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.
The Facts About Google Click Signals, Rankings, And SEO via @Sejournal, @Martinibuster
Recent DOJ antitrust filings confirm that Google treats clicks as raw signals rather than direct ranking factors. Click data, combined with query information and human‑rater scores, feed AI models such as RankEmbed and its successor RankEmbedBERT, which are trained on a limited set of 70 days of search logs. The 2006 Google patent shows clicks are aggregated into a “click fraction” and smoothed before influencing any ranking engine. Thus, clicks serve as input for machine‑learning training, not as a standalone ranking signal.
AI Agents Won’t Kill Shopping – but Agentic Commerce Could Make Most of It Redundant
Klaviyo’s co‑CEOs describe a shift from traditional e‑commerce to "agentic commerce," where AI agents handle product discovery, evaluation, and purchase on behalf of shoppers. During the 2025 holiday season, their customer‑agent pilots helped tens of thousands of consumers find gifts...
Google Ads API Version 24 Now Available
Google has launched version 24 of the Google Ads API, introducing dozens of enhancements across demand‑gen, travel feeds, conversions, shopping, reporting, and video ads. The release makes several video‑responsive ad fields mandatory, adds a read‑only travel_feed_data asset, and enables view‑through conversion...
Build Linked Post Clusters for Authority
Stop publishing random posts. Start building link clusters. Create 5–7 related posts, and link them together. Now you’re not just publishing, you’re building authority.
Google Search Rankings Poised for Increased Volatility
Google Search ranking volatility may be at the verge of heating up - are any of you seeing anything? https://t.co/mzifiUoT1o https://t.co/9TZ6JRmhTG
RTIC Outdoors’ Journey to Sustained B2B Growth Powered by Anteriad
RTIC Outdoors partnered with Anteriad to launch the Growth Accelerator, a data‑driven, multi‑channel acquisition program aimed at scaling its nascent B2B custom‑shop. Within six months the pilot delivered $2.7 million in incremental revenue, an 11% lift in B2B sales and a...
Segment Google Shopping, Boost Revenue 45% and ROAS 40%
Huel increased revenue 45% and ROAS 40% just by segmenting their Google Shopping campaigns instead of using one generic feed. Meanwhile you're dumping all your products into one generic Google Shopping campaign and wondering why your ad spend is bleeding...
Drake Sets May 15 Release for Ninth Album 'ICEMAN' After Ice Sculpture Stunt
Drake announced that his ninth studio album, ICEMAN, will be released on May 15. The date was revealed through a 25‑foot ice sculpture in downtown Toronto that a Twitch streamer shattered, uncovering a bag with the official announcement and a...
Adobe Launches CX Enterprise, Agentic AI Platform Aimed at Retail CX Orchestration
Adobe announced CX Enterprise, an end‑to‑end agentic AI system designed to coordinate retail customer‑experience workflows, at its Summit in Las Vegas on April 20, 2026. Built on the Adobe Experience Platform, the suite promises reusable AI agents, brand‑guarding intelligence and...
SiriusXM Secures Exclusive U.S. Audio Ad Representation for YouTube
SiriusXM Media has signed an exclusive agreement with Google’s YouTube to sell audio advertising inventory across the United States. The partnership, launching in fall 2026, gives advertisers guaranteed impressions for more than 212 million monthly YouTube audio listeners, backed by AdsWizz’s...
Seven Tips for Using a Podcast to Grow Your Restaurant Community
Restaurant operators can turn a simple podcast into a community‑building engine by centering content on authentic brand stories and local voices. A lean setup—just a smartphone and a quality microphone—delivers professional sound without heavy investment. Consistency, clear audience definition, and...
The Best Measurement Strategies Never Stand Still: Do’s and Don’ts to Keep Yours Agile
DV Rockerbox warns marketers that static measurement strategies quickly become obsolete as goals and channel mixes evolve. It outlines five common mistakes—treating all channels alike, tackling every analytics tool at once, measuring without decision context, relying on a fixed roadmap, and...
Beehiiv Adds Even More Features to Go up Against Competitors and Win over Creators
Beehiiv is expanding beyond newsletters with AI‑driven podcast analytics, webinars, and metered paywalls to attract a broader creator base. The platform posted its strongest quarter ever in Q1 2026, adding $4.5 M in ARR and surpassing 50,000 active users. Early adopters who...
AI + SEO Bootcamp: Build Tools to Rank & Automate
I'm hosting an AI + SEO bootcamp in May The idea? To build AI tools to help you: - rank in google / chatgpt - run SEO/AI llms services for clients - automate sales methods Who wants it?
MiQ: Fragmentation Challenges Traditional Marketing Funnel
MiQ’s new "From Funnel to Flexibility" study, based on 53 million households, 700 trillion data signals and surveys of over 4,000 consumers and 600 marketers across the US, UK, Canada and Australia, reveals that consumer journeys are no longer linear. 87 percent of shoppers...
Your Brand Is Invisible to the AI That’s Choosing Your Competitor
Research from 6sense shows most B2B buyers now rely on large‑language models like ChatGPT as a primary research tool. These models blend training data with live web searches, favoring content from established, attributed sources over corporate blogs or gated PDFs....
Fox Just Gave Its Ad Portfolio a Massive AI Upgrade
Fox announced the launch of Fox AdStudio, an AI‑driven platform that provides advertisers with real‑time audience insights across the company’s entire media portfolio, including linear TV and streaming services like Tubi. The tool leverages machine‑learning to analyze content and viewer...
Democratic Donors Pour $272M Into Ads Targeting GOP Seats
JUST IN: Democrats' key outside backers are dropping $272 million on TV and digital ads to target Republican-held House seats ahead of the midterms.
Birds Eye Appoints Agency for Influencer Marketing Brief
Birds Eye has appointed The Romans agency to run its influencer, consumer and corporate marketing brief, covering the core Birds Eye brand as well as Goodfella’s and Aunt Bessie’s under Nomad Foods. The agency will focus on driving purchase intent,...
How Hotels Can Drive More Direct Bookings with TikTok Ads
TikTok has transformed from a short‑form entertainment app into a primary travel discovery engine, blending inspiration, search and booking functions. Hotels can capitalize by creating discovery‑driven organic videos that spark desire and then repurposing the highest‑performing clips as Spark Ads....
Can Affiliate Drive Both Visibility and Conversion? Bonprix Shows How
The fashion retailer bonprix partnered with Tradedoubler to activate browser partners—high‑traffic start‑page placements on Samsung, Xiaomi and MSN—as an affiliate channel that blends premium visibility with measurable performance. By integrating fixed‑fee and performance‑based pricing, the campaign delivered over 100% year‑over‑year...
Digest: DSP Bedrock Platform Pilots Index Exchange’s Index Cloud; Meta Sued Over Scam Ads; Radiocentre Urges MPs to Reject BBC...
Index Exchange has partnered with Bedrock Platform to pilot Index Cloud, the first containerised demand‑side platform that runs AI‑native bidding models at the point of transaction, promising lower costs and greater competition in programmatic auctions. Meanwhile, the Consumer Federation of...
The State of Fraud for Marketers — 2026 Edition
AppsFlyer’s 2026 State of Fraud for Marketers report, covering over 100 billion installs across 246,000 apps, finds fraud rates remained flat in 2025 but the total number of fraudulent installs rose as ad spend grew. Fraud is now concentrated differently, with...
Advertisers Can Now Buy In-Store Audio and Fuel Pump Ads at Sam’s Club
Sam’s Club has launched a new retail‑media offering that sells in‑store audio spots and video ads displayed on fuel‑pump screens. The formats are part of the Sam’s Club Member Access Platform, the Walmart‑owned chain’s data‑driven advertising network. The rollout expands...
This Startup Wants to Fix the Slog of Adtech Vendor Selection With a AI-Supported Matchmaking
CartographAI is an AI‑driven platform that lets marketers compare over 1,000 martech and adtech vendors using neutral, data‑rich scores. It blends machine learning with human‑led research to evaluate vendors across dozens of criteria. Early adopters such as Reckitt, LinkedIn and...
Everyone’s Panicking About AI, But Smart Agencies Will Use It to Give Employees Their Lives Back
A wave of anxiety surrounds AI in advertising, with 91% of senior US agency leaders fearing headcount cuts and 57% pausing junior hiring. The author argues AI can boost job satisfaction by automating admin, speeding onboarding, and delivering instant client...
Amazon Faces An Easy Boycott But An Existential Question
Amazon’s ad platform faced a brief but high‑profile boycott when the Million Dollar Sellers coalition halted spend for 24 hours to protest new fulfillment fees, delayed payouts, and a planned credit‑card ban. The protest forced Amazon to postpone the credit‑card...
Omar Oakes: A Culture War Against Mainstream Media
On April 15 the U.S. Federal Trade Commission filed permanent consent decrees against the five largest ad‑holding groups—WPP, Publicis, Dentsu, Omnicom and IPG—prohibiting any coordinated brand‑safety standards. The FTC framed the case as a Sherman‑Act antitrust violation, arguing the firms...
Not All Creators Convert. Here’s How to Find Those That Do.
Business of Fashion curated a list of recent pieces that map the evolving influencer landscape, from the waning effectiveness of traditional sponsored content to the rise of AI‑driven shopping agents reshaping ad spend. The roundup spotlights case studies such as...
Why Brands Like The League Are Making the First Move to Take Advantage of LinkedIn’s Creator Appeal
The League, a premium dating app, launched its first creator‑driven campaign on LinkedIn, partnering with ten verified founders and entrepreneurs. The initiative, titled “Network here. Find me on The League,” aims to reach high‑intent professionals through niche, brand‑safe content rather...
NHL Looks to TikTok to Capitalize on Heated Rivalry and Olympics as It Grows Beyond U.S. and Canada
The NHL posted its best viewership in 14 years, averaging 546,000 viewers per game – a 23% increase – boosted by Netflix’s "Heated Rivalry" series and the recent Winter Olympics. To convert this surge into lasting fans, the league is...
Thinkerbell Scores Webby Win for Mattel Brickshop
Australian creative studio Thinkerbell captured the Webby Award for Best Direct Response with its Mattel Brickshop “Little Listings” campaign. The agency also earned three additional Webby nominations—for AI/ML work with Menulog / Just Eat, original music for a TAC safety project, and...
Disney Teams with Toddler Techno Star Lenny Pearce for Kids Music Revamp
Disney Music Group has inked a music and content development deal with viral creator Lenny Pearce, known for his Toddler Techno brand. The partnership will debut the album “Disney Jr. Music: Lenny Pearce Toddler Techno” on May 15, featuring remixed Disney...
New Viral GEO Prompt Demands Non‑commodity Blog with E‑E‑A‑T
Tomorrow’s most-copied GEO prompt: “Write a non-commodity blog post as per this new Google slide. Make sure it has E-E-A-T.” https://t.co/OoWF3knOw1
Demandbase Launches Premier+ Partner Tier to Power AI‑Driven GTM for Enterprises
Demandbase announced the Premier+ Service Delivery Partner tier, expanding its agency program to let select partners like Marketbridge provide end‑to‑end AI GTM services. The move aims to turn fragmented data insights into coordinated revenue actions for large enterprises.
Lululemon Opens Mexican Online Store and Plans Eight New Stores This Year
Lululemon launched its Mexican e‑commerce site, lululemon.mx, and pledged to open eight brick‑and‑mortar stores in Mexico in 2026. The move is part of a broader international push that follows a 17% jump in Q4 international revenue and a 4% dip...
Zocdoc Hires Lyft Veteran Brian Irving as Its Inaugural CMO to Boost Brand Reach
Zocdoc has appointed Brian Irving, former chief marketing officer of Lyft, as its first CMO. Reporting to founder‑CEO Oliver Kharraz, Irving will steer a combined brand and performance strategy for a platform that serves more than 250,000 providers. The hire...
Only Funded Brands Should Copy RYZE's Creative Tactics
Please don’t follow this advice unless you’re funded and/or can scale at a negative ROAS efficiency.
WooCommerce Merchants Can Now Sell Products Directly Through YouTube Videos and Shorts via the Google for WooCommerce Extension
Google and WooCommerce have upgraded the Google for WooCommerce extension to let merchants tag products from their catalog directly in YouTube videos and Shorts. The tags appear as shoppable cards during playback and in a dedicated shopping tab on the...
Amazon, TikTok, Warner Music Lead Creator Economy Hiring Surge
Amazon, TikTok and Warner Music Group posted the most creator‑economy jobs in the latest weekly radar, signaling a push to expand content distribution and partnership teams. The hiring wave also includes fashion‑beauty brands and influencer agencies, underscoring broader industry investment...
"Long-Term Agency Partnerships Deliver the Magic": ITC’s Shuvadip Banerjee
ITC, a Rs 73,000 crore (≈ $8.8 bn) conglomerate, is accelerating its digital‑first agenda across its FMCG arm, which now generates roughly Rs 22,000 crore (≈ $2.6 bn) in revenue from brands like Aashirvaad, Sunfeast and Bingo. The company relies on an internal AI‑driven engine called "Sixth Sense"...
QMS Flips the Switch on 50 New Digital Screens in Sydney
QMS Media activated 50 new digital screens on its City of Sydney street‑furniture network, bringing the total to 600 panels. The expansion stretches beyond the CBD into precincts such as The Rocks, Surry Hills, Potts Point and Woolloomooloo, increasing reach...
Google Added Agentic Features to Ads Advisor that Automate Ad Policy Violation Troubleshooting, Security Monitoring, and Certification
Google rolled out three agentic safety features inside its Ads Advisor platform, automating policy compliance, security monitoring, and certification processes. The system now proactively scans ad campaigns for policy violations, offers real‑time reviews as marketers edit ads, and conducts daily...
Disney Transports Brands Back to 80s World Rutshire to Mark Rivals Season 2
Disney Advertising has secured its first product‑integration deals for a scripted Hulu Original on Disney+ in the UK, partnering with four brands for season two of *Rivals*. Waitrose will recreate an 80s‑themed shop and launch a “Noshtalgia” food line, while...
ChatGPT Just Turned On the Pricing Model Travel Advertising Runs On
OpenAI has switched its ChatGPT advertising from an impression‑based model to a cost‑per‑click (CPC) pricing structure, mirroring Google’s search ad auction. The change lets travel marketers compare ChatGPT ad performance directly with familiar search metrics. Hotel listings are already appearing...
Finding a Business Website on GBP Is Ridiculously Difficult
It’s absurd how hard it can be to find a business’ website link on GBP
Hearst News All-In-One: Publisher Cuts Deal To Help Programmatic Advertisers
Hearst News has struck a deal with ad‑tech firm Magnite to create an all‑in‑one programmatic marketplace for its 80 million‑strong audience. The partnership will enable high‑impact formats such as web exit‑intent placements, CTV pause ads, and dynamic video through Magnite’s SpringServe...
X Introduces Topic-Based Custom Timelines
X has launched a Custom Timelines feature that lets users pin AI‑curated, topic‑based feeds to their home tab. The option offers 75 of the most discussed subjects, each personalized by X’s Grok system based on individual engagement. It replaces the...
Applovin Rescues Clients as Meta Experiences Major Outages
Applovin is my saving grace for all these bugs on Meta right now. Things are actually doing really decent for a number of clients while Meta is down bad.
Google AI Mode Shows Citations as Person Names
Look at this super weird way Google is changing title links / citations in AI Mode - just the name of the person, with a link to the place they were mentioned @glenngabe @rustybrick https://t.co/ihFss0tQvp