Need to Know News - August 22nd, 2025
In this week's Need to Know News edition:
🤖 The 10-minute AI ad that got a tiny tamale shop 22 million views…
🤖 Getty Images found a way to generate infinite AI content without getting sued...and small businesses are flocking to it....
🤖 Major brands are outsourcing their AI to agencies while keeping everything else in-house.... and the surprising economics behind the shift...
And a whole lot more!
How an AI Ad Made in 10 Minutes Got a Tamale Shop 22 Million Views
How does a small tamale shop go viral? With a little help from AI. The Original Tamale Company, a family business in LA, created an ad that got 22 million views in just three weeks. The shop's marketer, Christian Ortega, made the video in only 10 minutes.
He used ChatGPT to write the script and an AI voice for the narration. The ad was so successful it brought in new customers who loved the video. Ortega says he sees AI as a great tool that helps speed up the creative process.
Brands Aren't Ready to Bring AI In-House for Marketing
Companies love bringing marketing teams in-house. But they are hitting pause when it comes to generative AI. Many brands find the technology is still too new and not user-friendly. It's also a heavy lift for internal teams with tight budgets. So, companies like U.S. Bank are using a hybrid model.
They handle some tasks internally but hire outside agencies for bigger AI projects. These agencies can afford to build powerful AI tools. Experts say this will likely change as the technology gets cheaper and easier for everyone to use.
🚀 Missing One of These 5 Essential 'Copy Blocks' Could Cost You A Fortune!
Two $100+ million copywriters discovered what REALLY drives conversions—5 simple building blocks arranged in a specific order. This framework is so powerful that beginners are generating 5-figure profits with it. And you can learn the full system in just 33 minutes.
Discover All 5 'Copy Blocks' Now
AI Gives Employees Freedom to Work From Anywhere, New Report Finds
Could AI make the office a thing of the past? A new report from GoTo suggests it's possible. It found that 51% of employees believe AI is the key to working from anywhere. And it's boosting their performance. 66% of workers said AI helps them stay productive, while 65% feel they provide better customer service.
GoTo's CEO, Rich Veldran, says AI is unlocking new models of flexibility. A huge 95% of employees want their companies to invest more in these tools to improve motivation and engagement.
Microsoft Adds New AI 'COPILOT' Function to Excel
Forget spending hours sorting through data. Microsoft just added a new AI function to Excel called COPILOT. Now you can use simple English inside a formula to do complex tasks.
Just tell it to summarize long reports, classify customer feedback, or even brainstorm marketing ideas. Because it's a real function, your results update automatically whenever your data changes.
This New AI Agency Rebuilt Pharma Marketing. The Secret? Google.
Pharma marketing is a $150 billion industry. Now, EVERSANA and Google are using AI to rebuild it from the ground up. They created an end-to-end system of AI agents that work together on everything at once.
This includes business strategy, content creation, and even regulatory checks from the start. A small human team oversees the work, which is 80% AI-driven. The system is so fast an ad was created in just two days.
Getty's Big Bet: AI Images Without the Legal Headache
How can small businesses create endless content without legal risks? Getty Images has an answer. It's combining its massive library of 615 million licensed photos with new AI tools. Chief Product Officer Grant Farhall says businesses worry about copyright issues with AI.
So Getty trained its AI only on its own library. This makes the images commercially safe and protects users from lawsuits. Now, a small business can license a photo and use AI to customize it for social media, knowing it's legally protected.
Your Next Landlord Might Be an AI
AI is moving into the apartment market. It's handling everything from work orders and lease renewals to property tours. AI is also a big help for investors. It can scan hundreds of leases and pull out key data in minutes.
Companies like Funnel are using AI to create a better renter experience. For example, if you move, its AI can find you another apartment owned by the same company. The tech is still new and expensive, but it's quickly changing the rental world.
Meta's New AI Tools Can Boost Your Holiday Sales
Just in time for the holidays, Meta is giving you new AI tools to drive sales. You can now find the perfect creators to work with using new search filters. Your ads on Reels can be turned into shoppable videos, and early tests showed a 7% lift in conversions.
The AI can also automatically repurpose your ads for different formats, which boosted conversions by 23% in tests. Best of all, omnichannel ads are now global. They track both online and in-store purchases, helping brands like Target see a 51% higher return.
This AI Startup Wants to Make Manufacturing as Easy as an Ikea Manual
You know how frustrating Ikea instructions can be? Now imagine that for a jet engine. A startup named Dirac is using AI to solve this. Their software, BuildOS, automatically creates clear assembly instructions from a CAD file. No more hundred-page PowerPoints put together by hand.
Backed by nearly $11 million from investors like Founders Fund, Dirac is partnering with industrial giant Siemens to get its tool on factory floors. It's a bet that AI and software can make American manufacturing faster, cheaper, and easier to scale.
Thanks for reading.
Until next time!
The AI Marketers
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