👉🏻 SUM NEWS: 6.11.25

June 11, 2025

In partnership with

From AI-fueled predictions and non-skippable ads to Gen Z’s slow-living obsession, we’re breaking down what matters to marketers (and what might actually help). Toss in a fresh poll and a podcast lineup worth your next commute—and you’ve got this week’s cheat sheet to staying sharp.

IN THIS ISSUE

🧠 Startup Marketing Survey
🔥 From The Ink Well
🌎 Around the Web: YouTube, Google, ChatGPT, Meta, and more
🎧 SUM Podcast Network
✍️ SUM Poll
📌 SUM Community Events
😂 In the Meme Time

Last Call!

Are you a generalist or a specialist? Is AI making your job easier or messier? We’re mapping the real state of startup marketing in 2025, and your voice needs to be in it.

🧠 3 minutes. 17 questions. All multiple choice.

FROM THE INK WELL

Marketer Spotlight: Kreg Lewenza

This week, we’re spotlighting Kreg Lewenza—a B2B tech pro who’s mastered the art of scaling growth, solving ops headaches, and finding clarity in the chaos. His secret weapon? A sharp eye for both the big picture and the fine print.

Marketing for Impact in Startup Mode

Startups don’t have the luxury of doing everything. They have to do what matters most. Learn how lean teams can drive outsized results by aligning tightly with sales, pressure-testing tech investments, scaling content smarter, and making room for a moonshot.

Interested in sharing your POV? Submit your pitch to get published in The Ink Well.

AROUND THE WEB

Meta’s Opportunity Scores are now available to all advertisers. The optimization metric includes suggestions for how to improve the performance of your ad. [Social Media Today]
According to Pinterest’s Midyear Trends Report, Gen Z’s obsession with slow living is reshaping marketing trends—from 72% spikes in “digital detox” searches to a 488% surge in thrifting and earthy aesthetics, brands should take note: the new luxury is unplugged. [Pinterest]
OpenAI’s ChatGPT is now integrated with tools like Google Drive, Dropbox, and HubSpot, meaning it can search company files, summarize meetings, and generate deep research reports, making it less chatbot, more all-in-one productivity engine. [ChatGPT]
In a move that blends social chatter with market forecasting, X has partnered with Polymarket to become its official prediction market partner. The collaboration integrates real-time X posts and insights from xAI’s Grok to contextualize and enhance Polymarket forecasts. [Social Media Today]
Google is testing 30-second non-skippable YouTube ads in standard auctions—giving advertisers premium reach without the premium reservation price tag. [Search Engine Land]

SUM PODCAST NETWORK

SUM Disruptors Podcast

In this episode, Mack McKelvey sits down with Dana Hork, Founder and CEO of Beers With Friends, a refreshingly different agency built on sprint-based brand building.

Dana shares how her experience as a brand-side marketer at Jet.com, Walmart, and Wonder helped shape an entirely new model for solving creative problems—fast.

Brilliantly Wrong

What happens when you embed a creative agency inside a private equity firm?

Brian Wakabayashi, Head of Brand at CōLab, joins Alex Stonehouse to explore this unique model and share hard-won insights about startup marketing.

Start learning AI in 2025

Everyone talks about AI, but no one has the time to learn it. So, we found the easiest way to learn AI in as little time as possible: The Rundown AI.

It's a free AI newsletter that keeps you up-to-date on the latest AI news, and teaches you how to apply it in just 5 minutes a day.

Plus, complete the quiz after signing up and they’ll recommend the best AI tools, guides, and courses – tailored to your needs.

SUM POLL

What’s the biggest thing AI is actually helping you with right now?

SUM COMMUNITY EVENTS

Block off every Thursday at 1 pm ET for SUM events—consider it your weekly power hour for growth, insights, and community. These events are exclusively available to SUM members. Not a member? 👉 Join now 👈