Today's Digital Marketing Pulse
Consumer journeys go non‑linear, MiQ study finds
MiQ’s ‘From Funnel to Flexibility’ study, analyzing data from 53 million households and 700 trillion signals, shows 87 % of shoppers change digital activities at least hourly and 42 % describe their purchase path as random. The research, based on surveys of over 4,000 consumers and 600 marketers in the US, UK, Canada and Australia, challenges the traditional linear marketing funnel.
Also developing:
By the numbers: DOJO AI raises $6M Seed round
How to Optimize Your Website for Both Human and AI Visitors
Seer Interactive has launched a Human + Machine Design Testing framework that unites conversion rate optimization (CRO), user experience (UX), SEO, and Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) into a single six‑week sprint. The approach tracks both human behavior and AI citation metrics, using shared baselines, joint wireframes, and parallel monitoring plans. By measuring AI visibility alongside conversion rates, the method identifies conflicts—such as a design that boosts CVR but suppresses LLM citations—and resolves them before development. Seer positions the framework as a way to future‑proof sites for both human visitors and AI scrapers like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Copilot.
Reaching For More Reach
Multicultural media firms, traditionally serving niche audiences, are now bundling their first‑party data to sell audience segments across websites and CTV. This shift comes as they grapple with falling traffic, a hostile political environment, and waning brand commitments. Meanwhile, retail...
Reaching For More Reach
Multicultural media firms are repackaging their first‑party audience data to sell across platforms, a strategy born from shrinking RFP volumes and declining traffic. Publishers face political headwinds and weaker brand commitments, prompting innovative retargeting approaches. At the IAB Connected Commerce...
CTV's AI‑driven ID Graph Fuels Full‑funnel Growth
Wow, @vibedotco hitting $227M ARR with +264% YoY growth tells you exactly where advertising is heading. CTV has finally cracked the performance code. Advertisers are shifting 30%+ of their total marketing budget into one channel, that level of conviction drives serious...
OpenAI Begins Rolling Out Ads in Select Markets
OpenAI is rolling out advertisements to users on its Free and Go plans in Australia, New Zealand and Canada. The ad placement is limited to these lower‑tier subscriptions, while Pro, Business, Enterprise and Education plans stay ad‑free. This marks the company's...
Google Ads Tests Direct Google Tag Manager Integration for Conversion Setup
Google Ads is piloting a new "Set up in Google Tag Manager" option that pushes conversion‑tracking tags directly into GTM, bypassing manual copy‑paste of IDs and labels. The UI adds a button in the conversion‑setup flow, prompting users to select...
The $5 Photo Shoot: How a Small Austin Jewelry Brand Stopped Waiting and Started Producing
A husband‑and‑wife jewelry brand in Austin used the AI image generator Nano Banana to create lifestyle product photos in seconds, paying only five cents per image. In one afternoon they produced over 40 new assets that previously required costly photo...
Why Bottom-of-Funnel Content Is Winning in AI Search
Google’s AI Overviews are siphoning clicks from traditional top‑of‑funnel (TOFU) content, prompting SEO teams to reallocate effort toward bottom‑of‑funnel (BOFU) assets. Marketers are now dedicating 60‑80% of output to comparison guides and listicles that answer high‑intent purchase questions. While overall...
Peloton Wants To 'Push' Users To Move With Joy
Peloton has launched its "Find Your Push" campaign across the U.S. and Canada, partnering with Toronto creative shop Division and Denim. The ad, directed by Bethany Vargas and starring Hudson Williams, showcases the Peloton Tread+ and more than 15 workout modalities,...
AI Cuts B2B Site Build From 8 Weeks to Days
What typically used to take 8 weeks took me a few days in 2026. In a today’s live AI session at 10AM PT, I’m sharing how I built a full B2B marketing site in 3 days with AI for a new...
Brands Shift to Advocacy-Driven Creator Partnerships
I chatted with @gilliannivy for @adage on why we’re seeing a lot of brands launch more advocacy based creator programs.
Google Deepens AI Integration Across Ads and Search with Gemini Enforcement and AI Mode Expansion
Google’s 2025 Ads Safety Report shows Gemini‑powered AI blocked 8.3 billion ads, a jump from 5.1 billion the year before, and halted over 99% of policy‑violating ads before they reached users. The enforcement model now focuses on individual ads rather than whole...
Meta Ad Performance Spirals Into Unpredictable ROAS Volatility
I have to go back years to remember the last time Meta was this volatile & felt like someone pushed a ROAS button randomly every few days. been digging through a couple of accounts and some of the best adsets...
Comments, Not Feed Posts, Drive Brand Impact
Harsh but true: Your brand feed posts don't matter. The comments do. “It’s not just about posting cadence and chasing follower growth. The best social media teams are optimizing their resources and time to live in the comments” Lessons from Social Media...
Townsquare and KSE Announces Digital Marketing Deal
Townsquare Media and Kroenke Sports & Entertainment (KSE) announced a digital marketing partnership that will integrate Townsquare Ignite’s data‑driven platform into KSE’s radio assets. The collaboration allows KSE to scale its digital advertising offerings while leveraging Townsquare’s proven performance‑based solutions....
5 Influencer Marketing Programs Brands Use to Scale Creator Campaigns
Influencer marketing is moving from isolated campaigns to structured, always‑on programs as 72% of marketers plan to boost budgets by 50% and 85% see the channel meeting their goals. These programs centralize creator recruitment, content production, payments, and performance tracking,...
BackLite UK Unveils The Knightsbridge as Newest Addition to Landmark Series
BackLite UK has upgraded the Piccadilly Underpass in Knightsbridge with two massive 2.8 m × 14.4 m digital screens, delivering over three million fortnightly impressions. The revamp, powered by Daktronics’ 10 mm Outdoor Blue LED panels, moves the site into BackLite’s premium Landmark Series aimed...
Netflix's TikTok‑style Feed to Boost Engagement and Ads
All the $NFLX bears are not pricing in a addictive TikTok-style video feed coming out at the end of April. This means doomscrolling clips from shows, movies & video podcasts. How it benefits Netflix: • ad revenue (big one )...
Instagram Enforces Global Teen Account Restrictions to Shield Users Under 18
Meta has begun automatically converting all new Instagram users under 18 into “Teen Accounts,” applying a default private setting, follower‑only messaging and a strict “13+” content filter worldwide. The change aims to standardize child‑safety protections across markets and could reshape...
IronChess Rolls Out Integrated SEO Suite for Oklahoma City Pest‑Control Firms
IronChess Oklahoma City SEO announced a new integrated search‑marketing service built exclusively for pest‑control companies in Oklahoma City. The agency blends local SEO, technical site health and industry‑specific content to lift rankings and generate higher‑quality leads for home‑service firms.
Netflix Q1 Ad Buys +16%, Expected To Double This Year
Netflix reported a 16% jump in first‑quarter ad spending, aiming to reach $3 billion in ad revenue by the end of 2026—double its 2025 total. The platform now works with 4,000 advertisers, a 70% year‑over‑year increase, and the ad‑supported tier was...
Week in Review: Netflix Talks Up Programmatic, Viant Acquires TVision, and Digital Video Sees Rapid Growth
Netflix reported Q1 revenue of $12.3 billion, staying on track for $3 billion in ad sales this year, with programmatic expected to represent half of its non‑live ad inventory. Co‑CEO Greg Peters said scaling programmatic will broaden the advertiser base beyond large...
Meta Editor Auto‑adds Related Media, Risk Unintended Publishing
Meta media buyers, LOOK OUT 👀 If you go to EDIT an ad, even just to look at an ad's setting without changing anything, the system automatically adds Related Media. It won't publish automatically, buuuut, it will queue to publish the next...
Reclaiming the Power of the Story — Fueled by Data and AI
MarTech’s May 6 conference will host a panel titled “Marketing’s moment: Reclaiming the power of the story — fueled by data & AI.” Moderated by Content Monsta CMO A. Lee Judge, the discussion features Dale Bertrand, Melanie Deziel, Lexie Haggerty, and AI strategist Jordache Johnson....
Google Bans Back Button Hijacking, Agentic Search Grows – SEO Pulse via @Sejournal, @MattGSouthern
Google added back‑button hijacking to its spam policy, making it a manual violation effective June 15, and gave publishers two months to audit all scripts, including third‑party libraries. The company also updated its spam‑report guidelines, stating that user submissions can now...
Skycom Installs ‘The Social Tree’ DOOH Structure at Select CityWalk
Skycom has installed a 50‑foot‑tall, 46‑foot‑wide digital out‑of‑home (DOOH) structure called “The Social Tree” at Nexus Select CityWalk. The cuboid LED screen offers 1,950 sq ft of 12K resolution display, 360‑degree visibility, 3D anamorphic capability, and synchronized lighting and sound. It also...
ENCO Upgrades SPECai With Multi-Voice and Video Capability
ENCO, Benztown, and Compass Media Networks announced a major upgrade to the AI‑driven spec‑ad platform SPECai at the NAB Show. The new features add multi‑voice generation with emotion control, integrated sound‑effects editing, and a plug‑in that transforms radio spots into...
Search News Buzz Video Recap: Google Back Button Hijacking Penalty, Spam Reporting Change, Google Ads AI Max Replacing DSAs &...
Google announced a new spam penalty targeting back‑button hijacking, expanding its enforcement toolkit. The company also said spam‑report submissions may be used for manual actions, tightening the feedback loop for abusive sites. In the ads arena, Dynamic Search Ads are...
The Most Overlooked Asset in Your Influencer Program Is the Content Itself
A retail client swapped brand‑produced creative for influencer‑generated assets across paid ads, email, and its website, delivering a 57% lift in ROAS, a three‑fold increase in email click‑through rates, and a 3.5× boost in on‑site conversions with a zero‑bounce rate....
Ahrefs' Crawler Outshines Claude's AI Attempts
Death by Clawd - have you checked if your company is safe? Here at @Ahrefs we are going to be just fine it seems. 🙃 EULOGY: "We gather here today NOT to bury Ahrefs, but to acknowledge the uncomfortable truth: you can't replace...
Google Ads Safety Improves Year‑Over‑Year, Report Shows
Google Ads Safety report - here are the numbers year over year for the past several years https://www.seroundtable.com/google-ads-safety-report-41173.html
Redefining Enterprise Engagement at InnoEX Hong Kong: Aurora Mobile’s EngageLab Unveils AI-First Solutions
Aurora Mobile unveiled its AI‑first engagement platform, EngageLab, at InnoEX Hong Kong, showcasing solutions that tackle fragmented channels, siloed data, and costly integrations for global enterprises. The demo highlighted intelligent fallback workflows that automatically shift messages from email to WhatsApp...
Google’s Product Feed Strategy Points To The Future Of Retail Discovery via @Sejournal, @Brookeosmundson
Google is repositioning Merchant Center product feeds as the backbone of retail discovery across its ecosystem, including Search, YouTube, Maps, Lens and AI‑driven formats. The company cites more than 1 billion daily shopping interactions and 20 billion Lens visual searches per month,...
Success Lies Beyond the Click, Not the Creative
Most distribution systems don't die at the top. They die at the handoff. Ad performs. Page doesn't convert. Email opens. Link doesn't get clicked. Content lands. No next step exists. Everyone optimizes the first moment. Nobody designs what happens right after it. Ran paid campaigns with 4%...
Travel Publisher Shows Steady Site Improvements Since 2025
Love to see it - audit client from early 2025 that's been working hard ever since to improve their site. Publisher site in the travel/hospitality vertical. https://t.co/GweHaA7Bdi
Anthropic Debuts Claude Design for Building Marketing Assets, Decks, and UIs
Anthropic Labs launched Claude Design, an AI‑powered platform that creates marketing assets, slide decks, and UI mockups using natural‑language prompts. Built on the upgraded Claude Opus 4.7 model, the tool lets users generate, edit, and collaborate on designs in real time,...
Buzzy Creates Ten Ad Variations From a Single Draft
Most brands test one version. Because making more is expensive. Buzzy turns one ad into ten — like Photoshop for ad iteration. https://t.co/Q8z0GfVrGU
Paid Ads Can Scale to $50K MRR Fast
$0 to $50K MRR in 12 months. Team of 5. No content marketing. No complex funnels. Just PPC. Karel Papik says most founders dismiss paid ads too early. https://t.co/cYWDvmOcGB
Google Blocks 8.3B Policy-Violating Ads in 2025, Launches Android 17 Privacy Overhaul
Google announced that in 2025 it blocked or removed 8.3 billion policy‑violating ads and suspended 24.9 million accounts worldwide. At the same time it rolled out Android 17, which replaces the broad READ_CONTACTS permission with a granular Contact Picker and adds a one‑time...
Google Rolls Out Back‑button Penalty, Spam Reporting Overhaul, DSA Sunset
SEO Video recap: Google back button hijacking penalty, new spam reporting big change, Google Ads DSAs going away and much more https://t.co/V3NCVBwMVh
Google's Dan Taylor on AI Mode & Evolving Marketing Measurement
In this week’s episode of the Mobile Dev Memo podcast, I speak with Google’s Dan Taylor about AI Overviews, AI Mode, the evolution of marketing measurement as platforms like PMax have gained a greater share of spend, Google’s UCP protocol,...
Mega Influencers Explained: Definition, Follower Count, Cost, and When to Use Them
Mega influencers are creators with over 1 million followers on platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, or YouTube, positioning them closer to celebrities than typical influencers. While they deliver massive reach and rapid brand awareness, their engagement rates hover around 1.97%, far...
Immersive Map View Videos Revolutionize Google Ads
If you focus on the ad side of Google, you should be following Anthony. Here's just another great find, which is super interesting. "Immersive map view videos in ads".
Google’s Gemini Powers Massive Ad Purge and Local Dominance
And beyond 8.3B ads removed by Google (with the help of Gemini), here is another important area where Google has a massive advantage -- Local. I'm sure OpenAI is like, "Whoa... do we have to do that as well? Can...
Poppi Lands $400K Shark Tank Deal While Founder Was Pregnant, Valuation Climbs to $2 B
Poppi’s co‑founder, Kayla Ellsworth, clinched a $400,000, 25% equity deal on Shark Tank while nine months pregnant, a deal that helped launch the brand to a $2 billion valuation after PepsiCo’s $1.95 billion acquisition. The story underscores how TV exposure, viral TikTok...
OpenAI Stunned by Its Own Ad Platform Launch
I'm sure OpenAI is like, wait, what? ... as they roll out their new ad platform. LOL
Creator Partnerships Drive Explosive Growth, Not Ad Spend
Manscaped sponsored 2,000+ YouTubers, generating 2 billion views in one year and scaling revenue from $3M to nearly $300M. Meanwhile you're complaining about Facebook ad costs while ignoring the massive leverage of creator partnerships.
Netflix Targets $3 B in Ad Revenue by 2026 as Advertising Tier Fuels Growth
Netflix said its ad‑supported tier will generate about $3 billion in advertising revenue by 2026, roughly double the current level. The streaming giant now works with more than 4,000 advertisers, a 70% year‑on‑year increase, and programmatic buying is set to exceed...
Paramount Appoints Jay Askinasi as CRO to Unite Pluto, Paramount+ and BET+ Ads
Paramount announced that Jay Askinasi will serve as its new chief revenue officer, tasked with consolidating Pluto TV, Paramount+ and BET+ onto a single tech stack and rolling out premium streaming ad products. The move aims to leverage the company’s...
Dove Awards Seven-Figure Influencer Brief
Unilever’s Dove has awarded a seven‑figure micro‑influencer marketing brief to a creative communications agency after a four‑way competitive pitch. The brief targets micro‑influencers to drive authentic engagement for Dove’s personal‑care products. The deal underscores Dove’s shift toward performance‑based, socially resonant...