Melissa Levy, president of experiential marketing agency Sparks, discusses why experiential marketing is gaining momentum and offers insights on how marketers can effectively address the challenges that come with its rapid growth.
Understanding why a reel succeeds has always been challenging. Creators often struggle to pinpoint whether it was the hook, timing, format, or audio that made the difference. Meta’s newly launched Creator Assistant aims to change that by providing insights that go beyond simple performance metrics, helping creators figure out the 'why' behind their content's success. This innovation was announced recently and is designed to simplify the analytics process for content creators on Facebook.
We’re excited to launch a dedicated space designed specifically for creators, publishers, and brands to highlight their work prominently on Search. This new profile spotlights their content, helping them connect with wider audiences and showcase their unique contributions seamlessly.
Suno, an AI-driven music generation startup, has successfully raised an extra $400 million, bringing its current valuation to over $5.4 billion. This funding round follows a valuation of $2.45 billion just seven months ago. Despite facing ongoing copyright lawsuits, Suno's growth and investor confidence remain strong, highlighting the expanding influence of AI in the creative industry.
TikTok Pro Events is a new app that connects fans, highlights viral videos, and features specially curated content from creators around major events such as the FIFA World Cup.
AI is becoming a core part of the conversation about the future of design in architecture, engineering, and construction. At our firm, we embrace AI as a tool to enhance our design skills rather than to replace human creativity. While some push for full automation that sidelining designers entirely, we believe design is inherently personal and driven by human passion, which automation risks losing.
The better approach is to treat AI as a teammate. AI can unlock new possibilities but relying on it too much may dull our creativity and critical thinking by skipping the exploration and hypothesis stages essential to professional growth. For example, instead of letting AI draft responses outright, I first draft my thoughts, then use AI to refine and challenge them, ensuring the final output remains authentic and grounded in expertise.
This method is especially important for emerging professionals, who need challenges that encourage critical thinking and help develop their perspective rather than bypassing their learning process with automation. Authentic, people-oriented communication also gains value as AI-generated content becomes more common—clients appreciate genuine engagement.
Additionally, AI can assist empathy during stakeholder interactions by detecting nuanced cues to help designers respond thoughtfully. Overall, AI should be integrated deliberately to empower creativity and human judgment without losing what makes design meaningful: empathy and authenticity.
Mike Sewell, chief digital transformation officer at Gresham Smith, advocates for using AI strategically as a tool for augmentation rather than replacement, to preserve the unique human elements of design.
Eline van der Velden, the developer behind the AI actor Tilly Norwood, revealed she has received death threats following a widespread backlash against her project. She created her 'digital twin' to spark conversation about AI’s role in entertainment, but the response has been more hostile than anticipated. The project stirred significant concern in Hollywood when talent agents expressed interest, prompting criticism from well-known actors and acting unions.
Abercrombie & Fitch's Hollister brand collaborated with singer-songwriter Gigi Perez to perform a cover of a Green Day hit, marking a unique approach in their biggest summer campaign yet.
Chief Marketing Officer Stacey McCormick shares insights on Aerie's commitment to authenticity by pledging not to use AI-generated bodies in their marketing materials. The brand is actively promoting this initiative through its October campaign featuring Pamela Anderson to raise awareness about the importance of real representation.
In this episode of our Dialogues on Technology and Society series, LL COOL J engages in a thought-provoking conversation with James Manyika about the evolving relationship between artificial intelligence and creative expression.
