Author: Geek Planet

The promise of generative AI was to make marketing faster and cheaper, optimizing everything from media operations to creative. But in Silicon Valley’s push to give marketers a one-stop-shop with AI, marketers say AI has not given them solutions for brand building.The industry might still be a ways off from fulfilling Mark Zuckerberg’s vision of fully automated ads by next year. AI and automated tools, like Google PMax or Meta Advantage+ have largely been relegated to performance marketing campaigns, according to six marketers Digiday spoke with for this story. That’s in part because there’s enough hard data and attribution in…

Last year, it was revealed that Google is working on a new range of Android PCs powered by a new operating system called Aluminium OS, and a while back, we also learned that these PCs might ship with a barebones version of the Pixel Camera app. However, the actual PC itself might take a bit longer to arrive. As reported by The Verge, a detailed report around Google’s internal Project Aluminium suggests the Android-based PC operating system isn’t close to launch. While Google has talked about combining Android and ChromeOS into a more unified platform, court filings and internal timelines…

A magnetic phone lens add-on could be closer than expected. Leaker Digital Chat Station says magnetic lens modules have entered mass production planning, with timing still marked TBD. New context also adds a clearer picture of what this accessory might be. In a post shared by leaker Ice Universe, the most likely candidate is Xiaomi’s previously shown Modular Optical System, even though no brand is named in the original claim. That makes the direction plausible, but still unconfirmed. If the Xiaomi tie-in is right, this wouldn’t be a cheap clip-on. The description points to a magnetically attached, detachable lens system…

After seeing “tremendous success with brick-and-mortar” retail in Canada, the intimates brand Knix is honing in on the U.S. market, its founder Joanna Griffiths told Modern Retail. On Friday, Knix, which is known for its leakproof underwear, will open its first permanent store in the States, in New York City’s Soho neighborhood. New York City has the highest penetration of Knix customers in the U.S., in terms of e-commerce sales, and it’s also close to Knix’s home base of Toronto. Knix hopes to eventually open more doors across Manhattan and Brooklyn after seeing “such brand awareness and growth coming out…

Google is reportedly building a significant upgrade for its generative AI assistant Gemini that could shift it from being primarily a conversational helper to something closer to a real-life work agent. In a recent beta teardown of the Google app code by 9to5Google, developers uncovered strings pointing to a feature known internally as “screen automation”. It suggests that Gemini could soon take direct actions on your behalf inside certain Android apps, such as placing orders or booking rides, without requiring the user to manually tap through screens. While Gemini already powers conversational tasks like drafting emails or generating research plans,…

From an area of the industry that wasn’t really taken seriously, to an area now seen as more mature and a core business function, the creator economy has already expanded bigger and far quicker than anyone thought it would. And this is only the beginning. After all, Goldman Sachs valued the creator economy at around $250 billion in 2024, and have forecast it to double to around $480 billion by 2027. In other words, there’s a whole bunch of money to be made. Here’s how the creator economy has shifted so far in the last 12 months. InAgencies of recordOutAgencies…

Meta’s Superintelligence Group has started turning up in marketer pitches. So far, its generating curiosity — and confusion. As Chris Matheson, media director at Markacy pointed out, marketers and investors will be looking for proof of return on investment. “With $64 to $72 billion in 2025 capex, brands expect tools that lower customer acquisition cost (CAC) or raise conversion rate (CVR), not just research headlines,” he said. Officially launched last month (July 1), Superintelligence Labs consolidates Meta’s core AI teams — FAIR, foundational models and product — all under one roof. And while there are tons of ideas on a typical…

Yvonne Jackson said that before February, making a Target run was more than just a simple errand — it was a part of her lifestyle.  Jackson, who lives on the outskirts of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, said her daughter’s daycare was across the street from a Target, so she estimated that she went to Target multiple times a week. She would grab a coffee from Starbucks and walk around the store to see what was on clearance. She would check the Facebook groups she was a part of for Black women who love Target to see if there were any…

Consolidation among media agencies large and small has been widely expected since Omnicom proposed acquiring Interpublic Group last December. To a large extent, the industry hasn’t disappointed, with Indies merging to form bigger Indies, and holdcos continuing to acquire different specialty shops to grow even bigger.The latest merger comes in a massive corner of the marketing world, of e-commerce and retail and full-funnel strategy that goes beyond media investment — they’re known as “marketplace” agencies. They serve brands that are plying their sales on Amazon, Walmart, eBay, TikTok Shop and other commerce sites, which collective represent some $525 billion in…

What’s happened? While Apple and Intel had cut ties a long while ago, things might look different in the near future. A fresh leak from Ming-Chi Kuo suggests that Intel may return to the Apple world. Not as the CPU designer, but as a chip foundry for Apple’s lower-end M-series silicon. This isn’t a throwback to Intel-powered MacBooks; instead, Intel would simply manufacture chips that Apple designs. In fact, if things go right, Intel could start supplying these chips by mid-2027. The plan involves using Intel’s 18AP process node to fabricate Apple’s entry-level M-series chips (likely for MacBook Air/base iPads).…