Today's Digital Marketing Pulse
Updated 2h agoSpeed-to-Culture: Brands Win by Activating Creators in Hours
Brands that can activate creators within hours outpace competitors, relying on speed rather than larger spend. The article outlines a speed‑to‑culture framework built on pre‑vetted creator rosters, master contracts, and a single decision owner, which can be established in 30 days to enable real‑time engagement.
Also developing:
By the numbers: Levitate raises $16M in growth-stage funding
News•Jan 24, 2026
AI Leaders Diverge on Monetization and Personalization Strategies as Chatbots Evolve
At the World Economic Forum in Davos, DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis cautioned against the rapid rollout of advertising in AI assistants after confirming OpenAI is testing ads within its chatbot. Hassabis said the move surprised him and raised trust concerns. Google, by contrast, announced no plans to embed ads in its Gemini chatbot, opting instead for deeper personalization by pulling data from Gmail and Photos. The divergent tactics underscore a strategic split among AI leaders over revenue models and user experience as conversational agents become ubiquitous.
By The AI Insider
Social•Jan 24, 2026
Comprehensive Guide to Generative AI and SEO Strategies
🚨 Must read: A Fantastic Guide to Generative AI by @gfiorelli1 at the Advanced Web Ranking blog, going through: * The Model: Architecture and Mechanics of LLMs * The Agent: Reasoning, Planning, and Action * The Library: Neural Search and Retrieval Architectures * The...
By Aleyda Solis
Social•Jan 24, 2026
Data Advantage: Reach Right Consumers, Right Time, Right Channels
Data advantage is not about dashboards. It is about connecting with the right consumers at the right time across the right channels. We unpack how with Preston Carroll and Eddie Tu of @FM_Direct. Watch the full episode: https://t.co/ZqirpHta6S https://t.co/aHsytjhuZ4
By Jim Marous
News•Jan 24, 2026
DAZN’s Hugh Cashmore on Unlocking the Power of Brand Milestones
DAZN’s global brand lead Hugh Cashmore explained how the streaming service turns brand milestones into growth engines. He emphasized selecting moments that genuinely reflect the brand, balancing scheduled sports events with agile, reactive activations, and grounding decisions in a strong...
By Retail Gazette
Social•Jan 24, 2026
Move Social Proof Above the Fold, Earn Millions
Gymshark made $2.1M from ONE homepage change: moving social proof above the fold. Meanwhile you're debating font sizes. That's the gap.
By Kamil Sattar
Blog•Jan 24, 2026
Top 10 Editing Tools for TikTok & IG Influencers in 2026
The episode outlines why polished short‑form video is essential for influencer marketing in 2026, noting that micro‑influencers achieve up to 60% higher engagement and that well‑edited UGC can dramatically boost e‑commerce conversions. It highlights the top editing tools for creators,...
By eCommerce Fastlane
Blog•Jan 24, 2026
BFCM Marketing Statistics: Ad Spend Trends For Black Friday & Cyber Monday
In this episode, Andy Taylor and Mark Ballard break down 2025 BFCM ad‑spend data from Tinuiti’s $4 billion portfolio, highlighting that Amazon Sponsored Products saw a 30% sales surge from Saturday to Cyber Monday and that Amazon DSP investment continued to...
By eCommerce Fastlane
Blog•Jan 24, 2026
How Long Should a Blog Post Be? Blog Length Best Practices
The episode explores how blog post length impacts SEO, noting that top‑ranking articles typically range from 1,400 to 2,500 words but shorter 600‑800 word posts can also succeed if they deliver value. It advises writers to choose substantial topics, provide...
By eCommerce Fastlane
Blog•Jan 23, 2026
Content Marketing Tips: 10 Ways To Improve Your Strategy
In this episode Karl Bowman stresses that trust has become the core metric for content success, urging marketers to embed credibility through expert voices, transparent data, and a "trust audit." He introduces a "two‑speed funnel" that splits strategy between Answer...
By eCommerce Fastlane
Blog•Jan 23, 2026
SEO First: Why Generative Engine Optimisation Depends on Strong Foundations
The episode explains that e‑commerce brands must treat SEO as the essential foundation for AI‑driven search, using technical SEO, clear site architecture, unique product content, and internal linking before tackling Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) and AI Optimization (AIO). It stresses...
By eCommerce Fastlane
News•Jan 23, 2026
Google Ads Bug Removes Notes Option for some Advertisers
Google Ads users are encountering a bug that removes the “Add note” option from the account‑change popup, making it harder to document campaign adjustments. The issue, flagged by paid‑search consultant Odi Caspi, appears intermittently over the past weeks. Workarounds include clicking...
By Search Engine Land
Social•Jan 23, 2026
Invest in Expert Guides to Boost AI SEO Authority
💰 Ecommerce: Stop overlooking informational content investment, especially now with AI platforms. This is content that should be used not only for a comprehensive “learn” or “inspirational” section, with tips written by real experts and based on experience. This is particularly...
By Aleyda Solis
Blog•Jan 23, 2026
Why Leading E-Commerce Brands Are Hiring to Offshore Amazon Specialists
The episode explains why top e‑commerce brands are turning to offshore Amazon specialists, emphasizing that the move provides strategic flexibility and faster scaling rather than just payroll savings. Offshore experts bring deep platform knowledge, cross‑market insights, and can be onboarded...
By eCommerce Fastlane
Social•Jan 23, 2026
One Button, Hours Saved: Automate Repetitive Writing Tasks
I just saved hours per week with ONE hour and ONE button press inside Claude. Follow this: 1) I went to a recent thread where I completed a task that I have to do often (ex: write newsletter headlines, edit a client...
By Allie Miller
Social•Jan 23, 2026
Cute Videos with Affiliate Links Are Likely AI-Generated
If you see a really cute (like too cute to be true) video on here, followed by the top comment being an affiliate link to buy some product… it’s probably AI.
By Lily Ray
News•Jan 23, 2026
How to Win AI Visibility with Semrush One
AI‑driven search interfaces are reshaping how users discover brands, allowing large language models to surface answers that bypass traditional SERP clicks. Semrush responded with Semrush One, a unified platform that combines classic SEO tools with an AI Visibility Toolkit to...
By Semrush Blog
Blog•Jan 23, 2026
Shopify for Artists: A Complete Guide to Selling Art Online
Artists are moving from marketplace‑centric sites like Etsy to Shopify, gaining full control over branding, pricing, and customer data. The Basic plan at $39 per month eliminates commission fees, allowing creators to set true‑value prices and own their storefronts. Integrated...
By Bootstrapping Ecommerce
Social•Jan 23, 2026
Automation Flows Boost Email Revenue 30% in 2025
Automations drove 30% of email revenue in 2025. From 2% of sends. But most of the brands we audit still treat flows like a set-it-and-forget-it checkbox. On Feb 3rd, @yojimmykim and I are walking through how we actually structure retention. 8 flows. Real segmentation. A 90-day...
By Chase Dimond
News•Jan 23, 2026
The Weekly Closeout: Reebok Teams with Karol G and Will January Storms Ice Out Retail Sales?
Reebok announced a multiyear partnership with Grammy‑winning Colombian star Karol G, naming her a global brand ambassador and co‑designer for upcoming Classics‑inspired footwear and apparel. Hasbro bolstered its board with former Nintendo of America president and COO Doug Bowser and...
By Retail Dive
Social•Jan 23, 2026
AI Agents Erase Traditional Brand Loyalty Forever
AI Agents Are Killing Brand Loyalty — And Reshaping How We Shop AI driven personalisation and recommendations are changing consumer habits — the article argues we may be witnessing the end of traditional brand loyalty. Read more 👉 https://lnkd.in/eKJxW8du #AI #Retail #ConsumerBehaviour #BernardMarr
By Bernard Marr
Social•Jan 23, 2026
Use AI for Summaries, Not Autopilot Guides
🤖 Let’s talk about good AI content use cases: Although AI-generated content is used in many scenarios, in some cases it doesn’t make sense and can do more harm than good (eg. writing guides on autopilot, without real human experience...
By Aleyda Solis
News•Jan 23, 2026
Iceland Bolsters Retail Media with ‘UK First’ Sensor Technology
Iceland Foods has partnered with Stratacache to roll out Walkbase sensor technology across its 766‑store retail media network, making it the first European retailer to use camera‑free, privacy‑safe audience measurement. The sensor solution will provide real‑time, closed‑loop attribution for in‑store...
By Retail Gazette
News•Jan 23, 2026
A Smarter Way to Approach AI Prompting
Generative AI’s rise has exposed costly hallucinations caused by vague prompts. The article proposes rubric‑based prompting as a systematic guardrail that defines decision rules, uncertainty handling, and failure behavior. By embedding concise rubrics alongside prompts, models prioritize accuracy over fluency...
By Search Engine Land
News•Jan 23, 2026
How Conversation Intelligence Enhances Modern Marketing Strategies
Conversation intelligence, powered by AI and natural language processing, analyzes customer interactions across voice, text, and chat channels to surface sentiment, intent, and behavioral patterns. Marketers leverage these real‑time insights to personalize messaging, fine‑tune campaigns, and align sales and marketing...
By TechBullion
News•Jan 23, 2026
The $2 Million Martech Procurement Mistake Hiding in Plain Sight
Marketing teams often buy attribution and other martech tools as quick transactions, ignoring the operational fit and integration needs. A mid‑size B2B firm spent $180,000 on a platform that delivered no reliable data because integration and data‑quality responsibilities were never...
By MarTech
News•Jan 23, 2026
December 2025 HubSpot Updates: Smarter Segmentation, Tighter AI Control, Less CRM Busywork
HubSpot’s December 2025 release adds operational upgrades that tighten data control and boost AI efficiency. Managers gain reCAPTCHA protection for live chat, a new Segment Analytics view, and AI‑driven Claude actions that can update CRM records on the fly. Administrators...
By MarTech
News•Jan 23, 2026
Amaze Announces Expanded Partnership with Contend to Scale the Next Generation of Creator-Led Commerce
Amaze Holdings announced an expanded strategic partnership with Contend, elevating the studio from advisor to fully integrated partner. The collaboration will combine Contend’s storytelling expertise with Amaze’s global commerce platform to deliver end‑to‑end creator‑led product launches. Throughout 2026 the duo...
By MarTech Series
News•Jan 23, 2026
Search News Buzz Video Recap: Google Search Double Heated, Personal Intelligence in AI Mode, ChatGPT Ads & Apple Siri Updates...
Google Search experienced renewed ranking volatility, though Google offered no confirmation. OpenAI announced a pilot of ads within ChatGPT responses, charging advertisers per impression rather than per click. Google rolled out Personal Intelligence in AI Mode and upgraded AI Overviews...
By Search Engine Roundtable
Social•Jan 23, 2026
Strong Offer, Cheap Acquisition: Fix Offer Before Scaling
Most "marketing problems" are offer problems in disguise. If the offer is weak: - Every channel is expensive. - Every funnel is leaky. - Every ad looks spammy. Fix the offer first. → One outcome. → One timeline. → One simple price. → One clear CTA. Then remove friction &...
By Simon Høiberg
Social•Jan 23, 2026
Start with One Paying Customer, Not a $100K Dream
Forget $100K. Can you get ONE person to pay you $50? That's basically the only question that matters when you're starting out. Don't worry about funnels. Or which tool to pick. Or which platform. Just go find one person who you can help and will pay...
By Justin Welsh
News•Jan 23, 2026
Google Falls Back To Featured Snippets When AI Overviews Don't Generate
Google’s search team confirmed that when its AI‑generated Overviews cannot be produced, the engine falls back to traditional featured snippets. The fallback can look identical to an AI Overview, leading to user confusion. VP of Engineering Rajan Patel announced on...
By Search Engine Roundtable
News•Jan 23, 2026
RainFocus Introduces RainFocus Nexus, a Secure, Cloud-Agnostic System of Specialized AI Agents to Act As Teammates to Event Marketers
RainFocus unveiled Nexus, an AI‑driven collaboration layer that turns its event marketing platform into a team of specialized agents. The system introduces an orchestration layer, a context layer, and a unified system of record, enabling agents to automate configuration, guide...
By MarTech Series
News•Jan 23, 2026
Gemini Local Results Insights Into How Google Interprets Your Business
Google is testing a Gemini-powered update to its local search results, introducing AI‑generated headlines and content sections for businesses. The new format surfaces information Google believes it knows about a company, such as services, hours, and unique selling points. By...
By Search Engine Roundtable
News•Jan 23, 2026
UK to Spend £1 Billion on Influencers, but 59% Can’t See a ROI
The UK is on track to spend more than £1 billion on influencer marketing by 2029, yet 59% of marketers say proving return on investment remains a major hurdle. Consumer trust is eroding, with authenticity, product use and clear sponsorship disclosure...
By ChannelX (formerly Tamebay)
News•Jan 23, 2026
Secure Your Google Ads Account Against The Rise In Hijackings
Google Ads account hijackings are accelerating, especially against agencies that manage large budgets. Attackers exploit weak login practices, phishing, and even Google Analytics or Tag Manager to bypass two‑factor authentication. Google’s official guide recommends HTTPS, verified @google.com emails, link scrutiny,...
By Search Engine Roundtable
News•Jan 23, 2026
On-Page SEO Checklist: The Complete Task List for 2026
The article delivers a 2026‑ready on‑page SEO checklist covering 11 core tasks plus essential technical actions. It walks readers through keyword research, title and H1 optimization, meta descriptions, URL slugs, content integration, header hierarchy, internal linking, visual assets, schema markup,...
By Semrush Blog
News•Jan 23, 2026
Comscore 2026 State of Programmatic Report: CTV and Audio Expected to Drive Growth With Cross-Channel Performance Measurement Critical to Smarter...
Proximic by Comscore’s 2026 State of Programmatic Report shows 58% of media buyers will boost programmatic spend next year, with CTV and audio emerging as the sole channels slated for budget growth. CTV is projected to command 26% of media...
By MarTech Series
News•Jan 23, 2026
Retail Brand Monitoring: Protect Your Reputation
Retailers face instant brand reputation shifts as social media amplifies reviews, influencer posts, and viral content. Distinguishing brand monitoring (mention tracking) from reputation monitoring (sentiment and impact analysis) is essential for omnichannel consistency, product refinement, and crisis prevention. The article...
By The Retail Bulletin
Blog•Jan 23, 2026
How to Make Your Instagram Grid Aesthetic (2026 Playbook)
In this episode, Loieto Tugas explains why a cohesive Instagram grid is crucial for e‑commerce brands, linking visual consistency to stronger first impressions, brand trust, and higher engagement that can translate into sales. He outlines practical steps for creating a...
By eCommerce Fastlane
Podcast•Jan 23, 2026•1h 11m
AI Partnerships, Ads in ChatGPT, and the "Most Amazing" Super Bowl Bet (516)
In this episode of *This Old Marketing*, Joe Pulizzi and Robert Rose dissect three headline-grabbing AI developments: Apple and Google's multi‑year AI partnership, OpenAI’s plan to introduce ads into ChatGPT, and Salesforce’s bid to create the "most amazing" Super Bowl...
By This Old Marketing
Blog•Jan 23, 2026
The U.S. Consumer in 2026: Why Relevance, Not Reach, Is Driving Growth
The episode explains that U.S. consumer growth in 2026 will come from relevance, not reach, as eCommerce stabilizes and shoppers—especially Gen Z and Millennials—demand fast, personalized, cross‑device experiences while older buyers seek clarity and confidence. Mobile is now a baseline,...
By eCommerce Fastlane
Podcast•Jan 23, 2026•49 min
502: Unlocking B2B Intelligence with AI Workflows
In episode 502, host Drew Neisser talks with Dave Brong of Level Agency about how CMO Huddles turned a cumbersome 10‑step post‑meeting workflow into an automated intelligence engine that extracts, structures, and makes searchable the insights from hundreds of conversations....
By Renegade Marketers Unite
News•Jan 23, 2026
‘Made Right Here’: $20 Million Campaign Urges Australians to Buy Local
The Australian Made Campaign has launched a $20 million "Made Right Here" initiative to encourage Australians to purchase domestically produced goods. Backed by the federal government, the campaign runs nationwide until June 30 across TV, radio, print, out‑of‑home, digital and social channels,...
By Inside Retail Australia
Blog•Jan 23, 2026
7 High-Impact Marketing Strategies for Ecommerce
The episode outlines seven high‑impact marketing tactics for ecommerce—buzz, experiential, interactive, gamification, AR, influencer, and co‑marketing—emphasizing the need to focus on one strategy at a time to drive measurable results. Each tactic is explained with its primary goal, key tactics,...
By eCommerce Fastlane
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News•Jan 23, 2026
Fabletics Is Turning Its Stores Into Membership Growth Hubs
Fabletics is repurposing its 120‑store footprint as a primary engine for VIP membership acquisition, with roughly half of in‑store shoppers signing up. The VIP program now accounts for more than 95% of the brand’s revenue, supporting a $1 billion revenue milestone...
By Modern Retail
News•Jan 23, 2026
How First Thing Built a Defensible Position in a Noisy Market
First Thing, an Australian intimates brand founded by Georgia Gazal, has carved a defensible niche by focusing on comfort‑first, everyday wear rather than high‑glamour marketing. Its flagship strapless bra, sold out six times and purchased every 34 minutes, solves long‑standing...
By Inside Retail Australia
Social•Jan 23, 2026
Build Business for Money, Purpose, and Joy Simultaneously
You don't have to choose. Make money OR help people. Grow the business OR enjoy your life. Build something meaningful OR have fun. That's the trade-off everyone accepts. And I think it's ridiculous I've watched people build businesses that crush them. They make great money but dread...
By Justin Welsh
Social•Jan 23, 2026
Use Copywriting Frameworks to Write 10× Faster
The Holy Grail of Copywriting Frameworks: Never write from scratch again ❌ Use one of these frameworks below to “assemble” your copy. Writing is 10x easier when you do this. — If you found this helpful, please leave a comment and let me know....
By Chase Dimond
News•Jan 23, 2026
Guzman Y Gomez Sides with Uber Eats as Exclusive Delivery Partner
Guzman Y Gomez (GYG) has signed a multi‑year exclusive agreement with Uber Eats, making the platform the sole delivery channel for its Australian outlets from February 22. The deal includes joint investment aimed at enhancing value, choice and convenience for...
By Inside Retail Australia
Social•Jan 23, 2026
Why Banking Marketing Data Fails—And How to Fix It
[New Episode] Why Marketing Data Fails in Banking and How to Fix It. With Preston Carroll and Eddie Tu of @FM_Direct. Watch the latest episode: https://t.co/ZqirpHta6S https://t.co/IusElPW1cE
By Jim Marous