Borkowski Media Trends: DeepSeek, Trump's PR & MORE

Brand and reputation lessons from Italian celebrity drama and Kylie Jenner

DeepSeek soars shaking global markets

The AI sector has faced a potentially major shakeup with the launch of Chinese startup DeepSeek’s latest AI model chatbot. DeepSeek attracted global attention and has now overtaken ChatGPT to become the top-rated free app.

Developed for just $5.6 million, the hype of DeepSeek’s AI led to a staggering $1 trillion wipeout in U.S. tech stocks, with Nvidia alone losing nearly $593 billion in market value - the largest single-day loss in history. Developed by Liang Wenfeng, a hedge fund entrepreneur from Guangdong, he claims that AI can rival the capabilities of ChatGPT.

The AI has been credited with a “Sputnik moment” in the global AI development race hinging on its founders’ claim that the model was trained on less than $6 million, a stark contrast to the OpenAI in which Microsoft plans to invest about $80 billion this year. It can also be cheaper to use depending on the function. Whether this staggering overnight success will continue, however, remains questionable.

Scepticism has already been raised over the quantity of Nvidia H100 chips held by DeepSeek, alleging that the company holdings violate Washington’s export controls (export of these chips to China was banned in 2022), with further growing criticism levelled at the data use and protection policies. The implications of the technology on US export controls and AI policies remain to be seen, as does the impact on the accessibility of AI to the US & allies, versus the global South and the rest of world.

The app was hit with a cyber-attack Monday forcing it to limit registration, though this has now been rectified. Ongoing concerns over data protection leave the future of DeepSeek indeterminate, however the development of such a powerfully capable chatbot for so little investment leaves little doubt that terming the launch a ‘Sputnik Moment’ may prove accurate.

Blond Ambition

As President Trump’s second term gets underway, the youngest-ever White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt made her debut appearance this week. The 27-year-old, complete with shiny blond hair, plum power suit, and flawless makeup delivered a perfectly polished ode to her boss, who she described as, “the most transparent and accessible president in American history.” Transparent or not, Leavitt was unafraid to ruffle the feathers of what she termed the “legacy” media, accusing them of publishing lies, and announcing the introduction of “new media voices,” to the press room – including TikTokers, bloggers and podcasters, as long as they are “producing legitimate news.” One should interpret “legitimate” in this case to mean uncritical of President Trump. The Guardian described Leavitt as “going full North Korea.”

Beyond her terrifyingly impressive performance, the internet has quickly developed its own discourse around the glamorous new Trump guard dog. Her marriage to a wealthy property developer thirty years her senior, love of guns, and selfies in a t-shirt declaring “Make America Blonde Again” certainly makes her a useful caricature for what a New York Magazine cover story labelled, The Cruel Kids Table. This new generation of young, wealthy, loud and proud conservatives, presents a new in American politics that should be worrying the Democrats, even as they lick their fresh wounds. The young Trumpians now have a hero, and she’s well-spoken, well dressed and ready for battle.

Some celebs proving reputation trumps marriage

You might wonder what relevance a rapper and a fashion influencer have in our little world.

Fashion blogger Chiara Ferragni and Italian rapper Fedez were in a fake marriage for seven years due to Fedez leading a double life with a mistress. The reason for the fake marriage, was that Chiara knew about the affair but decided not to come forward because of harm to her public image.

Yesterday, Chiara Ferragni took to Instagram, sharing with her 28.7 million followers that she had known about her now ex-husband, Fedez (they officially split in February 2024.) The influencer admitted on her Instagram story that she had known about the affair but chose not to go public for the sake of her family, children, and ultimately, her reputation.

Discovering your partner’s affair is undoubtedly painful, but staying in a seven-year relationship with both your spouse and their mistress just to protect your image must have been even more challenging.

The allegations suggest that Fedez was already involved with his mistress before marrying Chiara. Leaked text messages and phone calls, in Italian, reveal that Fedez allegedly threatened to call off the wedding just 10 minutes before walking down the aisle. As more stories about their marriage and infidelity continue to surface, the only way for Chiara to control the narrative was to break her silence.

One valuable lesson to be learned from Italian A-listers? It’s better to come clean on your own social media platform rather than let the tabloids spin stories and create even more drama. Especially as Chiara has made it very clear just how important her brand and public image is.

Kylie Jenner all grown up in Chanel

Every year, celebrities gather to be photographed sitting front row at the invite-only Chanel fashion show during Paris Fashion Week. In attendance this year was Kylie Jenner, who has recently been embracing a more refined image. It appears she is strategically updating her public persona and elevating her brand.

Kylie Jenner has recently dressed in a more mature way which contributes to a more polished and mature public appearance. This shift aligns with the natural evolution of her audience, as both she and her fanbase grow older. Her rebranding might suggest a move toward appealing to a more sophisticated demographic, and thus older clientele.

Kylie initially gained fame through her "Lip Kit" (promoted on social media, with pictures of her pouty lips) and the success of Kylie Cosmetics. The brand thrived on socials, with her image becoming the best marketing strategy. As Kylie Cosmetics continues to expand, Kylie herself remains the brand’s most significant selling point.

Another strategic move in her rebranding has been her relationship with A-list actor Timothee Chalamet, a move paying dividends after being tipped to pick up the Academy Award for Best Actor for starring in the Dylan biopic. The authenticity of their relationship aside, it has certainly been mutually beneficial from a brand perspective. Kylie has gained access to a new demographic by attending high-profile Hollywood events, such as the Golden Globes, and she is likely to appear alongside Chalamet at the Oscars. Meanwhile, Timothee has elevated his social profile by being associated with the Kardashian-Jenner brand.

Kylie also appears to be distancing herself from her past association with Travis Scott, with whom she shares two children. Travis Scott is still recovering from his Astroworld festival disaster, which we've previously covered.