Reading up on advertising
22 deep · digging since dec 09, 25
- ChatGPT failed to kill Google Search - Sherwood News
Alphabet's Google Search revenue accelerated to 19% growth as AI features drove increased user engagement, proving its built-in user base and capital spending advantage over OpenAI.
- Can Content Creators Get Rich Off A.I. Slop Like Tung Tung Tung Sahur? - The New York Times
AI-generated slop videos on TikTok and Instagram are becoming a profitable business model for creators like Norbert Barszczewski, who earned over $37,000 in a month through Affiliate Network's viral ad campaigns.
- Google Pushes AI-Generated Ads Further Into Search Results - WSJ
Google is testing new ad formats in standard search and its AI Mode to convert AI features into ad revenue as Meta threatens to overtake its digital ad dominance.
- Google changes its search box
Google's shift to AI-generated search summaries threatens the ad-revenue web model by extracting content without sending traffic back to publishers.
- YouTube Plays Matchmaker for Sponsors and Stars
YouTube is launching a formal marketplace to broker sponsorship deals between brands and influencers, countering poaching by Netflix and TikTok.
- How ChatGPT serves ads
OpenAI serves ads in ChatGPT by injecting single_advertiser_ad_unit objects into the SSE response, with four Fernet-encrypted tokens and contextual targeting.
- How ChatGPT serves ads. Here's the full attribution loop.
OpenAI's ChatGPT ad platform injects structured ad units into conversation streams and uses Fernet-encrypted tokens with a browser SDK to track conversions.
- The 49MB web page
News websites like the NYT have grown bloated with ads and tracking, reaching 49MB, driving users to block JavaScript or seek alternatives.
- How ‘Sync Music’ Became the Soundtrack to Our Lives - The New York Times
Sync music — licensed songs placed in ads, shows, and games — has grown into a dominant revenue stream for artists and labels, reshaping how music is discovered and consumed.
- Backed by Anthropic, a Super PAC Group Begins an Ad Blitz in Support of A.I. Regulation - The New York Times
Anthropic-backed Super PAC Public First Action launches ad campaign supporting A.I. regulation ahead of the U.S. midterm elections.
- The 2026 Super Bowl Ads, Ranked - The New York Times
A New York Times critic ranks the 2026 Super Bowl commercials from best to worst, with a separate category for A.I.-related ads.
- The Subtle Marketing Move Behind Justin Bieber’s Grammys Boxers - The New York Times
Justin Bieber's performance in sparkly lavender boxers at the Grammys was a deliberate marketing strategy to generate buzz.
- Monetizing AI surfaces: Ads in the age of AI
OpenAI is testing intent-based ads and affiliate commerce in ChatGPT, with potential to become a $10B+ business if it builds effective measurement and avoids compromising answer quality.
- How Meta’s Reels Became a $50 Billion Business - WSJ
Meta's Reels has grown from a TikTok imitation with no revenue into a $50 billion annual run-rate business, driven by AI recommendations and increased video engagement.
- AI Marketing Examples: 13 Times AI Actually Delivered
13 brands used AI to cut costs and production time without replacing human strategy, achieving results like doubled sales, 81% lower cost-per-click, and 10 million viral views.
- Rather than fully cracking down on scam ads, Meta worked to make them harder to find - Sherwood News
Rather than fully removing scam ads, Meta made them harder for regulators and journalists to find, fearing costly verification requirements, and added the tactic to a global playbook.
- Uber Ads Launches Intelligence Insights Tool for Marketers - Business Insider
Uber launches Uber Intelligence, a data clean room partnership with LiveRamp, letting advertisers combine customer data with Uber's trip and delivery data for targeted ads.
Takes
Introducing iMessage video ads in Claude We taught Claude to make iMessage video ads in one shot with a single skill. These iMessage ads are absolutely killing it on Meta right now. The skill teaches Claude to make a full video ad in one shot with iPhone frame, SFX, music, and end card. And it's just HTML. It doesn't use any video generation models, so it's cheap! Comment Goose below and I'll send you the skill.
@shivsakhuja
Fable 5 + Goose Ads is insane – literally a full ad-creative team right in Claude Code. 1. Install the skill: npx gooseworks install --all npx gooseworks login 2. Ask Claude Fable to make ads for your brand. /goose-ads create ads for my brand <your-website>. Fable 5 pulls the ads already winning in your space and rebuilds them on-brand – your product, your palette, your copy – a whole batch, ready to test. It can ship a month of creative testing in a single prompt. This is also possible with Opus and Sonnet, but Fable's brand research is next level. Link below.
@shivsakhuja
One of the best decisions I made: Learning ads in 2022-2023. I've enjoyed building a personal brand. I'm very proud of it, and I love sharing what I've learned and help others win. But I'm also very happy that I can step back, take long breaks, and my businesses keep running. AI recommendations and word of mouth drive a lot of sales too, but they are hard to control. Ads are the simplest, most "renewable" form of distribution. I don't necessarily agree that building a personal brand is a waste of time. But definitely learn other skills on the side, and make sure your business doesn't entirely depend on you "shaking ass" day in and day out.
@SimonHoiberg
Twenty-odd years ago, Jason and I did this promo for Apple. It was made by @davemorin and lived on Apple's site. It's incredible how well it still holds up! I really do need a beautiful computer to do my best work. Today, it's no longer made by Apple, but the principles endure.
@dhh
Major upgrade to 𝕏 advertising
@elonmusk