The GPT-5 countdown has begun. Is your strategy ready?

This week, I came across a report that made me stop and think. For years, the marketing world has chanted the mantra: "video or die." We're told it's the undisputed king of content. But the data tells a more nuanced, and frankly, more liberating story.

It got me thinking about all the marketing "truths" we accept without question.

This edition is about cutting through that noise. We'll look at the numbers that challenge our biggest assumptions and explore the strategic shifts that truly matter—all while the countdown to what might be the biggest AI leap yet, GPT-5, officially begins.

Let's get into it.

1. 🤖 The GPT-5 Countdown Is On: Prepare, Dont Panic

Multiple reports suggest OpenAI will launch its highly anticipated GPT-5 model as early as August. CEO Sam Altman has teased that its capabilities are a significant leap forward, expected to unify advanced reasoning with language generation into a far more versatile system.

Strategic Takeaway:

This isn't just an update; it's a signal to prepare for a paradigm shift. The question isn't if this will change your workflow, but how.

🎯 Try this:

• Start auditing one key process in your business now—be it content ideation, ad copywriting, or customer service analysis.
• Map out where a smarter, more capable AI could be integrated.

The companies that thrive will be those that start planning now, not after launch.

2. 📊 Data vs. Hype: What Content Wins in 2025?

A recent analysis of millions of social media posts from Buffer confirms what many have suspected: video isn't the universal champion of engagement.

• On Instagram, carousels drove 12% more engagement than Reels.
• On Facebook, photos beat video for engagement by a staggering 44%.
• On LinkedIn, carousels remain the undisputed king.

The report's most crucial finding? Consistency is the ultimate king. Regular posting can lead to five times more engagement, regardless of format.

Strategic Takeaway:

Choose the format you can produce consistently and to a high standard, rather than burning resources chasing the trendiest format.

3. 📈 Google’s AI Bet: Why Fewer Clicks Can Mean Better Leads

Panic swept the marketing world as Google's AI Overviews threatened to kill website traffic. However, Google’s latest earnings report tells a different story: clicks from AI-driven results are "higher quality," converting better because the user's intent is stronger.

Strategic Takeaway:

The game is shifting from ranking for clicks to providing the definitive answer that AI Overviews will trust and feature. Your content must be unparalleled in its authority, clarity, and value.

🎯 Try this with Gemini:

Use this prompt to make your content "AI Overview-ready."

Prompt

"Act as an expert SEO strategist specialising in Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO). Here is a blog post I wrote about [Your Topic]: [Paste your article text or a summary]. My goal is to have this content featured in Google's AI Overviews. Analyse the text and provide the following:

A list of 3-5 core user questions this article should answer.

A rewritten, concise summary (under 150 words) that directly answers these questions, using clear, factual language.

A recommendation for one key data point or statistic I should add to increase its authority and trustworthiness for an AI."

This process forces you to move from simply writing content to engineering answers—the key to winning in the new era of search.

⏪ 4. LinkedIn Reverses Course on Its Old News Feed

After weeks of user complaints about seeing stale content, LinkedIn has rolled back a controversial algorithm test that prioritised "relevance" over recency. The experiment, which resurfaced posts weeks after they were published, left many users frustrated as their feeds felt outdated. In response to the backlash, LinkedIn acknowledged the "dramatic shift was only temporary" and feeds would return to feeling "far more normal."

Strategic Takeaway:

This move reinforces a core strength of LinkedIn: the extended lifespan of valuable, evergreen content. Unlike the ephemeral nature of other feeds, high-quality insights on LinkedIn can still surface for days or weeks. However, the rollback confirms that timeliness remains a critical factor.

Focus on creating content with lasting relevance, but don't neglect timely conversations and news within your industry.

🇬🇧 5. The Parent and the Platform: A New Era for the UK Internet

This next update isn't just a strategic one for me as a marketer; it's deeply personal. As a mum to a 14-year-old girl and an 11-year-old boy, and as someone who writes about AI parenting, the conversation around online safety is a constant in my home.

As of last week, Ofcom's strict new Online Safety rules are now in effect, marking what many are calling the UK's "seatbelt moment" for the internet. For founders, marketers, and parents, this is a landmark shift.

Here’s the breakdown:

• Mandatory Age-Checks: Platforms must now use "highly effective" methods—like facial age estimation or ID checks—to prevent children from accessing adult content. A simple "I am over 18" tickbox is no longer enough.
• Harmful Content Filtering: Social media and search engines are now legally required to prevent material promoting suicide, self-harm, and eating disorders from reaching children's feeds.
• Serious Consequences: The penalties for non-compliance are huge, with fines of up to 10% of global turnover and potential jail time for executives.

Strategic Takeaway:

This is not just a UK issue; it's a canary in the coal mine for global internet regulation. As marketers and founders, our duty of care has been codified into law. We must now operate with the default assumption that children could see our content and design our strategies with a new level of responsibility. This will impact ad targeting, creative guidelines, and community management.

🎯 Try this:

This isn't a tech tip, but a strategic audit. This week, ask your team:

1. "Is our content 'child-appropriate'?" Review your recent ad creatives and organic posts through the lens of these new rules.
2. "What are the platforms we use doing?" Look up the compliance statements from Meta, Google, and TikTok. Understanding their approach is crucial to de-risking your own strategy.

For me, this is a welcome, if overdue, step. It forces a conversation that balances innovation with responsibility—a conversation we must all be part of as both professionals and, for many of us, as parents.

🔮 What This Means For Your Strategy

This week's updates are a call to move from hype-driven tactics to data-informed strategy. The platforms are giving us better tools, and the data is challenging our old beliefs.

This is where my 'Chi va piano, va sano e va lontano' philosophy comes in—he who goes slowly, goes safely and goes far.

• Challenge assumptions: Don't blindly follow the "video-first" trend. Use data to test what truly resonates with your audience on each platform.
• Focus on quality, not quantity: Google’s AI Overviews are a clear signal to prioritize authoritative answers. The traffic you lose in volume may be more than made up for in lead quality.
• Prepare, don't panic: The arrival of GPT-5 is an opportunity. Use the 'Chi va piano' approach: start by mastering one new AI-driven process before overhauling your entire strategy.

Authenticity and a deep understanding of your audience remain your greatest differentiators.

What marketing assumption will you challenge this week?

And how are you preparing for the next wave of AI?

I'd love to hear what's working for you in the comments.

Until next time,

Laura Cioffi 💡

I decode AI marketing and advertising trends so you don't have to. Strategic intelligence for founders, marketers, and digitally-aware parents.

P.S. If you're ever near Hammersmith, London, the offer still stands—coffee's on me. Borghi's Italian Cafe serves the kind of espresso that makes everything click ☕.