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Hi friend 👋🏼 and welcome to this week’s edition of “the dump.”

Platforms aren’t just tweaking features anymore, they’re renegotiating control.

Instagram wants you inside the algorithm and holding the knobs. YouTube is letting creators test their own narratives. Facebook is (once again) trying to borrow relevance from Instagram. Reddit is flirting with verification without killing anonymity.

And ChatGPT just became the most downloaded app in the U.S., which tells you everything you need to know about where attention is moving.

At the same time, brands are still doing what platforms struggle with: creating moments people actually enjoy. Lidl turns a croissant into luxury parody. Snickers hijacks a traffic jam and makes hunger funny again. No dashboards, no think pieces. just cultural instincts, executed cleanly.

Let’s get into it.

The ads are what keeps this newsletter free. You know what to do click 👀

Let’s dive in ↓

Have you had coffee yet? ☕️

Geoff

Shoppers are adding to cart for the holidays

Over the next year, Roku predicts that 100% of the streaming audience will see ads. For growth marketers in 2026, CTV will remain an important “safe space” as AI creates widespread disruption in the search and social channels. Plus, easier access to self-serve CTV ad buying tools and targeting options will lead to a surge in locally-targeted streaming campaigns.

Read our guide to find out why growth marketers should make sure CTV is part of their 2026 media mix.

Learn more.

🌤️ This week on WeRSM:

• Instagram Now Lets You Re-Share Any Public Story

• YouTube Creators Can Now A/B Test Multiple Video Titles

• Facebook Wants to Be Like Instagram Again

• Instagram’s New ‘Your Algorithm’ Tool Lets You Edit Your Reels Recommendations

• ChatGPT Is Apple’s Most Downloaded App of 2025 in the U.S.

• You Can Now Use Adobe’s Photo and PDF Editing Tools Inside ChatGPT

• Reddit Is Testing Verification Badges

Creative Campaigns we ❤️

• Lidl Launches “Eau de Croissant,” a Totally Surreal Fragrance Stunt

• Snickers Turns a Train Into a 50-Car Billboard for Hungry Drivers

Fun Stuff to Click On

• Pebble’s New Smart Ring Isn’t About Fitness, It’s About Capturing Ideas

Still here? THANK YOU, and see you next week or anytime on wersm.com!

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DRINK COFFEE LIKE YOU MEAN IT.

K’WA is a capsule coffee discovery club. We source rare coffees from local roasters, and drop them in limited runs for your Nespresso machine. Each drop includes coffee, a playlist, a story. For those who know. For those who care. Follow the ritual on IG 🙏