🎬 The State of AI Advertising (+ leaked Google & OpenAI models)

Welcome, night owls. 🌙

The AI marketing landscape never sleeps, and neither do the opportunities. While most marketers are dreaming, we're here catching the latest breakthroughs that'll shape your tomorrow.

What's brewing tonight:

• Google and OpenAI accidentally leaked their next AI models

• The current state of AI advertising (and why it's getting wild)

• Why marketers who use AI will replace those who don't

• 5 posts I found really valuable or interesting

• 5 AI tools I’ve been testing

Let's dive in.

🤖 Google and OpenAI Just Leaked Their Next Models (Whoops)

The rundown: Both Google and OpenAI had some pretty interesting "accidents" last week - accidentally showing off their upcoming AI models. Google leaked "Project Jarvis" on the Chrome store (before quickly yanking it down), while OpenAI's new o1 reasoning model briefly appeared through a URL hack. These weren't meant to be public yet, but hey, cats out of the bag.

The details:

• Google's "Jarvis" isn't just a web browser - it's an agent that can actually control your computer and perform actions for you

• Beyond just searching, it can complete tasks like uploading ads, updating reports, or managing projects

• It's powered by an advanced version of Gemini (Google's most powerful AI) and should launch in December

• Meanwhile, OpenAI's o1 model is their new approach to ChatGPT that actually takes time to think before responding

• Unlike current o1 preview, this version can analyze files, images, and documents in detail

• Both companies are likely holding major releases until after the U.S. election

Why marketers should care: I am very curious to see the future of agents. The fact that it could actually take control of your computer to handle tasks like updating campaigns or uploading ads to Meta is insane. Meanwhile, OpenAI's o1 is about making ChatGPT “smarter.” Throw in your best-performing ads, brand guidelines, or customer reviews, and it'll take its time to give you actual insights, not just quick generic responses. Instead of asking ChatGPT basic questions, we're moving toward feeding it real marketing assets and getting meaningful analysis back.

Here is the story on OpenAI’s new o1

Here is the story on Google’s Jarvis

🌐🎬 The State of AI Advertising (It's Getting Wild)

The Rundown: The landscape of AI-generated ads is evolving so fast. From generating thousands of ad variations to creating hyper-realistic avatars holding your actual products, we're way past basic AI images. If you are interested in learning about AI and advertising, these are all my secret resources.

The Details:

• Here's how to get AI avatars holding your products (this is the guide from my LinkedIn post if I haven’t been able to send it to you yet 😅)

• Here's a video from Alex Cooper showing how to make 30 Facebook video ads in 1 hour

• Here's Rory Flynn's exact Midjourney process for generating 1000s of static ad variations

• Caleb Kruse is a great account to follow. Incredible advertiser who also loves AI. Proof right here.

• If you want to learn how to generate true text-to-video commercials, Curious Refuge is a great resource to learn.

• Important: Label all AI-generated content in your ad accounts - FTC requirement. Watch this video to learn more.

Why marketers should care: AI isn't killing advertising - it's just another tool in our creative arsenal, like when cameras became popular. The fundamentals haven't changed: you still need a compelling story that connects with your audience. But now's the time to learn these AI tools because they're letting us test and iterate those ideas faster than ever. Focus on mastering the blend: mix AI with your existing content and always keep your eye on what actually resonates with humans, not just what looks cool.

🎯 Why AI Won't Kill Marketing (But Will Change Everything)

The Rundown: Kieran Flanagan, SVP of Marketing at HubSpot, just dropped a LinkedIn post that nails what's happening in marketing right now. AI is about to flood every marketing channel we know. SEO, paid ads, email, social - you name it. But while everyone's complaining, smart marketers are seeing this for what it really is: a chance to get way better at what we do. Let's break down what's actually happening.

The Details:

• SEO is changing - use AI for research and first drafts, then invest that saved time in what matters: unique examples, fresh case studies, and actual personality

• Paid ads are getting more competitive as organic traffic drops. Use AI for mass creative testing and you (human) can focus on creator partnerships for new audiences

• Email marketing needs a new approach. When everyone's doing AI personalization, win by analyzing which writing styles work and using data points nobody else has

• Social media reality - people follow humans, not AI-generated brand content. Use AI to nail the formats, don’t rely on AI to create your content.

Why it matters for marketers:

Here's what gets me excited - we finally have tools to automate the stuff we hate doing. AI isn't here to replace us, it's here to let us focus on what humans do best: being creative, building real connections, and telling stories that land. The marketers who win aren't going to be the ones who resist AI, they're going to be the ones who use it to do more of what matters.

Read the full post here.

📜 Interesting posts

• Free Midjourney lighting guide: 80+ prompts to master AI image lighting

• OpenAI just hired Pebble co-founder - are they building a social network?

• Someone built a HeyGen avatar, had it join a Zoom call, and used the most corporate language possible. Watch here 🤣

• Super helpful thread breaking down all of Google's recent AI announcements

• Claude now analyzes PDF images - perfect for feeding it brand guidelines

• Runway ML (text-to-video tool) introduces advanced camera control 😮

🛠️ AI Tools I'm Testing

Recharm: This tool will automatically cut, label, and organize your video content. Huge for editors at DTC brands that need to create iterations of ads by mixing existing content.

Google Learn About: Been using this to dive into competitors and industries. Super helpful when you need to understand a new customer base or market quickly. But, it is pretty surface level info. Don’t expect anything too niche/specific.

HeyGen's New Avatars: Fully customize your AI avatars by describing what type of actor you need. No more just choosing from stock avatars.

Arcads + AI Products: They're about to drop something big: AI avatars holding actual products. (Just like my LinkedIn post)

RivalSense: Think of it as your competitive intel autopilot - monitors your competitors and sends you a weekly breakdown. This is big in the DTC/ecom world.