KIMP’s Picks June 13th: Weekly Highlights In Design, Marketing, AI, & More

Another week flies by! Did you miss all the social media buzz? The updates from the fast-paced AI realm and social media algorithm changes. Feeling the familiar pang of FOMO? Don’t worry! We know your feeds have been overflowing with updates, and keeping up with them all is a tough job. But then again, these are not just fleeting trends. They’re the kinds of insights that could potentially impact your workflow in the coming weeks. 

But how do you find the time to sift through it all to find what truly matters? That’s where KIMP’s Picks comes in. This is our weekly recap post where we curate a list of posts that give you a snapshot of the week in a few quick minutes, sans the doomscrolling! 

So, are you ready for this week’s recap? Let’s go! 

In the Marketing Realm 

Microsoft Advertising rolls out smarter tools & updates 

In a recent post, Search Engine Land discussed some crucial updates coming to Microsoft Advertising. 

Microsoft Advertising has launched a series of significant product updates aimed at providing advertisers with greater control, efficiency, and insights. Key changes include a complete redesign of the Reporting homepage and the introduction of a new Custom Report Builder, offering faster access to metrics and customizable analysis.

Additionally, Performance Max campaigns now operate under standard auction dynamics when overlapping with Standard Shopping campaigns, prioritizing the highest Ad Rank instead of the default Performance Max priority. 

A timely brand partnership from Amazon Prime 

Amazon Prime is harnessing the power of everyday heroism with its latest “Anyone Can Be Super” campaign, launched to tap into the momentum of DC Studios’ upcoming “Superman” film. 

The initiative offers Prime members exclusive early access to movie screenings, framing the experience around the idea that even small actions can make a big difference.

This campaign comes as a reminder that aligning with major cultural moments like a highly anticipated film release can generate immense excitement and enhance brand relevance.

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Building customer loyalty for small businesses 

Small businesses thrive on repeat customers and brand advocates. Adobe shared an article that emphasizes that fostering customer loyalty doesn’t need to be complex. It highlights the importance of relationship-building over just offering perks. Loyal customers not only make repeat purchases but also promote the business through word-of-mouth and social media.

The piece suggests simple loyalty program ideas like traditional punch cards, points programs where customers earn rewards for spending, and referral programs that incentivize customers for bringing in new business.

Additionally, the article recommends personalized thank-you notes, celebrating customer milestones with small gifts or discounts, and featuring loyal customers through “customer spotlights” on social media or newsletters. 

In the Content Marketing Realm 

AI Search poised to take over traditional Search in a few years 

Semrush shared a post discussing how AI Search is slowly but steadily taking over traditional Search. 

A recent study indicates that AI search platforms, including Google AI Overviews, ChatGPT, and others, are projected to surpass traditional search in driving website visitors to digital marketing and SEO-related content by early 2028. This shift signifies a broader trend across industries, potentially accelerating if Google’s AI Mode becomes the default search experience. 

The study also found that visitors from AI search are significantly more valuable, converting at a rate 4.4 times higher than those from traditional organic search. 

Sourcing habits of AI platforms 

A new study by Profound, analyzing over 30 million citations from OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, and Perplexity between August 2024 and June 2025, reveals significant differences in their primary information sources. Reportedly, ChatGPT predominantly relies on Wikipedia, with 47.9% of its answers citing it. 

In contrast, both Google AI Overviews and Perplexity heavily favor Reddit as their top source. Google AI Overviews cited Reddit in 21% of its responses, followed by YouTube and Quora, with Wikipedia only accounting for 5.7%. 

For brands, this underscores the rising importance of being part of online communities. Engaging authentically on Reddit and similar platforms can boost visibility in AI-generated search results.

In the Design Realm 

A road-inspired brand identity project for a travel brand 

The Brand Identity shared a post discussing the brand identity created for travel tech brand Trawelt. The fresh identity draws inspiration from the visual language of road signs, maps, and tickets. Designed to evoke clarity and trust, the system mirrors the navigational aids that guide real-world travel.

Additionally, the primary brand mark is a ‘T’ with an upward arrow, further symbolizing wayfinding, used independently or with the wordmark. A combination of Labour Grotesk and Reckless Neue serif and sans-serif fonts was chosen for broad appeal.

This project highlights how grounding a visual identity in user experience and context can foster deeper resonance with your target audience. 

A bold rebranding project 

Design agency How&How has reimagined e-commerce platform Big Cartel with a bold new identity aimed at creatives and independent sellers. Departing from the slick, corporate feel of platforms like Shopify, the rebrand leans into handmade textures, hand-drawn elements, and an expressive new typographic system.

Given that hand-drawn elements and raw authentic styles are in trend amidst the growing use of AI-generated content, this project highlights how you can deploy these trends into your branding and marketing designs. 

Brand building in 2025 is harder! 

Creative Bloq shared a post discussing the evolving branding landscape and how branding feels much more challenging now more than ever. 

Branding in 2025 faces significant challenges due to the rapid pace of change and the increasing number of customer touchpoints, from apps to digital billboards and professional networks like LinkedIn. James Fooks-Bale, Director of Brand at Frontify, emphasizes the difficulty of staying relevant in a fast-evolving world and the need for brands to design for a chaotic and unpredictable future.

He stresses the critical need for brands to understand their “why”, the underlying purpose and objectives, before embarking on any branding initiative, warning that a lack of clarity can lead to short-lived results. Summing up, staying relevant now demands both strategy and soul! 

In the AI Realm 

OpenAI adds Direct Preference Optimization for fine-tuning models 

OpenAI has introduced Direct Preference Optimization (DPO), a new fine-tuning method designed to improve subjective decision-making in AI models. 

Unlike traditional fine-tuning, DPO uses pairs of responses, one preferred and one suboptimal, to help the model learn human-like preferences. This means developers can steer outputs toward better tone, focus, or style based on clear comparisons.

OpenAI rolls out new o3-Pro Model to Pro users

OpenAI has begun rolling out its new o3-Pro model to all Pro users in ChatGPT and via its API, replacing the previous o1-Pro version. Expert evaluations have consistently favored o3-Pro over its predecessor, o3. Particularly, most reported significant performance improvements across critical domains such as science, education, programming, data analysis, and writing.

According to OpenAI, o3-pro leads in clarity, instruction-following, comprehensiveness, and accuracy. Similar to o1-Pro, the new o3-Pro model demonstrates strong capabilities in math, science, and coding, a performance validated through academic evaluations. 

Google unveils Veo 3 Fast for faster and smarter AI video generation 

Google is rolling out Veo 3 Fast, an accelerated version of its Veo 3 video generation model, to keep pace with growing demand. Reportedly, Veo 3 Fast is more than twice as fast as the standard Veo 3, offering the same 720p resolution and numerous serving optimizations to handle increased usage.

To access Veo 3 Fast, users need a Google AI plan. Gemini Pro members will now receive three Veo 3 Fast generations per day with daily refreshes, a significant change from the previous one-time 10-pack. 

Flow Pro members can generate Veo 3 Fast videos for 20 credits per generation. Notably, fixes have been implemented to reduce random or gibberish text subtitles in both Veo 3 and Veo 3 Fast outputs.

Amazon adds enhanced AI video generation for realistic video ads 

Amazon Ads has launched an enhanced AI-powered Video Generator, a tool designed to create realistic, high-motion videos that display products in everyday use. These are short videos that help shoppers better visualize items before purchasing. This update represents a significant advancement in Amazon’s AI journey, providing advertisers with sophisticated creative capabilities.

Advertisers now receive six unique video variations, complete with text animation and background music. These improvements follow Amazon’s broader investment in generative AI, including tools like AI Creative Studio, Audio Generator, and Image Generator, all aimed at reducing creative friction for advertisers. 

Upgraded Gemini 2.5 Pro preview launched ahead of general availability 

Google has released an upgraded preview of Gemini 2.5 Pro, its most intelligent model to date, which is slated for general availability to enterprise-scale applications in a couple of weeks. This updated version builds upon the May release, demonstrating significant performance improvements.

According to Google, beyond raw performance, there are enhancements to the model’s output style and formatting, responding to user feedback for more polished and creative results. 

Meet Genspark’s new AI Browser

Genspark has introduced its new AI Browser, promising a “lightning fast” and ad-free browsing experience. Currently the browser is available for macOS 15 or later, and the Windows version is coming soon. The browser integrates advanced AI features aimed at automating and enhancing online tasks.

A key feature is the “Super Agent,” an intelligent browsing companion designed to assist users by instantly finding better deals, comparing products, analyzing reviews, and facilitating informed decision-making on any website. 

Additionally, the browser also boasts an “Autopilot Mode,” which allows AI to automatically browse feeds, gather information, access premium databases, and complete complex web tasks hands-free.

Furthermore, the Genspark AI Browser includes a “Built-in MCP Store,” allowing users to integrate over 700 tools like Discord, GitHub, Notion, and Slack for streamlined workflow automation. 

Finally, a built-in ad blocker ensures an uninterrupted and clean web experience by automatically blocking banners, pop-ups, and intrusive advertisements.

Topaz Labs introduces Astra for video upscaling 

Video editing is one of those segments that is seeing drastic changes with the new AI tools being introduced. Topaz Labs is taking this progress a step further with the introduction of its video upscaling tool called Astra. 

While there are many AI-powered image upscalers out there, there aren’t many options to tackle video upscaling and from the previews shared, Astra looks promising. 

Astra has been introduced specifically for refining and enhancing AI-generated content. It allows users to upscale videos to crisp 4K resolution while also improving motion and detail, thanks to the new Starlight models that power its engine. 

The tool offers two distinct modes: Creative Mode, which reimagines video details with “Subtle” and “Bold” settings, and Precise Mode, which focuses on faithful enhancement, with toggles for either faster processing or maximum quality. 

Krea introduces Krea 1 – a new image model 

Krea has launched Krea 1, a new AI image generation model designed to move beyond the typical “AI aesthetic” by generating images with accurate skin textures, dynamic camera angles, and expressive colors. 

The platform offers a comprehensive suite of tools within a single interface, allowing users to upscale images to 4K resolution, translate prompts, explore thousands of presets, or transfer the style from any existing image. Users can also fine-tune Krea 1 directly within the prompt box to achieve their desired aesthetic.

Social Media Feature Updates and Algorithm Changes  

TikTok partners with Scope3 to track and cut ad-related carbon emissions 

TikTok has partnered with carbon measurement platform Scope3 to offer advertisers transparent insights into the carbon footprint of their ad campaigns. The collaboration allows brands to track and reduce their scope 3 emissions, the indirect emissions tied to digital advertising, while TikTok continues its push toward operational carbon neutrality.

This move follows TikTok’s broader sustainability commitments, including achieving operational carbon neutrality by 2030. 

Meta introduces a new AI-powered video editing feature 

Meta has launched a new generative AI video editing feature accessible through the Meta AI app, the Meta.AI website, and the Edits app. This tool allows users to transform short-form videos using a variety of preset AI prompts to alter outfits, locations, lighting, and styles. The feature is currently available in the US and over a dozen other countries.

This free, limited-time feature allows users to upload a 10-second clip and choose a preset to instantly generate an edited version. Videos can then be shared directly to Facebook, Instagram, or Meta’s Discover feed, making content creation more dynamic and accessible.

Instagram launches new features to motivate creators 

Instagram is rolling out two new features, “Recap” and “Celebrations,” aimed at providing creators with better insights into their in-app performance. Additionally, these features are also designed to offer creators motivational nudges.  

The platform states these additions are designed to help creators feel more in control of their growth, understand success metrics, and stay motivated.

“Recap” will deliver weekly and monthly summaries of key performance statistics, including post views, views from non-followers, and follower growth. “Celebrations” will appear as full-screen prompts when creators achieve significant milestones, such as reaching specific follower thresholds or posting a trending Reel. 

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Meta is testing DM on Threads 

The Threads app has been seeing steady growth. What was once labeled an X-rival when introduced has evolved into a new kind of social media channel. Offering unique ways for creators and users to engage with each other and with brands, Threads has been changing slowly but steadily. 

Did you notice that direct messaging was the one main feature available on most other social media channels but unavailable on Threads? Well, Meta is now tackling this gap as well. Reportedly, Meta is testing a DM option on Threads. While there are timelines announced with respect to the launch of the feature, this will change the way users communicate on the platform. 

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Summing it Up! 

From new AI tools to explore, upgrades to some of the popular ones, new features coming to popular social media algorithms, and more, this has been a busy week indeed. But scrolling endlessly at the end of a week is not going to help! Why burden your thumb when you can get caught up on all the big updates all in one place in just a few minutes? That’s what the KIMP’s Picks brings to you. Sounds good? Stay tuned, and we’ll be back with the next edition of KIMP’s Picks next week. Until then, stay inspired and keep pushing boundaries!