The Drum

You can say it feels a bit "meta" to post this here -- experts weigh whether or not Meta's @Threadsapp is a strong social contender for brands after the young platform reportedly lost half of its daily active users.

Elon Musk has launched his own AI company with the stated mission of "understanding the true nature of the universe." https://www.thedrum.com/news/2023/07/13/do-marketers-need-pay-attention-elon-musks-latest-venture-xai

Barbie is everything. Check out The Drum's list of the top plastic & fantastic Barbie brand campaigns 🎀 💖

Hbd @7eleven

A federal court has shot down arguments by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) that @microsoft’s $69bn bid for @activisionblizzard would unfairly impede competition. The decision clears the path for the purchase – which could bolster Microsoft‘s business in more ways than one. https://www.thedrum.com/news/2023/07/11/with-activision-deal-ok-d-judge-microsoft-scores-sony-wont-fold-easily-pros-say

How is @zuck managing to sell @threadsapp so successfully? @Crenshawcomm partner Chris Harihar offers two PR lessons from the earliest days of Meta's Twitter-like platform. https://www.thedrum.com/opinion/2023/07/11/zuckerberg-s-pr-win-how-threads-winning-its-way-positive-press

Ad of the Day: Orange sees a woman dance through the air and is a nod to Burberry. Read about our Ad of the Day from Publicis Conseil here: https://www.thedrum.com/news/2023/07/10/ad-the-day-orange-nods-burberry-with-airborne-choreographed-spot

Last week an @OnlyFans creator saw 4 relatively sfw billboards spark debate around porn creators' right to OOH advertising. After the sites were vandalized, critiqued, and complained about to watchdogs, the model in question, @elizarosewatson hits back. Do the ads cross the line? Does the creator have the right to promote her business in public spaces? https://www.thedrum.com/opinion/2023/07/07/onlyfans-billboard-model-speaks-we-must-shed-shackles-outdated-moral-judgment

Our new regular columnist, Pollyanna Ward from @flightstoryagency, has delved deep into the new and exciting world of Threads to work out if it's a true Twitter killer. She compares the network's performance for brands against Twitter's and offers tips on how to be a first-mover in social. Got any extra tips for operating on Threads? #opinion #advertising #socialmedia https://www.thedrum.com/opinion/2023/07/10/does-threads-now-pack-more-punch-twitter

🍟day

Fire drill Friday: Cooking up POVs on the fly 🔥

Hype about AI is continuing to churn along steadily within the ad industry. But how are marketing teams actually using the technology in order to help employees and clients? We reached out to agencies to find out. @vmlyr @codeandtheory @havasnorthamerica @wpp @tbwa @mccann_mw @hugeinc https://www.thedrum.com/news/2023/07/06/here-s-how-five-major-ad-agencies-are-currently-using-ai