I hope everyone had a great Turkey Day and BFCM! The lake effect snow continues to drop like crazy in Northeast Ohio and so does the hot AI news. (See what I did there?) Let’s get to it!

Merry “Shipmas”?

OpenAI has launched its "12 Days of Shipmas," a series of daily product and feature which started yesterday, December 5th. The event began with the full release of the OpenAI o1 reasoning model, previously in limited preview, now available to ChatGPT Plus and Team users, with Enterprise and Edu users gaining access next week. Additionally, OpenAI introduced ChatGPT Pro, a premium subscription priced at $200 per month, offering unlimited access to GPT-4o, Advanced Voice Mode, and an enhanced version of the o1 model designed for complex problem-solving.

This initiative coincides with the second anniversary of ChatGPT, which now serves over 300 million weekly users.

I think we are going to receive a number of interesting presents from OpenAI that should keep us playing with their toys well into the beginning of the New Year. Top on my wishlist is their much hyped text-to-video generator Sora, I hope they really deliver.

The Best AI Marketing Activations of 2024

This article from AdAge (subscription required) is a great roundup of some high profile AI Marketing Activations from 2024. Some used AI in their making and some were just about AI. My favorite was this spec Volvo ad created entirely by just one person in 24 hours using Runway.

It will be interesting to see next year’s “Best Of”. My assumption is that GenAI tools will still (of course) have their detractors, but they will be so much better and so fully engrained in most creatives’ workflows that it might not be worth calling out. We’ll see.

Fact of the Week

Pentagram Champions the Evolution of Design Craft with GenAI

Pentagram is the largest independent design consultancy in the world and one of the most respected. They made waves earlier this week with their launch of a new website for the US Government (Performance.gov) that unapologetically employs numerous icons and illustrations “created” using the text-image creation tool Midjourney.

Their post on X quickly drew out commentary on both sides of the debate, but I applaud Pentagram partner, Paula Scher’s stance.

Your Spotify Wrapped as a Podcast?

Here’s a super-cool mashup of Spotify’s ever popular yearly “Wrapped” feature and one of our favorite GenAI launches of 2024, Google NotebookLM’s podcasting audio overview.

How to listen to your Wrapped AI podcast:

Go to the Wrapped feed on your Spotify homepage or head to spotify.com/wrappedAIpodcast.

Tap "Your Wrapped AI podcast" to listen.

You can share your 2024 Spotify Wrapped AI Podcast with others or download it.

Here’s Google’s blogpost about it.

Is it becomes easy to use GenAI to create alternative ways to interact with content, we are going to see more and more options to engage with experiences (and more demand for these types of engagements). What was once text only is now an animated video, or a podcast or an immersive experience…all with the click of a few buttons (and some careful creative guidance.)

An event to check out!

Thanks! See you next week.

A graphic designer by training, Dan’s career includes pivotal roles leading teams through every major advertising and marketing technology sea change of the last 30 years from the origins of interactive media and the world wide web to ecommerce, mobile, spatial computing and now artificial intelligence, Dan thrives on bringing new and never-been-done-before solutions to his clients.

Dan’s impressive client portfolio includes collaborations with industry giants and pioneers such as Apple, Barnes & Noble, Burton Snowboards, Ford Motor Company, Home Depot, Nike, P&G, Sherwin Williams, and Walmart.

Parallel Path is the proven guide for leading health and wellness brands who are ready to explore inventive and high-performing marketing strategies. We’re dedicated to working with brands who pursue wellbeing and defy conventions.