Monday Briefing: Meta's AI Is Listening. Now It's Selling.

Good morning, it's James here. New year, same Meta. If you're wondering how the company plans to monetize those AI chats, we got our answer last month. And it's exactly what you expected.

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The Lead: Meta's AI Is Now an Ad Machine

Meta's updated privacy policy, which took effect in December, confirms what privacy advocates feared: your conversations with Meta AI are now fuel for targeted advertising across Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.

What changed: Meta clarified that data it collects includes "prompts that can include questions, messages, media and other information you share with AI at Meta" (Gizmodo). Ask Meta AI about hiking? Expect hiking boot ads. Chat about home renovation? Get ready for contractor pitches.

The backlash: A coalition of 36 consumer protection groups has filed complaints with the FTC, calling for an investigation into whether Meta's approach violates its 2019 consent decree (Gizmodo). Their argument: users aren't getting meaningful choice about how their conversational data gets used.

The context that makes this worse: Reuters published an investigation on January 1 revealing that Meta developed an internal "playbook" to sidestep pressure on scam advertising. According to internal documents, universal advertiser verification would cost $2 billion and reduce revenue by up to 4.8%, so the company opted for a "reactive" approach instead (SiliconANGLE). High-risk ads reportedly generate Meta up to $7 billion annually.

The take: Meta is playing both sides. It's expanding advertising data collection while simultaneously limiting how aggressively it polices bad actors on its platforms. For CMOs, the lesson is clear: Meta's AI tools will get better at targeting, but the brand safety environment isn't improving at the same pace. Build your first-party data strategy. You'll need it.

Platform Watch

LinkedIn's algorithm overhaul is here. The 2026 changes rolled out in phases starting this month, and one shift stands out: the platform now heavily penalizes external links. Any post containing a link to an outside website sees roughly 60% less reach compared to identical posts without links (River Blog). The new "Depth Score" measures how long people engage with your content, rewarding substance over scroll-stopping hooks. Engagement bait is finally dying. Expertise wins.

Google Ads API goes monthly. Starting this month, Google shifts from quarterly to monthly API releases, with V23 launching in January (PPC Land). The goal: faster access to features available in the UI. Also on the deprecation list: call-only ads can no longer be created via API starting now, with full sunset by February 2027. Migrate to RSAs with call assets if you haven't already.

UK's HFSS rules take effect. As of January 5, ads for foods high in fat, salt, and sugar are banned on TV before 9pm and online (Marketing Week). The loophole: outdoor advertising is exempt. McDonald's has already increased outdoor spending by 71% since 2021 in anticipation.

By The Numbers

$7-8 million: The cost of a 30-second Super Bowl LX spot, with NBC's inventory already sold out earlier than ever (Marketing Dive).

The February 8 game will be the most expensive advertising event in history. Among the notable moves: Svedka Vodka is making its debut (the first national vodka ad in over 30 years), Ferrero North America committed over $100 million to campaigns around the Big Game and World Cup combined, and Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff publicly invited MrBeast to create their commercial. With 127.7 million viewers for the 2025 game, the math still works for brands that can afford it. For everyone else, this is a reminder that attention is getting more expensive everywhere.

The Reading List

• "The 21 Biggest CMO Shakeups of 2025" — Adweek's comprehensive rundown of the year's marketing leadership changes, with context on what each move signals.

• "How the Best Marketing Campaigns of 2025 Navigated Uncertain Times" — Marketing Dive on which brands found creative ways through the chaos.

• "7 Trends That Will Impact Media and Marcoms in 2026" — Marketing Week on what's shaping the year ahead, from AI-accelerated creative production to the streaming video shift.

• "In Graphic Detail: What to Expect in Media in 2026" — Digiday's visual guide to the year ahead in media buying.

Musical Chairs

Geico hired Arianna Orpello as CMO, effective this month. She comes from Goldman Sachs where she served as global chief brand officer, and previously held senior roles at TD Bank and Capital One. A financial services marketing veteran stepping into insurance: expect a more sophisticated brand play.

Sonos brought in Madison Avenue veteran Colleen DeCourcy to lead its brand turnaround after the company's troubled software launch. When you need reputation repair, you hire someone who knows how to tell a new story.

Unilever's chief marketing and growth officer Esi Eggleston Bracey is out in January after just over two years. Leandro Barreto, CMO of Beauty and Wellbeing, expands his remit to cover enterprise marketing. That's a big portfolio for one person, which suggests either extraordinary confidence in Barreto or a cost-cutting move dressed up as a promotion.

One More Thing

The TikTok U.S. deal is scheduled to close on January 22, creating a new joint venture with Oracle, Silver Lake, and MGX each holding 15%. We covered the deal announcement last month, but here's what matters now: reports indicate users will need to transition to a new platform when the deal finalizes. If you've built a strategy around TikTok, this is the month to have a contingency plan ready.

See you next Monday. Let's make 2026 the year we stop renting audience on platforms and start owning relationships.

—James