Today's Digital Marketing Pulse
Ad tech vendors pivot to cloud‑hardware ownership to cut latency and costs
Vendors are splitting between owning their own cloud infrastructure and renting from public clouds such as AWS, Google Cloud and Azure. SSPs PubMatic and Index Exchange introduced containerized solutions—Decision Fabric and Index Cloud—that let DSPs run models on‑premise, lowering latency and data‑transfer expenses. The shift balances cost savings against control of the stack.
Also developing:
By the numbers: Accenture Song acquires influencer marketing agency Whalar
Meta Adds New Creator Publishing Tools
Meta unveiled two creator‑focused publishing tools on May 18, 2026. The web‑based Creator Studio now includes a Content Planner that visualizes scheduled posts, flags timing gaps, and links directly to performance insights. A revamped bulk‑upload flow for Reels lets creators add captions and run copyright checks in a single step. Meta says original Reels views and watch time doubled in the second half of 2025, suggesting the new features could further accelerate creator activity.
Why Organic Visibility Matters More Than Ever for Growth-Focused Brands
Organic visibility has become a strategic growth asset as paid media costs surge, with global digital ad spend projected to exceed $870 billion by 2027. Brands are shifting focus to SEO because it delivers lasting traffic without ongoing spend, compounding over...
Google Ads Costs Keep Rising, but Conversion Rates Improved in 2025
The 2025 WordStream benchmark, covering over 16,000 Google Ads campaigns, shows the average cost‑per‑click climbing to $5.42, a 16% rise from 2024. At the same time, average conversion rates improved to 8.18%, indicating better efficiency despite pricier traffic. Automation tools...
TikTok’s New Campaign Showcases Viral Hit’s Global Impact
TikTok launches Behind The Breakthrough spotlight on viral hits @tiktok has launched a new Behind The Breakthrough campaign spotlighting rising, starting with @siennaspiro and her hit “Die On This Hill” The track generated over 6 million TikTok creations and 16 billion...
Instacart Expands Ads Manager Tools to Retailers
Instacart is extending its Ads Manager platform to grocery and retail partners, adding a self‑serve suite that lets retailers create basket‑level promotions, target high‑intent shoppers, and track performance in real time. The move follows a milestone year in which Instacart’s...
Nectar Social Lands $30 Million Series A From Menlo Ventures to Scale AI Marketing Platform
Nectar Social announced a $30 million Series A financing round led by Menlo Ventures. The funding will fuel product development, team expansion, and deeper enterprise adoption of its AI‑powered social intelligence and marketing automation system.
Master Google Gen‑AI SEO: Prioritize Original, Agent‑Ready Content
Good podcast from @Marie_Haynes based on the Google document published on Friday about Gen-AI optimization. She covers a number of important topics. Note, I had YouTube's "Ask" feature build the chapters in case that's helpful for you. :) https://t.co/3zWmm7A4eL Here are...
Intentsify Expands Global Access to B2B Audience Data Across Leading DSPs
Intentsify has made more than 700 pre‑built B2B audience segments directly available in leading demand‑side platforms such as The Trade Desk and Google DV360. The rollout adds global distribution through LiveRamp, covering over 90 countries, and introduces Canadian reach via...
X Is Making a Major Creator Push, Launching Ad Product to Connect Brands and Users (Exclusive)
X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, announced Creator Connect, an AI‑powered marketplace that pairs brands with creators, especially niche and emerging influencers. Leveraging technology from its sister company xAI, the service matches creators based on campaign goals, real‑time trends,...
Podscribe Expands Audio Incrementality Measurement with Synthetic Controls and Randomized Holdout Testing
Podscribe, a leading podcast attribution platform, launched expanded incrementality measurement tools that include synthetic control groups, randomized user‑level holdouts, ghost holdouts, PSA‑based testing, and publisher‑created holdouts. The new features run through Podscribe’s SmartServe ad‑serving layer, which inserts a VAST tag...
Topsort Launches TikTok Offsite Ads to Extend Commerce Media Beyond Onsite Placements
Topsort unveiled TikTok Offsite Ads, a new AI‑native capability that lets marketplaces and vendors run TikTok campaigns directly from its commerce media platform. The feature integrates TikTok advertising into the same catalog, budgeting, scheduling and reporting infrastructure that powers onsite...
DoubleVerify Launches AI-Powered Threads Suitability Controls?
DoubleVerify introduced AI‑powered pre‑screen suitability controls for Meta Threads, letting advertisers block content that falls below their brand thresholds before ads are served. The new feature adds 30 granular avoidance categories, such as Youth Entertainment and Gambling, and refreshes hourly...
Chatbot Ad IDs Share Data To Google, Microsoft, Other Analytics Providers
A University of California‑Davis study examined network traffic from 20 AI chatbots during a standard query. Researchers found 47 unique third‑party owners and 178 chatbot‑to‑third‑party domain pairs, with analytics tags on 17 bots and advertising tags on 12. Notably, Gemini,...
Aftermarket Auto Parts Retailer Grows AI Search Revenue 344% in Six Months, New Visibility Labs Case Study Shows
Visibility Labs released a case study showing its six‑month AI SEO campaign propelled Private Label MFG, an aftermarket auto parts retailer, from under 1% to more than 20% visibility on generative‑AI prompts. The effort generated a 344% jump in AI‑driven...
Cadent Becomes One of the First Audience Activation Platforms Available in Gemini Enterprise
Cadent has become one of the first audience‑activation platforms embedded in Google’s Gemini Enterprise, giving customers conversational access to its predictive advertising intelligence. The integration leverages Gemini and Vertex AI models to let marketers ask natural‑language queries about campaign performance,...
When the Bid Disappears: A Forensic Look at Why Ads Lose the Auction
Programmatic advertisers often see shortfalls in delivery without realizing the loss stems from auction mechanics rather than creative or budget issues. In real‑time bidding, a bid can be the highest yet still lose due to publisher floor prices, bid shading,...
Why Thinking Like an AI Agent Matters to Marketing
Brands must shift from traditional SEO to generative engine optimization (GEO) as AI agents like ChatGPT become primary product recommenders. GEO focuses on appearing in a single AI‑generated answer—the “third shelf”—instead of ranking among many web pages. Joseph Levi of...
PadSquad Exec Decries The Clutter Of Ad Metrics Now Being Used
PadSquad’s commercial strategy head Lance Wolder warned that today’s advertising landscape is flooded with overlapping metrics that generate more noise than insight. He said agencies and brands are bombarded with mixed signals and redundant KPIs, making it difficult to link...
Publicis Groupe Buys LiveRamp for $2.2 B to Power Agentic AI in Marketing
Publicis Groupe announced a $2.2 billion acquisition of data‑connectivity platform LiveRamp, targeting the rollout of agentic AI tools across its agency network. The deal, the largest in Publicis’s recent history, is positioned to accelerate personalized, AI‑driven client campaigns.
Huella Launches HuellaNXT, AI‑Powered Programmatic Stack for Interactive Ads
Huella, the Gurugram‑based creative intelligence firm, rolled out HuellaNXT, a live programmatic infrastructure layer that brings AI‑driven interactivity to digital and connected‑TV ads. The platform already integrates with more than 100 premium publishers and major demand‑side platforms, promising advertisers richer...
Publicis Groupe to Acquire LiveRamp for $2.2 Bn, Boosting AI‑driven Data Co‑creation
Publicis Groupe announced a $2.2 bn all‑cash acquisition of LiveRamp, a data‑collaboration platform, to accelerate its AI‑driven marketing services. The deal, valued at $2.167 bn enterprise value with a 29.8% premium, is expected to lift Publicis’ 2027‑28 net‑revenue and EPS growth targets.
It Works Until It Doesn’t: AI Content Strategies That Backfire via @Sejournal, @Lilyraynyc
AI content creation tools have been adopted widely for scaling SEO and GEO output, but a new analysis of over 220 sites shows the gains are short‑lived. Most sites experience a rapid traffic surge followed by steep declines, with 54%...
Incrementality Theater: Why Retail Media Keeps Grading Its Own Homework
Retail media networks increasingly market "incrementality" but often deliver repackaged last‑click attribution, creating a false sense of performance. Brands receive fragmented dashboards from each retailer, which isolate results and hide overlap, duplication, and true lift across the broader media mix....
Google's New Guide Tackles Generative AI Optimization Myths
Google publishes its own help guidance on how to optimize for generative AI, including a myth-busting section - which might rile people up https://www.seroundtable.com/google-optimize-generative-ai-mythbusting-41335.html #google #googleseo #seo #geo #aeo
Clipping Videos Profits Agencies, Hidden Influencers, Not Others
My two cents is that "clipping" (creating short clips from videos, then paying accounts to post them as it was organic, and get views on it) is amazingly good business for agencies selling this service, OK business for influencers doing...
Ad Tech Briefing: The Downstream Implications of Publicis Groupe’s $2.2 Billion Bet on LiveRamp
Publicis Groupe announced a $2.1767 billion acquisition of LiveRamp, aiming to accelerate its transition to a data‑driven, higher‑margin "principal" operating model. The deal gives Publicis direct control over LiveRamp’s identity‑resolution and addressability technology, enhancing closed‑loop measurement for advertisers. It also reshapes...
Google Ads Primary Conversion Actions May Be Used For Enhance Predictions
Google has updated its Ads help pages to state that primary conversion actions, even when not used for bidding optimization, may be employed to enhance predictive models. The change, highlighted by LinkedIn posts from Dario Zannoni, could affect how Smart...
Madison Logic CEO Keith Turco on AI, SaaS Expectations, and the Future of Performance Marketing
Madison Logic CEO Keith Turco says AI can speed campaign execution, but its value depends on high-quality data and human oversight. The company positions its intelligent data platform combined with managed services as a SaaS-free alternative that delivers real-time insights,...
Ex-Google and Databricks Engineers Launch Martech Platform
A team of former engineers from Google, Adobe and DeepMind has launched Pomo, an agentic marketing intelligence platform aimed at mid‑market brands. The startup secured $4.5 million in seed funding, led by Kindred Ventures with participation from Databricks Ventures and other...
Boulevard Digital Marketing Publishes AI Visibility Report Highlighting New SEO Priorities
Boulevard Digital Marketing released a new industry report on May 18, 2026 that details how artificial‑intelligence platforms determine online visibility. The study identifies three core factors—authority, relevance and contextual signals—that marketers must address to stay discoverable in AI‑powered search and...
Anthropic’s Infrastructure Crisis – What It Means for Marketers & SEO Pros via @Sejournal, @Gregjarboe
Anthropic reported Q1 revenue of over $30 billion, an 80‑fold surge from its forecasted 10‑fold expansion. The explosive growth overloaded Claude’s compute platform, forcing a emergency partnership with SpaceXAI to tap the Colossus 1 data center’s 300 MW power and 220,000 Nvidia GPUs....
Nearly 91% of Marketers Believe Their Platform Results Are Overstated. Here’s What It’s Costing Them.
New research from the Outcomes Marketing Council, based on a survey of 210 senior marketers, reveals that 91% believe platform‑reported results are overstated, leading to significant waste. Around 35% of decisions driven by proxy metrics such as attributed conversions do...
How to Automate Ad Personalization in 7 Steps
Automating ad personalization in 2026 hinges on centralizing first‑party data in a CRM or CDP, using AI to segment users by intent, and deploying modular creative assets through dynamic creative optimization (DCO). These personalized ads are then pushed to platforms...
Adnami & Adnuntius Join Forces to Shape the Future of Political Advertising in the Nordics
Adnami and Adnuntius have formed a partnership to deliver a privacy‑first, TTPA‑compliant political advertising solution across the Nordics. The joint offering combines Adnuntius’s marketplace and automatic transparency labeling with Adnami’s high‑impact, attention‑measuring formats, operating in a 100 % no‑cookie environment. It...
Digest: Publicis Buys LiveRamp for $2.2bn; Netflix Expands Ad Tier
Publicis Groupe agreed to buy data‑collaboration platform LiveRamp for $2.2 bn cash, a roughly 30% premium, to embed identity‑ and AI‑driven capabilities into its agency network. LiveRamp will stay a neutral, interoperable platform with CEO Scott Howe reporting to Publicis chief...
Influencer Boost Budgets Are Throwing Gas on Social Video Spending Fire
Brand spending on social video is accelerating as influencer amplification budgets surge. Marketers now routinely allocate part of paid media spend to boost creator videos, with budgets ranging from a few thousand dollars to as much as $5 million per campaign....
Inside The Trade Desk’s Claude-Powered Campaign Agent
The Trade Desk unveiled Koa Agents, an AI‑driven layer that automates key steps of programmatic campaign creation using models like Anthropic’s Claude via its Open Agentic Kit. The agents ingest media plans, format them for the platform, troubleshoot creatives and...
YouTube Expands AI Deepfake Detection to All Users 18+, Boosting Brand Safety for Advertisers
YouTube has rolled out its AI-powered deepfake detection system to every user over 18, letting anyone request removal of synthetic videos that misuse their likeness. The feature, likened to Content ID, aims to protect creators and give advertisers a stronger...
LayerFive Unveils AI-Native Marketing Intelligence Platform to Cut Ad Waste
LayerFive introduced its unified marketing intelligence suite, an AI-native platform that merges analytics, attribution, identity resolution and privacy compliance into a single tool. Early adopters like Billy Footwear reported a 36% revenue increase while adding only 7% to ad spend,...
Why Intentional Audio Is the New Frontier for Australian Marketers
Spotify’s new Sound‑On Era research shows audio is the last intentional media space for Australian consumers. 86% of Spotify users mute video to listen, and 75% recall audio content better than social posts. Brands leveraging audio, such as Origin’s audio‑programmatic...
VIOOH and VENDO Media Link Canada's 550‑Billboard DOOH Network to Programmatic Buying
VIOOH announced a strategic partnership with VENDO Media that opens programmatic access to more than 550 digital out‑of‑home screens in 125 Canadian locales. The deal immediately makes 33 screens live for real‑time automated buying, positioning VIOOH as the first SSP...
Kenshoo Skai Debuts First Agent‑Native Marketing OS at ShopAble 2026
Kenshoo Skai announced the industry's first agent‑native marketing operating system at its ShopAble 2026 conference in San Francisco. The launch bundles a new Studio environment for AI agent squads, an upgraded Celeste commerce media agent, and a strategic advisory practice,...
Social Media Ad Spend Projected to Hit $640 Billion by 2030, Omdia Says
Omdia’s new market landscape report projects global social‑media advertising revenue to reach $640 billion by the end of 2030, expanding at a 12% CAGR. The share of social in total online ads is expected to rise from 33% to 44%, underscoring...
Social Media Drives Consumer Discover, per Meta
Meta released a three‑part blog series, based on a 16‑page report, that argues shoppers are moving away from traditional Google searches toward social‑media discovery. The company cites a near‑20% year‑over‑year decline in Google searches per U.S. user and highlights short‑form...
Pattern Posts Double-Digit Q1 Revenue Growth and Cuts Operating Losses
Pattern (PTRN) posted double‑digit revenue growth and narrowed operating losses in its Q1 2026 earnings call, highlighting strong global adoption of its e‑commerce platform. The company also unveiled AI‑driven product upgrades aimed at deepening brand engagement across North America, Europe...
Google Restores Data Studio Name in April 2026, Easing Marketers' Branding Confusion
Google announced in April 2026 that it is reverting the Looker Studio brand back to Data Studio, a move aimed at restoring continuity for marketers who built dashboards on the original platform. The shift reflects a broader push toward unified,...
Publicis to Buy US Data Company in $2.2bn Deal as It Deepens AI Marketing Push
Publicis Groupe announced a $2.2 billion acquisition of US data‑focused marketing firm Cheetah Digital, combining cash and stock components. The deal is designed to embed advanced AI capabilities into Publicis' existing creative, media, and data services. Completion is expected in early...
AI Search Is Still SEO: Don't Rebrand the Fundamentals
In practice, I don’t really care what optimizing for AI Search is called: SEO, AI Search Optimization, AEO, GEO, or whatever the new acronym ends up being. I’m the first one to adapt to the terminology clients use if it helps...
Boost LinkedIn Engagement with AI-Generated Posts
Trying to get more involved with the @LinkedIn community, but are finding that your posts don't get engagement? Use AI to make 'em more engaging. Here's how to give it a try: https://t.co/y53idal1Jb #linkedin #chatgpt #ai #socialmedia https://t.co/zzORlK62Gt
YouTube Unveils 2026 Creator Marketing Playbook Claiming 86% Higher ROAS vs Paid Social
YouTube released its 2026 Creator Marketing Playbook on May 7, presenting data that creator‑driven campaigns generate 86% higher incremental long‑term ROAS than paid social. The document underscores the platform’s unique reach, dual‑format appeal, and creator trust, positioning YouTube as a...