AI’s Middle Ground, Dr. Pepper’s Viral Jingle, and Reddit for Brands

Trends

Is There a Middle Ground on AI? Google Tests the Waters

In the lead-up to the holidays, New York’s subway quietly became a testing ground for a question a lot of creatives are wrestling with right now: is there a workable middle ground between AI enthusiasm and AI rejection? Google’s “Imagine If” campaign invited commuters to submit playful prompts via QR code, then paired those ideas with five local artists, one from each borough, who used Google’s AI tools to turn them into finished artworks displayed across the MTA network.

What made the campaign interesting wasn’t the tech itself, but how it was used. The artists weren’t just feeding prompts into a machine; they were curating submissions, interpreting local taste, and making editorial decisions about what would resonate. It’s a useful snapshot of how AI is likely to show up in real creative work: not as a philosophical debate, but baked into briefs, budgets, and timelines. For marketers and agencies, the takeaway is less about picking sides and more about readiness, because hesitation is understandable, but opting out entirely may be harder to justify as these tools become standard parts of the process.

Industry News

Dr. Pepper’s TikTok Jingle Is a Reminder to Stay Nimble

An 11-second, fan-made Dr Pepper jingle has taken off on TikTok (25 million views to date, and counting), inspiring countless creator riffs and comments from brands across industries. It’s a clear example of how fan-driven moments can explode without any brand orchestration, and why marketing and PR teams need to be ready when the internet invites them to the party, preparing for viral moments much like they do crisis comms. The creator has already turned the buzz into partnerships with Hyundai and Vita Coco, showing what can happen when brands and creators move fast.

Dr Pepper, meanwhile, hasn’t publicly joined the conversation, and fans are noticing, calling out the brand for not sharing the video or finding a way to work with the creator. Other brands, like Canada Dry, have faced similar criticism for missing major cultural moments. For marketers, the takeaway is simple: when moments like these hit, being ready to move quickly can make all the difference.

Reddit Is Opening Up to Brands, But You Still Need to Read the Room

Reddit is steadily becoming a more attractive space for brands, as the platform rolls out new tools while making it clear that how brands show up still matters. It’s currently testing verified profiles for businesses, adding opt-in grey checkmarks to help clarify who users are engaging with without undermining Reddit’s long-standing culture of pseudonymity. On the advertising side, Reddit is also introducing Max Campaigns, an AI-powered media-buying tool designed to simplify targeting, bidding, and creative optimization by tapping into the platform’s vast library of community conversations. At the same time, recent brand missteps offer a reminder: the mixed reaction to HelloFresh’s introduction of an official brand rep in its subreddit shows that Redditors are quick to push back when brands don’t read the room. Together, these updates point to a platform that’s opening up to brands, but rewarding those that engage thoughtfully and on Reddit’s terms.