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The Ad That Raised $30B (and your $50 ticket is inside 🎟️)

I usually land in your inbox at 7:00 a.m.Today’s worth breaking the routine.

Author

The Digital Buff
February 20, 2026

Buff Briefs 

Two things this week. Both worth your full attention. I'll start with something sweet and special, exclusive to you Buffs, as a thank you for being a subscriber. 💚

Buff Perk: $50 Ticket To Marketing Brew’s NYC Event

Marketing Brew is hosting The Art & Science of AI in Marketing on February 25th at 45 Rockefeller Plaza in New York City. Tickets are $99, but yours is $50, exclusively because you're a Buff subscriber.

This code is exclusive for The Digital Buff community. Marketing Brew doesn't do this. I asked because I believe this room is worth being in.

CODE: TheDigitalBuff
Your price: $49.50
Date: February 25th, 8AM - 12:30PM
Location: 45 Rockefeller Plaza, NYC

Who you'll be in the room with:
→ Jonathan Tien (Reddit) - the platform now using community intelligence for AI-powered media buying
→ Susan Nomecos (Getty Images) - navigating AI's collision with copyright and creative ownership
→ Leslie Cafferty (Booking Holdings) - brand safety and ethical AI at global scale
→ Nick Coronges (R/GA) - one of the sharpest technology minds in modern marketing
→ Asha Shivaji (SeeMe Index) - inclusion and representation in the AI era
→ Mandeep Bhatia (Tapestry) - omnichannel innovation at a global luxury brand

Five days away. Grab your spot before tickets sell out!

Buff Read:

Anthropic's Claude vs ChatGPT: The Super Bowl Ad Strategy Behind a $30 Billion Raise

Everyone saw the Super Bowl ads. Most people just vibed with them.

I went deeper.

A day before this newsletter landed in your inbox, OpenAI announced a $100B+ raise at an $850B+ valuation. Anthropic raised $30 billion. Both companies bought Super Bowl airtime in the same year. That's not a coincidence.

While the internet was debating which AI had the better commercial, I was tracing what those ads were actually signaling, about who each company is really talking to, and why the biggest fundraising flex in AI history might have started with a 30-second spot.

Spoiler: the ad wasn't for you. It was for the room that writes the checks. 🤭

Before You Go:

I dropped this quietly for Valentine's Day, and LinkedIn had other plans, it kind of took off. It's free, it's fun, and it's a little reminder that what you've built as a creator actually matters.

If you haven't played with it yet, today's a good Friday for it.

Stay Curious, Stay Ahead!

Glad to be back in your inbox. If this made your Friday a little sharper, forward it to someone who'd appreciate it. They'll owe you coffee.

Until next week, Buffs, and I mean it this time. 😅