?? The Creativ Brief: AdTogether LA Fire Community Drive

Out of the ashes of the most devastating fire in LA history, neighbors, business, and community have stepped up to help one another. I’m blessed to work in such an amazing industry with fellow advertising and media professionals.

So we decided to help out.?

Together with the largest advertising trade bodies, agencies, and small businesses in Los Angeles, we are hosting AdTogether, a massive community drive to support those affected by the fires, culminating in a live giving event at Firestone Walker Brewery in Venice on Friday, January 31st.?

AAF Los Angeles, ThinkLA, Social Media Club LA, The 4As, Content Creator - Meredith Welborn, Creativ Strategies, Firestone Walker Brewing Company, and agency partners across Los Angeles have organized to support their local community in the midst of a devastating natural disaster.?

The goal of the campaign is to collect pressing supplies while raising over $100,000 dollars for World Central Kitchen, who provides meals in response to humanitarian, climate, and community crises, and Ad Relief, who makes immediate and direct donations to advertising professionals affected by crises.?

To support the drive either through donations or to bring supplies and attend the event in person, please visit the page here.??

If you can’t attend the event, please support us by donating here to World Central Kitchen or here to Ad Relief. Thank you for supporting the LA community in need.??

3 Stories Dominating Media and Tech Headlines

SoftBank, OpenAI, And Others To Launch $500 Bln AI Data Center Company 'Stargate'

Some of the world’s leading technology organizations have announced a new company, Stargate, with the goal of building up the United States’s AI infrastructure.?

Why it matters:? The initiative brings together some of the biggest players in technology and AI. Stargate begins with an immediate $100 billion investment, with intentions to invest a cumulative $500 billion over the next four years, all in hopes of building new AI infrastructure across the United States. It also muddles the already increasingly thin line between private tech companies and the American government.?

Microsoft's LinkedIn sued for disclosing customer information to train AI models | Reuters. Microsoft’s LinkedIn is facing a class action lawsuit from Premium users for allegedly disclosing users’ personal messages to third-parties in an effort to better train generative AI models.

The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages for breach of contract and violations of California’s unfair competition law, as well as $1,000 per person for violations of the federal Stored Communications Act.?

Why it matters: It was discovered that LinkedIn quietly established a privacy setting that allowed people to opt-out of their personal information being shared.Consumers run the risk of unknowingly training models using their data.?This lawsuit comes just hours after President Donald Trump announced a joint-venture between some of the largest technology and AI companies, including the Microsoft-owned Open AI, to build up an artificial intelligence infrastructure in the United States.

Trump rescinds Biden's executive order on AI safety in attempt to diverge from his predecessor. President Donald Trump repealed some of former President Joe Biden’s strongest guardrails in hopes of securing fast-developing technology for the United States.

Why it matters: This rescinding reflects Trump’s campaign platform that current AI regulations are stifling innovation and the ability of technology companies to push boundaries - some, on the other hand, see it as a “politically motivated repeal with no thoughtful replacement,” a sentiment echoed by a former White House science advisor.

Creativ Spotlight - UX Design Awards

SpecialGuestX was nominated by the UX design awards for their Bedtime AI Storymaker!?

The Bedtime AI Storymaker is a uniquely designed wooden toy that combines the powers of ChatGPT and ElevenLabs, offering families a way to create personalized bedtime stories. Equipped with NFC sensors and AI-driven storytelling capabilities, this toy lets users collaborate live, changing characters, settings, and storylines on the spot to produce endless narrative possibilities.

The Bedtime AI Storymaker is also eligible for the UX Public Choice Award, which will run on their website through February 25th. Vote for the Bedtime AI Storymaker here!

Stat of the Week - TV Viewership Trends

The 2024 holiday season was extra generous to some of the top streaming platforms, with multiple services taking in an all-time high of 43.3 percent of total TV viewing in the United States.

YouTube dominated the streaming stats, rising to 11.1 percent of all television use - rising from the 10.8 percent that was reported in November. Netflix matched previous highs of 8.6 percent and Prime Video succeeded in amassing 4 percent, largely in part to their inclusion of multiple NFL games on Christmas and the debut of holiday blockbusters like Red One.

Streaming platforms viewership is only expected to rise as audiences divert in larger numbers from the traditional broadcast services and move to streaming services that only seem to expand their media portfolios.

One Fun Thing - A ‘When Harry Met Sally Reunion’??

If the predictions are true about Hellmann’s Super Bowl commercial, it looks like we’re headed for some sort of ‘When Harry Met Sally Reunion’.

Hellman’s released a teaser trailer set in New York City’s Katz Deli, where a waitress reads back an off-screen woman’s intricately detailed sandwich order, the off-screen woman finishing it off with Hellman’s mayo “on the side” - fans of the 1989 rom-com are speculating that this is all an homage to the ever-iconic film and alluding to some sort of reunion during this year’s Super Bowl.

Hellmann’s Super Bowl teaser suggests a ‘When Harry Met Sally’ reunion?