by Gavin Gaddis

Correction: In yesterday’s issue I reported Megaphone’s ad server transition is slated for Friday, July 17. This was an error. The correct date for the switch is this Wednesday, July 15.

First Look: iOS 27 Public Beta by Dan Moren

Six Colors has published a first look at the beta for iOS 27, tvOS 27, and macOS 27. Podnews reports the release brings Apple Podcasts video to the macOS desktop and to Apple TV devices, expanding where viewers can watch Apple's video podcasts ahead of the fall release. Six Colors' Moren details the marquee addition, a rebuilt Siri powered by large language models: in his testing it surfaced a specific older podcast episode over CarPlay without being given the exact title. The new Siri is limited to the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max and the iPhone 16 or later, and is unavailable in the European Union.

Your back catalog is getting less valuable every day by Michael Paretzky

Writing for New Digital Age, Podstock CEO Michael Paretzky argues podcast publishers should stop treating back catalogs as strategic assets, citing Podstock tracking that shows most podcast downloads happen within the first 30 days of publication. According to the Podcast Index New Feed Report, AI-generated feeds already outnumber human-made ones in recent periods. Paretzky makes the case that archives should be left to produce incremental yield through dynamic advertising while publishers direct investment toward new content, creator relationships, and integrated advertising products. "Dynamic advertising monetizes attention. Integrated advertising monetizes trust. In a world overflowing with content, trust is the asset that compounds," he writes.

ANA Releases Compendium Of Inclusive Marketing Case Studies

The Association of National Advertisers has published its first-ever Inclusive Marketing Case Study Compendium, collecting 100 award-winning campaigns from brands including Kraft Heinz, McDonald's, Toyota North America, AARP, and Major League Baseball. The case studies cover strategy, creative development, media innovation, experiential marketing, partnerships, and measurement, covering audiences including Hispanic, African American, Asian, and LGBTQ+ consumers, women, adults 50 and older, people with disabilities, and neurodivergent communities. ANA CEO Bob Liodice writes that inclusive marketing "is not simply about reaching diverse audiences," framing it instead as a growth strategy. Another brick in the long road of evidence that marketing to diverse audiences pays off.

To Manage 300,000 Creators, Unilever Automates Everything but the Relationship by Kimeko McCoy

Unilever has scaled its creator network from 10,000 to 300,000 people across the 190 countries where it sells products, and Digiday reports AI now handles the vetting, brand safety checks, video scanning for product mentions, and briefing paperwork behind it. Humans keep strategy, creative direction, and the relationships; campaigns that once used 5 to 8 creators now run 25 to 30. "Technology is used for us to augment the human choices," said Leandro Barreto, CMO of Unilever Beauty & Wellbeing. The story cites projections of $13.7 billion in influencer marketing spending by 2027, with US spend expected to grow 15.7% this year, a picture of how the largest advertisers are building infrastructure to buy creator media at scale.