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Meta is developing an AI search engine, to be embedded in its Meta AI chatbot. The company has reportedly been indexing the web for at least eight months. 

Meta AI currently uses Google and Bing’s search engines when it fetches users answers about current events, financial markets, and sports.

This highlights a few things:

  • Search is no longer a platform, it’s a feature.
  • Users want answers, not necessarily options.
  • Google will not be replaced by a copycat. It will be chipped away at by new, novel alternatives and user dispersion across other channels. (and maybe by antitrust)
  • Meta continues to reduce reliance on other companies wherever it can. The true realization of this will be a hardware platform, likely in the XR space.
  • For brands / creators, having your content on the web—preferably on a platform you own—where it can be crawled is once again the path to relevance. (see: Gwern)
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Meta’s plan for growth among younger demos:

  • Discovery
  • Utility

Surface content like an entertainment app (social media is basically TV now).

Do the classic “Meta experience upgrade” on things like marketplaces, forums (Groups), and events.

Network effect + massive infrastructure = advantage

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More than 40% of leading brands secure 10% plus of their annual e-commerce revenue from holiday shopping events like Black Friday and Singles Day

Whilst the leading brands secure a significant proportion of revenue from holiday shopping events, 25% of laggards don’t even participate. The brands that capture revenue typically forge deals and partnerships, build inventory, align on promotions, and secure both budget and head count ahead of the shopping season.

This of course compounds as consumers wait for expected deals on shopping days, shifting more of their shopping activity there. Increasing the % of total revenue brands derive from smaller time frames.

via Marketing Tech News

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Been doing this thing with TV ads lately where I unmute for the last second or, at most, two seconds (the now normalized ad countdown makes this easy), and seeing — that is, hearing — what makes the final sonic impression, and then trying gauge the extent to which advertisers are doing anything in that final moment to catch the ear of and appeal to vigilant ad-muters

Great test not just for ad-muters but to use the peak-end rule.

What are you leaving on? What’s your last moment? What’s your goodbye?

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Some homework from Steven Soderbergh:

Just looking at something and going, I like that, and then trying to break down, why do I like that?

What is it about that… that I like?

What do I steal?

What can I repurpose or tweak to make it fit what we’re trying to do?

He steals like an artist. We can steal like marketers.

Pay attention to the messages and artifacts you encounter. If something resonates or stands out, figure out why. Use it in your own work.

via Austin Kleon