The Prussian Homage or Prussian Tribute was the formal investiture of Albert, Duke of Prussia (1490-1568), with his Duchy of Prussia as a fief of the Kingdom of Poland that took place on 10 April 1525 in the then capital of Krakรณw, Kingdom of Poland.
Today, Poland has become a vibrant society.
Old towns have been rebuilt with care.
Churches restored.
Soviet scars replaced with colorful facades and cobbled streets.
Poland proved something no one talks about:
You can build prosperity without destroying beauty.
Polish people, contrary to what politicians say, are actually quite strongly attached to European identity. Worth noting that all frontier (eastern) countries are.
I have just spent some time in Poland and am now enjoying a glass of Champagne in the LOT lounge at Warsaw airport, waiting for my delayed flight. Here are a few reflections from Poland:
1. All those videos about Polish Christmas markets and cities are right: Poland is extremely safe and clean. There is no need for concrete blocks like in Germany, the UK, or military patrols like in France.
2. Itโs a myth that Poland doesnโt accept immigrants. Poland has a solid border wall to keep illegal immigrants out, but it welcomes anyone who wants to work, learn the language and contribute to society instead of draining welfare systems.
3. Poles are probably the most entrepreneurial people in Europe. They understand that hard work is necessary for a good life and prosperity for their children, very different from the spoiled, daddy-financed left-wing activists in โWesternโ Europe.
In summary, be like Poland. Itโs really worth it.
Google rewards UGC
Meanwhile, the giant has stirred things up in search again.
Website owners will have to face new competition beyond AI Overviews.
The company, through Liz Reid (VP of Google Search), announced that the search algorithm will now consider more โnonstandardโ content, such as short videos, forum posts, and other user-generated content (UGC).
As Reid explained to The Wall Street Journal, the changes stem from new habits among internet users โ especially younger ones โ who increasingly search for information on video platforms or forums rather than โtraditionalโ websites.
Itโs unclear when the changes were introduced or how extensive they will be.
Whatโs clear is that website publishers will have an even tougher time โ at least in areas where UGC can pose real competition (probably not heavy industry).
First they fought Googleโs algorithm, then AI, and now theyโll battle TikTok as well.
๐ฐ Search Engine Journal: https://t.co/e5ZJtQFz0W
AdAge: bots increasingly dangerous for brands
Bots pose an image threat to brands โ most of which are unaware of the risk.
Fake or provocative content spread on social media by automated, bot accounts can harm companiesโ reputations. The problem is growing with the development of artificial intelligence. Thanks to AI tools, โlaunchingโ an army of bots has become easier than ever before, warns AdAge.
Examples include recent image problems faced by Cracker Barrel and American Eagle. The first faced a wave of criticism after changing its logo; the second โ after a campaign featuring actress Sydney Sweeney. According to an analysis by the company Cyabra, in both cases bots played a significant role in fueling negative emotions, accounting for, respectively, over 20% and 13โ15% of comments under the brandsโ social media posts.
What can be done to minimize the reputational cost of such situations?
The only universal solution is active social listening and quick response. Fires are easiest to extinguish at the spark stage.
Horizon Futures: events are virtualizing
The pandemic is over, but it left a lasting inflationary mark.
Among the sectors affected by sharp price increases during and after COVID was the events industry. As a result, former festival-goers are increasingly attending online instead of in person.
According to the Horizon Futures report, 79% of consumers consider an event โworth its priceโ only when itโs a โonce-in-a-lifetime experience,โ while 69% of respondents who choose virtual events cite cost savings as the main reason. But itโs not just about money โ respondents also point to the ability to multitask (64%) and convenience (61%).
The โvirtualizationโ of live events may affect marketing campaign results. 75% of adults attending live events notice brand presence at such events. Among millennials and Gen Z, the figure rises to 81%. However, marketing aimed at remote participants must take the mediumโs limitations into account.
Source: https://t.co/3M8tA0Z5rS
ChatGPT becomes a platform for apps
The evolution of ChatGPT is accelerating.
OpenAI is transforming its AI assistant into an access point for applications.
The platform now allows users in selected locations to use resources from services such as Bookingcom, Canva, Coursera, Figma, Zillow, and โ the latest addition โ Spotify, all without leaving the chat. The company has also released an Apps SDK โ a toolkit that enables developers to build their own conversational applications based on the open Model Context Protocol standard.
Thanks to these new features, users can call on external tools directly in prompts โ for example, by asking Spotify to create an โ80s-style party playlist. The โcollaboratingโ programs return results inside the chat window, displaying, for instance, accommodation lists, maps, or presentations.
For software creators, itโs an opportunity to reach the 800 millionโplus user base of the worldโs largest AI chat. For OpenAI โ a chance to become the main hub for interacting with the internet.
Source: https://t.co/gPiU2vVi5F
OMG: trust in LLMs is growing
GEO โ generative engine optimization โ is becoming an increasingly important part of the SEO mix.
According to research by Omnicom Media Group (OMG), 44% of consumers trust products, services, and brands recommended by artificial intelligence.
Whatโs more, faith in AIโs reliability is (likely) growing faster than AIโs reliability itself. The report shows that trust in Googleโs AI Overviews has risen from 44% to 68% within a year, while trust in generative AI in search in general increased from 37% to 61%.
Additionally, a large portion of users are ignoring traditional search results. According to OMG, as many as 65% of internet users rely on AI Overviews during queries, and 20% use that source exclusively, skipping standard results altogether.
Quo vadis, SEO?
Source: https://t.co/Iv6rxE87Cj
Dawit Isaak Library censors Orwell
Books are meant to be read. But there are exceptions.
One of them is the Swedish edition of George Orwellโs canonical dystopia 1984.
The edition prepared by the Dawit Isaak Library in Malmรถ and BBDO Nordics has a double spine โ meaning it cannot be opened without using โforce.โ
The goal of the campaign, titled The Bound Books Project (hint: โboundโ sounds almost like โbannedโ), is to draw attention to the issue of censorship in an increasingly autocratic world.
The projectโs release coincided with Banned Books Week 2025 โ an international event promoting the freedom to read.
Organizers sent copies to several well-known authors, including Stephen King and Herta Mรผller.
After brief struggles with the cover, the writers filed a complaint.
Source: https://t.co/yNaOOvU949
LEGO and Nike built a playground
LEGO and Nike joined forces to build a playground in Shanghai.
The project is unique because it was largely designed by children.
Kids contributed ideas during the Build the Change workshops organized by LEGO China.
In the execution phase, LEGO was supported by Nike, which has already built 42 playgrounds in China (aiming for 100) as part of its Move to Zero sustainability initiative.
The result of their joint effort is a large, modular space inspired by a 2ร3 LEGO brick. Joyful anarchy reigns on the playground. Children decide whether a given structure should serve as part of a made-up game, an obstacle, or a climbing wall.
Long live imagination.
Source: https://t.co/JeypC3Th4s
Gen Alpha is having an increasing impact on commerce
The future of commerce belongs to Alphas.
The generation born between 2010 and 2024 counts about 2 billion people. According to the report Alpha Rising by the Acceleration Community of Companies (ACC), Alphas will soon become one of the most important consumer groups. Experts predict that by 2029, their economic impact will reach as much as $5.46 trillion.
โThey are now acting as a family CMO and they are curating family culture. They are telling the family what to eat, where theyโre going on vacation, what car to drive, what theyโre going to be cooking, what types of brands they want,โ says Monica Chun, president of ACC.
This picture of the young generation emerges from survey research. More than 70% of Alphas claim they help their relatives stay up to date with trends, and as many as 96% can convince their families to try out things theyโve seen online or with friends.
The report also leaves no doubt that Alphas prioritize instant gratification. 84% of young people use apps, games, or loyalty programs just to avoid losing a reward or streak, 76% expect brands to include gamification elements such as points, badges, or bonuses, and 64% hope for discounts.
Among Millennials and Gen Z โ unthinkable.
Source: https://t.co/tlxkNsrx4w
Nothing human is alien to me โ said the computer
OpenAI has decided to soften its image with a series of very โhumanโ, emotion-driven visuals in its latest video campaign, created together with a boutique agency. The only question is how much responsibility for the ad rested with humans โ since ChatGPT is presented as a co-creator of these scripts.
The timing of the campaign is quite specific, as it coincides with the launch of Sora 2 by OpenAI โ a video generation engine that creates entire scenes based on text prompts. And it must be said, the progress made here is impressive.
Should we expect the next OpenAI campaign to be fully generated by its own artificial intelligence? Why not? The model is already capable of suggesting scripts and characters, so the natural next step would be to take over the entire costly film production process โ and deliver a finished result.
Of course, costs are the least of concerns for companies developing AI. The same canโt be said for many other industries, where every penny spent on marketing matters. So, paradoxically, we can assume that OpenAI will โmake ads with humansโ, because research shows that, as homo sapiens, we tend to value such products more โ while the less financially equipped segment of the market will rely on AI.