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KIMP’s Picks August 8th: Weekly Highlights In Design, Marketing, AI, & More

Welcome to the KIMP’s Picks August 8th Edition! Time to catch up on the social media buzz you missed this week. From AI updates to marketing inspiration, social media algorithm shifts, what are some exciting discussions that caught our attention this week on social media? Scroll down and find out! 

Ready for your end-of-the-week recap? Here you go! 

In the Marketing Realm 

Why it makes sense to invest in influencer marketing 

AdExchanger shared a resourceful discussion highlighting the relevance and significance of investing in influencer marketing. The post particularly talks about a recently popular influencer marketing platform called Agentio which uses AI to automate tedious interactions and processes involved in influencer collaborations. 

The post talks about how the platform is changing how brands connect with content creators, making the process more efficient and measurable. 

This shift to a more automated, data-driven approach means brands can now scale their influencer marketing efforts with the same confidence they have in traditional paid media campaigns. Time to invest in innovative tools like these that help automate and elevate the efficiency of existing processes. 

Making the most of Pause Ads 

There is an underrated ad format that advertisers need to start paying attention to – Pause Ads. These are ads that show up when you hit pause on a streaming show. They’re quickly becoming prime real estate for brand messaging. Why? Because they don’t interrupt content, but still grab attention in moments of idle focus.

EMARKETER recently shared an infographic highlighting some crucial details about creating Pause Ads. According to April 2025 data, the top feature viewers want in pause ads is the ability to save offers or reminders. The other expectation is to see product recommendations relevant to what they are currently watching.

Additionally, easy clickability and QR code to scan and proceed to the next step are among a few other features that customers look for in Pause Ads. Understanding these metrics helps create and launch Pause Ads that convert. 

Personalization is the key to boosting conversions 

Search Engine Journal shared a discussion highlighting the power of personalization in boosting conversion. A new study by Deloitte, commissioned by Meta, highlights the powerful impact of personalization on consumer behavior and business growth. 

The research found that brands with advanced personalization strategies see a 16% lift in conversions. According to the study, 80% of U.S. consumers are more likely to buy from brands that personalize their experiences, and they spend 50% more with those companies. 

The post delves into the fact that the most effective strategies are those that are customer-based. It emphasizes that personalization is more than just a software solution; it’s a fundamental shift in how brands must structure their teams and manage data to truly understand and engage their audience.

McDonald’s leans into nostalgia with their recent campaign 

Time and again, brands keep proving that nostalgia is one emotion you can never go wrong with. One such recent campaign is the one by McDonald’s. 

McDonald’s is dusting off a major piece of its brand history. McDonaldland is back. After more than two decades, the fast-food chain is relaunching its nostalgic fictional universe with new meals, collectibles, and merch, starting August 12.

For a quick background, McDonaldland first debuted in 1971 and became a pop culture staple before fading out in the early 2000s. Now, the brand is betting on retro appeal and immersive storytelling to reconnect with fans, new and old.

Cava taps into the latest trend 

If leaning back into nostalgia is effective in marketing, so is jumping on an ongoing trend. One such trend is the Labubu trend. Cava is jumping into the collectible game while also adopting the Labubu trend by launching a limited-edition Hot Harissa Meal that comes with a surprise plushie. Each meal includes a Harissa Avocado Bowl, Hot Harissa Pita Chips, and one of four mystery pita chip plushies packed in a blind box format.

The concept borrows from the wildly popular Labubu collectibles, leaning into the thrill of the unknown. The plushies are designed by artist Thaddeus Coates, a former Cava employee, and feature characters like Peter Chip, Garlic Gus, Jimmy Harissa, and Sweet Sammy, all based on real or upcoming chip flavors.

TV Ads are no longer one-size-fits-all 

A recent post by YouTube discusses how trends are changing when it comes to buying TV ads. A new Google-commissioned report by Madison and Wall highlights how video buying has evolved into a flexible, AI-powered system that prioritizes both reach and results.

Old models forced marketers to choose between scale and relevance. Now, AI makes it possible to have both. Brands can tailor video strategies to their unique goals while reaching the right audience at the right moment, without wasting expenses.

Notably, YouTube plays a central role here, offering formats that support everything from cultural events to creator-led content. The report shows that AI-driven YouTube campaigns deliver 17% higher ROAS than manual ones, and video influences consumers at every step. 

In the Content Marketing Realm 

Balancing SEO and GEO 

MarTech shared a post highlighting the importance of balancing SEO and GEO and using success in SEO to elevate performance in GEO. GEO or generative engine optimization is the buzzword right now, with more and more brands focusing on ensuring that their content gets picked up by AI search tools. 

Naturally, generative engine optimization (GEO) is the next big shift in search strategy. It builds on traditional SEO but adapts content for AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity. If you’re already investing in SEO, you’ve got a head start.

GEO focuses on structuring content for AI visibility, like clear TL; DRs, real FAQs in natural language, accurate schema markup, and trustworthy, high-quality content that supports Google’s E-E-A-T guidelines.

AI search traffic is still small, but it’s growing fast. GEO helps ensure your content gets picked up and cited in AI-generated answers, even in zero-click environments. So if you are working on optimizing your content marketing strategies to shine in the age of AI searches, then this is a great read. 

Boosting SEO with topic clusters

Moz discussed topic clusters as a way to drive better search performance in a recent post. When content lives in silos, it creates problems. There could be duplicate pages, poor site structure, and missed SEO potential. 

Moz’s latest guide breaks down how topic clusters solve all of that by turning scattered blog posts into a focused, connected strategy. A topic cluster starts with a pillar page targeting a broad keyword. Supporting pages then dive into subtopics and link back to the pillar. This structure helps Google understand your authority and makes it easier for users to navigate.

Moz recommends choosing a pillar topic tied to your product and supported by search volume. Tools like Keyword Suggestions by Topic help you identify subtopics and avoid keyword cannibalization. Once you’ve built one cluster, audit your existing content, plug gaps, and scale up.

In the Design Realm 

A philosophical brand identity design 

The Brand Identity is known to share inspirational design projects, and in a recent post, they explored the brand identity created for the Royal Institute of Philosophy. The idea for the rebrand was based on a simple yet profound concept: “Question Everything”. 

The new visual identity aims to make philosophical thought more accessible to the public without sacrificing its intellectual depth. 

At the center of the identity is a clever circular symbol made of interlocking question marks, subtle at first glance, but packed with meaning. It reflects how philosophical insights often unfold gradually, rewarding attention and curiosity.

This indicates how having a clear message and direction adds more meaning to a brand’s identity. 

Statement packaging design 

There are two kinds of packaging designs – ones that blend into the background and those that make a bold statement. The packaging design featured in the below post from Packaging of the World is the latter. 

Sour Puss is a watermelon-flavoured, intensely sour candy designed for adults who want fun with a little bite. The goal is to make candy feel rebellious and worth savouring.

Therefore, the branding for Sour Puss adopts a similar approach and breaks the traditional packaging design norms by leading with strong emotion. 

The packaging features a wild, surreal cat character and edgy typography that hint at the candy’s face-twisting sourness. The visual identity captures punk energy but also carries a hint of premium feel. The candy itself is shaped like cat eyes with ears, packed in a 3D-embossed tin that feels more like collectible art than standard FMCG packaging.

On the whole, this packaging design demonstrates the impact of creating packaging that gets people to talk about your brand. 

In the AI Realm 

Eleven Music – a new AI music tool from ElevenLabs 

ElevenLabs, known for its AI voice technology, has now launched Eleven Music. This new AI tool creates original, studio-quality music from text prompts. 

Eleven Music allows users to generate music with or without vocals, and gives them control over genre, style, and structure. The service supports multiple languages, including English, Spanish, German, and Japanese.

One of the key features of Eleven Music is that it was developed in collaboration with music labels and publishers, including Merlin Network and Kobalt Music Group. This proactive approach to licensing means that the music generated on the platform is cleared for a wide range of commercial uses, such as film, TV, podcasts, and social media.

Google announces Storybooks – a creative new app that turns ideas into stories 

Storybooks is a mobile app designed to help parents create personalized, illustrated bedtime stories for their children. By simply entering a story prompt, the app generates a short, 10-page illustrated story tailored to the user’s request.

The app uses the Gemini API to create the text for the story and also generate relevant images to bring the story to life with Imagen. 

Additionally, the iOS and Android versions of this app were built with Flutter, and it uses Google Translate to support multiple languages as well. 

Google’s new AI world model – Genie 3 

From creating static images to animated designs, AI tools have evolved. And now interactive world models are growing in popularity. Google’s next tool in this segment is Genie 3. 

Expanding the time limits on previous popular world models and allowing more convenient prompt-based interactions and navigation, Genie 3 is built to achieve accurate modeling of physical world elements. From natural settings to fantastical scenes, this model is also designed to achieve environmental consistency. 

Google is making AI more accessible to students 

Just last week, ChatGPT announced the Student Mode to allow students to perform deeper and more convenient research using the tool. And Google made AI Mode more suitable for students and educators as well. Building on this, Google has now added more student-focused features to Gemini. 

To begin with, Google is giving students in the US, Japan, Indonesia, Korea, and Brazil a free one-year subscription to its AI Pro plan. This is to help learners get more out of AI while studying. Alongside this, Gemini is rolling out smarter, more interactive learning tools.

The new Guided Learning mode in Gemini helps break down complex topics step by step, adapting to your pace and needs. Instead of just giving quick answers, it acts like a personal tutor, explaining each concept. Gemini also brings learning to life by integrating visuals like diagrams, images, and YouTube videos directly into explanations.

Google AI Ultra Subscribers now have access to Gemini 2.5 Deep Think 

Google is rolling out Gemini 2.5 Deep Think in the Gemini app for AI Ultra subscribers. This upgraded version of Gemini 2.5 builds on the model that recently hit gold-medal standards in the International Mathematical Olympiad. This model is built to be faster, more practical, and still highly capable. 

The Deep Think mode uses parallel thinking and extended reasoning time to simulate how humans work through complex problems. It can weigh multiple ideas, refine them, and produce thoughtful, creative responses. 

From web design to coding and mathematical reasoning, this new mode was found to excel in a variety of tasks. 

Anthropic upgrades Claude’s coding capabilities with Opus 4.1 

Anthropic has released Claude Opus 4.1, a notable upgrade to its flagship model with significant improvements in coding, research, and agentic reasoning. It’s now available to Claude users with paid subscriptions via API, and platforms like Amazon Bedrock and Google Cloud’s Vertex AI.

This update is a major leap for developers and businesses as it offers a more powerful, precise, and efficient tool for a wide range of coding and research tasks at the same price as the previous version.

OpenAI’s open-weight models are here 

OpenAI is expanding its portfolio with the release of two new advanced open-weight models, gpt-oss-120b and gpt-oss-20b. Reportedly, gpt-oss-120b performs on par with o4-mini when it comes to its reasoning abilities. On the other hand, gpt-oss-20b’s performance is similar to that of OpenAI o3‑mini. 

Notably, these models are designed for on-device operation since they can run on devices with as little as 16 GB of memory. 

OpenAI’s GPT-5 is finally here 

Rumors about the release of GPT-5 have been floating around recently and finally, it’s here. According to OpenAI, this is its “fastest, smartest and most useful model yet”. The inherent thinking capabilities built into the model is one of the many things that make it special. 

One of the notable details is that GPT-5 is built to understand the allocation of optimal thinking times for each task. Hence it can tackle coding, writing, research, visual perception and a whole lot of other tasks thrown at it with ease. 

In short, OpenAI has built GPT-5 as a wholesome model that combines the best of the previous models to be useful in diverse applications. 

The new model lets you switch between chat personalities like Cynic, Robot, Listener, and Nerd, in addition to the default cheerful and adaptive mode. Besides, the API version is also getting the gpt-5, gpt-5-mini, and gpt-5-nano models. 

Social Media Feature Updates and Algorithm Changes  

Instagram finally adds support for “reposts”

Resharing “shareworthy” posts you come across is something you can do with most platforms, including the recently popular Threads. However, it’s been a feature missing on Instagram except for the option to share posts on Stories. Finally, breaking that streak, Instagram has announced the resharing option on the platform. 

Yes, you can now repost photos, carousels and Reels that you like. For creators, this means an improved reach, a boost in views and engagement as well. 

Even non-followers can share your posts and help boost your visibility on Instagram. Notably, the creator gets full credits with all the engagement redirected to the original post. 

Learn more from Instagram Insights 

Another big news from Instagram is the expansion of Insights on the platform. The Insights feature is getting a makeover with more new metrics and a better UI when viewing the engagement on different kinds of posts like Reels and Carousels. 

With Insights for Reels, you can now look for exact moments in the Reel that brought in the most engagement. With Carousels, you can view the exact slide where people liked your Carousel. Finally, there is also the option to view audience demographics based on a post-level. 

Time to prioritize LinkedIn in your marketing strategy 

LinkedIn recently shared an insightful discussion demonstrating the significance of the platform for B2B marketers. Reportedly, the platform has grown tremendously, standing at 1.2 billion members now spread over 200 countries. Additionally, 98% of the CEOs of Fortune 500 companies rely on LinkedIn as their primary social media platform. 

Most importantly, the post also shows that the video watch time on the platform has risen by 36%. Taking all these into account, we can safely conclude that now is a good time to start taking LinkedIn more seriously. 

Pinterest shares valuable insights 

Social Media Today discussed some recent insights shared by Pinterest about making the most of the platform. So, if you have been struggling with your reach on the platform and if you have not been able to use Pinterest to build a strong online community, you’ll love this post. 

Pinterest’s article discusses the need for creating fresh content every week and making the most of big marketing moments to stay relevant and visible. It also talks about the significance of watching and adopting the right trends in order to stay ahead. 

Wrapping Up…

With that it’s time to wrap up the KIMP’s Picks August 8th Edition. We hope that this round-up gave you a gist of the week that flew by. Now, wasn’t that better than doomscrolling all weekend to catch up on what you missed this week? For more such updates and to stay in the loop, stay tuned and we’ll be back with our next weekly recap in no time! 

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Posted On

08 Aug, 2025

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