TOGETHER WITH

It's Sunday and here’s a handpicked selection of stories to give you a snapshot of trends, updates, business moves, and more from around the creator industry.

But first, social media stylists are going fishing—because hot girl summer is so five years ago. In 2025, the fisherman aesthetic will be in, so brace yourself for trout boy summer.

PLATFORM HEADLINES

Some platforms are adding more humanity to social media. Others are introducing more AI.

The new platform: BuzzFeed’s $10 million BFIsland hub is taking shape as the company works to build a social media platform that replaces divisiveness with harmonious discourse. During a recent earnings call, Jonah Peretti said that his company is allocating an eight-digit pool of resources to its ambitious project. Here’s hoping we can all be friends.

The safety update: BuzzFeed isn’t the only company trying to turn social media into a force for good. Amidst a flurry of new security features, TikTok announced that it would start pushing out Amber Alerts on the For You Page. Between that partnership and the app’s spate of March Madness commercials, TikTok is clearly working to generate as much positive PR as possible.

The AI feature: While BuzzFeed and TikTok try to infuse more humanity into social media, Instagram is going full steam ahead in the other direction. The platform is reportedly experimenting with AI-generated comments—so if you’re a proponent of the “dead internet theory,” brace yourself. The internet is only going to get deader from here.

🔆 SPONSORED 🔆

Meet Milo and Zara: The first members of your personalized AI dream team

RHEI has just unveiled Made, an emotionally intelligent AI platform that provides creators with their own teams of personalized assistants. Whether you’re a YouTuber, an artist, an entrepreneur, or a gaming streamer, each Made team member will evolve to address your specific needs.

👓 Introducing Milo: As the Creative Director of your virtual dream team, Milo will transform your visions into compelling, high-impact stories—while handling the grunt work so you don’t have to. Here are a few of his strong suits:

• Pitching content ideas

• Designing ready-to-post thumbnails

• Generating metadata

👋 Meet Zara: Zara is a community manager extraordinaire, bridging the gap between creators and their fans. Designed to grasp audience sentiment, Zara will keep you in the loop by analyzing video stats, collecting most-asked questions, replying to comments, and keeping track of your top viewers. 

Developed by RHEI, Made is a revolutionary partner for anyone looking to captivate and grow an audience. Hit the link below to apply for early access:

Meet your Made dream team →

CREATOR COMMOTION

From Unwell to Ubisoft, this week is all about star-studded lineups

The sports stars: iShowSpeed’s new friends are Tom Brady and Kevin Durant. Speed captivated viewers across the globe with a worldwide tour and enjoyed a starring role in the Sidemen charity match. Now he’s the star of a Dick’s Sporting Goods commercial that features a few all-star athletes. Speed may not match his co-stars in terms of athletic ability, but he makes up for it with unbridled moxie.

The new signings: Alex Cooper is staying busy with fresh Unwell signings. The Call Her Daddy host announced her media company’s first reality series last week. Now, Unwell is souping up its influencer roster with the addition of climate activist Sophia Kianni and Bill Gates’ daughter Phoebe Gates.

The streamer lineup: Ubisoft has assembled a star-studded lineup of Siege X streamers. Twitch content has helped tactical FPS games become more popular than ever before, so it makes sense that Shroud, Ludwig, and HasanAbi are helping Ubisoft promote the next chapter in the Siege franchise.

THE AD WORLD

Advertisers are keeping a close eye on Substack, connected TV, and TikTok’s shaky future

The price drop: TikTok ad prices are way down. Uncertainty about the app’s future in the United States has led some advertisers to reallocate their budgets. As a result, TikTok CPMs fell 80% year-over-year over the period beginning in January 2024, according to one estimate.

The newsletter boom: As advertisers look beyond TikTok, Substack seems to be the hot new marketing hub. The newsletter boom has brands wondering about the value digital periodicals can have for advertisers. Women’s wear brand M.M. LaFleur is one of those companies, and it’s making a big push on Substack.

The TV stats: M.M. LaFleur might want to consider other digital frontiers, too—because according to new data, consumers want to shop on their TVs. A study published by LG showed that 70% of connected TV viewers would save items to a wishlist if given the chance. When the 2025 holiday season rolls around, look for this trend to impact high-level platform strategies.

WATCH THIS 📺

TikTokers are on the march to “colonize” YouTube Shorts

The colonization: On March 25, TikTokers will (theoretically) plant their flag on a new platform. The plan is to flood YouTube Shorts with brainrot content on Tuesday, thus resulting in a TikTokification of the vertical video feed.

If TikTokers think Shorts needs more brainrot, they’re clearly not paying attention to the videos that already exist there. (But on the bright side, this whole colonization plan has already resulted in a few funny skits.)

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Today's newsletter is from: Emily Burton, Drew Baldwin, Sam Gutelle, and Josh Cohen.