Drew Schweppe

SearchTides CEO | Sending your brand customers from AI

🗞 Amazon Brings Its Ad Machine to ChatGPT, Google Drops Language Targeting & U.S. Ad Budgets Keep Climbing

Sep 15, 2026

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3 min read

🗞 Amazon Brings Its Ad Machine to ChatGPT, Google Drops Language Targeting & U.S. Ad Budgets Keep Climbing

Amazon is making it easier for advertisers to buy ads in ChatGPT. Google is taking another targeting option off the table. U.S. ad spending is growing faster than expected, with social, CTV and commerce media leading the way.

Drew Schweppe

Sep 8, 2026

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3 min read

🗞 ChatGPT Ads Pass $1 Billion, Instagram Cuts the Reach of Unlabeled AI Accounts & YouTube Auto-Labels Undisclosed Brand Deals

OpenAI's ad business hits a $1 billion annual run rate as it expands to more users and markets. Instagram cuts the reach of accounts that post AI content without labeling it. And YouTube starts flagging paid promotions creators didn't disclose.

Drew Schweppe

🗞 YouTube Pays Creators Millions to Beat Netflix, Apple Maps Gets Ads & LinkedIn's Slop Button Cuts the Junk 40%

Sep 1, 2026

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4 min read

🗞 YouTube Pays Creators Millions to Beat Netflix, Apple Maps Gets Ads & LinkedIn's Slop Button Cuts the Junk 40%

YouTube breaks its own rev-share model and pays creators directly to keep them off Netflix. Apple opens Maps to advertisers in the US and Canada. LinkedIn reports its anti-slop button has been used a million times.

Drew Schweppe

🗞 ChatGPT Ghosts Reddit, YouTube Inflates Everyone's View Count & Meta AI Becomes Your Campaign Analyst

Aug 26, 2026

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3 min read

🗞 ChatGPT Ghosts Reddit, YouTube Inflates Everyone's View Count & Meta AI Becomes Your Campaign Analyst

Reddit's visibility in ChatGPT drops roughly 90% after an OpenAI search change, YouTube starts counting views from the first frame today, and Meta AI arrives in Ads Manager to analyze and optimize campaigns.

Drew Schweppe

🗞 Instagram Rebrands After 10 Years, Spotify Lets You Skip Podcast Ads & YouTube Raises the Bar for Creators

Aug 18, 2026

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3 min read

🗞 Instagram Rebrands After 10 Years, Spotify Lets You Skip Podcast Ads & YouTube Raises the Bar for Creators

Instagram cleaned up its logo in its first refresh since 2016. Spotify's new skip button jumps past podcast ads, but only the ones creators sell, not Spotify's own. YouTube makes it harder for new channels to get paid.

Drew Schweppe

🗞 Disney Hands Its Characters to TikTok, Nielsen Buys DoubleVerify & AI Sends Shopify a Wave of Buyers

Aug 11, 2026

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3 min read

🗞 Disney Hands Its Characters to TikTok, Nielsen Buys DoubleVerify & AI Sends Shopify a Wave of Buyers

Disney lets select creators use Mickey, Marvel, and Star Wars characters on TikTok for the first time. Nielsen buys DoubleVerify to combine audience measurement with ad verification. And AI-driven traffic and orders to Shopify stores triple year over year.

Drew Schweppe

🗞 Meta's AI Bet Pulls In $59 Billion, X Ends Its Advertiser War & LinkedIn Adds an AI Slop Button

Aug 4, 2026

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3 min read

🗞 Meta's AI Bet Pulls In $59 Billion, X Ends Its Advertiser War & LinkedIn Adds an AI Slop Button

Meta's AI push drives ad revenue to $59.4 billion in a single quarter. X ends its highest-profile legal fight with the ad industry. And LinkedIn finally gives users a way to hide AI slop.

Drew Schweppe

🗞 TikTok Chases Amazon Prime, Meta Launches a Seller App & ChatGPT Makes Their Ad Platform Easier to Use

Jul 28, 2026

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3 min read

🗞 TikTok Chases Amazon Prime, Meta Launches a Seller App & ChatGPT Makes Their Ad Platform Easier to Use

TikTok tests a Prime-style membership with free shipping. Meta hands Marketplace sellers a dedicated app with AI listings and insights. ChatGPT Ads pick up conversion bidding and bulk tools.

Drew Schweppe

🗞 OpenAI's Ad Business Misses by 90%, Meta's AI Tools Frustrate Brands & YouTube Cracks Down on AI Slop

Jul 22, 2026

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3 min read

🗞 OpenAI's Ad Business Misses by 90%, Meta's AI Tools Frustrate Brands & YouTube Cracks Down on AI Slop

OpenAI projects $100 billion in ad revenue by 2030. Analysts cap the whole chatbot ad market at under $6 billion. Meta's tools misfire, and YouTube goes after low-value uploads.

Drew Schweppe

🗞 OpenAI Wants ChatGPT to Sell You Ads, Meta Backs Down & Google Starts Labeling AI-Generated Ads

Jul 16, 2026

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3 min read

🗞 OpenAI Wants ChatGPT to Sell You Ads, Meta Backs Down & Google Starts Labeling AI-Generated Ads

OpenAI wants ChatGPT to generate ads in real time based on what users type. Meta has pulled its AI image tool following backlash over consent, while Google will begin labeling ads created or significantly edited using AI.

Drew Schweppe

🗞 TikTok Bets on Mini TV Shows, LinkedIn's AI Writes Your Ads & OpenAI Builds Every Kind of Ad

Jul 7, 2026

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3 min read

🗞 TikTok Bets on Mini TV Shows, LinkedIn's AI Writes Your Ads & OpenAI Builds Every Kind of Ad

TikTok wants your next binge-watch to be only a few minutes and inside its app. LinkedIn's AI writes and tests ads for marketers. OpenAI builds an entire ad ecosystem inside ChatGPT.

Drew Schweppe

🗞 Walmart Drops a Billion on Streaming, TikTok's AI to Run Your Ads & Instagram Wants to Be TV

Jun 30, 2026

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3 min read

🗞 Walmart Drops a Billion on Streaming, TikTok's AI to Run Your Ads & Instagram Wants to Be TV

Walmart decides the future of advertising runs through streaming, and drops a billion dollars to prove it. TikTok's AI agent wants to do a marketer's entire job. Instagram bets your next binge-watch happens in their app.

Drew Schweppe

🗞 Shopify Is Replacing Agencies, Pinterest Lets Users Shop by Their Mood & Instagram Turned Carousels Into Mini Blogs

Jun 24, 2026

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3 min read

🗞 Shopify Is Replacing Agencies, Pinterest Lets Users Shop by Their Mood & Instagram Turned Carousels Into Mini Blogs

Shopify decided merchants don't need agencies anymore. They need AI. Pinterest is betting that the future of shopping will be driven by conversation, not search bars. And Instagram just gave creators 20 slides and 20 captions to tell a story.

Drew Schweppe

🗞 Google Lost in Court, TikTok Crashed Amazon's Party & Meta Wants to Track You Everywhere Now

Jun 18, 2026

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4 min read

🗞 Google Lost in Court, TikTok Crashed Amazon's Party & Meta Wants to Track You Everywhere Now

Google's AI answers come with legal consequences. TikTok wants to be a genuine retail threat. And Meta decided they need more data.

Drew Schweppe

🗞 YouTube Crushed Netflix, Meta's AI Got Fooled & Your Next Employee Might Not Be Human

Jun 10, 2026

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4 min read

🗞 YouTube Crushed Netflix, Meta's AI Got Fooled & Your Next Employee Might Not Be Human

YouTube is beating Netflix as a streaming service. Meta's AI help desk got outsmarted. Meta is now telling every business that AI isn't just a tool that your ex-hire changed to, and Meta finally caught on to using AI as an employee.

Drew Schweppe

🗞 ChatGPT Ads Are Different, Meta Puts Up a Paywall & Google Comes Clean

Jun 2, 2026

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4 min read

🗞 ChatGPT Ads Are Different, Meta Puts Up a Paywall & Google Comes Clean

OpenAI just flipped the advertising model on its head. Meta decided free social media had a good run. And Google lacks trust in their AI answers.

Drew Schweppe

🗞 Google Continues its Farewell to 10 Blue Links, Meta Copied Reddit & Zuckerberg Is Getting Paranoid Again

May 26, 2026

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4 min read

🗞 Google Continues its Farewell to 10 Blue Links, Meta Copied Reddit & Zuckerberg Is Getting Paranoid Again

Google just decided blue links are over. Meta looked at Reddit, shrugged, and built the same thing. And Zuckerberg is once again telling his team that comfort is the enemy.

Drew Schweppe

🗞 YouTube Declared War on TV, LinkedIn Is Laying Off & TikTok Wants You to Pay for Silence

May 19, 2026

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4 min read

🗞 YouTube Declared War on TV, LinkedIn Is Laying Off & TikTok Wants You to Pay for Silence

YouTube brought Lady Gaga to Brandcast just to remind everyone it's the new TV. LinkedIn is cutting 5% of its staff as the tech layoff wave keeps rolling. And TikTok just launched a paid tier so you can buy your way out of ads.

Drew Schweppe

🗞 ChatGPT Opens to Advertisers, Instagram Gets an AI Shopping Agent & AI Is About to Change How You Shop Forever

May 12, 2026

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4 min read

🗞 ChatGPT Opens to Advertisers, Instagram Gets an AI Shopping Agent & AI Is About to Change How You Shop Forever

ChatGPT is open for ad business. Meta is building Instagram's answer to TikTok Shop. And the way you shop online is about to change.

Drew Schweppe

🗞 Meta Lost Users for the First Time Ever, OpenAI Dumped Microsoft & X Wants Advertisers Back

May 5, 2026

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3 min read

🗞 Meta Lost Users for the First Time Ever, OpenAI Dumped Microsoft & X Wants Advertisers Back

Meta shed 20 million daily users and ended a 7-year growth streak. OpenAI just loosened Microsoft's grip and opened up to rivals. And, X is overhauling its entire ad platform to win back the brands that walked away.

Drew Schweppe

🗞 GPT-5.5 Dropped, YouTube Is Going Audio & Instagram Is Copying Its Homework Again

Apr 28, 2026

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4 min read

🗞 GPT-5.5 Dropped, YouTube Is Going Audio & Instagram Is Copying Its Homework Again

OpenAI launches GPT-5.5 with stronger coding and agentic capabilities, YouTube partners with SiriusXM to sell audio-first ads, and Instagram debuts Instants, a disappearing photo app that looks very familiar.

Drew Schweppe

🗞 Meta Bets Big on AI, Amazon Sellers Push Back & Netflix Eyes Its Next Revenue Stream

Apr 21, 2026

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4 min read

🗞 Meta Bets Big on AI, Amazon Sellers Push Back & Netflix Eyes Its Next Revenue Stream

Meta is cutting 8,000 jobs and calling it progress. Amazon sellers have had enough and are hitting back where it hurts. And Netflix is turning ads into its next big revenue engine.

Drew Schweppe

🗞 AI Panic, Smarter TVs & X's War on Copycats

Apr 14, 2026

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9 min read

🗞 AI Panic, Smarter TVs & X's War on Copycats

Everyone's looking at AI the wrong way. YouTube is reinventing how we watch TV. And X just declared war on anyone who built a following by reposting other people's work.

Drew Schweppe

🗞 War Fears, VIP Paywalls & Reddit's Quiet Funeral

Apr 7, 2026

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8 min read

🗞 War Fears, VIP Paywalls & Reddit's Quiet Funeral

Economic uncertainty freezes ad budgets, Instagram mildly changes monetization strategy, Reddit says goodbye to long-time thread.

Drew Schweppe

🗞 One AI Died, Meta Walked Free & TikTok Is Holding Its Breath

Mar 31, 2026

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8 min read

🗞 One AI Died, Meta Walked Free & TikTok Is Holding Its Breath

OpenAI pulled the plug on Sora, a judge let Meta off the hook, and TikTok is putting on a brave face. This week's marketing world didn't hold back.

Drew Schweppe