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.
Antitrust Filing Says Google Cannibalizes Publisher Traffic via @Sejournal, @Martinibuster
Penske Media Corp (PMC) filed a federal memorandum opposing Google’s motion to dismiss its antitrust lawsuit, alleging the tech giant broke the long‑standing “fair exchange” of search traffic for indexed content. The complaint says Google’s AI‑driven, zero‑click answers repurpose publisher material, sharply cutting click‑throughs and revenue for brands such as Deadline and Rolling Stone. PMC contends Google leveraged its search monopoly to coerce publishers into providing content for AI training without compensation, effectively cannibalizing traffic. The filing cites Sundar Pichai’s own statements that referral traffic remains a core design principle, which Google now appears to contradict.
Are Social Sellers Missing an Important Piece of the Data Puzzle?
Social commerce now accounts for roughly 20% of Southeast Asia’s online spending, a surge accelerated by the pandemic. iKala’s research shows that revenue per order on social channels jumped 88%, indicating not just higher volume but larger baskets. While new...
Asda Raids B&Q for New Vice President of Marketing
Asda has appointed Tom Hampson, former B&Q marketing director, as vice‑president of marketing for both the supermarket and its George clothing brand. He succeeds Adam Zavalis and will report to chief customer officer Rachel Eyre, starting in June. Hampson brings...
Data: Negative Reaction to Six Nations In-Game Ads
Research by Quantcast shows that in‑game advertising during the Six Nations boosted online engagement for brands but provoked strong negative sentiment among viewers. Samsung achieved a 13% engagement rise while Virgin Atlantic saw an 18% uplift, yet Samsung’s ads generated...
Reassure Safety First, Then Take the Wheel
A strong preframe is basically saying: “I’m gonna drive, but you’re safe.” And people LOVE that.
Ecom Founders Turn Netflix Breaks Into Competitor Intel
Everyone watching Netflix: What should I watch? Ecom founders watching Netflix: Analyzing competitor ads during commercial breaks. Different mindset. Different life.
Cadbury 5 Star and Cricket Scotland Celebrate World Cup Qualification With ‘Do Nothing’
Cadbury 5 Star has teamed up with Cricket Scotland to celebrate the team’s unexpected qualification for the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. The partnership riffs on Cadbury’s long‑running “Eat 5 Star, Do Nothing” slogan, positioning Scotland’s “do nothing” route into the tournament as a...
Why Media Mix Modeling So Rarely Works for B2B
Media mix modeling (MMM) excels for consumer brands with high transaction volume, stable offers, short purchase cycles, and direct paths, but B2B marketers often encounter wide uncertainty intervals and volatile recommendations. The core issue is statistical: B2B deals are few,...
Stop Over‑polishing Posts; Just Publish Now
If you keep stalling, you’re probably trying to make each post be the best post you’ve ever written. Please don’t do that to yourself.
Types of User Surveys and How To Use Them Effectively
In this episode Shannon Mullery explains what user surveys are and why they’re essential for continuous feedback in business. She breaks down the two main data types—qualitative and quantitative—and maps them to survey formats such as CSAT, NPS, CES, SUS,...
Maybank Partners with Alchemy79 and Directors Think Tank for Chinese New Year Campaign
Maybank Malaysia joined forces with creative agency Alchemy79 and the Directors Think Tank, led by filmmaker Sling Ng, to launch the Chinese New Year 2026 film *Blessings All Around*. The cinematic piece reframes traditional CNY wishes by spotlighting love, connection and...
Intrepid Travel Rolls Out ‘Golden Gap Year’ Campaign for 55+ Travellers
Intrepid Travel has launched the Golden Gap Year campaign aimed at Australians aged 55 and over, offering a competition for a 12‑month, tailor‑made travel experience valued up to $100,000 plus $25,000 for flights. The initiative is built on research showing...
Good Drinks Australia Launches ‘Love at First Cider’ Valentine’s Day Campaign for Magners
Good Drinks Australia has unveiled a Valentine’s Day campaign for Magners Irish Cider called “Love at First Cider.” The campaign features a series of playful illustrations that incorporate the gold foil from Magners’ iconic brown pint bottle, forming elements like...
Westpac NZ Deploys Immersive ‘Laneway Loot’ Campaign at Laneway Festival 2026
Westpac NZ, together with Saatchi & Saatchi NZ and Spark Foundry NZ, launched the immersive “Laneway Loot” experience at Laneway Festival 2026. The activation featured limited‑edition street posters that were ripped down and claimed within 24 hours, and a Westpac‑branded...
Snapchat Releases Next Phase of ‘Say It in a Snap’ Campaign in Australia
Snapchat has launched the next phase of its “Say it in a Snap” campaign across Australia, targeting university‑aged Gen Z with a mix of out‑of‑home billboards, digital video and brand‑integrated Snaps. The rollout highlights how students use the platform to...
Hero MotoCorp + FCB Interface Create Futuristic Glamour X Campaign with Robotic Love Story
Hero MotoCorp teamed with FCB Interface India to launch a futuristic Glamour X campaign that tells a robotic love story, emphasizing the bike’s sleek design and advanced features such as cruise control. The ad runs across television and digital channels, timed...
Join Live Podcast in Santa Monica to Boost YouTube
Want to come to our Santa Monica studio for a live podcast recording with @AprilynneAlter ? Mon 12pm Leveling up your YouTube content. Grab a ticket here. https://t.co/hiiHrMgmDW https://t.co/l731yj5usF
2026 CB HOT LIST: AGENCIES RANKED 11-20
Campaign Brief’s 2026 CB Hot List has unveiled the agencies ranking 11 to 20, selected from more than 200 Australian and New Zealand firms. The list spotlights agencies whose 2025 work earned the Seen+Noted distinction for creativity and effectiveness. This mid‑tier...
Taco Bell Korea Partners with GUT Asia to Launch “Love at First Tilt” Valentine’s Campaign
Taco Bell Korea teamed with creative agency GUT Asia to launch the “Love at First Tilt” Valentine’s campaign, running from Valentine’s Day through White Day. The initiative repurposes the brand’s signature Taco Tilt—mirroring the dramatic lean seen in K‑drama kisses—to...
My Plan Manager Leans Into Its Name in New National Campaign via Showpony
My Plan Manager, Australia’s leading NDIS plan manager, launched a national 360° campaign with agency Showpony to turn its generic‑sounding name into a brand asset. The ads use comedic misunderstandings, inspired by “Dude, Where’s My Car?” and “Who’s on First?”,...
Edge Marketing Strengthens AI-Led Search Capability with Appointment of Luke Gosha
Edge Marketing has appointed award‑winning AI and SEO specialist Luke Gosha as Head of Search & AI Strategy, bringing over a decade of international experience from London agency StrategiQ to its Australian operations. Gosha will lead the integration of AI‑led...
Beyond the Brief: Unpacking the Creative Behind Mirvac’s ‘Building The Imagine Nation’ Campaign
Mirvac launched its first ever integrated brand campaign, "The Imagine Nation," marking a shift from project‑centric messaging to a unified brand narrative after 54 years. The campaign was built on a strategic "One Mirvac" architecture that aligns its residential, retail,...
Dentsu Creative Isobar Says Brands Must Now Behave Like Creators with ‘New-Age Social’
Dentsu Creative Isobar has unveiled New‑Age Social, a creator‑first operating philosophy set to launch in the second half of 2025. The model reorganizes social teams to include creators, editors, producers and platform‑native storytellers, aligning creative development with media intelligence and...
Content Automation Tools: How To Automate Content Strategy
The episode breaks down content automation, explaining how AI‑driven tools can streamline every stage of a content marketer’s workflow—from keyword research and clustering with platforms like Semrush, to AI‑generated copy and visuals using ChatGPT and image generators, through editing with...
Profit‑First Ad Rules Drive $200M+ Results
If you want to generate $200M+ in client results, these are the 50 rules to live by. Steal them. Save them. Print them out. 1. Creative strategy > media buying. 2. If Meta spends money on your ad, there's a...
YouTube Views Vs. Nielsen Ratings: Incomparable Metrics
Comparing YouTube views to Nielsen ratings is a mistake. YouTube’s views aren’t unique and only needs to be seen good a few seconds to count as a view. Nielsen measures unique concurrent viewers in an average minute. Apples and oranges.
How Shopify Bundles Drive 55% AOV Increases: The Complete Bundle Strategy Guide
In this episode, the host breaks down how strategic product bundling on Shopify can lift average order value (AOV) by up to 55% and boost revenue per user by 86%, using case studies like HiSmile, Coconu, and Maev. The discussion...
AI Chatbots Turn Into Digital Real Estate for Ads
AI chatbots are becoming the next digital real estate, and ads are moving in. As usage scales and infrastructure costs rise, monetisation models are shifting from subscriptions alone to advertising layers embedded in conversation. The real question is not whether ads will...
Founders on Camera Build Trust, Fuel $100M Growth
If you’re a founder of a brand doing sub $100M and you’re NOT on camera making content for organic, ads etc… You’re putting yourself at an extreme disadvantage People want to buy from genuine people - not from brands. Create a brand...
Guest Post: How Market Shaping Supercharges AI GTM Automation for Series A Startups
Series‑A founders have access to powerful AI‑driven GTM automation tools, yet most still miss the $10M‑$25M revenue milestones. The article argues that the technology merely amplifies existing messaging, and without a strategic market‑shaping foundation, outreach becomes noise. Market shaping involves...
AI Overload Overwhelms Marketers: Find Calm Amid Chaos
We've never been given more tools than ever before to do our jobs in marketing. With the proliferation of AI everything should become easier, faster. And yet, I feel more overwhelmed than ever before in my entire adult working life which...
Visibility Alone Won’t Drive Sales Without Brand Trust
Showing up in an AI overview is a form of distribution and not necessarily consideration. It’s highly potentially valuable, in the same way that getting on the shelf at Walmart creates big opportunity potential, but for many product that alone...
Growth Requires Custom Strategies, Not One‑Size Solutions
We currently oversee $17M+ in monthly ad-spend and one thing that is consistent is that most brands take a different strategy / creative framework to work. No-one is the same... There's similarities etc... but overall the brand core fundamentals are...
Batch 90 Days, Crush Decision Fatigue
Posting 90 days of content in one day sounds intense until you realize it eliminates 90 days of decision fatigue.
Break Category Norms: Market Water Like an Energy Drink
Liquid Death made $100M selling water with ONE differentiator: marketing it like an energy drink brand. Meanwhile you're trying to 'fit in' your category. That's the gap.
SEO Demand Spikes as Cleanup Work Multiplies
There will also be more work for SEOs who help clean up the mess 😅
Balance Cost Caps with Creative Diversity for Optimal Spend
Good take but depends on the structure. 100% cost control / bid cap? 900 ads is fine - more creative diversity = more opportunities to spend. 100% in lowest cost? Likely hemorrhaging data and money
Post‑Purchase Friction Is the Real Brand Killer
Misunderstood Marketing - : The Delonghi-Bosch Pivot: Why Post-Purchase Friction is the Real Brand Killer https://t.co/9vxehhnI4s
AI Agents Unite Disconnected Marketing Tools in Live Demo
Hot take: The marketing tool stack is broken. Not because the tools are bad. Because having 12 of them that don't talk to each other is insane. I'm doing a free webinar on Feb 24 with someone who's built a platform where...
Stop Treating Prospects Like Leads; Build Real Relationships
LEAD = Someone opted in, knows about you, is being nurtured by you. PROSPECT = You found them in a public database, has no idea who you are. I see so many "gurus" and magical "AI Experts" conflate Lead and...
2025 State of SaaS Marketing: Insider Data Unveiled
Tired of being left in the dark on how other SaaS companies are doing? Then welcome to the 2025 State of SaaS Marketing mega thread. Buckle up. I surveyed hundreds of SaaS founders & marketers last year, to collect the data that's usually...
A Launch Plan Transforms Guesswork Into a Proven Playbook
Launching a product without a plan is just posting and hoping. This Skill builds the full playbook. https://t.co/juAq4qxygY
Applovin Delivers Fastest, Most Adaptable DTC Support
As a person overseeing many of these tests for brands I can attest to this too. Applovin’s team have also been the quickest, most nimble at adapting to what DTC is requesting of them. Their teams go above and beyond over...
Human Expertise Still Outperforms AI in Ad Creation
There is still a net benefit to having someone with an intricate knowledge of the creative and ad buying processes that AI can’t automate.
Social Search Drives B2B E‑commerce Credibility and Conversions
Why social search for #B2B ecommerce is the new key to credibility and conversion https://t.co/djobyMHgwk
Leverage Existing Momentum: Stitch Into Ongoing Conversations
Stitching works because it borrows momentum. You’re stepping into a conversation that already has attention.
Emerging Strategies: Agentic Pricing, Nuclear Cloud, Analog Marketing
Strategic Brief: The Agentic Pricing Shift, Nuclear Cloud Grids, and the Analog Marketing Rebellion https://t.co/P5qLllgBGU
Urgency Beats Minimalism: 11% vs 4% Conversions
I've tested 90+ checkout flows. Here's the pattern: Checkouts I made 'simple and clean' converted at 4%. Checkouts I added urgency and scarcity to converted at 11%. Your minimalism doesn't matter. Psychology does. Test everything. Trust nothing.
Popups Need a Clear Value, Not Newsletter Requests
A popup should offer one clear win, not “join my newsletter.” Nobody wakes up craving newsletters.
When Metrics Drown You, Rethink What You Track
If you feel like you’re drowning, check what you’re tracking. Sometimes the metric is the problem.