The Cannes Lions controversy was not on our 2025 bingo card š«¢
š° NoGood News | Vol. 97
Hi NoGoodies š
Welcome to NoGood news where we talk about all things marketing ā the good and not so good.
In case you missed it, the Cannes Lions festival stirred some drama with DM9. This ad agency had their award revoked for using AI to mislead their campaigns. This controversy leaves us questioningā¦ what are the limits when it comes to using AI in ads?
If your social content is giving "background noise," it's time for a reset. Humor isnāt just nice to have ā itās the secret ingredient that makes your brand actually worth watching. Lucky for you, we broke down the strategy.
You could honestly say marketing has changed more in the past year than it did in the last decade. AI has completely flipped the way people discover and consume content online. Whether youāre a marketer, SEO professional, or content specialist, this guide to the best Large Language Model Optimization (LLMO) softwares is for you.
A little TL;DR moment for you:
Cannes Lions almost banned an ad agency over AI
Using humor as a brand strategy might be the key to success
LLMOās have become essential for maintaining brand visibility
Ready? Let's get into it.Ā
š¤ Cannes Lions almost banned an ad agency over AI
Read about the controversy and what this means
Did Cannes Lions just ban an ad agency for the first time? šµāš«
Rumors spread after the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity about DM9 and the eligibility of their Creative Data Grand Pix award.
On June 27th, DM9ās award for their āEfficient Way to Payā campaign was revoked due to manipulating its content with AI.
Are all ad agencies using AI to manipulate our perceptions?
The answer remains unclear for now.
Cannes Lions claims theyāll increase measures to ensure that awards are given to agencies who ādeserve them.ā
This means signing contracts, requiring agencies to disclose AI usage, and using content detection tools.
Weāll begin to see more regulations put in place to differentiate original creativity versus AI content as agencies sneak in AI altered campaigns.
People are left wondering, should ad agencies use AI to create campaigns?
When used correctly, perhaps ā thereās a difference between using AI to manipulate and lie versus using it to enhance specific features.
Every creative environment will be either pro or anti-AI but one thing is clear ā AI-generated content isnāt going anywhere.
Sooner than later, itāll become the norm to not only accept the use of AI, but make it clear when content includes it.
What are your thoughts on the Cannes Lions x DM9 controversy?
š Using humor as a brand strategy might be the key to success
Learn how to add humor into your brandās social media
If your brandās social media feels about as exciting as a Monday morning meeting, itās time to shake things up. Using humor in your social media strategy is like adding hot sauce to your food: it just makes everything better.
People love funny brands because they feel human. And guess what? Nobody remembers the company that just says, āHappy Friday!āābut they do remember that tweet about a painfully relatable moment.
Humor isnāt just about making people laughāitās about making them feel something. And when people feel connected to a brand, they want to engage with it again and again.
What kind of humor works for brands?
Observational humor: The classic āweāve all been thereā jokes. Think Seinfeld, but make it marketing.
Self-depricating humor: A little self-roasting can make your brand feel relatable, as long as it doesnāt make people question your competence.
Pop culture & trending humor: Hop on viral memes fast, or donāt hop on them at all. If youāre using a meme from last year, you might as well be posting in Comic Sans.
User-generated comedy: Encourage your audience to create funny content for you. Nothing gets people talking like a good caption contest or challenge.
š LLMOās have become essential for maintaining brand visibility
Read our marketerās guide to the best LLMOās softwares
Large Language Model Optimization (LLMO) has become essential for maintaining brand visibility. 60% of consumers are now using AI chatbots for product research, and traditional web clicks have decreased by 34% due to user reliance on AI-generated responses.
Traditional SEO suites werenāt designed to measureāor shapeāhow models present your brand. LLMO tools give marketers a purposeābuilt radar and action layer for the AI answer economy.
How to pick the right Large Language Model Optimization (LLMO) software
If you need an endātoāend control center: Goodie AI or Bluefish AI dominate, with Goodie AI skewing analyticsāfirst and Bluefish AI skewing campaignāheavy.
If you already pay for a leading SEO suite: Enable the LLMO modules inside Ahrefs or Semrush before adding another subscription.
If your budget is tight, but you need instant visibility charts: Peecās $79 starter is unbeatable.
If you care about why models like or dislike you: Evertuneās sentiment deepādives are gold.
If your goal is simply to flood the data layer: Pair Soarās Reddit operations with any tracker.
šļø Q&A with an expert
A bi-weekly interview series with the best in the game
Q: How can humor align with core values and brand identity without feeling forced?
A: Humor that doesnāt align with your brand identity is like your dad trying to use TikTok slang ā painful, confusing, and someone probably ends up scrolling past you. Humor feels authentic when it stems naturally from a brandās existing personality, tone of voice, and values ā not when it's bolted on just to chase engagement. The key is to treat humor as an extension of the brand, not a deviation from it.
To keep it authentic:
Stick to your personality: If your brand is known for calm, wellness vibes, donāt suddenly drop a chaotic āgoblin modeā meme. Youāre not fooling anyone. Keep the jokes true to the brand voice you've established.
Use humor to reinforce values, not contradict them: A brand that stands for inclusivity, for instance, might use self-deprecating humor or punch up (never down). The humor should echo what the brand believes in ā not undermine it.
Read the room ā aka your audience: Your humor should sound like an inside joke with your audience, not a joke about them.
Keep it consistent: Whether you're humorous on TikTok or in a customer service email, consistency across channels helps humor feel intentional rather than gimmicky.
Q: How does humor support broader marketing goals (awareness, retention, community building)?
A: Humor is the party trick that actually works. It's not just there to get likes ā itās a full-blown strategy to make people care, come back, and bring their friends.
Awareness: Funny content is inherently shareable. It cuts through noise, boosts organic reach, and often earns media attention. Humor makes people stop scrolling ā and start remembering.
Retention: A brand that makes someone laugh is a brand theyāre more likely to come back to. Humor builds emotional resonance, making customer touchpoints more enjoyable and memorable. People remember how you made them feel. Humor builds emotional stickiness, and thatās marketing gold.
Community building: Humor creates inside jokes, shared references, and cultural shorthand that foster a sense of belonging. When a brand consistently makes people laugh with them (not at them), it invites conversation, co-creation (think memes and UGC), and loyal fandom.
Humor isnāt just a cherry on top ā itās a strategic tool that makes people care enough to click, stay, and share.
āļø We wish we wrote this
Articles that caught our eye these past 2 weeks:
If a guide to brand authenticity came in the form of an article, itād be this
Influencer marketing might be doing more harm than good
What Gen Z really watches in 2025 will shock you
š Keeping up on the socials
Because IYKYK is better than FOMO:
Canva exposed every designers worst nightmare
Is social media taking the matcha craze too far?
Apple just cooked Microsoft but at what cost?
Apple almost ruined their $300 million F1 movie over one mistake
š„ Trend Radar: Blow up or fall behind
The trending topics, sounds, and formats to key and eye on:
describe a wedding line up alongside a fast, unpredictable song
overlay text: āyou look happierā then āthanksā¦ā write out what you did that made you happy/at ease in life
overlay text: āseeing how fast I can say ābacon avocadoāā say bacon avocado, then say a harsh truth in slo-mo
Bare minimum or princess treatment
person A reads off a list and states whether something is āprincess treatmentā or ābare minimum,ā then person B sprays them with water when they agree or disagree
š Ready to meet your NoGood partner?
Tell us where you are and where you want to be ā and weāll help get you there.