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When OpenAI launched its text-to-video app Sora in September, there was immediate blowback. To absolutely no one’s surprise, users on the platform had a field day using popular characters in their AI-generated videos, in all sorts ofadmittedly creative!situations. (See OpenAI founder Sam Altman grilling Nintendo’s Pikachu.) Brands condemned the use of their intellectual property without permission. The Motion Picture Academy called out OpenAI for its blatant copyright violations. Soon after launch, Altman wrote a blog post addressing the issue, stating that Sora would give rightsholders “more granular control” of their IP on the app, adding that in the near future he expected that plenty of brands and content makers would actually welcome the chance to have their characters on the app. He called it a new form of “interactive fan fiction.” Well, that day is here. According to a recent report in The Wall Street Journal, OpenAI has opened the floodgates and is now in talks with brands about how they can bring their mascots and characters into the app for users to feature in videos. Its obvious why OpenAI wants brands to free their mascots. People would love to play in that sandbox with well-known characters. Hell, theyre already doing it. But, um, what’s in it for the brands? Most brands are still trying to figure out what their mascot stance on Sora will be. I reached out to McDonald’s, Geico, KFC, and General Mills but none were ready to comment about it on the record. This is a newer, more urgent version of a conversation brands have been having for the past 15 years. In the age of social media, how much creative control should a brand cede to its audience? Now the stakes are even higher, given the pace of technological advancement, the public’s appetite to get AI sloppy, and our inability to distinguish between what’s real and what isn’t. Sharing the pen For what seems like centuries, the conversation between brands and everyone else was a one-way street. Advertising flashed in our eyes and blasted in our ears, and that was that. With social media, a two-way conversation began. The mantra among marketers circa 2008 was to get involved in the social conversation because people are talking about your brand whether youre there or not. In the past few years, that has evolved even further to brands actually collaborating with fans and creators. Morgan Flatley, McDonalds global chief marketing officer, calls this sharing the pen. Historically, most brands are nervous or overprotective when they arent in full control of the creative. McDonalds was prime among them, vigilantly protecting its IP. In 2013, it won a federal case on trademark infringement in Canada against a dim sum restaurant called MacDimsum. In 2019, it sent a cease-and-desist order to a small Edmonton restaurant serving an “Effing Filet O’ Fish.” But the success of Famous Orders, a campaign launched in 2020 where it began regularly partnering with artists to customize meals and create merch, changed things. Allowing artists like Travis Scott, BTS, and Cactus Plant Flea Market to play with its brand logos and characters, and the passionate response from fansalong with the sold-out merch and boosted salesgave Flatley and the brand more confidence to loosen the reins. The win for McDonalds was in reflecting its role in culture (the artists are genuine fans) while creating something new. Ive become a big believer that if we lean into the right kind of creators in the right cultural phenomenon, and loosen some of our control on the brand, magic will happen, Flatley told me back in 2023 when we talked about the brands partnership with Marvel. A few years ago, I dont know that we would have felt as comfortable handing over key aspects of our brand to be part of a storyline like this, but today were really aware of the authenticity of our brand and the role that it can play. Alyson Griffin, State Farms head of marketing, told me recently that the key to a successful partnership with creators is to be prepared to give up some control. Brand leaders must do their due diligence and vet any potential partner, but then they must let them cook. If you know you have the right person, because you vetted them to your brand needs, let them be them, Griffin said. Let them create, because then it looks and is authentic. According to marketing intelligence firm Sensor Tower, Sora was downloaded 3.8 million times in the U.S. in its first month, despite only being available on iOS with an invite code. It was the No. 4 app in the U.S. over that same time. In a world where brands and marketers are looking for any and every opportunity to gain our attention, the temptation here is clear. Handing over your brand IP to the Sora 2 slop factory, however, is a recipe for disaster. Character chaos Brand mascots have been a staple of advertising for more than 100 years. They’re used to hawk everything from kids cereal to batteries, cigarettes to insurance, and they continue to be a valuable way for brands to forge an emotional connection with people. Take the insurance industry, which has a huge roster of mascots that ai to make their brands more relatable: Jake from State Farm, the Geico gecko, Flo from Progressive, Mayhem for Allstate, Liberty Mutuals LiMu Emu (and Doug), and the Aflac Duck. A 2021 study reported that a long-term campaign featuring a recurring character will, on average, increase market share gain by 41%. The Grimace Shake helped McDonalds boost U.S. sales by 10.3% in 2023. When I was in journalism school 20 years ago, we got an assignment to practice whats called a survey article. Basically, you pick a topic and go ask a bunch of people the same question, then see what story angle emerges from their answer. I chose to visit as many tattoo artists as I could in an afternoon and ask them all Whats the craziest tattoo youve ever done? Ill never forget the clear winner. When I asked the question, this artists eyes lit up, and he rushed to find a specific binder on his shelf. He frantically flipped through the photos and flash designs until he found it. There! He pointed to a photo of a mans meaty calf featuring a very detailed and anatomically correct depiction of all the characters from Winnie-the-Pooh on a picnic blankethaving an orgy. That story taught me that some people will do anything for attention (and that I would never sing the Tigger song ever, ever again). Now that’s playing out in real time on Sora, with the app granting anyone’s weirdest visual wish. Remember the public discourse when M&Ms talked about making the green M&M less sexy? If Mars put its beloved characters on Sora 2, the brand is one quick prompt away from someone making Behind the Green (M&M) Door. You think that Duolingo owl is weird now? Just wait. Kevin Mulroy, founding partner and ECD at award-winning ad agency Mischief, says the upside for brands to surrender rights to their IP on Sora is still unclear. Without much narrative control, and no clear link back to a strategy, it’s highly unlikely everyday people are going to use these mascots in the way these brands intend, he says. Strategy vs. Slop The risk here is not just about brand mascots appearing in questionable content. Its also the trade-off between the idea of facilitating peoples creativity versus brands being complicit in the sloppification of culture by allowing their mascots to be used on Sora. Prediction market Kalshi made a viral splash during last springs NBA playoffs with an absolutely hilarious and unhinged AI-generated spot (see above) that cost just $2,000 to make. Then in September, Jake Paul tricked folks with AI videos of himself in strange situations, later revealing that it was all a marketing stunt for Sora 2 (the spot attracted about 1 billion views in six days). Whenever new tech hits the market, the initial stunts get a ton of attention as these illustrate. But then what? “No doubt whichever brands are first to experiment will benefit from a bump in cultural awareness, as we’ve seen with Jake Paul’s likeness, Mulroy admits. But at what cost? In a world where it has never been easier for a brand to say something, the true value is in figuring out what it is the brand should say. The latter won’t come from rogue AI content.” Eventually every marketer will have to decide the value exchange in joining the Sora party. As Mulroy says, the key is making sure theres an actual strategy behind it. If not, all that mascots brand value could end up getting f***ked on a picnic blanket.
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E-Commerce
Two months ago, Apple released iOS 26 for the iPhone. The new operating system includes several productivity and other enhancements, but the main feature is a new design language called Liquid Glass. The flat, minimalist look of iOS that lasted for more than a decade is gone, replaced by a transparent interface of toolbars and buttons that mimic how light bends and warps as it passes through glass. Those who appreciate the new look of iOS often praise Liquid Glass as refreshing and unique, saying it gives the iPhones software a sense of fluidity that other touch interfaces lack. Others argue that Liquid Glasss transparent elements make the device harder to use, as the content behind iOS 26s buttons and toolbars often obscures the symbols or text that label the interface elements. If you fall into the latter group, theres some good news. Apple is increasingly providing options to tone down the most controversial aspects of the Liquid Glass design. Here they are: Option #1: Turn on the tint This week, Apple released its first major update to iOS 26: iOS 26.1. This update fixed numerous bugs while also adding new features; it expanded Apple Intelligence and AirPods Live Translation features to new countries, added new swipe controls to the Music app, and overhauled the alarm clock interface so you dont accidentally tap snooze and miss your meeting. The new clear (left) and tinted (right) options for Liquid Glass. But as Fast Company previously reported, iOS 26.1s best new feature is a toggle that lets users tone down Liquid Glass’s design. It does this by allowing users to choose between two different Liquid Glass interfaces. The Clear interface is the default Liquid Glass, with interface element transparency at a maximum. The Tinted interface option reduces this default transparency to give Liquid Glass elements a more frosted look. This can greatly improve the readability of button and toolbar labels by increasing their contrast. Turning on the Liquid Glass tint is easy, as long as you have iOS 26.1 installed on your iPhone: Open the Settings app. Tap Display and Brightness. Tap Liquid Glass. Tap the Tinted option. As you can see from the screenshots above, the “tinted” Liquid Glass option brings a frosted look (right) to the default transparency (left). Option #2: Increase the contrast If youre still on iOS 26.0 or just want to eliminate the default look of Liquid Glass even more on your iPhone that’s running iOS 26.1, you can tone down Liquid Glass in three other ways. The default look of Liquid Glass (left) versus Liquid Glass with the Increase Contrast Accessibility option enabled (right). The first is by enabling the Increase Contrast Accessibility option on your iPhone. This feature is designed for users with sight issues, but anyone can enable it, and many have found that doing so makes Liquid Glass more palatable. As Apple notes, enabling this setting helps Increase color contrast between app foreground and background colors. Heres how you turn it on: Open the Settings app. Tap Accessibility. Tap Display & Text Size. Toggle the Increase Contrast switch to ON (green). As you can see in the screenshots above, enabling the Increase Contrast option (right) adds a slight outline around interface borders and adds a grey smokiness to transparent elements, which makes text and buttons easier to see than they are in the default Liquid Glass design (left). Option #3: Reduce the transparency A third way to tone down Liquid Glass is to enable another Accessibility option on your iPhone called Reduce Transparency. The default look of Liquid Glass (left) versus Liquid Glass with the Reduce Transparency Accessibility option enabled (right). This option tones Liquid Glass down even further than the Increase Contrast option, greatly reducing its transparency. As Apple notes, this option helps Improve contrast by reducing transparency and blurs on some backgrounds to increase legibility. To enable the setting: Open the Settings app. Tap Accessibility. Tap Display & Text Size. Toggle the Reduce Transparency switch to ON (green). As you can see in the screenshot above, enabling the Reduce Transparency option (right) virtually blocks any background content from bleeding through buttons and toolbar elements. Option #4: Outline buttons for easier visibility A final way to tone down Liquid Glass is to force iOS 26.1 to show borders around buttons and other UI elements. This is done via the “Show Borders” Accessibility option. Enabling “Show Borders” (right) can help make some buttons easier to see in Liquid Glass. This option forces outlines to appear around “prominent UI,” according to Apple’s iOS 26.1 notes. To enable the setting: Open the Settings app. Tap Accessibility. Tap Display & Text Size. Toggle the Show Borders switch to ON (green). As you can see in the screenshot above, enabling this option displays a thin outline around buttons and other UI elements, helping them stand out more on your screen. Liquid Glass isnt going away The new look of iOS 26 isnt temporarynor should it be. While there have been some vocal detractors to the new design, a large majority of iPhone users seem to love the refreshed look. After Apple spent years developing that new design, theres no way they would go back to the old one. But Apples addition of a new tint option for Liquid Glass via a dedicated control in the iOS 26.1 Settings app shows that the company is listening to feedback from all its users and is not averse to giving individuals more control over how Liquid Glass looks to them. So, while you may not be able to turn off Liquid Glass, you now at least have three ways to tone it down.
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E-Commerce
You really have to stand up for yourself. Thats the message Shark Tank star Barbara Corcoran sent loud and clear in a recent interview she gave LinkedIn CEO Ryan Roslansky. The interview is full of powerful lessons from Corcorans life, but one story stood head and shoulders above the rest: The time Shark Tank fired her, before she taped a single episode. Corcoran said she received a call from a woman asking her to be on a new show called Shark Tank. Ecstatic, Corcoran agreed. She immediately went on a shopping spree, buying new outfits and autograph-signing materials. Im going to Hollywood! she excitedly told her friends. Then, Corcoran got a dreadful phone call telling her they changed their mind and had decided to give her seat to another woman. I just couldnt believe it, said Corcoran. It was the equivalent of [my ex-boyfriend] telling me he was marrying my secretary. After hanging up the phone, Corcoran says she was crestfallen. But after taking a minute to feel sorry for herself, she took matters into her own hands. Corcoran wrote an email directly to Shark Tank creator, Mark Burnett. Dear Mark, I consider your rejection a lucky charm, Corcoran says. Everything good happens to me after I get rejected. Corcoran then detailed multiple stories as evidence, including the time Donald Trump told her shed never collect a penny of her $4 million commission, after which Corcoran says she sued Trump and got every penny. Corcoran says she ended the email like this: I expect to be on that plane on Tuesday. And I hope you let me compete for the seat. Shortly thereafter, Burnetts secretary wrote Corcoran telling her she would have the chance to compete for the seat. The rest is history. Corcorans actions teach a powerful lesson in emotional intelligence, the ability to understand and manage emotions effectively. Lets break down three valuable takeaways from Corcorans story and see how you can apply them to your own business. (If you find value in this lesson, you might be interested in my free emotional intelligence course, which provides a new tip for building emotional intelligence every day for a week.) Dont dwell on negative emotions Corcoran credits her employees for teaching her a lesson that helped her at this crucial moment. I learned from my salespeople over the years that the greatest salespeople [spend] less time feeling sorry for themselves, Corcoran said. They take the hits like everybody else but they dont give themselves much time. I mimic them in my own personality. And I really credit their example [for] what I did to Mark Burnett. Its not just effective salespeople. Everyone experiences failure. Everyone has bad moments. But instead of dwelling on negative emotions, emotionally intelligent people have the ability to process them and move on. As its been said: You may not be able to stop a bird from landing on your head, but you can keep it from building a nest. Use negative experiences as motivation Instead of throwing herself a pity party, Corcoran used Burnetts rejection as motivation. She then channeled those feelings and emotions into her email. It worked. Not only did Corcoran motivate herself, her quick action, confidence, and masterful storytelling convinced Burnett to change course and give her a shot. Corcoran says she learned that lesson when her ex-husband told her he was leaving her for her secretary. Consequently, Corcoran split the business she ran with her ex in half, and he told her shed never succeed without him. When he gave me that curse leaving, Ill tell you, I knew I was going to be successful, Cocoran said. Just to prove him wrong. Negative emotions can be useful if you learn how to harness them. But to do that, you have to consciously decide what youre going to do with them. Be like Corcoran and use negative emotions as a catalyst for positive action. Focus on what you can control Corcoran realized she couldnt force Burnett to change his mind. But she could stand up for herself, which would prove beneficial for her mental state. And by getting on that plane and showing up, Corcoran gave herself every opportunity to get on Shark Tank. This teaches a final powerful lesson: You cant waste time on things you cant control. But you can focus on what you can control and take action accordingly. Dealing with a customer who refused to pay an invoice? Offer them a compelling reason to pay. Got an employee whos lost their drive? Give them a listening ear and think of how you can support them. The key is to ask yourself: What can I do to make this situation better? So, the next time youre frustrated by someone elses actions, take a page out of Barbara Corcorans playbook and: Dont dwell on negative emotions.
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E-Commerce
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