We closed our newsletters on Christmas Eve, but the news across advertising, marketing, and media hasn’t stopped. Here’s what you missed during the holidays.

OpenAI ad concepts surface

OpenAI employees are experimenting with how ads will show up in ChatGPT, The Information reports. Mockup ideas include launching a sponsored sidebar, weaving sponsored information into initial ChatGPT responses, or only presenting the user with sponsored content when they ask a follow-up question, OpenAI employees told The Information.

This news follows a Nov. 29 leak from computer engineer Tibor Blaho, who discovered lines of code in ChatGPT’s Android app that included references to a “search ad” and “search ads carousel.”

“Stranger Things” comes to a close

The last episode of “Stranger Things,” a series that stands out for both its fanbase and marketing strategy, aired on December 31.

To commemorate the finale, Netflix partnered with Google on “Stranger Things in Search,” a play on Google’s typical “Year in Search” campaign that combines how viewers have used the search engine to make sense of the show since it aired. Searches ranged from “Where do demogorgons come from?” to “Why does Stranger Things make me nostalgic when I didn’t even grow up in the 80s?”

The series finale is not just a notable end for fans, but also marketers who have taken advantage of the buzz. This season brought a Target apparel line, “Stranger Things”-themed Eggos, and ad campaigns with brands including Tide and KFC.

Netflix hosts NFL Christmas again, spoils everything

Netflix hosted the NFL Christmas Day games for the second year, with Snoop Dog as the halftime headliner. The streaming service commanded attention during the game in an ad that gave the ending of each of its hit shows away. Whether the creative, accurately labeled “Spoiling The Biggest Moments of 2025,” amused or disappointed viewers, it highlights the impact of Netflix’s IP.

Instagram leaked strategy to lure back teens

Meta has long kept its plan for increasing teen behavior on the platform in secrecy, according to 2023 documents leaked to The Washington Post and reported in a December 26, 2025 story.

In November 2023, Instagram Head Adam Mosseri told his staffers that bringing teens back onto the platform would be a multiyear priority. He asked that the team stay “laser focused on 1) teens… and 2) threads in that order.”

Its plan for being the most popular platform for teens worldwide by 2027 includes pushing teen-friendly influencers, adjusting the algorithm to help users find real-world acquaintances, and remarketing Instagram as a space for connecting with friends, The Washington Post reports.

“Marty Supreme” makes A24 history

“Marty Supreme,” a movie starring Timothee Chamalet that chronicles the life of pro table-tennis player Marty Mauser, was A24’s second-biggest three-day debut, Vulture reports.Chamalet was heavily involved in the movie’s promotion, leading social video stints of “leaked” marketing meetings and climbing the Las Vegas sphere, which was transformed into an orange ping pong ball.

This was originally featured in the EMARKETER Daily newsletter. For more marketing insights, statistics, and trends, subscribe here.