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
Google Rolls Out Onboarding Guide for Universal Commerce Protocol
Google has released an onboarding guide for its Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP) within Merchant Center, enabling merchants to embed checkout directly into AI‑driven search experiences like Gemini. The guide walks merchants through technical integration, interest‑form submission, and sandbox testing before live deployment. UCP acts as an open standard that links product data, user identity, and payment flows, allowing purchases to stay inside Google’s ecosystem. The rollout begins in the United States and will expand gradually over the coming months.
Meta Ads for Hotels: What’s New in 2026
Meta Platforms’ 2026 overhaul forces hotel advertisers into a single, AI‑driven operating model. Automation, once optional, is now the default infrastructure, consolidating campaign types and handing budget, targeting and optimisation to Meta’s algorithms. The platform also trims campaign objectives and...
Meta Simplifies Pixel Setup with Official Google Tag Manager Template
Meta Platforms introduced an official Google Tag Manager (GTM) template for the Meta Pixel, eliminating the need for third‑party workarounds. The template leverages existing GA4 dataLayer events and automatically maps key e‑commerce actions, streamlining cross‑platform tracking. By reducing duplicate tagging...
Is Adobe Bringing AI-Driven Automation to Marketo?
Adobe is expected to announce a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for Marketo Engage at its upcoming Summit in Las Vegas. An MCP server acts as a bridge between AI tools and data, allowing marketers to issue natural‑language prompts to create...
Quantilope Launches ‘Ad Optimizer’: Leveraging AI to Bridge the Gap Between Creative Intuition and Brand Strategy
Quantilope has introduced Ad Optimizer, an AI‑driven research tool that evaluates advertising creatives frame‑by‑frame against Category Entry Points. The platform analyzes visual and audio elements, delivering actionable recommendations and intuitive dashboards within hours. By integrating this capability into its Consumer...
Refining an Audience Can Sometimes Lead to Decreased ROI. Audience Expansion Can Help to Mitigate the Problem
Marketers often assume that tightening audience criteria improves lead‑generation performance, but excessive refinement inflates cost‑per‑lead and erodes long‑term ROI. Charlie Swift argues that the real lever is expanding to like‑minded, adjacent audiences while anchoring decisions to dollar‑based outcomes rather than...
Well Spirit Collective Bets That Trust Outlasts Scale in the Wellness Creator Market
Well Spirit Collective, a women‑owned, BIPOC‑led Los Angeles agency, prioritizes selective partnerships over volume, believing trust outweighs scale in the wellness creator market. COO Haley Oberon, who joined in 2021, has grown the firm by refusing misaligned deals, even when...
AI-Driven App Surge Shrinks Organic Discoverability
The App Store discoverability squeeze "If the number of apps available in the App Store explodes through AI-assisted coding agents, yet the surface area for organic visibility remains fixed — or, actually, decreases, given that the second ad placement in search...
Consistency Beats Constant Creation in Reel Strategy
Indie author trial reels testing mode has commenced… (does that sound official enough? 🤣) Instead of constantly creating new reels, I’m testing something different: → Same 5 reels - to the same book → Same proven caption → Same Cover Image → Posted...
Publicis, Microsoft Partner On Agentic Marketing
Microsoft and Publicis Groupe have deepened their alliance to create a full‑stack marketing platform that unites legacy software, AI agents and identity‑based data. Leveraging Microsoft Azure AI, Office 365 and Copilot tools, the solution will run on Publicis’ cloud‑native Slingshot...
The Living Room’s Front Page: Why Home Screen Ads Matter
Home screen advertising is becoming the new front page of television, offering advertisers a high‑attention, native environment. Studies from LG, Omnicom and Telly show double‑digit attention gains, lower media waste and up to a 250% lift in brand recall versus...
Google Serves Spanish Snippets Despite English Query
There's a new one - Google is showing me a title and meta description *in Spanish* even though I'm searching in English from Brooklyn. The URL is zoom . us and the page content is in English. I was recently in...
Google Confirms March 2026 Core Update Is Complete via @Sejournal, @MattGSouthern
Google confirmed that its March 2026 core update finished rolling out on April 8 after a 12‑day rollout that met its two‑week target and was faster than the December 2025 update. The update followed a rapid 20‑hour spam update and a Discover‑only core...
GEO Was Invented On Sand Hill Road
The article exposes Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) as a venture‑capital‑driven hype rather than a genuine technological shift. Andreessen Horowitz’s May 2025 blog post seeded the term to promote portfolio tools, while fabricated memos and inflated statistics were amplified by engagement farmers....
Google’s March 2026 Core Update Rolled Out in 12 Days
OK, the March 2026 core update is complete. Now to assess the impact... From Google on X -> The rollout was complete as of April 8, 2026 (at 5:12 ET). So it was 12 days, 4 hours. https://x.com/googlesearchc/status/2041867321552027833
90% of Companies Use AI Agents. 6% Have Them Working.
New Martech research shows that while 90.3% of companies say they use AI agents, only 6.3% have fully integrated them into their marketing stacks. The gap mirrors earlier generative AI adoption patterns, where many firms claim usage but rely on...
Podscribe Announces SiriusXM Radio Airchecks, Podcaster Logins, and Automated Pixel Email Scheduling to Enhance Audio Attribution and Reporting
Podscribe unveiled three major upgrades—SiriusXM Radio Airchecks, automated pixel email scheduling, and podcaster‑specific logins—to tighten audio ad attribution and streamline reporting. The SiriusXM aircheck feature delivers verified, timestamped proof of ads on satellite radio, closing a long‑standing measurement gap. Automated...
Ausha Expands Its Growth Suite with Paid Visibility Ads on Spotify and YouTube – Open to All
Ausha announced the beta launch of Ausha Visibility Ads, a paid promotion tool that lets podcasters run campaigns directly on Spotify and YouTube. The solution builds on Ausha’s existing Podcast Search Optimization technology and incorporates Base for Creators’ ad‑tech platform....
Digible Teams with Engrain to Bring All‑In Pricing to Multifamily Ads
Digible, a leading multifamily marketing agency, and Engrain, a data‑visualization platform, announced an integration that feeds all‑in rent and fee data into paid media. The move gives renters clearer cost information and helps operators meet emerging transparency rules while preserving...
AI Is Changing Retail. Here’s How Businesses Can Keep Up.
Retailers must ensure their Google Merchant Center data is clean and complete to unlock AI-driven shopping experiences such as conversational commerce, virtual try‑ons, and shoppable CTV. In a recent Ads Decoded Podcast, Google’s retail product leaders highlighted that messy feeds...
The 10 Fastest-Growing U.S. Instagram Accounts of March 2026
March 2026 saw a surge of Instagram follower gains among U.S. celebrities and brands, led by Megan Fox’s 2.8 million new followers after a high‑profile comeback. Event‑driven accounts such as Jason Derulo, Alysa Liu, and “The Tonight Show” each added over a million followers,...
Earn a Social Media Marketing Certificate Starting April 29
Our 2026 Certificate in Social Media Marketing & Fundraising program starts April 29! https://www.nptechforgood.com/certificate-programs/earn-a-certificate-in-social-media-marketing-fundraising-from-nonprofit-tech-for-good/ The three-webinar program provides an honest, practical approach to using social media at a time when organic reach and engagement are at an all-time low. To earn the...
Matter of Fact: The Two Audience Problem
Brands targeting Gen Alpha now face a dual‑gatekeeping challenge: they must appeal to kids while satisfying parental safety concerns. Only 25% of Gen Alpha trust social‑media ads, yet 95% of parents first encounter new brands through their children. Gen Alpha directly controls about...
Lemme's Quietly Makes $60M, Coach Is #2, FIFA Is Coming, and McDonald’s Brand Integrity Problem
With the 2026 FIFA World Cup set to draw millions to North American host cities, brands are eyeing activation beyond stadiums. Kourtney Kardashian Barker’s wellness line Lemme quietly generated $60 million through a TikTok‑driven affiliate program involving over 15,000 creators, illustrating...
Beehiiv Article Links Missing Dofollow Attribute, Why?
I wrote articles on @beehiiv with links but they aren't dofollow backlink. Which is weird as I have seen many websites with dofollow backlink from beehiiv posts. Any idea why? Did I do something wrong?
Core Update Completed—Check Your Rankings Now
🚨 The rollout March 2026 core update was completed today (April 8, 2026). It's time to check your rankings/visibility/organic search traffic shift 👀 https://t.co/qsYSPpXZfz
Tired of Targeted Ads? This Simple iPhone Fix Stops App Tracking in Seconds.
Apple’s App Tracking Transparency (ATT) lets iPhone users block apps from accessing the advertising identifier (IDFA) and other tracking data unless they explicitly grant permission. Users can disable tracking globally or per‑app via Settings > Privacy & Security > Tracking, turning targeted ads into generic ones....
LLMs Fuel Exaggerated Posts to Game Engagement Algorithms
“Social media algs reward engagement, and LLMs are excellent at writing in different styles, so people use LLMs to translate posts and news stories into [exaggerated, misleading] versions that get more engagement” I see a ton of that here. not good.
Tired of Meta‑only Advice; Want Alternatives for Growth
It is SUCH a bummer that every person I talk to tells me the only real path to meaningful audience growth is via Meta ads. I would rather give my money to *any* other platform.
Why Product Feeds Shouldn’t Be The Most Ignored SEO System In Ecommerce
Many ecommerce brands focus on category pages and backlinks while neglecting product feeds, which have traditionally been managed by PPC teams. Recent changes—Google Search Console’s Shopping report enhancements and OpenAI’s product‑feed specification—bring feed data into the core SEO ecosystem. Optimizing...
Own Your Audience: Distribution Beats SEO Reliance
A $50M media company. 19 employees. Built from a small town. The moat wasn’t content... It was distribution. Traffic spikes are rented. Email lists are owned. If you’re still relying only on SEO, you don’t have a strategy. You have exposure. This conversation is...
Higher Pay Boosts Social Media Team Performance
Pay your social media team more money. Pay your social media team more money. Pay your social media team more money.
Silverpush’s Paul Briggs on Navigating YouTube and Using Contextual to Regain Visibility and Control
Silverpush’s Paul Briggs emphasizes that video now accounts for over 80% of internet traffic, making it a full‑funnel performance driver. He argues that contextual intelligence can map real‑time content intent to deliver ads at the precise moment of user engagement,...
March Core Update Hits; Easter Traffic Skews Results
The March Core update has finished rolling out. Keep in mind when looking at your traffic that it included the Easter weekend which often causes seasonal changes for sites. I see a few sites with increases and a number with significant hits....
Build New Relationships to Unlock LinkedIn’s Reach
Why “developing new relationships” is the only sustainable way to force the Linkedin algorithm to show you to new audiences https://t.co/OJa5Sg1oQj via @DLAIgnite #SocialSelling #DigitalSelling #Sales #SalesTips #SalesLeader #Marketing #MarketingSuccess #MarketingStrategy #ArtificialIntelligence
Samba TV and TiVo Strike UK CTV Advertising Partnership
Samba TV and TiVo have launched a strategic partnership in the United Kingdom, effective April 1, to combine Samba's cross‑platform audience intelligence with TiVo's owned‑and‑operated CTV inventory. The deal makes TiVo Samba's preferred managed‑service advertising partner and positions Samba as the...
5 Years of SaaS SEO Secrets Unlocked
Reverse-engineered 5 years of SEO knowledge in the SaaS industry to bring you this article 👇🏼
Meta's New Attribution Inflates Conversions by 30‑35%
Meta’s over attribution over performance the last 2 weeks has been absolutely horrendous. Some of the worse case brands are showing 30-35% more conversions on Meta than is being shown on Shopify. Truly feels like they broke something when updating the attribution.
Sleepyhead Highlights Durability in BITE Sofa with Creator-Led Campaign
Sleepyhead introduced the BITE sofa, a compact, stain‑ and water‑repellent piece built with high‑resilience foam for everyday durability. The launch is supported by a creator‑led campaign featuring a music video starring artist Gandhar and dancer Piyush Gurbhele. Influencers extend the narrative...
Do Chinese OEMs' Gonzo Instagram Reels Actually Convert?
Has anyone written about whether the gonzo marketing tactics of small Chinese contract manufacturers on Instagram Reels “works” or whether it just makes for amusing content. Like that company that sells charging cables.
Avoid Manual Triggers That Cause AI Content Spikes
Scaling AI-generated content for AEO/GEO purposes? "Mt. AI" can result from an algorithmic drop or a drop from a manual action. See below what the manual action could look like. You don't want this. You really don't want this. :)...
Google Testing Jumping To AI Mode Directly From AIOs ON DESKTOP
Google is piloting a desktop version of its AI Mode that launches directly from the “Show more” button in AI‑generated overview (AIO) cards. The feature, previously limited to mobile, pulls users out of the classic SERP into an AI‑driven answer...
ÂJarvis Approachingâ: Google's Sundar Pichai Signals an Agentic, Multi-Threaded Future for Search
Google CEO Sundar Pichai told the Cheeky Pint podcast that Search will evolve into a Jarvis‑like, agent‑centric platform where multiple AI threads operate simultaneously to complete user tasks. He described future Search as an "agent manager" that orchestrates personal assistants...
Teads Expands Commitment to Inventory Quality & Safety Through Partnership with NewsGuard
Teads announced an expanded partnership with NewsGuard to apply the latter’s human‑vetted reliability ratings across its global ad marketplace. The move covers English, French, German and Italian‑language sites in key markets such as the US, UK, Canada, France, Germany and...
Major Brands Back Tesco Premium Video Ad Placements
Diageo and PepsiCo have endorsed Tesco Media's new premium video ad placements after successful trials, highlighting the formats' ability to drive brand awareness at a crucial consideration stage. The Grocery Homepage slot reaches over 12 million unique monthly visitors, while the...
The Trade Desk Disrupted?
The Trade Desk (TTD) remains the dominant independent demand‑side platform, offering the widest, high‑quality inventory across connected TV, audio, and mobile. Its new OpenPath feature connects advertisers directly with publishers, bypassing traditional SSP fees, while AI‑driven campaign setup lowers barriers...
Stensul’s 2026 MarTech Outlook on AI and Agency Spend: The Demand Gen Report Interview with Rachel Meranus
Stensul’s 2026 MarTech Outlook, shared in a Demand Gen Report interview with Chief Revenue & Marketing Officer Rachel Meranus, highlights a rapid AI‑driven transformation of B2B marketing. The report finds B2B firms are 64% more likely to increase automation spend...
HubSpot Renames Inbound Conference to "Unbound" To Spotlight AI Marketing
HubSpot announced that its flagship Inbound conference will be rebranded as "Unbound," reflecting a strategic pivot toward generative AI and broader product offerings. The change follows a steep stock decline and the rollout of 18 new AI agents, underscoring the...
ReelShort Teams with AIS to Offer $1.15 5G Video Add‑On Across Thailand
ReelShort has launched a co‑branded 5G add‑on with Thailand’s AIS for THB39 ($1.15) a month, giving subscribers ad‑free access to its 3,000‑title library. The partnership, AIS’s first telco deal with a short‑drama platform, positions ReelShort to expand across Southeast Asia’s...
Google Says It Can Handle Multiple URLs To The Same Content via @Sejournal, @Martinibuster
Google’s John Mueller clarified that having multiple URLs point to the same content does not trigger a penalty or ranking demotion. The search engine will automatically choose a canonical version, but site owners can influence that choice with proper technical...