The biggest opportunity for brands & creators is here...

About last week…

Last week, top marketers from around the world attended Advertising Week 21 in NYC.

The most discussed topics were, by a large margin, AI and the creator economy.

Both of which have been major cannon events for brands and how they advertise in 2025 and beyond. AI has many people worried and concerned, even though we are early to the party. While the creator economy is taking its own grip on marketing as it stands its own ground against AI.

Seeing as the debate continues to grow on whether consumers want AI content vs Creator (human-led) content, it’ll be interesting to see how things progress.

AI & Marketing News

Perplexity Pauses New Advertising Deals to Reassess Ambitions

Perplexity, the AI search startup, has put new advertising deals on pause while it rethinks how ads should integrate into its user experience.

The decision comes as early ad performance proved modest in 2024; Perplexity earned ~$20,000 in ad revenue on ~$34 million total revenue (not great).

The company says it’s scaling ad features “thoughtfully and methodically,” instead of inundating users.

Meanwhile, advertisers report challenges measuring ROI on the platform, and Perplexity is leaning into strengthening its ecosystem through its AI browser Comet.

Taylor Kitsch Leads Jefferson’s Bourbon on a Rule-Breaking Adventure

Jefferson’s Bourbon and Droga5 have launched a bold new campaign starring Taylor Kitsch, titled “Tradition in the Breaking,” aimed at repositioning the brand for younger, more adventurous drinkers among the Gen Z and Zillennial audiences.

The campaign leans on dry humor and cinematic scenes, from stormy seas to icy peaks, to dramatize how Jefferson’s is redefining what “premium bourbon” can look like.

With this new creative platform, the brand wants to emphasize innovation, a boundary-pushing spirit, and rebellion against stale conventions of whiskey.

How Hyundai optimizes for AI-driven search

Hyundai is shifting its approach to search marketing to adapt to the continuous rise of AI search. They’re moving from traditional keyword buying to more conversational “search engagement” on AI platforms.

With search engines now generating fewer clicks, Hyundai is leaning into the AI search optimization itself, becoming part of how people ask rather than just how they find.

This means (for us marketers) we need to break down silos, rethink how we reach consumers, and optimize for influence and conversation, not just clicks through ads and searches.

Atria (HUGE OPPORTUNITY)

In case you missed the BIG NEWS last week, we’re recruiting content creators for our Atria Creator Program.

If you make short-form videos for TikTok, Reels, or YouTube Shorts, or know someone who does, click the application link HERE!

Here’s what you need to know:

We’ve partnered with top brands in the DTC space and are looking for talented creators to produce high-performing content (storytelling, educational, ad-style, or testimonial videos) to help our partner brands grow.

If this is you, and you join, you’ll get:

• Consistent paid projects

• Creative briefs and direction provided

• Performance-based bonuses for top videos

If you’re interested, please remember to fill out the creator application link here!

Brand Feature: AXE

The genius behind Axe’s latest “rebrand”

The Unilever brand recently rolled out a bold and playful rebrand by partnering with TikTok designer Emily Zugay, famous for her tongue-in-cheek “bad logo” designs.

The new limited-edition can is nearly blank white with a single clip-art style axe, leaning into the Gen Z audience and meme culture.

Axe saw that its audience (young men, Gen Z/Alpha) wanted to play a part in the brand’s visual identity, not just be spoken to.

And in just 24 hours, Axe mocked up the new design in response to a viral Zugay post, turned her into a mock “Big Boss” character, and sold the can on Walmart.

SOLD OUT. In Walmart.

Is it bland? Maybe, but also, the tongue-in-cheekness of it is brilliant. Not sure why it took this long for this to happen.

Why it’s a smart move:

• It’s culturally relevant for the audience they want to reach and uses humor instead of taking itself too seriously, which connects far more with younger audiences.

• They turned passive consumers into co-creators, giving them a “stake” and skin in the game for the brand and project.

• No blending in on the shelf. Now, Axe is creating talking value far beyond the product because a majority of white can will stick out on the shelf like a sore thumb.

Good morning, good evening, and goodnight.

Thanks for reading this week’s edition of the new Vibe Marketing Club format. As always, we hope you enjoyed reading as much as we did writing.

DON’T FORGET, you can still register for Atria’s creator program and get paid for short-form video content projects (consistently), help the BEST DTC brands as a creator, and get performance bonuses on top!

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to the team.

Till next week, keep the good vibes rollin’.