Hi NoGoodies,
We get it, you’re busy. So here’s our weekly digest to catch you up on all of the marketing news you may have missed this past week...
YouTube overhauls how it counts views
Starting Aug 24, YouTube will count a “view” the moment any video, Short, or livestream begins playing, with no minimum watch time. This lands a week after YouTube separately raised the bar for new creators to qualify for monetization, so reach is about to look easier to hit right as it’s actually getting harder to earn from.
Away launches @actuallyaway, moving from posting to programming
The luggage brand launched a dedicated episodic Instagram account featuring short films built from real travel stories submitted by its audience. It follows a run of unconventional formats from Away, including whiteboard product education videos with its VP of design, a tween directed campaign, and an interactive “Amtrak Jazz” site.
Ramp partners with the viral “Kumar Method” account
The Kumar Method account killed off its lead character mid-series, brought him back in a reel co-authored by @tryramp, and now sends traffic to a Ramp-owned interactive "book" at ramp.com/thekumarmethod. The book gates content behind a work email, then routes visitors into Ramp's company-size qualification flow. Deal terms and when Ramp actually got involved aren't public.
Cursor is throwing dinner parties instead of demos
Cursor has been running invite-only creator dinners in SF, LA, and New York, with custom dining rooms, tasting menus, tech-themed gifts. They’re taking a page out of the DTC playbook and running it in a B2B context.
Chipotle and Jo Malone lean into Gen Alpha and gaming
Chipotle partnered with 16-year-old creator Salish Matter on a custom Kid’s Meal, while Estée Lauder’s Jo Malone launched its first gaming activation inside a “Fortnite” island to introduce a new fragrance.
Google gives publishers a tool to fight AI traffic loss
Readers can now embed a “Preferred Sources” button on a publisher’s site, flagging it as a source they want to see more across Search, Discover, and Google News. It builds on the version Google shipped to AI Overviews in May, which already has 345,000+ sources selected. Google says preferred sources get clicked twice as often.
Any other news we may have missed? Let us know in the comments!