Things are about to get real — OpenAI is poised to take on the fight of its life. And the battle could shape the future of search advertising forever. Also, the surprising price of virtual influencers. Google is planning to reveal your sales data to the public. And how much brand damage have I done to this podcast with the high ad frequency on the free feed? An expert weighs in. Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Everything they've ever bought — imagine using that to target people in your ads. Well, that time has come. Also: Threads plans to reveal your view counts. Pinterest adds a new certification. And the Apple ad that everyone seems to be mad about. Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Meta's new subscription plans are out and I sure hope you like being disappointed. Shopify's stock plunges after a quarterly loss. Amazon extends an olive branch to sellers. And a soul-destroying look at the Google ad platform's bizarre discrepancies. Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

How curvy is the font you're using in your product ads? It could make a difference. Also, TikTok isn't going down without a fight. How Amazon wants to close the funnel gap. And Google removes one of its oldest features. Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Why Meta no longer lets you pick which product to advertise. YouTube's new AI might be costing your brand viewers. Instagram's new Sticker could flood your inbox. And the new feature on Threads that might be a brand safety tool in disguise. Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Is it possible that the perceived gender of the AI voice you choose for your TikTok ads could be one of the most important factors in whether you’ll get a sale? Or, if you market a charity, whether you should use one of those "trembling" voices to evoke empathy? In this special deep-dive episode, Tod speaks with the co-author of two papers on how changing AI voices in video ads can affect sales and donations. Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Physical stores are closing and it's all your fault. The music is back on TikTok. People are watching less ad-supported content. And the prices of podcast ads continue to drop. Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

The court case that could dramatically change the Facebook feed as we know it. Why Google is automatically pausing your keywords. Pinterest's user numbers jump, but at what cost? And the game heard around the world — and at LinkedIn. Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

The sales boost you could get by telling your customers how to write their reviews. Instagram tweaks its algorithm to favour smaller accounts. Why does Apple hate advertisers so much? And collateral damage: The video app that might go down with the TikTok ship. Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

You mocked them at first, but now the results on pause ads are in — and they're kind of amazing. Also: Threads makes a big move. Does the ad business need its own 'nutrition label'? And Google's video ads push beyond YouTube. Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Ban or no ban, were TikTok's days as the marketers' darling numbered anyway? The world's largest ad agency may be considering breaking up. And getting your AI to explain its recommendations to consumers might boost your sales. Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Revenues up but stock price down — what caused the crash of Meta's stock? Just two letters. Also: You're not imagining it: Your Google clicks are costing more. And young TikTok creators say please, for the love of god, don't make us use Instagram! Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

They're baaack — third-party cookies: Will they ever die? Stripe makes a big move away from payments. Threads now has more daily users than X. And a review of Meta's spanky new AI: Spoiler alert — it's not great. Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Now even Reddit comments are filling up with AI spam — and a whole new generation of bots are lined up to take marketers' money. Why your buyers are willing to wait up to five days longer for their purchase. What media buyers are saying about the proposed TikTok sale. And Europe says TikTok's latest promotion is as addictive as cigarettes. Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Your ad costs are going up — is it all Temu's fault? TikTok influencers say their peers are going into brand deals too hard. And the hilarious glitch at Microsoft which is sowing confusion among the Mikes. Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Fake company, real products — inside the elaborate secret Amazon scheme. Also: How to get your ads beside the most popular Shorts content. Your brand's Facebook group might break on Monday. And X is having another very bad week. Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Companies are now selling their users' brainwave data to target consumers with ads, and lawmakers are just now catching wind of it. Also: What to expect from ads on Threads. Why ad tech AI is watching episodes of The Office. And a long-time Google ad extension is going away. Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

It's happening — tappable links might be coming to TikTok videos. LinkedIn's new Premium company pages have a creepy but probably very effective new feature. The digital ad industry didn't suck as much as you think it did last year. And Elon has a plan for ridding X of bots: Give him more money. Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

What a difference an S makes — why one single letter could change the future of your brand. Also: Amazon runs in where others have bolted out. DMs are coming to Threads, only they're not. The self-fulfilling prophecy of one heavily SEOed article. And the brilliant reason McDonald's latest billboards have nothing on them — literally, not even their logo. Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Tod speaks with Dr. Cat Armstrong Soule who co-authored a marketing research paper about how marketers should use numbers and percentage in marketing copy. The paper is called “Manipulating Consumers with the Truth: Relative-Difference Claims in Advertising and Inferences of Manipulative Intent.” Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Your product sales could be on autopilot, after TikTok unveils its latest scheme. Roblox branches into the programmatic market. Amazon's not preferring its own products over yours any more (well, not as much, anyway). And how Wordpress's latest plugin can tell the future. Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

CPMs up, morale down: Is Temu behind the recent downturn in Meta ads? LinkedIn's scam solution will cost you. YouTube videos for kids are getting comments back. And why TikTok says videos in two languages will get you better results. Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

A new report on the PPC industry is out; we have expert analysis. Google is training its AI on your public Google Docs... Hootsuite buys a major social listening platform. And the guy selling an empty bottle might just be the year's most innovative product marketer. Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Under Pressure: TikTok is about to push out a new app, as Instagram says "Let's Dance." The Modern Love between third-party platforms and APIs. And Life on Mars might seem easier than the Space Oddity we're seeing in Meta's ad auction these days. Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy