Tag: marketing

Ikea throws shade at Tesla with “safe and affordable” flying car

image via Creative Bloq
image via Creative Bloq

Ikea's marketing departments already have a reputation for ingenious quick thinking. We recently saw it jump on 2026's Wicker trend faster than you can say "Alexander Skarsgård". But Ikea Taiwan's response to the Tesla Roadster concept's flying abilities is as impressive as the car's own 0.9-second 0-60mph record. Its answer for a Tesla Roadster Rocket Edition setup suitable for any home is to combine a 4-piece $12.99 Ikea Lillabo toy car set with a Brokglim bath towel. "Real life, baby," it says in the Instagram post above, echoing Tesla's caption in its own post below, before adding "Safe, affordable."

https://www.creativebloq.com/news/ikea-throws-shade-at-tesla-with-safe-and-affordable-flying-car

Converse forced to remove ad over racist allegations

image via Creative Bloq
image via Creative Bloq

Converse has been forced to remove an ad after receiving heated criticism online, with claims that the design evoked extreme racist imagery. While harmless in theory, the misplaced lighting and composition were enough to spark outrage among critics who called the advert "disgusting" and "abhorrent". The advert in question stars K-Pop artist Karina holding a pair of Converse Chuck 70 X trainers. Lighting on her white skirt makes a sharp triangular shape thanks to a projection of the Chuck Taylor star logo, which critics claimed resembled hoods worn by the KKK.

https://www.creativebloq.com/design/advertising/converse-forced-to-remove-ad-over-racist-allegations

AI Hasn’t Cut Marketing Jobs, But It Has Made Them Harder

image via adweek.com
image via adweek.com

According to proprietary data prepared for ADWEEK by the research firm NewtonX, most organizations report little to no AI-driven headcount reduction. At the same time, a majority of marketers say their day-to-day responsibilities have already shifted, with expectations rising around speed, complexity, and output.

https://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/ai-making-marketing-jobs-harder/

Dr Pepper’s new ad just won the internet

image via creativebloq.com
image via creativebloq.com

After dropping an absolute earworm of a jingle on TikTok, fans begged Dr P's bigwigs to turn Romeo's catchy tune into a real ad campaign. Co-produced by creative agency Deutsch, the Dr Pepper Baby ad features glossy product shots of the beverage alongside Romeo's iconic vocals (with a little more musical production than the original viral video). Tasteful, playful and oh so catchy, the ad is a perfect example of how brands can leverage virality without bordering into the realms of cringe.

https://www.creativebloq.com/design/advertising/dr-peppers-new-ad-just-won-the-internet

The old internet is dying. What’s next?

image via qz.com
image via qz.com

Everyone knows traditional search is dying. No one quite knows what comes next. But the rise of AI search comes with a brutal cost for traditional websites. According to the same Pew research, searches with AI Overviews result in dramatically fewer clicks to other websites. When Google shows an AI summary, users click through to other sites just 8% of the time, compared to 15% for searches without AI answers, which represents a nearly 50% drop. Even worse, only 1% of AI Overviews generate clicks to the sources they cite. What's emerging from the chaos is a discipline marketers are calling GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) or AIO (Artificial Intelligence Optimization), essentially SEO for the AI era. But unlike traditional search optimization, which followed somewhat predictable patterns, AI optimization feels more like reading tea leaves.

https://qz.com/internet-future-google-search-ai

AI Has Upended the Search Game. Marketers Are Scrambling to Catch Up.

image c/o wsj.com
image c/o wsj.com

In a matter of months, artificial intelligence has begun to change how people search for things online in ways that have alarmed some marketers. Both developments have begun to eat away at the clicks and website traffic that marketers have earned over time by spending millions of dollars on search engine optimization, or SEO. They have also created a wave of businesses claiming to specialize in new industry acronyms such as generative engine optimization (GEO), answer engine optimization (AEO) and, of course, artificial intelligence optimization (AIO).

https://www.wsj.com/articles/ai-has-upended-the-search-game-marketers-are-scrambling-to-catch-up-84264b34?mod=tech_feat1_ai_pos1