KIMP’s Picks January 23rd: Weekly Highlights In Design, Marketing, AI, & More

Happy Friday! We’re three weeks into 2026, and the marketing landscape is shifting. The AI realm is expanding steadily. There’s so much happening in the world of tech, and social media continues to be the one space where people discuss the latest buzz. But every time you hit refresh, there are endless updates awaiting your attention. How do you catch up on all of them without doomscrolling your weekend away? By quickly scrolling through the KIMP’s Picks, of course.

Welcome to the KIMP’s Picks January 23 Edition. Ready for a quick recap of the week that went by? Let’s go!

In the Marketing Realm 

Google expands Campaign Total Budgets to Search and other places 

Google is rolling out campaign total budgets in open beta for Search, Performance Max, and Shopping campaigns. The update is designed to make short-term campaign planning easier, especially for launches, promotions, and limited-time sales.

Instead of managing daily budgets, advertisers can now set one total budget for a fixed time period, ranging from a few days to several weeks. Google then automatically optimizes spend across that window to use the full budget efficiently by the end date. This helps prevent underspending during high-intent moments or even overspending early in the campaign.

The art of reputation management for brands 

Managing a brand’s online reputation is an art every business owner needs to acquire. And the post here from Moz delves into this art.  

The post talks about categorizing negative reviews into legitimate negative reviews, single and large spam reviews and severe scandals and brand damage. The post breaks down the steps brands could take for each category. This includes taking immediate action by responding promptly after analyzing the core problem in legitimate negative reviews and seeking reputation management assistance when things go out of hand with severe scandals. 

The 5-pillar audit for Google Ads 

Are you Google Ads campaigns not delivering results? Then this post from the Search Engine Journal is for you. 

The post talks about the 5-pillar audit for brands investing in Google Ads. From aligning the business objective by evaluating relevant KPI to choosing viable offers and pricing, the post talks about actionable steps for brands to take. It also underscores the need for evaluating audience and intent and checking the landing page for effectiveness and experience. On the whole, the post breaks down the whole process so that advertisers can identify gaps and enhance their Google Ads performance. 

In the Content Marketing Realm 

Video content on YouTube is how you connect with sports fans 

With audiences craving authenticity, tapping into fandom is an effective way for brands to connect with their customers. And if you are looking to connect with sports fans, YouTube is one of the most crucial platforms to include in your strategy. 

According to YouTube, 40,000,000,000+ hours of sports content were consumed on the platform almost every year. So, beyond traditional broadcast channels, it’s time for brands to focus on streaming platforms like YouTube in order to meet their customers (fans), wherever they are. 

So, it’s time to rethink your video content strategy for YouTube. 

In the Design Realm 

Rebranding done right 

The Brand Identity recently shared a post delving into a rebranding project. Craft, a design industry recruitment agency, has unveiled a full rebrand built on the idea of cultivation. After more than a decade in business, the agency wanted its identity to better reflect its role in nurturing creative careers and shaping teams, rather than just filling jobs.

The new visual identity uses floral and organic imagery to symbolize growth, potential and long-term development. The revamped design demonstrates how strategic design decisions can help amplify the meaning of a brand and add more value to its rebranding. 

Looking for a creative partner who can help tackle your rebranding project? An unlimited design service might be just what you need!

In the AI Realm 

Age prediction in ChatGPT 

OpenAI has rolled out an age prediction feature in ChatGPT as a measure to ensure safety for teens. This new age prediction model is currently in open beta for ChatGPT consumer plans. It estimates whether a user is under 18 by analyzing behavioral and account-level signals. 

Instead of just relying on a self-reported birthdate, the AI looks at interaction patterns, account age, and peak usage times to determine the appropriate safety level.

When the model identifies a likely minor, it automatically triggers a “Restricted Mode”. This safeguard limits exposure to sensitive topics like graphic violence, sexual roleplay, and content promoting unhealthy beauty standards.

Additionally, adults who find themselves incorrectly flagged can quickly restore full access by verifying their age with a selfie or ID through the secure partner service, Persona.

ChatGPT will soon display ads 

There have been rumors about ads on ChatGPT for a while now and OpenAI has released some official updates about the same. 

OpenAI outlined its approach to introducing ads in ChatGPT, focused on expanding access without compromising the core experience. Reportedly, the company is rolling out a low-cost subscription, ChatGPT Go, now available globally for $8 a month, alongside its free tier. 

To support wider use and reduce limits for users who don’t pay, OpenAI plans to begin testing advertising on these two tiers in the U.S. in the coming weeks. Paid plans like Plus, Pro, Business, and Enterprise will remain ad-free.

Also, OpenAI says ads will be clearly labelled and separate from AI responses, and that they won’t influence what the model says.

ElevenLabs debuts “The Eleven Album” to showcase AI-powered music creation 

After introducing a set of useful music-related updates just a few weeks ago, ElevenLabs has launched The Eleven Album, a music project built with its new AI model, Eleven Music. This project blends human artistry with generative audio technology. The album features 13 original tracks from well-known musicians and producers across genres like pop, EDM, rap, and R&B, including Liza Minnelli, Art Garfunkel, Michael Feinstein, IAMSU!, and others. Each song pairs the artist’s signature style and voice with AI-generated composition, recorded at studio quality.

This project is meant to illustrate how creators can integrate AI into their workflow without losing control of their sound or ownership rights. According to ElevenLabs, artists retain full authorship and commercial rights to their tracks, and the album is available now on Spotify and directly through ElevenLabs.

Google Gemini is now available in more languages

Google has been expanding Gemini access in diverse languages and now there is more to explore. After announcing Personal Intelligence on Gemini just last week, Google is making Gemini available in 23 new languages, expanding the total number of supported languages on the platform to 70+. 

This is to allow more convenient conversations with Gemini and more personalized experiences. 

Google Trends gets Gemini AI in new Explore page redesign

Google has overhauled its Trends Explore page, adding Gemini AI features to make trend discovery easier and faster. The updated version now uses a new AI-powered side panel to suggest related search topics and automatically populate comparison graphs. This removes much of the manual work previously needed to dig into data.

When you enter a topic, Gemini can generate up to eight relevant search terms instantly and show related ideas to explore deeper. You can also edit terms, apply filters for country or time, and see more rising queries than before. The interface also got a visual refresh with clearer icons and colors that make comparing trends more intuitive.

The new features are meant to reduce guesswork, accelerate analysis, and reveal connections you might miss without AI assistance. 

Anthropic’s new partnership with Teach for All 

Anthropic is teaming up with the global network Teach For All to bring advanced AI tools and training to over 100,000 educators across 63 countries. 

Through the new AI Literacy & Creator Collective (LCC), teachers from organizations like Teach For India and Teach For Nigeria are gaining hands-on access to Claude. Instead of just using the tech, these educators will be serving as co-architects, providing real-world feedback to Anthropic to ensure AI develops in a way that truly supports classroom equity and needs.

The program includes live AI fluency sessions, a global peer learning community, and an advanced innovation lab where teachers can test ideas and work closely with Anthropic’s team.

Google makes Gemini a useful study partner for the SAT 

Google is expanding Gemini’s role in education by launching full-length, no-cost practice tests for standardized exams. Starting with the SAT, students can now take complete practice exams on demand directly within Gemini. Google is also planning to support more competitive tests in the future. 

These practice tests are built using rigorously vetted content from trusted education partners like The Princeton Review. The goal is to mirror real exam conditions as closely as possible, so students are preparing with material that reflects what they’ll actually see on test day.

Social Media Feature Updates and Algorithm Changes

BBC x YouTube partner to create digital-first content for younger audiences  

The BBC has announced a historic partnership with YouTube that will see it produce original, tailor-made content for the platform. This marks its shift from using YouTube mainly for clips and trailers to creating programmes designed specifically for digital-native, younger audiences.

The new content will span entertainment, documentaries, children’s programming, news, and sport, with coverage beginning with the Winter Olympics. While some shows may also appear on BBC iPlayer and Sounds, YouTube is now a primary destination. Outside the UK, the content will carry advertising, thus creating a new revenue stream as the BBC’s funding model faces ongoing scrutiny.

Starter Packs on X 

X is rolling out a new feature called Starter Packs. This new feature is designed to help users quickly find and follow groups of relevant accounts. 

This update allows creators and organizations to curate lists of recommended profiles, which new or existing users can then follow with a single click. If the concept sounds familiar, it is because it closely mirrors a popular feature on the rival platform Bluesky, which has used similar packs to help users navigate its decentralized network more easily.

Threads surpasses X in daily mobile users 

From the time Threads was launched, it has been dubbed a strong contender for X. Keeping up with that reputation, Threads is slowly catching up. 

New data shows Meta’s Threads has overtaken X in daily mobile active users worldwide. Analytics firm Similarweb estimates Threads reached about 141.5 million daily users on iOS and Android as of early January 2026, compared with around 125 million for X. 

This milestone reflects steady user growth for Threads rather than a sudden spike tied to controversy or short-term events. 

Byte Dance announces a ReelShort rival 

TikTok has quietly introduced PineDrama, a standalone app built entirely around micro-dramas. The platform is designed for short, serialized fictional shows, with episodes typically lasting about a minute and formatted for vertical viewing on mobile.

Unlike TikTok’s main feed, PineDrama is dedicated to story-driven content. Users can browse genres like romance, suspense, and drama, follow ongoing series, and pick up episodes where they left off. The experience feels closer to bingeing mini TV shows than scrolling social videos.

Meta expands ads on Threads to global users 

Meta is rolling out ads on Threads to users in all markets worldwide, starting next week. This follows last year’s launch that opened Threads ads to advertisers, with limited user delivery in select regions. The global rollout will be gradual, with ad volume kept low initially.

Threads has grown quickly, now reaching over 400 million monthly active users. What started as a new social app has become a conversation-led platform with distinct communities and real-time cultural relevance. For businesses, this makes Threads a natural extension of existing Meta campaigns.

Moreover, the fact that Threads has now overtaken X on mobile in terms of daily users, advertising on the platform will surely switch things up. 

View on Threads

Time to Wrap Up…

That brings us to the end of the KIMP’s Picks January 23 Edition. As AI continues to evolve and social media algorithms are changing, staying on top of these shifts helps brands spot opportunities early and adapt faster than the curve. But keeping up can be time-consuming. That’s why you have KIMP’s Picks! Stay tuned and we’ll be back next week with more timely updates that matter for marketers, creators, and businesses navigating the digital landscape.