Anyone got Cannes Lions blues? What a whirlwind last week was - and yet I loved every minute. My only note: I wish there were more hours in the days so I could see absolutely everyone. But before I get more carried away, I’m back with a number of OpenAI stories.

More OpenAI news: the platform’s ChatGPT ad pilot is now expanding to the U.K., Brazil, Japan, South Korea and Mexico, giving the platform even more of a chance to work with advertisers globally. #advertising #openai #chatgpt #marketers

OpenAI is still pushing for test budgets as it expands how many advertisers gain access to ChatGPT ads, not search, at least for now, while participation grows. Read more about what my colleague @sammbradley.bsky.social and I have been hearing #advertising #openai #chatgpt #adsmanager #marketers

As of today, OpenAI has opened up its ads manager to advertisers of all sizes in the U.S., category restrictions aside. To make it even more appealing for SMBs, OpenAI has completely dropped the $50,000 minimum commitment. #advertising #openai #chatgpt #adsmanager #marketers

In a break from my OpenAI coverage, I spoke with Scott Walker, chief advertising revenue officer SiriusXM about the company’s new partnership with YouTube — an exclusive deal which hands them the rights to sell YouTube’s “audio-first” inventory in the US #advertising #youtube #siriusxm #partnership

Latest news on OpenAI: not only has the platform officially turned on CPC ads, but the company is also on the hunt for its first advertising marketing science leader who will own its ads measurement strategy from the ground up. #advertising #costperclick #admeasurement

After an OpenAI news-packed week, I’ve got one more before we hit the weekend: OpenAI’s ChatGPT ads are now cheaper to buy and the $60 CPM has reduced, on average, to be anywhere between $25 to $45, depending on the vertical. #platform #openai #adsmanager #advertising #marketers #adpricing

NEW: OpenAI is working on a conversion tracking pixel, indicating that the platform is building out the ad measurement infrastructure needed for it compete for performance budgets in addition to brand spend. #advertising #marketers #pixel #measurement #performance #openai #adpilot

Closely following the progress of OpenAI's ad pilot, my colleague Seb and I dug deeper into how consequential an ads manager is to a platform and its revenue, and in this case, OpenAI. #platform #openai #advertising #marketing #adsmanager digiday.com/marketing/a-...

OpenAI has quietly launched its ads manager to ChatGPT ad pilot testers, Seb Joseph and I have learned. And that's not all. That minimum threshold to join the pilot has been dropped from the $200,000 to $250,000 initially required, to $50,000. #platform #openai #adsmanager #advertising #marketers

Today, we’ve published a profile I worked on with the help of my colleague Michael Burgi, on OpenAI’s long-awaited ads boss, David Dugan. From conversations I’ve had with people who know him, it’s safe to say he’s left an impact on many. #advertising #marketers #platform #ai #hire #openai

Major platform news today: TikTok's Khartoon Weiss is exiting the platform on Friday according to a memo that was shared with clients and partners - which I've seen. #platform #tiktok #advertising #marketers Read more here:

Last week, Meta told advertisers via email which I received, that from July 1st, they’re introducing location fees to pay for the Digital Services Tax in the UK, and applicable European countries. Until now Meta has been footing the bill, but from July 1st, advertisers will be absorbing the costs.

#ICYMI last week, I charted how Anthropic’s initial choice to refuse the Pentagon’s deal as it stood, saw it win public favour over OpenAI.  The data, featuring app downloads, category rankings, brand positivity, procurement and app market share told the story. #data #charts #platform #AI

OpenAI has partnered with Criteo, and is reportedly in early talks for a similar deal with The Trade Desk. No company hires engineers, designers & managers, if they plan to rely on external support forever. The real goal: for OpenAI to own the stack itself. #openai #advertising #adtech

Last week, Meta announced changes to its measurement and attribution. Specifically, how it reports on them. I spoke to a number of ad execs - who all welcomed these changes. But for a number of them, their response was: it’s about time. #platform #meta #measurement #attribution #advertising

#SCOOP: We got our hands on the pitch deck Criteo is sending to marketers to sell them on ChatGPT ads. Here's what's inside. The conversational advertising era has an opening slide now. #chatgpt #marketing #advertisers #openai

#ICYMI This week, @vaynermedia.bsky.social held their first Modern Marketing Leaders Summit event in London. During the event, CEO @garyvee.com talked to the room about while he built his empire selling to CMOs, now his most receptive audience is CFOs. #advertising #marketers #agencies #CFO #CMO

We all know that Meta is automating more and more of the ad process. At the same time, it still wants to keep agencies on side, so I found out. Meta is actually pitching a new agency team to independent agencies, as confirmed by three ad execs who I spoke with about it.

Pitch deck alert: I got my hands on the latest 43-pager from Amazon which talks through why the platform believes its premium streaming inventory is worth it for advertisers. Inside the doc, it even includes sections on its recent partnerships with Netflix and Microsoft.

One of the quieter developments in AI right now is the fact @perplexityofficial.bsky.social has said it’s no longer pursuing advertising. It said doing so risks eroding user trust. That’s a notable pivot for a company that only began testing ads in November 2024.

Among the pilot testers for OpenAI’s ChatGPT ad test pilot, is Target’s retail media business Roundel. Until now, little has been known about many aspects of the test beyond the start date, the $60CPM, and minimum commitments generally starting at $250,000.

#ICYMI OpenAI’s ChatGPT ad launch was initially set to start on Feb. 6, but was delayed last minute to Feb. 9 — pilot advertisers were told of the scheduling change on the same day that Anthropic took aim at the idea of chatbots selling ad space during its Super Bowl slot.

Through 2025, YouTube focused on one narrative: YouTube is the new TV. But it doesn’t want to forget where it came from - creator content. So Google reps have now been incentivised to prioritise pitching YouTube, according to three ad execs I spoke with. #advertising #google #youtube #platform

Looks like OpenAI’s U.S. ad test started today and more than 30 of Omnicom’s clients, across apparel, automotive, beauty, CPG, hospitality, retail, QSR, technology, and telecommunications verticals are taking part. Though which brands they are is currently TBC.

2026 has started strong as I’ve been promoted to Senior Reporter, Platforms at Digiday. I cover platforms + adtech & how all this impacts advertisers and creators. If you’re open to chatting, please contact me here, LinkedIn, email ([email protected]) or Signal: @krystalscanlon.27

A moment for X: it looks like the platform has big plans for World Cup 2026, starting with the tournament’s Draw Day on Dec. 5. X’s, Monique Pintarelli and Mitchell Smith talked me through their plans, which includes teaming up with Fabrizio Romano, and what X has in store for next summer.

Let’s not forget Reddit: after achieving $585 million during Q3, representing a growth of 68% year-over-year, I caught up with COO Jennifer Wong to talk a little more about Reddit’s long-awaited AI campaign tool, which is already in alpha testing with a small group of the platform’s advertisers.

SCOOP: After Amazon raked in $17.7 billion in ad revenue for Q3, I was especially intrigued to dig into how Amazon is pitching its DSP during Q4. The message is clear in its latest pitch deck: Amazon wants to become the biggest DSP on the market. And it’s doing whatever it can to make that happen.

While the finer details of TikTok’s US deal are TBD, marketers have adapted to an ongoing cycle of uncertainty. Some are now taking a more cautious approach to their 2026 budgets -- after all, no one knows how any transition period will play out, or how that may (or may not) impact performance.

Little scoop from me: X execs held an investor call yesterday with current and potential clients about the expansion to their long-standing NFL content partnership, which is set to land later this year. #socialmedia #sports. #partnership #nfl #advertising #advertisers #marketing #marketers

SCOOP: Ever wondered what happens inside X’s new style of client council since it’s been brought back and revamped? I got the inside track on the latest session which took place yesterday at the platform’s New York HQ, from someone who attended. #socialmedia #platform #clientcouncil #advertisers

Despite the ongoing saga about X, it does appear that its user base is growing. That is according to X’s own figures, of course, which were shared with advertisers, that I have seen. If those figures are accurate, it means X has already surpassed the likes of Pinterest and Reddit. #socialmedia

X’s latest pitch deck goes back to the platform’s roots - it’s ‘real time’ focus, as the platform looks to evolve the usage of its Trend Genius tool across any conversation type. Check out the platform’s latest pitch deck below #socialmedia #advertising #marketers

And the plot thickens - for anyone that thought that Elon Musk wasn’t serious about suing GARM (and co) - turns out, X has just officially filed its federal antitrust suit against GARM, WFA, CVS Health, Mars, Orsted and Unilever in Texas today. #socialmedia #advertisers #marketers

After President Biden signed the “divest or sell” TikTok bill last week, the rumour mill went into overdrive. Namely around what happens next. While everything is up in the air, I’ve been talking to sources about three potential buyers. #tiktok #advertising #tiktokban #marketers #buyers

SCOOP: Not a week goes by when X gets to remain out of headlines. Which is why it was especially interesting to take a look at a recent X pitch deck to understand just how the team is trying to woo advertisers this year. #socialmedia #advertisers #scoop #pitchdeck #marketers

SCOOP: Having chatted to a number of industry execs in recent weeks, it’s come to light that Meta is aiming to launch Threads monetisation in the second half of this year. #socialmedia #meta #threads #advertising #monetisation #marketers

Chances are you’ll have seen endless marketers all across social media voicing their frustrations about the Meta bugs that have become more frequent on its ad platform. Some marketers are so fed up, they're even dialling down their Meta spend. #socialmedia #meta #advertising #marketers

X, formerly Twitter, has been on a wild ride hasn’t it? But maybe the company’s latest moves are the turning point everyone has been waiting for. That’s with regard to its brand safety certifications and latest hires for the safety division. Who knows? #platform #socialmedia #brandsafety #xcorp

Scoop: the majority of advertisers on TikTok are doing BAU, we learned some of the bigger advertisers have already started to take action. Check out the story below for what some ad execs have chosen to do, and how TikTok has been responding.  #socialmedia #tiktok #ban #bill #congress #platform

#ICYMI among all the TikTok bill news, we also published this story on Snapchat’s latest campaign. While most people loved it, the problem is translating that love into moving more ad dollars to the app - and that’s still a big “TBD” for a number of advertisers. #socialmedia #advertisers #platform

Today, the US House passed the bill that would see TikTok either divested from ByteDance to US ownership, or banned outright across the US - if passed into law So we spoke to marketers to ask IF TikTok were to be banned in the US - where would those ad dollars go? #socialmedia #tiktok #ban #bill

#ICYMI In a number of cases, ad execs’ Meta reps have been replaced with AI. This isn’t a new situation, but it has been bubbling away for a while. And off the back of the many Meta layoffs last year, it shows there has been some impact. #socialmedia #advertising #adspend #platform #ai #layoffs

Ending January with a bang (or a scoop): With just two weeks until the 2024 Super Bowl in Vegas, TikTok's latest pitch deck, that was shared with me, shows that the entertainment app is really keen to have its Super Bowl moment. #tiktok #platform #socialmedia #pitchdeck #superbowl

With rumours swirling that Reddit might go ahead with its long awaited IPO this year, it’s time to really see what that company has been up to behind closed doors. #socialmedia #platform #advertising #2024 #reddit #fullfunnel #marketing #advertisers

Since last week’s events, which saw top advertisers halt spending on the X (formerly Twitter) again, I’ve been digging to understand what’s going on. X has decided to opt out of its independent auditing by EY for its MRC brand safety credentials - for now. #socialmedia #advertisers #brandsafety

Exactly one year ago today, Elon Musk acquired Twitter in the most controversial $44 billion deal.  I spoke to a number of people with direct insights into what the last 12 months has actually been like, to understand what's happened through their eyes. #socialmedia #twitter #x #advertisers

Ahead of Black Friday / Cyber Monday, I received an email from a source about TikTok’s plans for the shopping event. In other words: how the platform plans to win more ad dollars - and it’s all about “hashtag audiences” #platform #blackfriday #cybermonday #shopping #holidayseason #advertising

#ICYMI I had another scoop: a Pinterest pitch deck. The platform, which believes it’s the last sunny corner of the internet, has always seen itself as a full funnel opportunity and its hefty 80+ page 2023 pitch deck certainly drives that point home #socialmedia #pinterest #advertising #marketers