Your weekly pencil

New signals

• The rise of quick commerce — rapid delivery that takes less than an hour — is boosting investment in infrastructure. Despite the pandemic, 2020 saw UK investment in distribution warehouses reach £4.7B, up 25% YoY.
• DTC businesses with a subscription model should be aware — a new New York state law will force businesses with automatic renewal programs to notify their users before the renewal is due.
• Influenced by the growing trend of livestream shopping, YouTube will start testing out shoppable videos, allowing viewers to click on a shopping bag icon in the video to learn more about any products mentioned.

Fortune's Jeremy Kahn interviewed Pencil CEO, Will Hanschell - "Can this AI startup bring back the three-martini lunch?"

• "I watched a demo of Pencil’s software in which it created a series of Facebook ads for an eyeglasses company. It came up with the tagline, “Your frames, your way,” as well as, “Your wildest looks, perfectly crafted,” each paired with appropriate still images. Not exactly Don Draper. But not bad. And as Hanschell points out, in the volume game of today’s digital advertising jungle, plenty good enough to start acquiring customers."

Check out our first machine-generated "Ad of the Week" - Watch video here, kudos to Roman

• We liked this ad in particular because the colors were strongly contrasted, making it stand out in FB feed. The ad also shows clear and concise copy, helping drive the consumer to arrive at a decision faster.

Something deeper

• When the universe shares an idea, write it down.

‍Subscribe to this newsletter, or just old-school email me for a 14-day free trial at james@trypencil.com
‍
James Chadwick
‍Co-founder at Pencil