Welcome to Start the Week, our Monday scene-setter for the week ahead. In today’s audio-led edition: News publishers push back against media agencies’ brand safety default settings; AI search startup Perplexity gets into the advertising business; and X becomes an image disinformation engine.

We’ve upgraded Unmade’s membership. Annual members now get a free ticket to all of our events. That includes REmade - Retail Media Unmade on October 1; Unlock on October 31; our Compass series in November; and HumAIn next year.

If you’ve been thinking about upgrading to an Unmade membership, this is the perfect time. Your membership also includes members-only content, access to our paywalled archives and your own copy of Media Unmade. Upgrade today.

How brand safety is throttling news revenues

Media companies are starting to push back against buying agencies’ brand safety policies after the admission of Group M boss Christian Juhl that by default most of his clients are kept off news sites. Juhl testified to Congress that just 1.28% of brand spend goes to online news.

In today’s podcast we discuss the difference between brands sensibly avoiding polarising mastheads, and defunding news altogether. We ask whether brands’ claims to be good social citizens align with decisions that make it harder for public service journalism to occur.

Also today, we look at Perplexity’s plans to take on Google in search with an advertising offering; Conde Nast’s deal with OpenAI and Donald Trump’s sharing of fake AI imagery.

Further reading (and viewing):

* The Australian: Brand suitability myth busted

* Unmade: Taken to the farm: GARM harm

* Unmade: What if Elon is right, and marketers should occasionally be told to get fuuucked?

* Digiday: Perplexity’s pitch deck offers advertisers a new vision for AI search

* OpenAI: OpenAI partners with Condé Nast

* Forbes: AI Gone Wild: How Grok-2 Is Pushing The Boundaries Of Ethics And Innovation

Group M boss Christian Juhl’s testimony on brand safety:

Today’s episode features Tim Burrowes, Abe Udy and Cat McGinn

Editing was courtesy of Abe’s Audio, the people to talk to about voiceovers, sound design and podcast production.

Time to leave you to start your week. We’ll be back with more tomorrow.

Toodlepip…

Tim Burrowes

Publisher - Unmade

[email protected]

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.unmade.media/subscribe