customizable octopus logo, a tentacle typeface in 3D and 2D, and a serif wordmark that swims against the current.

• Meta is focusing on promoting Reels, its short-form video feature, at the Cannes Lions Festival. The company aims to showcase how Reels has transformed content creation, consumption, and sharing, and how brands can utilize Reels Ads to achieve business success. KidSuper, a clothing company that leverages technology and Reels for collaborations and product launches, will be featured as a successful case study. Meta's global business group head, Nicola Mendelsohn, and KidSuper's founder, Colm Dillane, will discuss the use of technology and connections to drive innovation and business growth.
• Salesforce is utilizing virtual production to reduce costs while creating more video content in-house with a much smaller team. With the help of virtual production technologies, the company's marketing team has at a fraction of the cost, using digital backgrounds and foregrounds to create locations instead of traveling.
• New York-based creative agency, JOAN Creative, has launched JOAN London, its first international office, to be led by former Refinery29 VP creative Kirsty Hathaway and former joint head of business leadership at McCann London, Tom Ghiden. JOAN London comes equipped with JOAN Creative's full-service maker studio, JOAN Studios, and will leverage the agency's proprietary strategic brand mapping tool, The Growth Wheel, to build brand leaders and drive transformation in the EMEA market.

• US jobless claims reach a 21-month high, with most of the increase occurring in two states
• GM to use Tesla charging network, joining Ford
• The surprising merger between PGA and LIV could have repercussions for brands due to its controversial backing
• Uber Eats to launch feature allowing customers to pick restaurants with sustainable packaging.
• Burger King's new UK ad takes viewers on a nostalgic trip through time
• The timing of Diablo IV's ad
• The Oldest Maps in the World
• How Lionel Messi’s Miami Deal Stymied Saudi Arabia
• Nexus Studios boosts commercial roster with the addition of director Emily Dean, known for pushing the boundaries of adult animation.
• FutureDeluxe Sydney creates a visually stunning ad for Lexus
• FBI warns of rising extortion schemes using deepfaked nude images created with AI editing tools.
• Campbell Soup sees decrease in U.S. soup sales, consumers shifting towards shelf-stable options.
• Wildfire Smoke Boosts N95 Mask Demand
• ‘The Witcher’ Season 3 drops full trailer

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