TLDR: Social Media Headlines – 10 October 2025

• How Keurig Dr. Pepper embraces flywheel marketing to drive: During an Advertising Week panel, CMO Drew Panayiotou explained how marketers can measure success when accuracy is not completely possible.
• In-housing or outsourcing? PepsiCo, VaynerMedia turn to ‘co-sourcing’: PepsiCo has tripled content production and seen sales growth for brands like Mug since integrating the agency closer to its internal teams.
• E.l.f., MAC on driving growth through inclusivity — and tips for others: Getting inclusivity right does not require initiatives like a DEI team, but rather full organizational buy-in, marketers said during an Advertising Week panel.
• Inside Domino’s first refresh in a decade — including its ‘cravemark’: With younger consumers in mind, the pizza chain has a new look and sound, including an audio-visual expression voiced by singer Shaboozey.
• How brand expectations for creator AORs are evolving as investment grows: Executives from Unilever, Gap and Marriott are increasingly focusing on agency partners who can deliver on performance and high-level strategy.
• How Molson Coors, PepsiCo operationalize rapid, relevant culture plays: Brands must be aligned with agency partners and remove barriers to execution, executives explained at Advertising Week.
• Huge expands AI creative capabilities with Both&Yes acquisition: Agencies are preparing for a world in which generative AI-powered experiences are expected to play a dominant role.
• The Financial Times has now reported, social media peaked about three years ago, back in 2022. Since then we’ve started to spend a lot less time on it.
• Tariffs force more Orvis store closures: The outdoor retailer began scaling down a year ago in order to focus on its core sports fishing and bird hunting customer.
• The Body Shop returns to the US market: The beauty company is coming back only through an e-commerce approach after being bought out of U.K. administration in 2024.
• Calvin Klein parent company names chief supply chain officer: Patricia Gabriel will leave Capri Holdings, owner of Jimmy Choo and Versace, to lead global operations for PVH Corp.
• Shoppers seek value, deals this holiday season: Consumers are turning away from retailers with significant price hikes and searching for discounts, according to ICSC.
• Gap Inc. recruits micro-influencers for new affiliate program: On the heels of its “Better in Denim” campaign, the apparel retailer is turning to community connections to burnish its cultural influence.
• “Pope to media: No clickbait, please!” Speaking on Thursday at a conference in Rome held by Minds International, a network of global news agencies, Pope Leo praised the work of journalists working in Ukraine and Gaza, and also urged journalists “to fight against ‘junk’ information and help people to distinguish between fact and fiction.”
• Google appears to prioritize global news brands over local ones for breaking news events, such as the attack on a Manchester synagogue last week.
• “Hollywood talent agency CAA says OpenAI’s Sora poses risk to creators’ rights.” Dey also reports that “at least one major studio, Disney, has opted out of having its material appear in the app,” per people familiar.
• Paramount Skydance chief David Ellison is in talks with major private equity firms to join his $60 billion bid to buy Warner Bros. Discovery. Sources say Apollo Global Management is among the investors weighing the deal.
• Megyn Kelly will lead her own Sirius XM channel starting November 4 as part of a new multi-year production deal. Under the terms of the deal, Sirius XM will devote an entire channel to Kelly and programming backed by her.
• AI search is rewriting the rules of visibility – but maybe not how you think. A Yext analysis of 6.8 million citations found 86% of generative results come from sources brands already control, not Reddit threads or random forums.
• Researchers fooled AI models with fake dates to boost visibility: Add a fake 2025 date, increase your AI visibility. A new study shows ChatGPT and rivals reward recency over relevance.
• AI search relies on brand-controlled sources, not Reddit: New analysis of 6.8 million AI citations finds that most AI answers come from brand-controlled content in ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity.
• Google open-sources ads API MCP server for AI developers: This change will allow AI applications to access and analyze Google Ads data through natural language for the first time.
• Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) – How to measure and maximize visibility in AI search: Rankings still matter, but AI visibility is rising fast. Learn how to measure and maximize your presence in ChatGPT, AI Overviews, and more.
• Google Analytics adds cost data imports for Meta and TikTok ads: Advertisers can now automatically import Meta and TikTok ad cost data into Google Analytics for unified, real-time cross-channel reporting.
• Forget the Great Decoupling – SEO’s Great Normalization has begun: The chase for empty traffic is over. SEO success now depends on intent-driven content, grounded visibility, and proof of business value.
• The future of content: AI’s impact on companies, creators and customers: Artificial intelligence is transforming how companies, creators and customers create, communicate and compete. From avoiding common adoption traps to integrating AI into workflows while preserving authenticity, this guide offers practical insights, considerations and best practices to help you navigate the AI revolution with confidence.
• Apple Ads: What you need to know in 2026: Apple Ads has evolved beyond App Store search. Learn how to structure campaigns and scale efficiently across Apple’s growing ad ecosystem.
• Denmark to Ban Social Media for Children Under 15 Years: Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has said her government will ban social media use for children under the age of 15, telling lawmakers that online culture has “unleashed a monster” epidemic of depression and anxiety in young people.
• Figure AI’s New Humanoid Robot Can Fold Your Clothes, Do the Dishes: Figure 03 is a general-purpose humanoid robot that can perform a wide range of chores at home. It uses an AI-powered system called Helix to see and execute complex actions without a predetermined script. At 5 feet and 6 inches tall, the 132-pound robot can run for five hours on a single charge. The company aims to release the robot in 2026, but acknowledges that the goal is a big push.
• Intel Debuts New Technology in Make-or-Break Moment for CEO’s Turnaround Bid: Intel’s Panther Lake processor designs are in full production and will go on sale in laptops early next year. The chips are made with 18A technology, the most advanced chip production technology developed and employed in the US. Intel needs to show that new products will win back lost market share and attract customers to its foundry position. The Panther Lake processor will more readily balance a PC’s need to run demanding software without rapidly draining batteries.
• China launches world’s first dual-tower solar-thermal power plant in the Gobi Desert: China just launched a solar-thermal power plant that utilizes a dual-tower system to generate electricity in the Gobi Desert. The station features two 656-feet-high towers, each surrounded by a vast field of 27,000 mirrors. Known as heliostats, the mirrors concentrate sunlight onto the towers. The stored heat is used to generate steam, allowing the production of electricity well after sunset or during cloudy weather. The technology harnesses heat instead of sunlight, making it one of the few renewable technologies capable of providing stable, dispatchable energy on demand.
• A built-in ‘off switch’ to stop persistent pain: Researchers have identified a key group of cells involved in regulating long-term pain states in the brainstem. These neurons are activated during enduring pain states and also integrate information about hunger, fear, and thirst, allowing for pain signals to be modulated by other brain circuits signaling more urgent needs. These circuits can reduce the activity of neurons that transmit the signal of pain. The research opens up a new path for the treatment of chronic pain.
• Embracing the parallel coding agent lifestyle: Coding agent software is still really new. Models have only really become good enough to drive them in the past few months. One of the ways to use this software is to run multiple coding agents at once, sometimes in the same repo and against multiple checkouts or git work trees. This approach increases the number of tasks that can be fired off in parallel without adding too much cognitive overhead. This post discusses patterns for applying parallel agents effectively.
• Bitter lessons building AI products: You shouldn’t try to make AI work for your existing roadmap with fancy, clever engineering because much of it will be obsolete with the next major model upgrade. Instead, aim to understand model capabilities and how you can best pivot your roadmap accordingly. Companies need to learn to kill projects quicker if they need to hack together a solution to make up for intelligence. Just wait a few months and retry the idea when a new model drops.
• A Mystery CEO and Billions in Sales: Is China Buying Banned Nvidia Chips?: Singaporean firm Megaspeed is being scrutinized by US officials for its ties to China. US officials are investigating whether Megaspeed is helping China sidestep US export restrictions by diverting some of its Nvidia chips to China. Megaspeed has funneled most of its Nvidia chips to data centers in Malaysia and Indonesia to remotely serve customers in China, which is not illegal, but could be found unlawful if it is done on behalf of a Chinese company. Nvidia says there is no evidence that its chips have been smuggled into China and that Megaspeed is a company wholly owned and operated outside of China with no Chinese shareholders.
• Google struggles with remote work, drastically cutting ‘Work from Anywhere’ policy: A single Work from Anywhere (WFA) day logged by Google employees in a standard workweek will now count as a full WFA week, deducted from the yearly balance. Employees are allowed to work from a non-main office location for up to four weeks per calendar year. It is now best for employees to spend the whole week working remotely to make the most out of their WFA allowance. The WFA policy is designed for people taking trips – Google maintains a separate work-from-home policy that allows employees to work from home two days per week.
• Neuralink: We Have a Backlog of 10K Patients Who Want Our Brain Implant: The company has implanted its N1 device into 12 clinical trial patients so far, but expects the number to grow to 25 by year’s end.
• Can These Self-Flying Planes Transform the Skies?: Reliable Robotics is attempting to revolutionize air travel by automating flight on cargo, military, and maybe even passenger aircraft.
• Instagram tests video-first Home tab.
• Facebook rolls out new features, like topic search recommendations and friend likes to Reels.
• Gen AI platforms are rapidly earning consumer loyalty.
• Duolingo is building an in-house adtech platform.
• American Express launches Amex Ads.
• Delta says its ‘relentless focus’ on customer experience pays off: The air line roared into the fourth quarter, reporting $15.2 billion in revenue, led by premium, corporate and loyalty.
• Consumers see live human customer service as key to loyalty: Nearly three in five consumers say help from real people helps create trust, according to a Ricoh survey.
• Stitch Fix pilots generative AI style experience: Stitch Fix Vision uses tech to provide clients with an image of their likeness in different environments wearing shoppable outfits.
• Axe’s latest swing: When TikTok absurdism meets brand design: To engage its Gen Z and Gen Alpha consumers, the Unilever brand went beyond social listening for a more collaborative process with a creator.
• CMOs share what brands get wrong when marketing to Gen Z: The group’s perceived aversion to advertising and lack of brand loyalty are more myth than fact, panelists argued at Advertising Week.
• Social media is changing live events: Here’s what the numbers say: Making the most of live events goes beyond sponsorships as individuals increasingly engage with real events virtually.
• How Keurig Dr. Pepper embraces flywheel marketing to drive performance: During an Advertising Week panel, CMO Drew Panayiotou explained how marketers can measure success when accuracy is not completely possible.
• E.l.f., MAC on driving growth through inclusivity — and tips for others: Getting inclusivity right does not require initiatives like a DEI team, but rather full organizational buy-in, marketers said during an Advertising Week panel.
• 30 Tools and Features Announced by YouTube: YouTube announced a massive rollout of tools that could redefine how marketers approach video content.
• Did you know YouTube will soon let you insert your own ad spots?
• Claude Code Adds Plugin Support for Custom Workflows and Extensions: Claude Code has introduced plugin support, allowing developers to package and share combinations of slash commands, agents, hooks, and MCP servers to streamline and customize their coding environment. These lightweight plugins can be enabled or disabled as needed and are installable using a single command. Developers can also create and host plugin marketplaces to distribute tools internally or to the wider community. With plugins now in public beta, Claude Code aims to standardize customizations for everything from DevOps automation to code review workflows.
• Google Launches Gemini CLI Extensions: Google has launched Gemini CLI extensions, enabling developers to personalize their command-line experience by integrating external tools like Stripe, Figma, Postman, and Shopify directly into Gemini CLI. Each extension comes with a smart playbook that allows the AI to use these tools effectively right out of the box. The new Gemini CLI Extensions page helps developers discover and install community, partner, and Google-built extensions using a simple command. This launch positions Gemini CLI as a flexible, intelligent assistant capable of adapting to diverse developer workflows.
• Meta Expands AI-Powered Reel Translations: Meta has extended its AI dubbing and translation tools for Instagram Reels to support Hindi and Portuguese, alongside English and Spanish. The feature uses the creator’s own voice tone for natural dubbing and offers optional lip syncing for a seamless viewing experience. Creators maintain full control over translations, which can be reviewed, turned off, or removed. Meta also announced upcoming tools for translating text stickers and multi-speaker reels, aimed at helping creators reach global audiences with minimal effort.
• Instagram Edits Adds PDF Reports and Creative Tools: Instagram’s Edits app is rolling out new features this week, including the ability to generate PDF reports that share account and Reels performance insights. Users can now enhance videos with over 250 new sound effects—just in time for Halloween—alongside a new sound effect search function. The update also introduces Iconic Texts, offering dynamic combinations of fonts, colors, animations, and effects. Additionally, K-pop artist JENNIE’s exclusive “ZEN SERIF” font joins the app’s expanding design toolkit.
• Instagram Expands Add Yours Sticker with Multi-Media Templates: Instagram has introduced Add Yours Clips, a new template-based feature that lets users respond to Stories with multiple photos or videos instead of a single image. The update builds on the popular Add Yours prompt with creative flexibility. Users can access the update through the Add Yours Templates section under the label Add more with Add Yours.
• LinkedIn Restricts Competitor Analytics to Premium Company Pages: LinkedIn is limiting access to its Competitor Analytics feature, which provides insights into follower growth and post engagement from rival pages. Starting October 15, free-tier users will only be able to compare against one competitor, while Premium Company Pages can analyze up to nine competitors and view trending content from three.
• Meta Launches Instagram and Facebook Creator Discovery APIs: Meta has officially released two new APIs aimed at scaling creator-brand collaborations across its platforms. The Instagram Creator Marketplace API and Facebook Creator Discovery API are now in general availability, offering tools to search for creators by keyword or filter and access audience insights like demographics and engagement rates. These APIs support branded content campaigns and prioritize creators likely to excel in partnership ads. Developers must complete app review to access the new permissions, with preview documentation already available to streamline onboarding.
• Meta Adds Flexible Spend Option for Excluded Placements via API: Meta has introduced a new capability for Marketing API advertisers that allows up to 5% of campaign spend to go toward excluded placements, provided it enhances performance. This optional setting must be enabled through new API endpoints and offers an alternative to fully blocking underperforming placements. Advertisers can adjust their configurations anytime, gaining more nuanced control over delivery strategies. While this feature adds flexibility, Meta continues to recommend Advantage+ placements for optimal reach and cost efficiency across campaigns.
• Snap’s ‘Bitmoji Plaza’ will provide a place to interact with other people’s Bitmoji avatars.
• Facebook tried to gain traction in gaming, but hasn’t been able to consistently compete.
• Edits is also getting a new media kit-style option for creators.
• No, soaking your right hand in cold water won’t cure your headache; ignore social media claims.
• Starlink has pledged to invest nearly R2 billion in local infrastructure in its bid to secure a South African operating licence.

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