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 Create AI Agents for Social Media Marketing
Social media teams are overwhelmed by the volume of platforms and messages, prompting a shift toward AI agents that can autonomously generate content, monitor trends, and handle customer interactions. The guide outlines how to build such agents—from selecting LLMs and frameworks to integrating APIs, memory, and brand‑safe guardrails. Sprout Social’s built‑in AI agent, Trellis, exemplifies these capabilities, offering automated listening, content creation, and competitive benchmarking. Industry data shows 54% of marketers see AI as a growth lever and 40% already use AI for performance reporting.
Threads Expands Social Media Management Functionality
Meta’s Threads platform is rolling out a suite of API enhancements that let brands cross‑share to Instagram Stories, schedule posts up to 10,000 characters, embed content without tokens, and receive real‑time notifications. The changes also lower the follower threshold for...
DIGI Search Launches Full-Service Dental Web Platform Tied to NextGen TV Ads
DIGI Search announced a new full-service dental web management platform that integrates its proprietary NextGen TV advertising suite. The initiative aims to move dental practices away from fragmented social‑media ads toward high‑impact, household‑level TV placements, promising higher‑value case acquisition.
YouTube Lets Users Remove Shorts From Its Home Feed Via Timer Setting
YouTube has expanded its time‑management settings to let any user set the Shorts feed limit to zero minutes, effectively removing Shorts from the home feed. The option, first introduced in October 2025 with a 15‑minute minimum and later limited to parental...
3D DOOH Goes Local: How Brands Are Driving Store Visits Faster
Big Happy’s 3D digital‑out‑of‑home (DOOH) platform is shifting from pure brand awareness to a measurable performance channel by slashing production cycles to under a month and integrating mobile retargeting. Recent campaigns, including a retail activation during a peak shopping period,...
Google’s Gemini AI Cuts Scammers, Blocks 8.3B Ads
Google's 2025 Ads Safety Report: With Gemini's help, Google blocked a record 8.3B ads, up 63% YoY, but suspended 36% fewer advertisers, attributing the disparity to its use of AI "Google said the rise in blocked ads also reflects the...
Podcasting’s Audio Primes, YouTube Limits Livestream Ads, & More
The Sounds Profitable report introduces "Audio Primes," listeners who consume at least 75% of podcasts as pure audio and show lower enthusiasm for AI‑generated voices than video‑first audiences. YouTube rolled out two livestream features that pause ads when viewers send...
Introducing the Newest Edition to Your Team: The Marketing Engineer | Vol 288
Profound announced a new Marketing Engineer role that blends marketing strategy with technical execution, offering a free certification through Profound University. The position is designed to build AI‑driven agents, automations, and end‑to‑end workflows that accelerate existing processes and create capabilities...
PR Roundup: Creators Get Certified, Bieb-Chella Buzz and Philanthropy’s Trust Problem
The Institute for Responsible Influence unveiled a Responsible Influence Certification Program, giving creators a seal that proves they understand FTC disclosure rules and truth‑in‑advertising standards. Justin Bieber dominated Coachella’s social conversation, accounting for roughly 30% of posts and generating 340 million...
Fibr AI Launches Ads-to-Web and LLM-to-Web Personalization to Convert Paid and AI-Referred Traffic
Fibr AI unveiled Ads‑to‑Web and LLM‑to‑Web personalization, technologies that carry the intent expressed in paid ads or AI‑generated queries through to the landing page. The platform can spin up to 1,500 tailored page variants in under two weeks, delivering 35‑50%...
Citation Dominance Boosts Brand Preference in Search
One realization I am coming to regarding LLM citations for middle of funnel content. If no other competitors are optimizing for query fan-outs, and you are the only brand doing it, that means your brand is likely to dominate the...
Moloco Launches AI-Powered Performance CTV for App Marketers
Moloco has introduced Moloco Ads for Performance CTV, extending its AI‑driven advertising technology to connected‑TV inventory. The platform optimizes each impression in real time, targeting specific marketing outcomes while leveraging advertisers' chosen mobile measurement partners for attribution. It promises premium,...
Repurpose TikTok Shop Content on Meta to Unlock Revenue
If you're pushing on TikTok / TikTok shop but not leveraging that content on Meta you're leaving millions in revenue on the table. Have 2 brands who are using TikTok shop as a content funnel for Meta and it's cruising. Let creators...
Albertsons Media Collective Offers New Measurement for Advertisers
Albertsons Media Collective launched an onsite incrementality measurement tool that isolates the causal impact of display ads on sales using test‑and‑control frameworks. The solution, dubbed iROAS, quantifies revenue generated solely by advertising, revealing up to a 6.5‑fold variance across campaigns....
The Team Behind Zohran Mamdani’s Viral Campaign Wants More Political Candidates to Get Candid on Social Media
At AD Week, Melted Solids—co‑founders Anthony DiMieri and Debbie Saslaw—and video director Donald Borenstein broke down the social‑video playbook that helped Zohran Mamdani win New York City’s mayoral race. Their strategy centered on authentic, on‑the‑fly footage that let Mamdani riff in...
Target Puts Creators at Forefront of Pokémon Anniversary Campaign
Target is launching a 100‑item Pokémon × Target collection to mark the franchise’s 30th anniversary, rolling out May 2‑June 6 in select stores and online. The campaign puts social creators such as Sydeon and SuperDuperDani front‑and‑center as “trainers,” extending the promotion across social, digital,...
Stop Wasting Hours Editing 60‑Second TikTok Videos
This one ended up on the videographer side of Threads, and they aren't too thrilled with me... this is for small business owners who waste time editing a 60-second video to put on TikTok. 😅
IAB: Ad Revenue Reached $294.6B In 2025
The Interactive Advertising Bureau reported that total internet advertising revenue hit a record $294.6 billion in 2025, a 13.9% year‑over‑year increase. Social‑media ads led the surge, generating $117.7 billion and accounting for 40% of the market, driven by the creator economy and...
Issa Rae Says Hollywood’s Identity Crisis Is Driving Creators to Own Their Platforms
Issa Rae told TheWrap that Hollywood’s “identity crisis” and recent DEI rollbacks are forcing creators to bypass studios and launch content on creator‑owned platforms, exemplified by her new TikTok micro‑drama “Screen Time.” She warned that representation has slipped from 29.2%...
PayPal Adds Native Payment Links to Canva, Turning Designs Into Instant Checkout Pages
PayPal launched a native Payment Links integration inside Canva, allowing users to attach PayPal checkout URLs or QR codes to any design. The move taps Canva’s 265 million monthly users and PayPal’s 439 million accounts, aiming to capture a slice of the...
Small Businesses Boost Site Speed as Breeze Launches Version 7
A new Forbes study shows 43% of small businesses will invest in website performance, underscoring a shift toward speed‑first digital marketing. Builder platform Breeze responded with its most ambitious release yet, Version 7, adding two‑factor authentication and a modern payment system....
5W PR Launches Digital Growth Program Tailored to B2B Clients
5W PR unveiled a new digital growth program aimed at B2B companies in technology, enterprise solutions, and professional services. The offering fuses public relations, search‑engine optimization, generative engine optimization (GEO) and content creation into a single growth engine. It promises...
10 Influencer Marketing Tips From the Minds Behind the Internet's Biggest Campaigns
Duolingo’s influencer team outlines ten actionable tactics for scaling creator marketing. They emphasize treating creator relationships as long‑term investments, extending outreach to talent managers, and applying “story fitting” to align narratives rather than demographics. The framework also leverages internal passions,...
Simply Social Reels in Princes Group Digital Overhaul
Princes Group, the owner of brands such as Branston, Napolina and Crosse & Blackwell, has hired digital agency Simply Social to overhaul its UK organic social strategy, content creation and community engagement. The agency won a competitive pitch to become...
‘Brands Can’t Guide Culture’: Creators and Marketers on Ditching Skin-Deep Allyship
At Social Media Week 2026, experts warned that brands cannot own culture and must instead immerse themselves in the communities they wish to serve. Alejandra Salazar of Croing urged marketers to rely on cultural experts and listen deeply. Deaf creator...
AI Makes SEO a Top Budget Priority—Will You Get Hired?
AI is the greatest thing that ever happened to SEO. Hear me out. It's suddenly the highest marketing priority. Demand is off the charts. You don't need to convince companies they should be doing this. They have genuine burning desire...
What Dove, Netflix, and Nike Didn’t Do on Reddit Is Why They’re Winning
Brands are abandoning high‑frequency posting on Reddit in favor of authentic, low‑volume engagement. Research from Reddit’s insights team shows sentiment drops sharply after three weekly posts, prompting marketers to focus on community contribution rather than follower counts. Companies like Netflix,...
Google Is Now Targeting Bad Ads over Bad Actors
Google reported blocking a record 8.3 billion ads worldwide in 2025, up from 5.1 billion in 2024. The surge was driven by its Gemini AI models, which the company says caught more than 99% of policy‑violating ads before they reached users. Despite...
Gemini Is Stopping Harmful Ads Before People Ever See Them
Google’s Gemini AI is now powering its ad‑safety engine, catching more than 99% of policy‑violating ads before they ever appear. In 2025 the system blocked or removed over 8.3 billion ads and suspended 24.9 million accounts, including 602 million scam‑related ads. Gemini’s intent‑focused...
ESPN Reveals Football-Focused Creator Program Ahead of 2027 Super Bowl
Disney’s ESPN announced the fourth edition of its Creator Network will be football‑centric, timed to the lead‑up to the 2027 Super Bowl. The year‑long program will embed creators at Monday Night Football, college games and culminate in a week‑long VIP...
SEO Is One of the Most Powerful Channels, but Still Misunderstood
Hotel SEO transforms Google into a direct sales channel by capturing travelers at the moment they search to book. Unlike brand‑awareness tactics, it targets high‑intent queries such as “boutique hotel in New York” or “last‑minute hotel deals San Francisco.” Effective...
Instagram Re-Enters Creator Affiliate Commerce Years After Rivals Built Lead
Instagram announced in March 2026 that creators can now tag up to 30 affiliate products directly in Reels and earn commissions on sales. The move ends a four‑year hiatus after the platform shut down its 2022 affiliate program and removed...
PR Firm News: Highwire Launches AcroAI
Highwire introduced AcroAI, an agentic AI platform that equips marketing and communications leaders with real‑time strategic insights drawn from over 100 data sources. The platform extends Highwire’s AI suite, promising secure, scalable campaign execution while preserving brand voice. In parallel,...
SAMY Debuts Proprietary AI Platform to Consolidate Social Media, Influencer Marketing Data
Global social‑media agency SAMY launched Maia, an AI‑powered platform that consolidates paid social, influencer activities, and owned media into a single management environment. The solution delivers a real‑time campaign dashboard, influencer approval hub, streamlined content‑approval workflows, brand‑safety screening, spoken‑word analysis,...
Metro Hit 4 Million TikTok Followers. Should Affiliate Publishers Follow?
Metro grew from 8,000 to over 4 million TikTok followers by April 2026, launching four vertical channels—news, sport, entertainment and gaming. The publication spent ten months producing platform‑native, presenter‑led videos without any commercial intent, then began monetising through brand partnerships rather than...
How The Daily Show Is Outsmarting the Social Media Algorithm
The Daily Show posted its strongest 18‑49 ratings in eight years while its digital footprint surged to 2.5 billion views in 2026, a 56% jump from the prior year. Producers explained that a dedicated digital team creates content that flows between...
Your AI Visibility Strategy Doesn’t Work Outside English via @Sejournal, @DuaneForrester
Duane Forrester argues that AI visibility strategies built around English‑centric benchmarks are increasingly ineffective as multilingual large language models dominate regional markets. A 2024 study shows over 75% of LLM benchmarks favor English, leaving translation‑first approaches blind to platforms like...
Why Brand Safety on Social Is No Longer Enough
Social media ad spend is projected to top $317 billion in 2026, making it the world’s largest advertising channel. Yet more than half of U.S. marketers consider social the greatest brand‑safety risk as shoppers increasingly decide purchases on these platforms. Integral...
How Amika’s Marketing Aims to Make Prestige Hair Care More Approachable
Amika launched the "On Your Wavelength" campaign on April 3, centering stylists instead of celebrities to showcase its top hair‑treatment line. The initiative coincides with the brand’s rapid growth after its Ulta debut, where it quickly became the retailer’s No. 2 prestige...
Macro Influencers Explained: Definition, Follower Count, and When to Use Them
Macro influencers, typically boasting 100,000 to 1 million followers, sit between micro and mega tiers, offering a blend of broad reach and higher engagement. Their audience is large enough for brand awareness yet niche enough for authentic connections, making them attractive...
Pepcal Heating & Air Teams with Audience Boost to Power Seasonal Digital Marketing
Pepcal Heating & Air has joined forces with digital‑marketing agency Audience Boost to overhaul its website, launch an aggressive SEO program and push educational content across 300+ platforms. The partnership aims to capture spring‑time search traffic and drive homeowners to...
Comments Dominate; LinkedIn Profiles Poised for Growth
I'm writing a newsletter recap from Social Media Week — but first some bullet point thoughts: - Comments are and will be everything - LinkedIn has tons of growth potential (for personal profiles according to Metricool) - Molly McPherson is the GOAT -...
Influencer Lame Secures $975M AI Twin Deal as Brands Bet on Digital Avatars
Senegalese‑born Italian influencer Lame landed a $975 million stock agreement to create an AI‑generated digital twin, while the backing firm’s shares have slumped over 90%. The move accelerates a broader industry shift toward AI avatars, as creators, platforms and brands scramble...
Ohio Finfluencer Sentenced to Six Years for $23 Million Real‑Estate Ponzi Scheme
Columbus‑based social‑media promoter Tyler Bossetti received a six‑year federal prison term and more than $12.5 million in restitution after pleading guilty to wire and tax fraud. Prosecutors say his “Boss Lifestyle” scheme raised over $23 million and left investors with losses exceeding...
Paramount’s Upfront Pitch Is About Three Things
Paramount’s upfront pitch centers on three marketer priorities—streaming, programmatic and live sports. The company will merge the ad‑tech stacks behind Paramount+ and Pluto TV this summer, launch a new performance tool called Precision+, and push streaming fixed units that give...
IAB: Digital Audio Grew 10% In 2025 as Podcasts Near $3B
The IAB/PwC 2025 Internet Advertising Revenue Report shows digital audio reaching $8.4 billion, a 10.2% year‑over‑year increase. Podcast advertising grew 17.6% to $2.86 billion, maintaining double‑digit growth after a slowdown from earlier spikes. Despite the gains, audio’s share of total internet ad...
Holistic Media Mix Beats Legacy Tactics in Furniture Marketing
In Episode 3 of From Screen to Store, sponsored by @JamLoop , Alex Back, CEO and Co-founder of Couch, joins hosts Jeremy Bloom and AdTechGod to discuss what’s actually working in modern marketing and why legacy industries are falling behind. The...
Seeking X Ads Expert: Recommendations Welcome
looking for a X ads guy. someone who understands how to run ads here. would love any recs @nikitabier
Shift From Cold Discounts to Prospecting‑Then‑Remarketing Wins
Snow sold out their entire inventory by spending 75% of their Q4 budget on prospecting ads, then flipping to 75% remarketing for the sale. Meanwhile you're running the exact same discount ad to cold traffic on Black Friday and wondering...
Hands‑off Media Buying Redefines Creative Strategy
Killer video from @DenneyDara. So much to take away about creative and media buying, especially how they're doing very hands off media buying...