Welcome to Start the Week, our Monday scene-setter for the week ahead. In today’s audio-led edition: News publishers push back against media agencies’ brand safety default settings; AI search startup Perplexity gets into the advertising business; and X becomes an image disinformation engine.
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How brand safety is throttling news revenues
Media companies are starting to push back against buying agencies’ brand safety policies after the admission of Group M boss Christian Juhl that by default most of his clients are kept off news sites. Juhl testified to Congress that just 1.28% of brand spend goes to online news.
In today’s podcast we discuss the difference between brands sensibly avoiding polarising mastheads, and defunding news altogether. We ask whether brands’ claims to be good social citizens align with decisions that make it harder for public service journalism to occur.
Also today, we look at Perplexity’s plans to take on Google in search with an advertising offering; Conde Nast’s deal with OpenAI and Donald Trump’s sharing of fake AI imagery.
Further reading (and viewing):
The Australian: Brand suitability myth busted
Unmade: Taken to the farm: GARM harm
Unmade: What if Elon is right, and marketers should occasionally be told to get fuuucked?
Digiday: Perplexity’s pitch deck offers advertisers a new vision for AI search
OpenAI: OpenAI partners with Condé Nast
Forbes: AI Gone Wild: How Grok-2 Is Pushing The Boundaries Of Ethics And Innovation
Group M boss Christian Juhl’s testimony on brand safety:
Today’s episode features Tim Burrowes, Abe Udy and Cat McGinn
Editing was courtesy of Abe’s Audio, the people to talk to about voiceovers, sound design and podcast production.
Time to leave you to start your week. We’ll be back with more tomorrow.
Toodlepip…
Tim Burrowes
Publisher - Unmade
tim@unmade.media
StW: How agencies are screwing news media with lazy brand safety; Google's biggest AI search rival reveals ad plans