Tale of Two Webs
As AI answer engines reshape how audiences discover journalism, The Economist is quietly preparing for what Josh Muncke, VP of generative AI calls “two versions of the web.” The publisher is testing stripped-down, agent readable content built for ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude, Digiday reports.
“We want our marketing content to be findable and discoverable and optimized for agents,” said Muncke. But the strategy does come with tension for the subscription publisher. How much can The Economist optimize its content for AI discovery without weakening the value of the paywall, or the engagement metrics that premium advertisers rely on?
Still, a growing number of B2B buyers now start with AI chatbots, so The Economist’s sales and marketing pages have to show up cleanly in those answers, Munke added. Publishers have to accept that agent-readable content is part of the marketing plan.
That means building polished, feature rich pages for humans, and streamlined Q&A-style formats for AI agents. But that doesn’t mean AI will be writing content for the site.
“Nobody wants an AI-written Economist,” Muncke said.
Awful-liate Partnerships
It’s a bad time to be a publisher. It’s a worse time to be a publisher relying on Amazon’s Associates program.
Over the past several months, Amazon has both cut its commission rates and eliminated data and reporting features, like the ability to track ID-level reporting from a single sale. (Now, marketers can only see performance data once they’ve generated at least four conversions.)
Milestone-based bonuses that rewarded high-performing publishers have also gone down the drain.
Several publishers were told that Amazon Associates had been instructed to “reduce program costs by 20%,” likely the impetus behind the recent rate cuts, reporting changes and layoffs, Adweek reports.
The rate changes aren’t consistent across publishers, however. Some have watched their Amazon revenue forecasts drop by 50%, while others are mostly unaffected. “Amazon leaned into cutting those with paid media,” one source familiar with the situation told Adweek, adding that many of the “really big publishers don’t have that big of a paid business.”
Amazon, for its part, insists that it values relationships with its affiliate partners and “[works] hard to help them build successful businesses,” an Amazon spokesperson said in a statement.
Adjustments are merely made, the spokesperson insisted, “to meet the changing needs of customers.”
Under The Influence
Midterm elections are looming. Political ad spend is ramping up. And, as candidates aim to reach Gen Z, content creators are cashing in.
Plus, thanks to lax disclosure requirements around political influencer marketing, creators don’t always have to reveal which groups are paying them and why, The New York Times reports.
Although the Federal Trade Commission requires influencers to disclose when they’re paid to promote products or services, those requirements don’t apply to paid political messages. The Federal Election Commission’s rules for the disclosure of political ads don’t apply to creator content, either.
The wave of dark political spend flooding the influencer market has led to a spate of journalists exposing undisclosed deals between campaigns and creators who often post political content.
For example, Texas-based progressive influencer Carlos Eduardo Espina recently endorsed billionaire Tom Steyer’s candidacy for California governor. The Steyer campaign is paying Espina $100,000. But campaign finance disclosures describe Espina as a strategic advisor—not as a paid spokesperson.
While disclosures for political spend aren’t required, some influencers who also fashion themselves as journalists are owning their political influence—and charging top dollar for the right to wield it. Right-wing influencer Dom Lucre recently created a media guide for advertisers that reveals he charges $15,000 for each post containing the word “BREAKING.”
Guess it pays to be influential.
But Wait! There’s More!
Two senators are introducing legislation to ban gambling ads that target minors. [WSJ]
A jury rules in favor of Sam Altman and OpenAI in a lawsuit brought forth by Elon Musk, alleging that the company’s shift from non-profit to for-profit was illegal. [NPR]
Fast-fashion company Shein is acquiring Everlane, a clothing brand that marketed itself as eco-friendly and focused on ethical labor practices. [CNN]
You’re Hired!
Podcasting platform Libsyn appoints Todd Pringle as VP of product. [release]
Affiliate automation platform Partnerize appoints David Dowd as SVP of global sales for VantagePoint. [release]
