Author: Geek Planet

Even without the Olympics or a major soccer tournament to tide sports fans over this summer, marketing investment in sports continues to rise. “Brand marketers are realizing that if you can connect through people’s passions and things that they love, it’s going to have much more effect and impact,” said Steve Martin, founding partner at specialist agency MSQ Sport & Entertainment. That investment is likely to grow again this year, as marketers at major brands come to depend more and more on live sports’ ability to reach mass audiences — a quality that’s increasingly rare, and increasingly valuable, in an era of…

That $599 price tag Apple’s budget MacBook was rumored to carry last August? It’s looking shakier by the day. When supply chain sources first floated the number, it made sense on paper — nearly as cheap as the M1 MacBook Air got during its Walmart clearance run, and enough to open Apple’s laptop lineup to a whole new tier of buyers. But component costs have moved against Apple since then, and two areas in particular are proving stubborn (via DigiTimes). The memory problem Memory is the bigger headache. Prices have climbed steeply over the past year, and the relief valve…

OpenAI first announced plans to introduce an automated age-prediction system for ChatGPT in September last year, aimed at helping the AI chatbot distinguish between teens and adults. After testing it in select countries over the past few months, the company has now started rolling it out on ChatGPT consumer plans. The system is designed to identify users under 18 and automatically redirect them to a more age-appropriate ChatGPT experience. According to OpenAI, the age-prediction model “looks at a combination of behavioural and account-level signals, including how long an account has existed, typical times of day when someone is active, usage…

For years, Amazon’s advertising playbook was all about keeping advertisers in-house — using its data to target shoppers within its own ecosystem. Now, it’s shifting gears, urging advertisers to take that data on the road to reach those same people, or ones just like them, elsewhere.The shift isn’t exactly a surprise. Its ad chief has been signaling the suggested strategy for a while, and advertisers have been reading the tea leaves. Still, without something concrete, it’s been tough for marketers to plan around. That’s what makes the latest pitch deck for its demand-side platform so telling: it puts Amazon’s off-Amazon’s…

This is the first Galaxy S26 Ultra deal that actually feels worth talking about. Amazon has the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra 512GB pre-order bundle for $1,299.99, and it comes with a $200 Amazon gift card. That alone is a strong launch offer, but the real reason this stands out is the storage angle: this promo gives you double the storage without forcing you to pay the usual premium for it. That matters because flagship phone deals at launch are usually underwhelming. You might get a tiny credit, maybe a trade-in boost, and that’s it. This one is better. You’re getting…

It turns out that making a phone thinner doesn’t automatically make it more popular. Reports suggest the iPhone Air hasn’t sold well, and now it appears Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Edge, a phone launched as a direct competitor to the iPhone Air, hasn’t performed much better. In an interview with Bloomberg, Won-Joon Choi, chief operating officer of Samsung’s Mobile Experience Business, said that the sales for Galaxy S25 Edge were “relatively lower than other lineups.” He attributed the lower sales numbers to the small battery pack, which provides lower endurance than the company’s other offering.  Samsung hasn’t decided whether there will…

While Target continues to contend with sluggish sales and external economic pressures, Roundel, the retailer’s ad business, seems to be a bright spot in an otherwise gloomy financial picture. But it’s not all doom and gloom for Target. Roundel, its retail media network (RMN), has continued to grow. In the first quarter of this year, Target’s ad revenue came in at $163 million, up from $130 million in that same time period in 2024. Last year, it raked in $649 million in ad revenue, up 25% from the $522 million in 2023. Roundel’s growth trajectory speaks to retail media as…

Samsung introduced an AI-powered natural language search feature in its Gallery app with the Galaxy S25 series last year. With the new Galaxy S26 series, the company has upgraded this functionality, enabling real-time results and the ability to locate specific moments within videos. A recent post on Samsung’s Korean community forums reveals that the Gallery app on Galaxy S26 series devices comes with a more powerful search engine and video analysis tool. It’s capable of delivering results in real time, showing photos and videos as soon as a search term is entered. For example, typing “tree” in the search bar…

After adding a dedicated space for YouTube Shorts creation in the Premiere app for iOS last year, Adobe has now announced major updates for Premiere and After Effects on desktop, with new AI-powered tools designed to speed up video editing. According to Adobe, the latest update for its video editor introduces an Object Mask feature that leverages AI to help users easily create masks of complex moving subjects. With this tool, users can simply hover over a subject and click to generate a mask, instead of manually drawing around it with the pen or shape tools. After making a general…

Budgets may be tighter this year, but the rosé will still be flowing freely as agency executives flock to the French Riviera to attend the year’s Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity from June 16 to 20. As a hub for seaside schmoozing and lavish award ceremonies, Cannes has long been a playground for industry leaders. This year, however, that backdrop of luxury comes with a sobering reality: Shrinking marketing budgets, slower client decision-making and economic headwinds are forcing agencies to rethink how they afford to show up at Cannes without bowing out of what’s easily the industry’s biggest event.  “I’ll…