Ads are awesome. Ignorance is expensive. And the American dream is alive on the wild web.
Today, Meta is blocking TikTok ads on Facebook and Instagram, Shopify stores can now plug into Grok, and media buyers say Meta took a bigger-than-usual hit during Amazon's Prime sale. Rabah Rahil of Tie and Bryan MacDonald of KURD are our guest hosts today, and Lift Down's Tarrik Sahli and HallPass's Michael Tierney join us live. Here's what we're riding into at noon.
✶ PLATFORM WARS
Meta stops taking TikTok's ad money
On Thursday, Meta started blocking all ads and paid messages from ByteDance, TikTok's parent company, on Facebook, Instagram, and its other apps. The ban covers the US, Canada, Egypt, Indonesia, Japan, Thailand, and Vietnam, and it also applies to third-party advertisers running campaigns that link to TikTok and other ByteDance properties (Bloomberg).
It comes after Meta agreed in August to a settlement of up to $18 billion with US states over harm to kids, which requires new teen safety limits on Facebook and Instagram (Reuters). Meta has since been pressing TikTok and YouTube to make similar changes (Yahoo Finance on X).
OPERATOR TAKE: If any of your Meta ads send shoppers to TikTok Shop or a TikTok profile, swap the link to your own site or Shop before they get rejected. Rival ad platforms are walling each other off, so a funnel that hands shoppers from one app to the other is now a risk.
✶ PLATFORM WARS
Shopify Stores Can Now Plug Into Grok
Shopify launched two new connectors: one for Grok, to ask questions about your business, and one for Grok Bot, to "build a team of agents that help you run it" (Shopify on X). Grok Bot says it can check orders, track inventory, and keep listings up to date. Elon Musk's pitch: "Hire Grok @bot to manage your @Shopify store" (Elon Musk on X). Shopify President Harley Finkelstein added, "Solo founder no longer means solo operator" (Harley Finkelstein on X).
OPERATOR TAKE: Start with read-only questions, like orders and inventory, before you let any agent change listings or prices.
✶ PAID SOCIAL
Meta Took a Bigger Hit Than Usual During Prime
"That Prime two-day event really impacted Meta more than usual this time around," media buyer David Herrmann wrote (David Herrmann on X). Others agreed: "My meta was ripping to start October, until the past few days. Major drawdown" (Hunter Eskew on X). Rok Hladnik's advice: Amazon, Walmart, and other retailers all had deals live, so "Don't panic ... yet" (Rok Hladnik on X).
OPERATOR TAKE: A bad few days during a retail mega-sale is a demand problem, not an account problem. Don't rebuild campaigns until the sale is over.
Guest Host: Rabah Rahil
CMO, TIE
Rabah leads marketing at Tie, the shopper intelligence platform that sits under a brand's email and ads, and previously led marketing at FERMÀT and Triple Whale (Tie, Rabah on X).
Guest Host: Bryan MacDonald
CO-FOUNDER & CEO, KURD
Bryan, the self-described "Funniest Guy on LinkedIn," spent more than two years running marketing and ecommerce at Oma's Pride pet food before starting KURD in August 2026 (LinkedIn). He also co-hosts ASOM Pod with Jimmy Kim (Apple Podcasts) and runs today's Great Finds.
Spotlight: Tarrik Sahli
FOUNDER, LIFT DOWN
Tarrik and his brother started Lift Down in 2019 to sell colorful headwear with no logos (Lift Down). Its caps come in actual sizes: Regular fits about 60% of customers, and Small and XL cover about 20% each (Lift Down).
Lift Down's email agency says email grew from 6% to 22% of total revenue in three months. That's the agency's own case study, and it has no date (Savio).
From the Candy Aisle: Michael Tierney
CO-FOUNDER & PRESIDENT, HALLPASS
Michael founded Stuffed Puffs, which launched at Walmart in April 2019 after he landed a "near eight-figure commitment" three hours after his pitch (Entrepreneur). Mount Franklin Foods bought the brand's assets in August 2024 (Mount Franklin Foods).
HallPass, his new candy brand with David Protein founder Peter Rahal, launched at Walmart nationwide on August 30 with 70-calorie, 1g-sugar candy at $1.82 (Food Business News).
Days later, parent company Medici Brands raised a $250 million Series B at a $2.25 billion valuation (AgFunderNews).
Follow the guests: Tarrik Sahli on LinkedIn ✶ Michael Tierney on X
1. Taco Bell x Milk Bar Birthday Cake Empanada
Taco Bell is launching a Birthday Cake Empanada with Milk Bar, filled with cake batter filling and topped with pink frosting and rainbow sprinkles. Rewards members with birthdays from October 15 to 28 can get one free (Dexerto on X).
2. Bobbie x Scrub Daddy's Scrub Baby
Scrub Daddy launched Scrub Baby, its first bottle brush, as a Walmart exclusive. Bobbie joined in with a merch collection designed by Cole Poska. Bobbie's Angela Hanks: "I want people to say, 'What are those Bobbie girls up to over there?'" (Angela Hanks on LinkedIn).
3. The Taco Bell 50K, one more time
Runners in Denver had to hit 10 Taco Bells and eat a menu item at 9 of them within 11 hours. The clip has passed 761K views (Mike Vorkunov on X).
4. Higgsfield's Ad Multiplier
Higgsfield's new tool takes a winning ad, breaks down what drives it, and generates new versions for your product to test (Higgsfield on X).
Realistic AI UGC Is the Lowest-Leverage Use of AI
"when will people realise that using AI to try and make realistic UGC is the lowest leverage thing it can be used for"
His team uses AI for concepts that weren't possible a year ago instead. He says the ad he shared is a top spender, beating CPA targets by 30% (Jacob on X).
Going Viral Got 50x Harder
"For a long time these platforms were predicated on a deficit of creative. And now its seemingly infinite."
He did 200 million views alone in his apartment in 2021. Now, he says, new accounts are really hard to grow, and what still wins is longer story-driven content, unique ideas, and authority (isaac on X).
The Raw Yapper Wins
"As ai gets better and better at crazy editing and motion graphics I truly believe the fully unedited, raw yapper will only grow more powerful"
He was quoting Harry, who said he spent $83K on one unedited talking-head ad in a day: "Personality is the new currency" (Zain on X).
Don't Be Evil
"i don't remember this but cool lore" (Erika Lee on X). One reply: "i would love to have been a fly on the wall in the meeting where they agreed to retire it."
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TRENDTRACK
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