Supreme Court decision allows White House to keep talking to social media platforms

The Supreme Court case Murthy v. Missouri centers on allegations that the Biden administration coerced social media companies into censoring certain content, which the plaintiffs argue violates the First Amendment. The case claims that federal officials pressured social media platforms to remove content they deemed misinformation (SCOTUSblog)​​ (Knight Columbia). However, as stated on The Verge, “ SCOTUS ruled that plaintiffs who brought the case had no standing, clearing the way for the government to continue communicating with social media companies about COVID or election misinformation.” 

Meta starts testing user-created A.I. chatbots on Instagram

This one’s a bit creepy but also super futuristic. Zuckerberg announced that Meta is testing its “A.I. Studio” on Instagram with select U.S. creators. They can now build A.I. versions of themselves to chat with fans via D.M.s. These A.I. bots can handle basic questions and mimic the creator’s style for personalized interactions. While it's a cool way to manage fan queries, it blurs the line between real and automated interactions. Meta’s working on clear A.I. disclosures to avoid tricking users, but it’s a big shift from the authenticity social media platforms have been pushing. It feels like we’re moving towards a platform where bots engage with bots, sidelining real human interactions.

Welcome to the fediverse: Your guide to Mastodon, Threads, Bluesky and more

Is this the next big thing in social media? If you've never heard the term “fediverse” before, you're not alone. But it might just be the future, so make sure you read the article I've listed above. In short, the fediverse is a network of interconnected, decentralized social media platforms allowing users to communicate across different services like Mastodon, Threads, and Bluesky. What's crucial to know is that Meta recently announced deeper integration of Threads with the fediverse. Now, users in 100+ countries can turn on sharing to the fediverse, making cross-platform interactions smoother and more seamless. This move could potentially be the start of the future of social media, where we see a more open and interconnected digital landscape.

Claude 3.5 Sonnet is out 

Anthropic just launched Claude 3.5 Sonnet, a new A.I. model that outperforms previous versions with twice the speed and cost-effective pricing. It's available for free on Claude.ai and via API, Amazon Bedrock, and Google Cloud. The model excels in nuanced understanding, humor, and complex instructions, making it ideal for customer support and coding tasks. A new feature, Artifacts, allows users to interact with AI-generated content in real time. A.I. is the future, and as marketers, it’s crucial to stay updated on new tools that can optimize our time and results. Check out this update and leverage it to enhance your marketing efforts.

TikTok’s Instagram rival, Whee, has no traction

So TikTok has launched a new app yet again. Whee, the latest creation by ByteDance, is an Instagram-like feed of images designed to be shared only with friends. While it’s still unavailable in the U.S., it quietly launched on June 18 in 71 countries worldwide. Due to the lack of promotion, Whee didn’t make it into the Top Free Apps chart on Apple’s App Store, nor did it immediately become one of the Top 500 Social apps in its supported markets, though that later changed. As of June 25, Whee had only gained 13,000 total global downloads on iOS and over 10,000 Android downloads, according to Google Play data. It’s an odd launch, and Whee’s arrival could be a plan B for ByteDance to maintain a social presence in the U.S. if TikTok’s ban is upheld. We’ll keep following this and see where it goes.

What’s the Deal With ‘Hawk Tuah’ Girl?

There’s no way you missed the “Hawk Tuah” girl this week. Hailey Welch went viral after her explicit comments in a Tim & Dee TV street interview, amassing almost 4 million views. Now, she’s capitalizing on her NSFW fame by selling merch through “Fathead Threads,” already racking up over $65,000 in sales. Honestly, I'm kinda sad I didn’t see any sex-related companies using this viral trend to create some fun RTM content. Lot’s of missed opportunities there. 

‘Morals of an alleycat’: who won the debate meme wars, Biden or Trump?

We won’t dive into politics here, but we can all agree this debate was something else. Social media exploded with some great memes but honestly, the debate was concerning. Since you’ve probably already seen it and the memes, I'll conclude with this tweet that says it all:

Toyota targets Gen Z, millennials on YouTube with Corolla Hybrid short film

In short: Toyota has unveiled a short film titled “Getaway Driver” as part of the automaker’s Toyota's new Corolla Hybrid campaign, targets Gen Z and millennials with a funny short film starring King Bach, who has a massive following on Instagram and TikTok. The video "Getaway Driver" premiered on Toyota's YouTube and got over 250k views on King Bach's Instagram. I think they nailed the humor and choice of presenter, but the campaign feels incomplete. There's no TikTok presence or additional promotional content. They put a lot of effort into a great campaign but didn’t fully execute it. More supporting content could have amplified its reach and engagement.

Cannes Lions 2024 has just wrapped up, and we’ve attached the list of U.S. winners for you. This is a goldmine for creative inspiration, showcasing the best campaigns from the past year. We highly recommend checking out the different ads and diving deep into each campaign to spark your creativity. It’s amazing how creative people can be, and this is exactly why we LOVE marketing.

Procter & Gamble is backing a new unscripted series, “Khaby Is Coming To America,” featuring TikTok star Khaby Lame exploring U.S. culture. Premiered on Tubi on June 27 and created with Group Black, the series follows Lame as he visits different U.S. cities in each 20-minute episode. Guest stars include Alicia Keys, Jon Baptiste, David Beckham, and Steven A. Smith. Through this unique campaign, P&G and Group Black aim to bridge cultures and promote brands like Tide, Crest, Febreze, and Bevel.

Chipotle is extending its Celebrity Card, granting one free meal per day for a year, to fans on TikTok, Instagram, and X. From June 25 to July 3, fans can apply by sharing content with the hashtag #CelebCardContest explaining why they deserve the card. I love this campaign. It gained a lot of engagement and cleverly shifted focus from recent controversies about portion sizes. By encouraging fans to share why they love Chipotle, the brand flipped the narrative. It's a brilliant example of using incentives to boost brand traction and engage their active community.