Europe: put the social back in social media
Europe stands at a critical moment in its history. Transatlantic relations are at an all-time low while a war is waging on our soil. Meanwhile, the old continent itself becomes ever more divided. Extreme right-wing and left-wing parties gain traction. Russian hackers exploit social media to undermine democracy. American algorithms prioritize outrage over understanding, and the private interests of a few dictate the public discourse for many. The very fabric of European democracy is at risk. That is why, as much as Europe needs a strong army under a unified command, Europe needs its own Facebook. It just might help save democracy.
What brands can learn from Trump’s media strategy
Fact: Trump has beaten the Democrats and other Republicans in the most important elections in the world. Twice. This time round by a considerable margin. To add insult to injury: when it comes to money spent on media, the Harris team outspent Team Trump six(!) times. You may not like it (for the record: I don't). But the result suggests that Trump had a better media strategy.
On Europe, bald men & shampoo ads
Now imagine a world where you can exclude people who are bald for your shampoo ad with your campaign planning tool. Wouldn't that be great? Welcome to the wonderful world of micro-targeting.
Social Media decided last elections. Will AI decide the next ones?
You may remember the headlines. Brexit happened because of Facebook. Twitter got Trump elected. Then there was the Cambridge Analytica scandal that allegedly massively influenced the American elections in 2010. Closer to home, the president of a major political party warned me 'we' would win or lose the elections on social. We, as in the advertising agency that was about to run their campaign on social. While most of these statements are at least exaggerated, the influence of social media on elections worldwide is undeniable. Now it seems AI will play a significant role in the coming elections as well.
How does a brand stay relevant for more than 150 years?
Brandtag goes green: steps towards a CO2 neutral business
[…] we all share(d) the conviction that climate change is one of the most imminent threats to human civilisation as we know it.
The more interesting question is of course: what can we, small business owners or freelancers, do about it? The answer is surprisingly simple ànd achievable: strive for CO2 neutrality. In this blogpost I tell you which concrete actions you can take as a freelancer or a small business owner in Belgium.
Will Artificial Intelligence Replace Art Directors?
At the moment of this writing, a lot of creatives in advertising are attending the most prestigious award show in the industry: the Cannes Lions. Much like the Cannes movie festival just before it, the winners of the gold Lions get called on stage. And I can’t help but wonder: will an AI algorithm collect its Golden Lion next year? Because I think it could.
BeReal: why I love Gen Z’s new favorite social network
I’m sure you know it too: social media fatigue. Somehow, all of these promising platforms somehow end up disappointing you. Instagram and Facebook have turned into advertising feeds, allowing only for occasionally interruptions by updates from your actual friends. Linkedin tells me I’m the top candidate for a job of which I don’t even understand its title and the Twitter algorithm reminds me of Jerry Springer: it claims to provide you with a platform for an open discussion without taboos, but what he’s really looking for is a dirty street fight. Tiktok? Guess I’m just too old for that.
But I’m pretty excited about this new kid on the block. I think BeReal might be the app that really gets the Zeitgeist.
Should advertising agencies build webshops?
Last week, WPP launched Everymile: “a new fully managed service that will provide brands with an outsourced direct-to-consumer (DTC) e-commerce solution.” And just two days ago, Publicis acquired e-commerce software company Profitero. In other words, big advertising is moving into e-commerce. Why? And more importantly: will it work?
Will Artificial Intelligence Replace Copywriters?
Rather than pondering over the question whether AI can really create meaningful content, I put it to the test. Except for this paragraph, the entire article - including the headline - was written by Writesonic AI Article Writer 3.0 (Beta). The only input I’ve provided it with, was the following question: “Can you tell the difference between copy from a copywriter and text from an algorithm?” In just 4 clicks (you get to chose between titles, introductions and paragraphs), it generated this page.