KIMP’s Picks July 11th: Weekly Highlights In Design, Marketing, AI, & More
There was a time when not reading the newspaper meant showing up clueless. Now social media holds that spot. Missing out on the big updates buzzing on social media means feeling like you are missing out on something big! Well, to be honest, that’s true! Love it or hate it social media has become the go-to platform for AI news, insightful discussions and more.
Given the lightning speed at which social media changes, keeping up feels like a challenge. But doomscrolling is not the solution. The KIMP’s Picks is! This is your weekly social media recap to catch up on some of the big tech news that matters. Social media algorithm updates, AI news, marketing inspiration – there’s something for everyone!
Ready for this week’s KIMP’s Picks? Let’s get the ball rolling!
In the Marketing Realm
Updates coming to Google Analytics
Google Analytics is rolling out several new tools to help marketers optimize budget allocation and gain a comprehensive understanding of cross-channel performance. These advancements aim to simplify data-driven decision-making in increasingly complex consumer journeys.
Key updates include enhancements to attribution path reporting and the introduction of assisted conversions. These features will provide advertisers with a unified view of what drives conversions across all channels. This can reveal how early media engagement contributes to final conversions.
Additionally, to assist in smarter budget decisions, Google Analytics is introducing a projections report and a scenario planner.
Better interpretation of the Channel Performance Report
Google shared a post discussing how advertisers can make the most of their Performance Max campaigns by tapping into features like the channel performance report.
Particularly, the post discusses how the report can help gain a better understanding of clicks, conversions, and hence the cost across diverse channels. It also talks about using product data to understand the best-performing ad formats and other information. On the whole, if you are looking to optimize your campaign performance, this post delves into a lot of commonly asked questions.
Key takeaways from top-performing YouTube ads
Google recently analyzed 4,700 top-performing YouTube ads to uncover recurring themes that drive breakthrough success for brands. As YouTube marks its 20th anniversary, the findings underscore the platform’s enduring role in the evolving marketing landscape.
The first key lesson emphasizes leveraging multiformat storytelling, taking cues from brands like Volvo and Apple. They have successfully used a mix of short-form, long-form, and even live streams to create a comprehensive narrative.
Secondly, harnessing the influence of trusted creators is crucial. Creators are seen as the “new Hollywood”. They foster deep relationships with their audiences, and hence collaborating with them helps brands create more resonant ads.
Finally, seizing cultural moments drives significant impact. YouTube serves as an epicenter for cultural conversations. Hence, it makes a great space for brands to create content that builds on fandom.
Paramount+ launches a new AI-powered campaign for customer engagement
ADWEEK recently shared a post discussing a recent campaign for Paramount+, which is an AI-powered campaign that creatively engages the audience.
This interactive social experience is called “Paramount+ Fan Frontier” and it allows viewers to “claim” their own personalized plot of land on the fictional Paramount Mountain. Fans can participate by responding to prompts on Facebook and Threads, sharing their favorite Paramount+ series or dream vacation spots. Selected participants will then receive a custom digital “deed” to their unique plot, featuring their social handle, an official plot name, and a design inspired by their chosen genre.
The campaign demonstrates the fact that brands are pushing creative boundaries and tapping into the latest advancements like AI to create hyper-personalized campaigns.
Monopoly GO’s 90s sitcom-inspired campaign
Scopely and indie agency Omelet have launched “The Dice Life,” a new marketing campaign for the mobile game Monopoly Go. Moving beyond traditional user acquisition tactics, the campaign is a full-blown sitcom parody, featuring an original theme song and tying back to classic TV tropes. Will Ferrell reprises his role as the voice of Mr. Monopoly. The campaign leverages 90s nostalgia to connect with a wider audience.
There’s humor, there’s nostalgia, and all the essential emotional components that create an engaging and memorable campaign.
In the Content Marketing Realm
The evolution of visual search
Semrush recently discussed the evolution of visual search and the visual content strategies to keep up with these changes. It particularly discusses the implications in the age of AI Overviews.
The post discusses the importance of images in traditional SEO and search, as well as their role in AI Overviews. It also delves into some useful tips about image optimization for better visual search performance. From using high-quality images to suitable alt text, file names, and other strategies, this post takes a deep dive into the essentials of visual content optimization in the evolving search landscape.
In the Design Realm
TikTok discusses its brand font
We’ve spoken a lot about the importance of a strong and relevant brand font. It becomes a signature visual element that represents your brand.
TikTok recently shared a post discussing its custom brand font called TikTok Sans. The font has been designed to empower online creators and storytellers and provide them with a distinctive typeface that defines the platform’s visual identity.
TikTok Sans is a variable font, offering flexibility with adjustable weight, width, slant, and optical size. According to TikTok, the font supports over 460 languages, making it suitable for a global audience. The font is specifically optimized for stylish captions and mobile UI typesetting, ensuring a consistent and high-quality look both on and off the TikTok platform.
A well-planned rebranding project
Rebranding is a huge decision. Once you have decided that you need a rebrand, a full makeover, and not just a slight brand repositioning, your brand identity is one thing that needs a makeover. The Brand Identity spotlighted one such rebranding project that gives insightful design lessons to take away.
LegalPlace, a SaaS platform for entrepreneurs, has undergone a comprehensive rebrand by French agency Bruno. The rebrand addresses a critical need in the legal tech space for a more solid and reassuring visual identity. It moves away from a “startup” feel and addresses previous UX issues.
The rebranding approach acknowledges the often intimidating nature of legal requirements and aims to provide a sense of guidance and accessibility. Drawing inspiration from well-known financial institutions, the new identity features a key-shaped logo symbolizing openness and access.
Staying away from fleeting visual trends, this rebrand focuses on the long-term goals of the brand and builds on the traits that the brand associates itself with.
Simple yet strategically clear logo design
Creative Bloq shared a post that delves into the visual identity crafted for Jupi, a new AI-powered decision-making operating system. This new logo and identity reposition Jupi as a bold alternative to corporate noise.
The brand is built around the idea of cutting through complexity, and every design choice reinforces that. The logo reimagines Rodin’s Thinker in motion, symbolizing active, poetic intelligence.
Additionally, Surreal Magritte-style illustrations depict the challenges Jupi helps solve, like balancing on giant hands or avoiding clouded judgment, offering visual metaphors for clarity in decision-making.
So, when in doubt, use visual cues like visual metaphors to create a logo that’s both visually appealing and easy to remember.
And I'm loving it. https://t.co/zbwNXFrSQz
— Creative Bloq (@CreativeBloq) July 9, 2025
In the AI Realm
xAI unveils Grok 4
xAI has unveiled its next big upgrade to its AI model, Grok. Grok has been slightly behind in the race of AI chatbots, but without a doubt, it has caught up on various levels. Now, to make it even more efficient, xAI has announced Grok 4, dubbed “the world’s most powerful AI model”.
According to Elon Musk, who introduced the upgrade in a recent livestream, this new model has been trained to perform “post-grad level in everything”. With better reasoning and faster computing capabilities, this model has been designed to offer stiff competition to Gemini, ChatGPT, and others.
While there has not been any technical documentation to explain further about all the details regarding what’s changing and how the platform performs in various benchmarks, the announcement has created hype.
Google’s surprise Pixel Drop
Google has released a surprise Pixel Drop, bringing a suite of new AI-powered features to Pixel devices. This includes enhanced video creation, search capabilities, and wearable intelligence. These updates aim to integrate advanced AI more deeply into the user experience and in more Google devices.
Additionally, Circle to Search gets a boost with AI Mode. This brings follow-up questions on-screen and in-game help with targeted articles and videos. Meanwhile, Gemini AI lands on Pixel Watches, bringing voice-powered assistance directly to WearOS. This takes the Google ecosystem closer to the step of replacing Google Assistant with Gemini across devices.
Perplexity’s AI-powered web browser is here
A few weeks ago, Perplexity teased its AI-powered web browser Comet, and it’s finally here. According to Perplexity, this new web browser is designed to fundamentally shift the internet experience from “navigation to cognition.”
Designed as a tool to amplify human intelligence and help users embrace the agentic era, Comet integrates Perplexity’s AI directly into the Browse flow. The aim here is to eliminate disconnected experiences and transform how users interact with online information.
Comet features an intelligent interface that streamlines traditional tabs, allowing users to think more fluidly. Its core functionality revolves around the Comet assistant, an AI agent that operates within the browser.
Notably, this AI assistant can actively conduct Browse sessions, answer questions anywhere they arise, compare information across sites, and even execute complex workflows like booking meetings or sending emails based on on-screen content.
Higgsfield’s Soul ID – more personalized AI characters
Higgsfield has launched “Soul ID,” a new feature designed to generate fully personalized and consistent AI characters. The name comes from the team’s aim to create a model that helps generate “Soul-style high-aesthetic, fashion-grade realism.”
This innovation aims to transform how users create digital content, effectively turning personal photos into a virtual photoshoot. By uploading 20 to 25 images taken in varied angles, lighting, and moods, users train their own Soul ID. The system then generates a high-fidelity digital version of them, capable of being rendered in over 60 pre-designed fashion presets.
Moonvalley’s Marey – a commercially safe AI video model for filmmaking
Moonvalley has launched Marey, its foundational AI model specifically designed to meet the rigorous standards of world-class cinematography. Touted as the world’s first commercially safe video model, Marey is trained exclusively on licensed, high-resolution footage. This ensures that there is no scraped content or user submissions, thereby eliminating legal ambiguities and protecting filmmakers’ work.
Marey offers extensive directorial control, mirroring real production workflows. Key features include Camera Contro,l which enables cinematic camera movements from a single 2D image by transforming it into a 3D environment. Additionally, the model also includes Motion Transfer to apply motion from reference videos to new subjects.
Orchids introduces an AI-powered conversational website builder
AI startup Orchids has unveiled a new AI-powered conversational website builder. The tool has been designed to challenge the perception that websites designed by AI do not always look good.
The tool, with its conversational interface, allows users to use simple text prompts to create landing pages, web apps, and portfolio websites.
In addition to generating website designs, you can also converse with the tool to customize your design, tweak the backgrounds and colors, and more.
Social Media Feature Updates and Algorithm Changes
The Ideas Tab on Edits is changing
Edits recently introduced the Ideas tab to inspire creators. Now they are bringing more updates to the Ideas Tab. Stickies, which are used to jot down ideas and notes, can now be marked as done to keep track of projects and labeled depending on the progress. Additionally, creators can also browse through more Reels with the same audio track for more ideas.
Finally, creators can also add Stickies to the Audio Tab to record ideas and gather inspiration for the upcoming content.
Meta introduces new Messenger features for business re-engagement
Meta has launched an enhanced version of marketing messages on Messenger. This is to provide businesses with a powerful tool to re-engage and foster lasting relationships with customers. This update aims to address the common challenge of conversations ending after a purchase or support query, leaving businesses with limited avenues for follow-up and sustained engagement.
The new marketing messages feature allows businesses to proactively send promotional messages to users who have explicitly subscribed to receive them. Businesses can personalize individual messages or broadcast a single message to a large audience for scale.
Updates coming to YouTube
This week there are more new changes coming to YouTube. This includes the option for creators to share their channel insights with brands, advertisers, as well as third-party platforms. This includes channel and audience insights for creators to show the right brands that they are the right fit.
The other minor changes include extension of channel membership loyalty badges and “pull to refresh” content within the platform.
Wrapping Up…
With that, we conclude the KIMP’s Picks July 11th Edition. That’s plenty of excitement for one week, don’t you agree? After all, the AI landscape is shifting at unprecedented speeds, and keeping up, no matter how tedious it might be, is essential. But let doomscrolling not appear like the only option at hand. The KIMP’s Picks is here to save your time and effort. So, stay tuned. We’ll be back next week with a fresh set of updates to keep you in the loop. See you soon!
