Social media posts containing images and videos generate more engagement than text alone. The reasons are two-fold. First, social platforms prioritize visual content over text in feeds. Second, visual updates attract attention and thus user response.

Creating compelling social media visuals used to take much time. No more. AI technology can instantly generate images and videos from text prompts.

Here are three AI platforms to get started.

Visme

Visme is an online image creator and editor with infographic features. A new addition is generating infographics from text. To test, I prompted Visme to create a downloadable, infographic-like checklist that I could repurpose into social media posts.

First, I described what to create. My prompt was:

Create a checklist on how to improve productivity when working from home.

Visme then asked if I had anything to add. I said no, and the tool generated a visual list. I can edit or customize it as needed.

Visme’s “Basic” plan is free with limited templates and design assets. Paid plans start at $29 per month.

Predis.ai

Predis.ai is a social media content generator. It can create social media posts that include images, videos, or carousels — all from prompts, scripts, articles, or product specs. It can also generate humorous memes.

In my testing, I used a similar prompt as with Visme:

How to improve productivity when working from home.

It instantly created the video and caption below.

The caption required little editing. It included popular hashtags, a question, and steps.

Struggling to stay productive while working from home? You’re not alone! Follow these tips to boost your productivity and make the most out of your remote work experience. 1. Create a consistent schedule to establish a routine and stay on track with your tasks. 2. Minimize distractions by setting boundaries with family members, turning off notifications, and finding a quiet space to work. 3. Designate a specific workspace that is comfortable and free from clutter to help you focus. 4. Remember to take regular breaks to rest your eyes, stretch your body, and recharge your mind for optimal productivity. #WFHtips #ProductivityHacks #RemoteWorkSuccess.

I could have edited the video or added a logo. If I were to set up a brand kit, every auto-generated image or video can optionally include my company’s logo and URL.

Predis.ai can connect to users’ social media platforms and directly publish updates. A content calendar allows users to schedule posts.

Predis.ai’s free version includes 15 AI-generate posts per month. Paid plans start at $32 per month for 60 posts and many more features.

Canva

Canva’s new Magic Studio is available for Pro users and as a free trial. It creates social media images and videos from text prompts.

I entered the same prompt — “How to improve productivity when working from home” — and chose a color scheme. The tool generated 10 images to choose from and edit. Each had slightly different messaging, which helped me brainstorm a potential final image. Examples included:

• “Tips to help you stay focused when you work from home,”
• “Make work from home productivity a reality,”
• “Tips for working at home.”

Magic Studio’s editing features include background removal and visual effects. I could have uploaded my own image and prompted Canva to edit it, such as adding texture, animation, or three-dimensional effects.

Canva’s Pro version is $119 per year (with a free trial) and includes AI features and a brand kit with a logo, name, and color scheme.

The Heard, the women in fintech spokesperson index, is hosting a free media training programme in May for women and non-binary people working in fintech and financial services.

Launched in 2022, The Heard wants to help event organisers, producers and journalists source more diverse voices in their panels, podcasts and articles to help shine a light on more women in fintech and financial services. Its index currently features more than 100 global speakers, covering a wealth of topics.

Its free media training programme is targeted at startup founders looking to secure more press and those working in bigger companies being asked to do more external speaking. It will address account industry specific issues, including a personal branding segment to help secure and handle opportunities.

Chantal Swainston, founder of The Heard, says: “Our index is one step in shining a light on underrepresented talent in the industry, but there’s so much more we can do to ensure that women and non-binary people are given strong representation in the media.

“Running this session free of charge allows anyone in the industry regardless of background or budget, the opportunity to understand how they can prepare for media opportunities.”

Hosted in EY’s Canary Wharf offices on Wednesday 15 May 2024, the short session (between two to three hours) will house around 10 attendees. Deadline for applications is Friday 19 April.

To apply, email chantalfromtheheard@gmail.com with the following information:

• Your name and current position

• What sort of topics you’d be most keen to improve your spokesperson skills for

• What sort of media opportunities you’re most keen to do

• Reasons why you think you would benefit from free media training

• Whether you have undertaken media training before

BGR is a media site covering consumer technology such as games and devices. Jonathan Geller launched the company in 2006 and sold it to Penske Media in 2010. He remains its president and general manager.

The site has long relied on organic search traffic, which it monetizes with advertising and affiliate commissions. But the tsunami of low-grade AI content has upended search rankings and thus BGR’s business.

He and I recently spoke. We addressed the future of search engines, the importance of branding, and more. The entire audio of our conversation is embedded below. The transcript is edited for clarity and length.

Eric Bandholz: Give us a rundown of who you are.

Jonathan Geller: I founded a site in 2006 called Boy Genius Report. We’re a tech-focused media company covering consumer gadgets, games, and entertainment.  Penske Media acquired us in 2010, and we’re now known as BGR. I’ve been running it since then as president and general manager.

Penske is a collection of media brands and businesses that include Variety, Rolling Stone, Robb Report, South by Southwest, Golden Globes, New Year’s Eve Dick Clark Productions, Billboard, and more.

Working with Penske has been amazing. Selling was a huge decision, although for me it wasn’t an exit. Penske told me, “Sell your business, come on board, and let’s run this together — build it and grow it.”

My journey with Penske in the ever-changing media landscape has been incredible. I’m having fun.

Bandholz: Ecommerce is hard, but it seems media is getting slaughtered.

Geller: Everyone’s feeling it. It’s challenging for many digital publishers. BGR is digital — a website monetized through ads and affiliate revenue. Other businesses in the Penske portfolio have revenue alternatives such as events and subscriptions. Some still do print and licensing.

The last year or two has produced 10 times the change as the decade before. We’re in the age of AI and spammy, low-quality content, and it’s insanely challenging. No one has any idea what the future looks like. Google’s CEO has no idea what this will look like in two years, and neither do the CEOs of Microsoft and OpenAI. Everyone can guess, but no one knows with certainty. We’re in the interim, trying to make the best assumptions and forecasts.

Bandholz: AI content has swamped Google and other search engines.

Geller: It’s a crazy turbulent period. AI went from 0 to 100 overnight. But that’s starting to simmer down. I think search engines will normalize. We’ve all regarded Google as a preeminent technology company. The last 18 months have seen a tsunami of AI-generated content and a ton of black hat SEO. Folks are trying to take advantage of the algorithm, throwing up content. And it’s working. They’re ranking, getting traffic, and monetizing it.

Google launched its latest core algorithm update a few weeks ago. Its primary goal is “tackling spammy, low-quality content.” Hopefully it resets organic rankings in a good way.

But over the next couple of years, having a strong branded search presence will be essential for sites dependent on organic traffic. Customers and prospects want to shop or access your site directly, which also signals to Google that people are searching for your brand. It has authority and satisfies search intent.

Bandholz: Google is lost. Organic search rarely produces meaningful results.

Geller: Media sites see the same thing. Search results are advertising-focused. The optimist in me says that this will reset. Google is making changes. There’s a new head of search — the previous person came from the ad side. Hopefully, it means the results are more organic-centric. But, to be sure, the broad direction is pay-to-play.

Google has long been a huge traffic driver, but so have Facebook, Pinterest, Flipboard, NewsBreak, and SmartNews. You might not have heard of some of those platforms, but they offer scale and traffic. At some point, there will probably be a traffic alternative to Google. Until then, capturing visitors from organic search will be very challenging.

So from a direct-to-consumer merchant perspective, publishing content to rank organically is increasingly difficult. But authentic content that speaks to your audience remains worthwhile. It’s another reason for folks to visit your site. But, again, optimizing keywords via, say, Semrush or Ahrefs is a much harder strategy.

I see Google’s ad products growing significantly with broad keyword match, Performance Max campaigns, and getting rid of cookies. Unfortunately, we’re in a black box organically.

Bandholz: Where can folks find you?

Geller: Our site Bgr.com. I’m @boygenius on X and @jonathangeller on LinkedIn.

BGR is a media site covering consumer technology such as games and devices. Jonathan Geller launched the company in 2006 and sold it to Penske Media in 2010. He remains its president and general manager.

The site has long relied on organic search traffic, which it monetizes with advertising and affiliate commissions. But the tsunami of low-grade AI content has upended search rankings and thus BGR’s business.

He and I recently spoke. We addressed the future of search engines, the importance of branding, and more. The entire audio of our conversation is embedded below. The transcript is edited for clarity and length.

Eric Bandholz: Give us a rundown of who you are.

Jonathan Geller: I founded a site in 2006 called Boy Genius Report. We’re a tech-focused media company covering consumer gadgets, games, and entertainment.  Penske Media acquired us in 2010, and we’re now known as BGR. I’ve been running it since then as president and general manager.

Penske is a collection of media brands and businesses that include Variety, Rolling Stone, Robb Report, South by Southwest, Golden Globes, New Year’s Eve Dick Clark Productions, Billboard, and more.

Working with Penske has been amazing. Selling was a huge decision, although for me it wasn’t an exit. Penske told me, “Sell your business, come on board, and let’s run this together — build it and grow it.”

My journey with Penske in the ever-changing media landscape has been incredible. I’m having fun.

Bandholz: Ecommerce is hard, but it seems media is getting slaughtered.

Geller: Everyone’s feeling it. It’s challenging for many digital publishers. BGR is digital — a website monetized through ads and affiliate revenue. Other businesses in the Penske portfolio have revenue alternatives such as events and subscriptions. Some still do print and licensing.

The last year or two has produced 10 times the change as the decade before. We’re in the age of AI and spammy, low-quality content, and it’s insanely challenging. No one has any idea what the future looks like. Google’s CEO has no idea what this will look like in two years, and neither do the CEOs of Microsoft and OpenAI. Everyone can guess, but no one knows with certainty. We’re in the interim, trying to make the best assumptions and forecasts.

Bandholz: AI content has swamped Google and other search engines.

Geller: It’s a crazy turbulent period. AI went from 0 to 100 overnight. But that’s starting to simmer down. I think search engines will normalize. We’ve all regarded Google as a preeminent technology company. The last 18 months have seen a tsunami of AI-generated content and a ton of black hat SEO. Folks are trying to take advantage of the algorithm, throwing up content. And it’s working. They’re ranking, getting traffic, and monetizing it.

Google launched its latest core algorithm update a few weeks ago. Its primary goal is “tackling spammy, low-quality content.” Hopefully it resets organic rankings in a good way.

But over the next couple of years, having a strong branded search presence will be essential for sites dependent on organic traffic. Customers and prospects want to shop or access your site directly, which also signals to Google that people are searching for your brand. It has authority and satisfies search intent.

Bandholz: Google is lost. Organic search rarely produces meaningful results.

Geller: Media sites see the same thing. Search results are advertising-focused. The optimist in me says that this will reset. Google is making changes. There’s a new head of search — the previous person came from the ad side. Hopefully, it means the results are more organic-centric. But, to be sure, the broad direction is pay-to-play.

Google has long been a huge traffic driver, but so have Facebook, Pinterest, Flipboard, NewsBreak, and SmartNews. You might not have heard of some of those platforms, but they offer scale and traffic. At some point, there will probably be a traffic alternative to Google. Until then, capturing visitors from organic search will be very challenging.

So from a direct-to-consumer merchant perspective, publishing content to rank organically is increasingly difficult. But authentic content that speaks to your audience remains worthwhile. It’s another reason for folks to visit your site. But, again, optimizing keywords via, say, Semrush or Ahrefs is a much harder strategy.

I see Google’s ad products growing significantly with broad keyword match, Performance Max campaigns, and getting rid of cookies. Unfortunately, we’re in a black box organically.

Bandholz: Where can folks find you?

Geller: Our site Bgr.com. I’m @boygenius on X and @jonathangeller on LinkedIn.

Phillip Jackson launched Future Commerce in 2016. The company produces articles, newsletters, and podcasts focusing on coming trends and developments in business.

He believes commerce produces a gentler society, one that fosters culture and stability. Commerce is culture, he states.

He and I recently discussed his company’s mission, large versus small brands, the maturity of ecommerce, and more. The entire audio of our conversation is embedded below. The transcript is edited for length and clarity.

Eric Bandholz: Who are you?

Phillip Jackson: I am the co-founder and CEO of Future Commerce, a small, bootstrapped business researching and producing media for ecommerce businesses. We work with large and small brands. We’re trying to predict the future of commerce, which was technology for the last 15 or 20 years, but now that every business is technology-enabled, we have to think about the next phase. We have four podcasts: Future Commerce, Infinite Shelf, Step by Step, and Decoded.

Ten years ago, big brands said, “We need to be online,” and “What does direct-to-consumer look like for us?” Let’s say you’re dealing with Mondelez (the food and beverage holding company) or some other conglomerate where you have individual brands with their own innovations teams, futures teams, and P&Ls within the business. They’re all resourced differently, have separate budgets, and are not talking to each other.

Some brands will find a way to achieve breakout success on the sly. You have little scrum teams or individual operating teams that don’t ask for permission—they ask for forgiveness and demonstrate success somewhere within the business. Some of the best innovations occur when they bring in entrepreneurs who understand how to get stuff done. They’re not just about theory, sitting in boardrooms, and figuring out spreadsheets. They’re good at rolling their sleeves up and getting things done.

Bandholz: You talk about an idea that commerce is culture. Can you explain?

Jackson: We’ve been at it with Future Commerce for about eight years. Over the last three or four years, ecommerce has mostly been solved. You can talk about all the tips, tricks, and tactics, but generally, it’s just buying a new piece of software.

The early exciting internet promise based on technology is gone. What has become exciting is going back to the fine arts. When I talk to folks in corporate roles, such as the head of commerce for YouTube or the head of innovation for Visa, they yearn for something deeper. Commerce is a human truth, and independent cultures have all created and found each other through trade routes. The world came together through this necessity of having something others need. Commerce is not just a value exchange — it’s a cultural connection.

We’ve learned that live-streaming isn’t the future of commerce, yet every analyst said it would be because that was happening in Asia. Maybe commerce is more cultural. Every independent culture has its own way of expressing itself, and maybe commerce is one of those. We’ve pared it down to “commerce is culture.” It is who we are at our core. It’s what we value.

A French philosopher believed that commerce makes people more amenable. When you have things you love, prize, and value, you don’t want to lose them. People who have nice things become better actors in society. As a nation becomes richer and attains wealth, it’s less prone to social upheavals. Commerce has a gentle effect on society and gives us the capitalist economy today.

Eric Bandholz: Where can people support you?

Jackson: Visit FutureCommerce.com. Find me on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Positive coverage strengthened Hong Kong’s reputation, spotlighting its international competitiveness, global expansion efforts and regulatory evolution throughout 2023; according to a new report analysing the media coverage and reputation of the financial industries in Hong Kong, Singapore and Dubai by CARMA, a media intelligence provider.

Of the three regions, Hong Kong ranked the highest for overall volume of coverage among global Tier-1 business titles. However, towards the end of the year, coverage for Dubai overtook Hong Kong, driven by COP28 being held here.

A positive perception of a market in international ‘tier-1’ media, reflects stability, transparency, and trustworthiness. The reputation of financial markets can be hugely influential, as Charles Cheung, general manager of Hong Kong at CARMA, explains: “Reputation directly impacts investor confidence, business attractiveness, and global competitiveness.

“A strong reputation can mitigate risks during economic downturns or geopolitical uncertainties by instilling trust and credibility among stakeholders.”

While Hong Kong was reported on the most, it also received the most negative press, with a lot of coverage focused on themes such as Chinese influence, geopolitical tensions, political and social unrest, and concerns over data security.

An analysis of the top themes for each market reveals that IPOs and capital markets (Hong Kong), cross-border Investments and transactions (Singapore), and real estate markets (Dubai) captured the most media attention. Around 20 per cent of Hong Kong’s overall coverage reflected IPO activity, efforts to boost growth, restore its global status, and attract strategic investments, reflecting proactive measures to maintain its appeal to international businesses and investors.

Dubai takes the ESG crown for now

Divika Jethmal, head of marketing in Asia at CARMA, explained how the report  “The trajectory of a financial hub is shaped by broader geopolitical and economic forces. Media analysis serves as a vital tool in identifying both challenges and opportunities, pivotal to a city’s reputation as a financial hub.”

Despite having low sustainable financing news nearly all year round, a strategic push in Q4, driven by UAE
financial institutions committing to mobilise AED one trillion in sustainable finance by 2030, saw Dubai emerge as a hub for ESG investing.

Overall, sustainable finance and ESG investments coverage was relatively limited, suggesting a wariness of ‘greenwashing’ when reporting on sustainability. CARMA explained that this poses an opportunity for markets to actively create global conversations that align with their objectives, in a way that genuinely resonates with audiences.

Across 2022 and 2023, indiscriminate attack levels ranged from 50,000 to 100,000 times per month. At the same time, the number of groups exchanging information related to attacks against biometric and remote human identification grew significantly, biometric identity solution provider iProov has revealed its latest report.

The buzz surrounding Artificial Intelligence (AI) continued throughout 2023, right the way through to now – thanks to the seemingly limitless potential of the emerging technology. However, as the AI space has quickly evolved, so have threats that are weaponising these developments.

Easily accessible and criminally weaponised generative AI tools are increasing the need for more secure remote identity verification. According to iProov’s new threat report, Threat Intelligence Report 2024: The Impact of Generative AI on Remote Identity Verification, bad actors are leveraging advanced AI tools to use convincing face swaps alongside emulators to exploit loopholes in biometric systems to conceal the existence of virtual cameras, making it harder for biometric solution providers to detect a deepfake.

An emulator is a software tool that mimics a user’s device, such as a mobile phone. iProov says that this has created ‘the perfect storm’ with attackers making face swaps and emulators their preferred tools to perpetrate identity fraud.

The use of emulators and metadata spoofing by threat actors to launch digital injection attacks across different platforms was first observed in 2022, but grew most substantially in 2023; growing by 353 per cent from H1 to H2 2023.

These attacks are rapidly evolving and pose significant new threats to mobile platforms: injection attacks against mobile web surged by 255 per cent from H1 to H2 2023.

iProov also revealed a significant increase in packaged AI imagery tools deployed which make it far easier and quicker to launch an attack and this is only expected to advance. It saw a 672 per cent increase from H1 2023 to H2 2023 in the use of deepfake media such as face swaps deployed alongside metadata spoofing tools.

Emerging threat trends

Andrew Newell, chief scientific officer at iProov, explained: “Generative AI has provided a huge boost to threat actors’ productivity levels: these tools are relatively low cost, easily accessed, and can be used to create highly convincing synthesised media such as face swaps or other forms of deepfakes that can easily fool the human eye as well as less advanced biometric solutions. This only serves to heighten the need for highly secure remote identity verification.

“While the data in our report highlights that face swaps are currently the deepfake of choice for threat actors, we don’t know what’s next. The only way to stay one step ahead is to constantly monitor and identify their attacks, the attack frequency, who they’re targeting, the methods they’re using, and form a set of hypotheses as to what motivates them.”

The iProov Security Operations Center observed two primary attack types: presentation attacks and digital injection attacks. Presentation and digital injection attacks may have different levels of impact, but they can pose a significant threat when combined with traditional cyber attack tools like metadata manipulation.

The report also includes case studies on anonymous prolific threat actor personas. Each case study evaluates the sophistication of each actor’s methodologies, efforts, and the frequency of their attacks. This analysis provides invaluable intelligence and supports iProov in continually improving its biometric platform’s security helping minimise the risk of exploitation for organisations of both present and future remote identity verification transactions.

Actor Jonathan Goldsmith, who appeared as ‘The Most Interesting Man in the World’ in an advertising campaign for Dos Equis beer, is reviving his persona to promote Bitcoin (BTC) exchange-traded funds (ETFs) for Bitwise Asset Management.

In a Dec. 18 post on X — formerly Twitter, Bitwise released an ad spot with Goldsmith showing the ‘Most Interesting Man’ in an upscale bar as he often did in the beer commercials. However, rather than saying his signature “Stay thirsty, my friends” over a Dos Equis bottle, the actor had a crypto-focused message for viewers:

“You know what’s interesting these days? Bitcoin. Look for Bitwise, my friends.”

A word to the wise, from a man of few words. #bitcoinisinteresting pic.twitter.com/x5MPbElEev

— Bitwise (@BitwiseInvest) December 18, 2023

Goldsmith appeared in multiple ad spots, portraying himself as ‘The Most Interesting Man in the World’ from 2006 to 2018. The commercials included humorous ‘facts’ about his character, including “he is the only man to ever ace a Rorschach test” and “he’s on the upgrade list for flights he hasn’t even checked into.”

The actor, age 85, revived the character for a Super Bowl commercial in 2019 and a tequila brand, but the ‘Most Interesting Man’ has largely been out of the spotlight for years, with the exception of recirculated memes. His promotion of Bitwise came as the asset manager has a pending Bitcoin ETF application with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Related: Bitwise announces Ethereum ETF launch on Oct. 2

The SEC has never approved a spot BTC or Ether (ETH) exchange-traded product for listing and trading on a U.S. exchange. The commission delayed a decision on a spot BTC ETF from Bitwise in August, leading to the asset manager amending its application in September.

Large crypto firms sometimes hire prominent figures like Goldsmith to promote their products and services. Although many campaigns are successful, the actors are occasionally subject to lawsuits after a collapse or enforcement action, as was the case with soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo promoting Binance and Tom Brady appearing in ads for FTX.

Magazine: BlackRock revises BTC ETF filing, El Salvador’s crypto citizenship trending, and more: Hodler’s Digest, Dec. 10-16