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
Reddit Partners with Anonym
Reddit has teamed up with Mozilla’s Anonym platform to offer encrypted, privacy‑first advertising measurement. Anonym’s confidential computation layer lets advertisers gauge incremental lift without sharing raw first‑party data. The integration expands Reddit’s ad toolkit for brands operating under strict data‑governance rules. This move reflects growing demand for secure performance analytics in a cookie‑less, regulated environment.
ChatGPT Ads Prioritize Clarity Over Creative Hype
Interested in ChatGPT Ads? -> Data shows ChatGPT ads favor clarity over creativity (Adthena analysis) *The average headline clocks in at just 30 characters and around 5 words. *Body copy averages 116 characters and roughly 19 words. "The overall tone across these ads...
MMA POSSIBLE Miami Beach 2026
The MMA POSSIBLE 2026 marketing conference will run April 27‑29, 2026 at the Miami Beach Convention Center. Organized by MMA and Hyve, the three‑day event gathers senior leaders from brands, agencies, media, and technology to shape future marketing strategies. Attendees...
Inbound Content Attracts Brands, Cold Pitches Fail
Cold pitching brands is a losing strategy. Response rates sit in the low single digits, and brands ignore generic emails. Inbound flips the script by making you discoverable through SEO, problem-solving content, and organic brand mentions. Warm inbound leads close at higher rates...
Nielsen Renews Multi‑year Deal with TelevisaUnivision to Broaden Hispanic Audience Measurement
Nielsen has signed a new multi‑year measurement and data agreement with TelevisaUnivision, extending its analytics across the Spanish‑language broadcaster’s TV, cable, streaming and radio assets. The deal adds Nielsen’s Advanced Audiences, streaming ratings and out‑of‑home tools, promising marketers deeper insight...
TikTok's 'Girl Math' Trend Fuels Gender‑Focused Marketing on Prediction Platforms
TikTok influencers are using the viral ‘Girl Math’ meme to promote prediction‑market apps, prompting brands like Kalshi to double their female user base to 26% and igniting a debate over how the trend reshapes consumer perception and platform revenue.
Fix Post‑click Funnels, Turn $1 Into $4
Most businesses think scaling = increasing ad budget. But in reality, 80% of growth comes from fixing what happens after the click. We’ve seen brands turn $1 into $4 just by improving funnels + follow-ups. Traffic gets attention, but systems...
Marketers Can Now Access Premium TV with Social‑Style Targeting
2026 is the year TV becomes a lot more accessible to marketers spending $50k to $500k/month on Meta. Meta CPMs are up 30%+ YoY. The average social session is 8 minutes. The average CTV session is 99 min, yet most DTC...
Stagwell Names AI Chief
Stagwell announced the creation of a senior vice‑president, enterprise AI solutions role, appointing Michael Twedell to lead it. Twedell will drive the go‑to‑market strategy for the firm’s AI‑driven offerings, including The Machine, the industry’s first agentic operating system, and the...
Strategy Decisions Must Be Rooted in Real Data
One thing I’m relentless about in strategy work 👉 Nothing gets recommended unless it’s grounded in data or market research. Brand decisions. Messaging direction. Funnel structure. Channel mix. All of it ties back to real inputs: → Stakeholder and customer research → Peer and competitor analysis → Patterns...
Attribution: From Credit Scoreboard to Coordination Engine
Attribution was supposed to tell us which channels deserve credit. It mostly told us which teams should fight about it. Frans Riemersma and I just published The State of Marketing Attribution 2026 (sponsored by CaliberMind), and the finding that hit hardest...
Where Should Retail Media Networks Make Their Pitch for Ad Dollars?
Retail media is transitioning from a lower‑funnel, conversion‑only model to a full‑funnel, brand‑building channel, prompting networks to showcase broader capabilities. Major players such as Albertsons Media Collective and Walmart‑Vizio used this year’s IAB NewFronts to demonstrate scale, data assets, and...
Bitly Introduces AI-Powered Features to Simplify and Accelerate Marketing Analytics
Bitly has launched two AI‑powered features—Bitly Assist, a conversational chat assistant, and Weekly Insights, an automated performance‑highlighting report—aimed at speeding up marketers' data‑to‑action workflow. Assist lets users query link and QR‑code metrics and create assets through natural language, delivering answers...
E.l.f. Promotes Affordable Beauty with True Crime-Inspired Mockumentary
E.l.f. Cosmetics launched a 10‑minute true‑crime mockumentary called “Vanity Vandals” to spotlight vanity clutter caused by its low‑priced products. The film premiered at the TCL Chinese Theatre with a live Twitch watch party and is supported by a Roblox experience,...
5 Questions That Drive 80% of Your Growth
In this episode of the eCommerce Playbook, host Richard Gaffin and CTC VP of e‑commerce strategy Luke Austin break down the five core questions that drive the majority of a direct‑to‑consumer brand’s growth work: forecasting targets, optimal channel spend allocation,...
AI OS Replaces Social Media Manager, Handles Everything
You no longer need a social media manager. Neon is an AI OS that handles your entire account from DMs to daily content, end-to-end. → DMs managed completely on your behalf → Fresh niche-based inspiration every single day → Replies...
Ads Aren’t Marketing: Stop Wasting Money
Running ads and doing marketing are not the same thing. A lot of you figured that out the hard way. Let me save the rest of you some money. 🧵
Wunderkind Launches New Braze Integration to Turn Identity Into Revenue-Driving, Orchestrated Customer Journeys
Wunderkind has launched a new integration with Braze that embeds its AI‑driven identity resolution and high‑intent behavioral signals directly into Braze Canvas. The connection lets marketers turn anonymous web visitors into addressable Braze profiles, grow email lists in real time,...
Build Your Own Channel Digest: The System I Use to Engage Intentionally on LinkedIn
The author created a personal "Channel Digest" to turn LinkedIn from a random scrolling habit into a purposeful relationship engine. By aggregating the right people, conversations, and market signals, the system lets users engage with intent rather than reaction. It...
How to Unify Customer Data From Mobile Apps and Websites
Modern buyers switch between mobile apps and websites, creating data silos that obscure the true customer journey. Unifying these fragmented signals into a single, persistent profile enables real‑time personalization, accurate attribution, and streamlined privacy compliance. The article outlines three core...
Microsoft Reportedly Shifts Global Media Mandate to New Agency
Microsoft has transferred its $700 million global media spend from Dentsu’s Carat unit to Publicis Groupe after an internal review. The shift gives Publicis a major foothold in tech advertising, while Dentsu retains the Xbox media mandate despite losing the broader account....
Cut the AI Slop: IAS Low-Quality GenAI Avoidance Is Now in Open Beta
Integral Ad Science (IAS) launched an open‑beta Low‑Quality GenAI Avoidance feature, integrated with its Context Control Avoidance suite, to block ads next to low‑quality AI‑generated content. The tool scores AI‑slop in near real time and works pre‑bid via a ready‑made...
Nordstrom Teams with Marks & Spencer to Relaunch U.S. Fashion Line After 25‑Year Hiatus
Nordstrom announced a partnership with Marks & Spencer to sell a curated women’s‑wear capsule in 30 U.S. stores and online, marking the British brand’s return after a 25‑year exit. The rollout leverages consumer‑insight data and an asset‑light wholesale model to...
Now Publicis Media Lands Global Microsoft
Publicis Media has won Microsoft’s global media business, a contract valued at over $1 billion, adding to its recent acquisition of Microsoft‑owned LinkedIn. Both accounts were taken from Dentsu, stripping the Japanese holding company of its strongest international media line‑up. The...
The Agentic Marketplace Is Here. Where Does That Leave DSPs and SSPs?
Swivel and CTV platform Olyzon have partnered to create an agentic marketplace that uses the open‑source AdCP protocol for buy‑side and sell‑side communication. The system lets AI‑driven agents handle trafficking, yield optimization, and seller functions, allowing advertisers to access inventory...
The Agentic Marketplace Is Here. Where Does That Leave DSPs and SSPs?
Swivel and CTV platform Olyzon have teamed up to create an agentic marketplace that lets buy‑side and sell‑side AI agents negotiate ad placements through the open‑source AdCP protocol. The partnership enables advertisers like Pierre Fabre to run U.S. CTV campaigns...
LiveRamp and Unity Announce Expanded Partnership | Exclusive
LiveRamp and Unity have expanded their partnership, integrating LiveRamp’s RampID identifier into Unity Exchange, the company’s programmatic advertising marketplace. RampID is an interoperable, portable user ID that works across platforms, allowing advertisers to recognize and target the same users inside...
Reddit Pro Boosts Engagement and Adds Verification Badges
Are you using Reddit Pro? -> Reddit says publishers using its Pro Tools have seen post views grow by 46%, comments by 48%, and profile views nearly double since the tool's September launch Verification checkmarks added -> "In addition to...
Dubai Media Gaming Powered by Livewire Reveals New Insights
Dubai Media, in partnership with Livewire, released a report showing the UAE’s gaming ecosystem now hosts about 7.5 million players, with women comprising over 30% and Emiratis only 12% of the audience. The study highlights that gamers in the region generate...
How To Identify And Solve Click Fraud In Paid Media – Ask A PPC via @Sejournal, @Navahf
Click fraud can masquerade as normal performance issues, making it difficult for paid‑media managers to identify true waste. The article outlines a three‑step approach: audit placement and targeting settings, understand platform‑level fraud protections, and deploy mitigation tools when invalid clicks...
Hypermedia Advances Unified Programmatic Offering with Integrated Digital Revenue Function
Hypermedia, the UAE‑based digital out‑of‑home and retail media network, has launched an Integrated Digital Revenue Function that merges its DOOH assets with the programmatic expertise of DXTA Technology, its ad‑tech arm. Led by Head of Digital Sales Hicham Dergham and...
AI Across the Advertising Value Chain: What the Latest Research Reveals
Artificial intelligence is reshaping every stage of the advertising value chain, from concept creation to media execution, according to new research by Madison & Wall. The study, presented by CEO Brian Wieser, Managing Director Luke Stillman, and Adobe’s Principal AI...
5 Ways to Sell on TikTok Shop
TikTok Shop has transformed from a pure social platform into a full‑fledged commerce ecosystem, demanding coordinated paid, affiliate, and live strategies for scalable growth. The article outlines five core tactics—direct storefronts, creator‑driven affiliate marketing, shoppable videos, TikTok Lives, and branded...
Daydream Secures $15 Million Series A to Fuse AI SEO Agents with Human Oversight
Daydream, an AI‑powered SEO startup, closed a $15 million Series A led by WndrCo, with First Round Capital and Basis Set Ventures participating. The funding will expand its hybrid AI‑human platform that automates keyword strategy, content creation and technical audits, targeting...
Meta and Google Hit with $381 Million in Child‑Safety Verdicts, Shaking Creator Monetization
Meta and Google were ordered to pay a combined $381 million after juries found their platforms negligent in protecting children. The rulings threaten creator monetization, push brands toward safer influencers, and could trigger sweeping design changes across social media.
Basis Wants To Help Marketers Bring Agentic AI Into Media Planning
Basis introduced Compass, an agentic campaign‑planning platform that integrates directly with its DSP and other buying systems. The solution synthesizes advertisers' first‑party data and broader market signals to auto‑generate omnichannel media strategies and audience personas. Early adopter SMZ found the...
Basis Wants To Help Marketers Bring Agentic AI Into Media Planning
Digital‑ad platform Basis unveiled Compass, an agentic campaign‑planning tool that integrates with its DSP and other buying platforms. The solution synthesizes advertisers’ first‑party data with broader market signals to generate omnichannel media strategies, while allowing a conversational back‑and‑forth with the...
Post on Saturdays for 40% More Views
Most Threads creators think weekdays are the best time to post. We analyzed 20,000+ posts from 255 creators last month. Saturday averaged 2,912 views per post. That's 40% higher than Wednesday. Everyone takes weekends off. That's exactly why you shouldn't.
Instagram Bots Inflate Likes, Kill Real Sales
I’m fairly confident Instagram is using bot traffic to compete for creators. How could a Soundcloud link get 77 like and lead to zero sales of a $7 book? https://t.co/OyE7ILI5XZ
LinkedIn Is Rewriting the Rules of Visibility
In this episode, host Michael Stelzner and co‑host Jerry Potter sit down with LinkedIn ads authority AJ Wilcox to unpack LinkedIn’s new visibility mechanics—from AI‑driven content discovery and semantic markup to revamped ad personalization tools and stricter rules on automated...
Live Google Ads Integration Enables Direct Agent Campaign Management
Google Ads integration is live. Connect your account and the agent can review campaign performance, suggest changes, and make updates directly. Ad copy, bid strategy, campaign structure — without switching tabs or exporting reports. Waitlist invite emails going out soon → https://t.co/8Qp1fP9HOb
Google Commands Nearly Three‑quarters of US Desktop Searches
Search captures demand. Public evidence creates it. “Across 41 major desktop sites in the US in Q4 2025, Google accounted for 73.7% of searches.” Brilliant piece from @amandanat https://t.co/SaLhMF6rwN
Why Your Video Strategy Has a Scale Problem
Olivier Reynaud, former Teads executive, launched Aive to solve the video‑scaling dilemma facing brands and agencies. Netflix’s production of 1.5 million distinct Stranger Things trailer versions highlights the impossibility of manual editing at such volume. Aive’s platform converts video into data,...
Prioritize Core SEO Technical Fixes Over Minor Details
I don't disagree with the premise, but those are minor things and not major issues. Focus on indexing, redirects, internal linking, hreflang issues, schema (if it gets you SERP features). These are valuable things. Things that will move the needle.
CMO and CIO Merge Roles in Workday’s AI Marketing
When the CMO and CIO Share the Same Job: Inside Workday's AI Marketing Build https://t.co/tjsP1WGw7C
Boost Milkshake Finds ‘The New Secret of Mahi Energy’ in VML India Campaign
Boost Milkshake, a Hindustan Unilever brand, has launched "The New Secret of Mahi Energy" with VML India, featuring cricket legend MS Dhoni. The social‑first, month‑long campaign blends out‑of‑home billboards in Mumbai, Chennai, Guwahati and a national digital push, targeting Gen Z fans...
Attekmi’s Roman Vrublivskyi on Ad Tech Trends, Ad Strategy, and AI
Attekmi CEO Roman Vrublivskyi outlines the five ad‑tech trends shaping 2026, highlighting first‑party data and AI as the top drivers. He explains that privacy‑driven first‑party data is replacing third‑party identifiers, while AI now powers bidding, creative generation and forecasting. Supply‑path...
Performance Max for Hotels: Pros & Cons To Consider
Google Performance Max (PMax) consolidates ads across Search, Display, YouTube, Discover, Gmail and Maps into a single AI‑driven campaign for hotels. Independent properties can leverage the platform to broaden reach, automate bidding and creative optimization, and capture more direct bookings....
The "Software Finder" Cash Machine
In this episode, Adnan Malik, founder and CEO of Software Finder, explains how his bootstrapped B2B software marketplace generates $20‑$25 million in annual revenue with 15‑20% profit margins by offering free, 10‑minute human consultations to buyers and charging software vendors for...
When #Ad Vanishes: Why the ACCC Is Cracking Down on Hidden Sponsorships
Australia’s competition watchdog fined Photobook Shop AU$39,600 (≈US$26,100) for orchestrating undisclosed influencer endorsements, marking the first penalty of its kind under Australian Consumer Law. The retailer gave influencers products worth $50‑$400 and required them to omit any mention of sponsorship, even...