Today's Digital Marketing Pulse
Accenture Song Acquires Whalar to Bolster Influencer Marketing
Accenture Song announced the acquisition of Whalar, adding a 170‑person global creator agency and keeping co‑CEOs Emma Harman and Jo Cronk in place. The deal also includes a three‑year strategic partnership that gives Accenture access to Whalar’s talent‑management, technology and venture assets, integrating the creator network with Accenture’s data and AI capabilities.
OpenAI Updates Privacy Policy as Ads Expand in ChatGPT
OpenAI has revised its privacy policy to detail how advertising will be integrated into ChatGPT. Ads will run for users on Free and Go plans, while paid subscriptions such as Plus, Pro, Enterprise, Business and Education remain ad‑free, with all sponsored content clearly labeled. Advertisers will receive only aggregated performance metrics; personal chats, histories, and user identities stay private. The update also adds optional contact syncing, clearer data‑storage timelines, and new safety tools for teen users.
Klaviyo and Shopify Deepen Integration
Klaviyo and Shopify have expanded their integration, adding a fully synchronized multi‑market data layer that pulls Shopify Markets' localized catalog information directly into Klaviyo. The new Locale Aware Catalogs feature automatically syncs translated product content, regional pricing, currency, and market‑specific...
The Best Way To Embrace Convergent TV? Break Down The Silos Between Linear And Streaming
Marketers must dissolve the linear‑vs‑streaming divide and adopt a convergent TV approach, blending programmatic and direct buying. At Convergent TV World, Tatari’s Mike Fogarty highlighted the $70 billion U.S. TV market, noting that only $30 billion is streaming‑focused and still largely direct‑sold....
Web Search Marketing Strategies Online Success TodayPro
Web search marketing combines SEO, paid search, keyword research, local listings and analytics to place brands where consumers are actively searching. By aligning content with user intent, businesses capture qualified traffic, boost conversions and strengthen brand exposure. Real‑world examples—from a...
An Opera Singer Who’s Made A Name As A Car Salesman
A classically trained opera singer has reinvented his career by becoming a car salesman who films himself belting arias on the dealership lot. He writes original lyrics that describe each vehicle and posts the performances on TikTok and Instagram, where...
Email Deliverability Technology: How to Ensure Your Campaigns Actually Reach the Inbox
The email deliverability technology market, valued at $4.5 billion in 2025, underpins reliable inbox placement for marketers. Success hinges on sender reputation, which reflects complaint rates, bounce metrics, and recipient engagement. Core authentication protocols—SPF, DKIM, DMARC—and practices such as IP warming...
Programmatic Advertising Technology: How Automated Media Buying Is Reshaping Digital Advertising
Programmatic advertising has become the default buying method, with spend projected to reach $25 billion in 2025, representing roughly 88 % of digital display ads. Real‑time bidding (RTB) executes auctions in under 100 ms, linking demand‑side platforms (DSPs) and supply‑side platforms (SSPs) through...
Fearless Journalist & Zeteo Founder Mehdi Hasan Enters Advertising Partnership with Libsyn for Two Flagship Podcasts
Libsyn announced a one‑year advertising partnership with journalist Mehdi Hasan to monetize his two flagship podcasts, *Mehdi Unfiltered* and *We’re Not Kidding Mehdi & Friends*. The deal leverages Libsyn Ads’ dynamic ad insertion, host‑read spots, and programmatic buying to connect...
Conversion Rate Optimisation Technology: How Testing Platforms and AI Are Maximising Digital Revenue
Conversion rate optimisation (CRO) has become a $9.4 billion industry, delivering an average 223 percent return on investment for firms that adopt structured testing programmes. Modern CRO platforms now bundle A/B and multivariate testing, session‑recording heatmaps, AI‑driven personalisation, landing‑page builders and form‑analytics...
Free Python Script Replaces $200 Daily News Subscription
I spent $200/month on morning news tools. Then I built something better in a weekend. And I'm giving it away for free. It's called BriefCase. Every morning it gives me three things: 🔍 Intel — what happened in my industry overnight ⚡ Impact —...
ADvendio Launches Ad Suite for Retailers Featuring AI Agents
ADvendio unveiled Revenue OS for Agentic Advertising, an AI‑driven suite that equips retailers with four specialized agents—AdOne, AdPortal, AdGateway, and AdFinance. The platform combines Salesforce’s reasoning engine with ADvendio’s operational logic to automate campaign planning, sales, data consolidation, and financial...
Affiliate Marketing Technology: Platforms, Tracking and the Performance Marketing Revolution
Affiliate marketing has evolved into a $8.2 billion technology sector, driven by sophisticated tracking, attribution, and publisher‑management platforms. Modern solutions now support server‑side, first‑party, and cookieless tracking to overcome privacy restrictions and enable cross‑device measurement. SaaS‑based platforms such as Impact and...
Pre-Launch or Post-Launch: Influencer Timing Explained for Gaming Brands
Influencer marketing is poised to shape the $386 billion gaming market in 2026, but timing determines its effectiveness. Pre‑launch campaigns generate hype, build wishlists, and educate audiences, leading to higher launch‑day conversions. Launch‑day influencer pushes capture peak attention, driving 20‑50% of...
VIOOH Partners with OUTFRONT to Add Expansive US Inventory to Its Global Programmatic Platform
VIOOH, the leading global digital out‑of‑home supply‑side platform, announced a strategic partnership with US media giant OUTFRONT. The deal brings more than 7,600 digital screens and roughly 18 billion monthly impressions onto VIOOH’s programmatic marketplace, covering highways, transit hubs and urban...
X Users Prefer Personal Product Endorsements Over Ads
X/twitter is about individual expression and has the most sophisticated community — I don’t think they default to clicking on ads (or being influenced by ads) like the drones on FB or instagram Endorsements of products might work better… ie...
Costco Ties Digital Personalization to $470M in Sales Growth
Costco reported that personalized product recommendation carousels generated more than $470 million in e‑commerce sales during Q2 2026. The retailer also saw U.S. comparable store sales rise 5.9% year‑over‑year and net sales climb 9.1% to $68.2 billion, while membership grew 4.8% to 82.1 million...
Zero Click Is Here – Open Attribution Is the Fight Back
Affiliate marketers face a new attribution crisis as AI‑driven search engines like ChatGPT and Gemini deliver product recommendations without passing traditional click data. A recent webinar with Lee‑Ann Johnstone, Alex Springer and Leanna Klyne introduced Open Attribution, an open‑standard framework...
Compute Limits or Surplus Define Meta's Ad Revenue Future
A few weeks ago, I wrote about Meta's investments into GEM and its LLaTTE architecture, and last week, I wrote about Meta's use of LLMs for ad re-ranking (prioritizing the ad shown from a candidate set). Both of these approaches are...
Intero Digital Releases Guide to Help Brands Measure Visibility in AI-Powered Search and Audit GEO Footprint
Intero Digital has launched a strategic guide that helps brands audit and improve their visibility in generative AI search platforms such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Copilot. The guide introduces a Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) footprint framework, detailing how often...
Horizon Media Pilots AI Solution to Detect Cultural Shifts Mid-Campaign
Advertising agency Horizon Media has begun piloting an AI solution jointly developed by marketing‑intelligence firm Sightly and AI‑research company Vurvey Labs. The platform merges Vurvey’s real‑time human sentiment model with Sightly’s cultural and contextual media data, allowing agencies to spot...
Meta's AI Analyst Can't Grasp Business Fundamentals, Risks Spend
Meta just dropped a $2B AI agent inside your Ads Manager. Everyone's asking if they should test it. • It pulls reports • Does audience research • Analyzes campaign data But it can’t: • Create campaigns • Change bids • Touch your budget It's an analyst sitting...
Burger King Names 2 New Agencies Following Viral Whopper Bite Moment
Burger King has tapped Mojo Supermarket as its U.S. social agency of record and Praytell as the public‑relations AOR, aiming to accelerate real‑time, culturally resonant content. The new partners quickly proved their impact with a viral video of President Tom...
Inside the CTV Contextual Advertising Toolset
At Streaming Media Connect 2026, Team Whistle and Intersection explained how CTV contextual advertising now hinges on AI‑driven tools and real‑time data pipelines. Team Whistle has built proprietary Looker‑based analytics that feed production, programming, and ad teams with live‑event and audience...
Studies Reveal AI Citation Clues
Two independent studies examined how generative‑AI platforms cite source content. Kevin Indig analyzed 1.2 million ChatGPT results, finding only 1.5 citations per query, while Daniel Shashko’s research across six tools showed Grok delivering 33 citations per query. Both studies reveal that...
TikTok Is Now a Search Engine. Here Is What That Means for Your Affiliate Program
TikTok is rapidly becoming a genuine search engine, with more than two‑in‑five Americans and 64% of Gen Z using it to find product information. Adobe Express research shows 62% of users favor video tutorials, while 39% seek product reviews, indicating a...
Zefr Receives MRC Accreditation for Content-Level Brand Safety and Suitability Reporting on YouTube
Zefr announced it has earned Media Rating Council accreditation for its content‑level brand safety and suitability labeling and reporting on English‑language in‑stream YouTube videos across desktop, mobile web, mobile app, and connected TV. The accreditation marks the first MRC‑approved third‑party...
How Salesforce Is Rebuilding Marketing Cloud for the Age of AI
At Dreamforce 2025 Salesforce unveiled Agentforce Marketing, rebranding its legacy Marketing Cloud and embedding generative AI throughout the platform. The new suite replaces one‑way email blasts with two‑way, AI‑mediated conversations and leverages Data 360 to deliver unified, real‑time customer profiles....
Even Founders Warn: GEO Hype May Be Misleading
From the cofounder of an AI search visibility platform (@lil_bsz) on Reddit -> The GEO Bullshit - State of GEO in 2026 From him: "I’m a co-founder at an AI search visibility platform. By all accounts, I should be...
Richmond Sausages Cooks up Masterbrand Campaign
Pilgrim’s Europe has commissioned agency Joint to launch a masterbrand campaign for Richmond sausages, rolling out across out‑of‑home (OOH) and social platforms. The initiative, titled "The Big Richmond Sit Down," showcases real families and friends enjoying the product in everyday...
SEO Under Siege: 2025’s Collapse of Google Traffic
In this episode, Jordan Cooney talks with Malta Landwehr, CMO and Chief Product Officer at Peak AI, about the imminent shift from traditional Google search to AI-driven discovery. Malta shares how a personal experiment avoiding Google in South Korea revealed...
Postscript and Tie Launch Integration to Help E-Commerce Brands Recover More Revenue From Abandonment SMS Automations
Postscript and Tie have launched an integration that links anonymous website visitors to existing opted‑in SMS subscribers, enabling brands to trigger 41% more abandonment SMS automations. The identity‑graph technology works across devices and browsers without relying on cookies, turning offline...
Automation Fears Ignore How It Democratizes Access
When automobiles first appeared, they were built by hand. Craftsmen assembled them the way carriage makers built horse-drawn wagons. Skilled mechanics fitted parts together piece by piece. It was slow, deliberate work, and if you owned a car in the...
THG Ingenuity Launches Gift With Purchase Channel
THG Ingenuity has launched an external Gift‑With‑Purchase (GWP) channel, extending its proven retail‑media solution to third‑party brands. The service integrates curated gifting offers into key moments of the shopper journey across beauty, nutrition and lifestyle sites. Early campaigns on LOOKFANTASTIC...
Gartner Warns CMOs Against Using Agency AI Platforms
Gartner warns that up to half of agency‑built AI platforms could become obsolete within three years as open‑source solutions gain dominance. The firm predicts open‑source AI will support more than 75% of business deployments by 2028, offering greater customization and...
Picnic Launches ‘Quality Video’ to Bring Transparency to Open-Web Video Buying
Picnic has launched Quality Video, an extension of its PIQ platform that evaluates open‑web video inventory based on real‑time behavior rather than static DSP labels. The solution measures signals such as pause on scroll, simultaneous playback, auto‑play and audio settings,...
Nano Interactive Launches NanoQ Agentic Media Planner Built to Transform Programmatic Planning
Nano Interactive unveiled NanoQ, an agentic AI media planner that automates audience creation and activation. Built on the company’s intent data and the continuously refreshed Intent Library, NanoQ translates natural‑language briefs into custom and off‑the‑shelf segments. In internal tests the...
This Overlooked Instagram Feature Might Be the Most Powerful Tool in Your Marketing Stack
Instagram’s Close Friends, originally a privacy tool, is being reframed as a high‑intent marketing channel. By curating a small, exclusive list of creators, editors, and brand advocates, marketers can turn the green‑ring stories into a micro‑CRM. The invitation itself signals...
11 Best PR Analytics Software: My Picks Based on G2 Data
PR teams are shifting from simple clip counts to data‑driven measurement, prompting a surge in PR analytics software demand. The market is expected to grow from $2.3 billion in 2024 to $6.5 billion by 2035. G2’s analysis highlights seven top platforms, with...
Claude Code Automates Testimonial-to-Email Nurture in Minutes
I am officially addicted to Claude Code for marketing Woke up early again Today's mindblowing workflow? Asked Claude to: >> Pull my 5 latest testimonials from Senja >> Turn them into customer-centred emails >> Compose them directly inside CustomerIO 5 minutes later I have a whole new...
Analytics + Marketing Ops Drive Accelerated Growth
RT @VisionEdgeMktg 📊 Analytics + marketing operations = growth acceleration. Measure everything. Here's your toolkit: https://t.co/erhl8XtQN3 #Analytics #MarketingOps #DataDriven
John Lewis Invests in TikTok Shop Launch and AI-Powered Shopping
John Lewis has launched a 90‑day TikTok Shop trial ahead of Mother’s Day, offering a curated selection of beauty and gifting items that can be bought directly on the platform. The move is part of an £800 million multi‑year transformation programme...
Low‑budget Ads Often Beat Polished Productions
Like it or not... In my experience, low production jenky ads almost always outperform more well thought out, highly produced ads. I want to be wrong. Because highly produced stuff is fun to make. Anyway have a diff experience/result?
February 2026 Digital & Email Marketing Highlights
The Last Word on February 2026: A roundup of #digitalmarketing and #emailmarketing articles, posts, and social buzz you might have missed last month… https://t.co/R7ABOWoDIi https://t.co/hTXFy4YjBY
Binance Announces Changes to Its Advertising Policy
Binance announced a policy change effective March 9, 2026 at 03:00 UTC. The exchange will cancel referral commissions when referrals are generated via prohibited advertising methods, including search‑engine ads and impersonating third‑party sites. Prohibited tactics cover URLs mimicking Binance’s domain, fake social media...
AI-Driven Eligibility Redefines Marketing Decision-Making
Learn more about the future of marketing as AI visibility to eligibility transforms how decisions are made in advertising and beyond. https://t.co/8pkrAjZI1x via @purnavirji, @sejournal
Top 2026 Social Media Strategies Validated by Experts
Delighted to be included - What’s Working in Social Media in 2026 — Backed by 20+ Experts https://t.co/spTqW2WOVL via @hotinsm
AI Responses Instead of Clicks: Why Domains Are Becoming Digital Identities in the Age of Generative Systems
Generative AI platforms such as ChatGPT and Gemini are delivering answers directly, diminishing the importance of traditional click‑through traffic. As AI aggregates and cites content, the domain name becomes a primary signal of origin and trust rather than merely a...
Deposit Value First, Then Ask for Sales
Your email list is a relationship bank account. You need to: • Make deposits (give value) • Before making withdrawals (ask for the sale) All roads lead back to giving
Google CEO Forced to Do Live Product Search
🍿 Hard Mode: Make Google CEO search for any product related query and try to click on organic search result above the fold while live on camera 🫠 /ht @jordanreviewsit https://t.co/3h6ztlYNdk
The Privacy ‘Zealots’ Were Right: Ad Tech’s Infrastructure Was Always A Risk
The article argues that ad‑tech’s reliance on granular identity data created an inherent privacy risk, a point long raised by privacy advocates. Real‑time bidding and massive data extraction expose location and behavioral signals to a sprawling ecosystem of unknown parties....