Netflix pushes advertising & Adam Driver denounces Netflix

Welcome to the last day in August. Hope you didn’t miss the “super blue moon.” If you did, don’t worry—there’ll be another one in 2037.

AI Entices Marketers and Complicates Brand

Marketers anticipate the benefits of generative artificial intelligence when it comes to streamlining research and campaign production, but other tasks—not so much. Ensuring “their ads run only near content they want” and maintaining brand consistency will become paramount.

Threads Highlights the Social Media Decline

It seems the public is losing interest in connectivity over human connection. Social media has “driven our culture and communal well-being to an unprecedented loneliness epidemic.” Users have chased fulfillment from platform to platform only to be disappointed—Threads, the latest. This also comes as social media in general is “on the decline,” according to Business Insider.

Marketers’ Growth Marketing Decline

Digital agency Dept’s third annual report on growth marketing shows a 40% decline in marketers using growth marketing strategies this year compared to last year.

Netflix Hires for Sales to Support Advertising Push

Netflix claims to have “signed up 10 million monthly active users” for its Basic with Ads plan, at $7 a month. On its most recent earnings call, Netflix executives say “there's a lot of work ahead” but plan to continue to make advertising “a meaningful revenue contributor” for the company.

Milestones & Rounds

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Around the Web

• Starbucks is releasing its fall menu six days earlier than last year.

• Chipotle is continuing its “Behind the Foil” documentary-style television spots to attract Gen Z talent.

• WARC’s Global Ad Spend Outlook 2023/24 predicts global ad spend will grow 4.4% and 8.2% in 2023 and 2024, respectively.

• Miller Lite and Coors Light have “big partnerships” and new ads for football season.

• JCPenney will spend $1 billion to remodel its stores and upgrade its website.

Just Can’t Get Enough

Adam Driver calling out Netflix and Amazon.

• Driver appeared at the Venice Film Festival to promote the independent movie Ferrari.

• And took the opportunity to ask, “Why is it that a smaller distribution company like Neon and STX International can meet the dream demands of what SAG is asking for—this is pre-negotiations—the dream version of SAG’s wishlist, but a big company like Netflix and Amazon can’t?”

Are you pouring one out for summer or already headed to your nearest Starbucks for a Pumpkin Spice Latte? Are you excited by the potential AI or turned off by its possible challenges? Reply and let us know all of your feelings.

Thanks for joining us, and we’ll see you Tuesday!