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.
Fashion Retailer Quince Tops Podcast Ad Spending, Sports and Comedy Dominate Genre Placements in March
Fashion retailer Quince led March 2026 podcast advertising with an estimated $6.57 million spend, primarily on comedy programs. BetterHelp, Amazon, Meta, and T‑Mobile rounded out the top five, each allocating roughly $5‑6 million, with a strong preference for sports podcasts. Magellan AI’s data also highlighted dramatic month‑over‑month spend spikes for brands like WebBank and Starbucks, and noted a wave of newcomers launching podcast campaigns from zero baseline.
Meta Launches First Instagram Campaign in Thailand to Drive Reels Adoption
Meta has launched its first dedicated Instagram brand campaign in Thailand, a 10‑week digital effort built by BBH Singapore. The initiative features two hero films, six 20‑second Reels and 15 creator‑led pieces starring local influencers to spur Reels creation among...
Scam Texts Are Creating a Friction Tax for Retailers
Scam text messages (smishing) have surged, costing consumers $470 million in 2025 and eroding the near‑98 % open‑rate that made SMS a retail goldmine. Retailers now face a “friction tax” as shoppers delete or ignore legitimate texts, hurting engagement and revenue. Telecom...
The Tech Lab’s New Programmatic Governance Council Is So Over All The Ad Tech Drama
The IAB Tech Lab announced a new Programmatic Governance Council (PGC) comprising major buyers, sellers, and platforms to address inefficiencies in the $200 billion programmatic ad market. Co‑chaired by OMD’s Ben Hovaness and three sell‑side executives, the council aims to curb...
Why Marketers Are Switching Mobile Measurement Partners (And What To Look for Instead)
Marketers are abandoning legacy mobile measurement partners as consumer journeys now span TikTok, QR codes, email, web and apps. Nearly 50% of B2C marketers plan to replace their MMPs within the next 18 months. Branch positions itself as a next‑gen...
New Guide: The Identity Gap Holding Back Travel Marketing Performance
Travel marketers have poured money into orchestration tools, yet 70%‑95% of website visitors remain anonymous, limiting personalization and direct bookings. Wunderkind’s new guide argues that identity resolution is the missing layer that can turn invisible traffic into measurable revenue. By...
Google Veteran Joins Bulgarian AdScout to Tackle “Trust Tax”
Google veteran Lachezar Atanasov has joined Bulgarian adtech scale‑up AdScout as Head of AI Product. He aims to eliminate the industry’s “Trust Tax” by building autonomous orchestration infrastructure that amplifies authentic human advocacy. Leveraging his experience launching Google DeepMind’s GenAI...
What’s The Biggest Technical SEO Blind Spot From Over-Relying On Tools? – Ask An SEO via @Sejournal, @HelenPollitt1
The article warns that the biggest technical SEO blind spot is the false sense of completeness created when SEOs rely solely on tool dashboards instead of raw data. Tools deliver snapshot reports, prioritized issue lists, and simulated metrics, but they...
The Advertising, Media, and PR Award Winners From the 30th Annual Webby Awards
The 30th annual Webby Awards announced winners in advertising, media and PR, highlighting the best digital campaigns across more than 100 categories. Jury‑selected honors went to brands such as Centivo, NikeSkims, LinkedIn, and Wieden+Kennedy, while a new AI category recognized...
B2B Influencer Marketing in 2026: The Rise of LinkedIn Influencers in B2B Tech
B2B influencer marketing has migrated from occasional expert webinars to a creator‑led model anchored on LinkedIn, where founders, CMOs and product leaders publish consistently. These "LinkedInfluencers" build trust through repeated, expertise‑rich posts that shape buyer opinions long before a sales...
Going Global? Contextual AI Needs To Be Your Strategy
US and UK brands expanding globally often rely on accidental attention, but contextual AI is essential. Eskimi’s research shows AI‑driven contextual targeting lifts attention per mille by 74% and reaches a 95% brand‑safety score, far above standard display and keyword...
How to Measure Demand Gen Creative Impact with Asset Uplift Tests
Google introduced asset uplift experiments for Demand Gen campaigns, letting advertisers run A/B tests that isolate the incremental impact of specific creative assets. The framework requires a minimum of 50 conversions, continuous budget, and a 50/50 split to achieve statistical...
Google: When It Comes To SEO, Nobody Knows Everything
Google’s search quality lead John Mueller reminded the community that SEO is not static and no one can claim complete mastery. He warned that self‑proclaimed “SEO gurus” often lack depth and can mislead practitioners. Mueller emphasized humility, acknowledging past mistakes,...
Google: You Can Do A Lot Of SEO That Don't Work & Still Do Ok
Google’s John Mueller reminded the SEO community that the discipline is inherently complex and resilient. He noted that practitioners can implement many tactics that ultimately have little impact and still maintain decent rankings. This underscores the difficulty of pinpointing which...
The Power of Creator and Brand Collaboration Put to the Test
At SMW 2026, Inmar Media’s Heather Riccobono demonstrated that creator‑led branded content can double sales lift, challenging the brand‑vs‑creator dichotomy. In a live 25‑minute UGC experiment, creator Hannah Lorsch shot and edited a dog‑tug‑toy photo with input from the audience...
‘Fastvertising’ Puts Real-Time Cultural Moments in Every Marketer’s Hands
Fastvertising leverages AI to let brands produce ads in minutes, matching the pace of viral cultural moments. The concept was highlighted by Fraser Woollard of MNTN, who cited a Nutella‑in‑zero‑gravity spot during the Artemis II mission as a real‑time win. AI...
DB Digital Appoints Piyush Thakur as Chief Revenue Officer
Dainik Bhaskar Group’s digital arm, DB Digital, has appointed Piyush Thakur as Chief Revenue Officer. Thakur, who spent nearly a decade at Inshorts and previously led its advertising business, will oversee ad revenue across DB Digital’s web and app properties. He reports to...
Mother Dairy Rides IPL Viewership with Targeted JioHotstar CTV Push
Mother Dairy has launched a high‑impact Connected TV (CTV) partnership with JioHotstar for IPL 2026, orchestrated by WPP Media. The campaign embeds the brand in live match feeds, pre‑show segments, and milestone moments such as half‑centuries and centuries. By leveraging...
Craft Transformation Headlines: Promise Results, Relieve Pain, Stand Out
Transformation headlines do 3 things: 1. Promise a specific result 2. Acknowledge the pain point 3. Differentiate you If someone sees your pillar title and thinks "That's exactly what I need," you've nailed it. If they think "Oh, another post about Marketing," you've failed.
JioHotstar Brings Purchase Intent-Led Ads to Streaming Platform
JioHotstar has rolled out a purchase‑intent advertising capability that ties streaming content to immediate product discovery. The solution uses aggregated, privacy‑safe data to form audience cohorts based on behavioural signals, moving beyond traditional demographic targeting. Instamart is the inaugural partner,...
When It Comes "AI Unleashed" - Big Brands and Media Companies Are Still Uber-Cautious
Big brands and media firms are embracing AI to speed ad creation, but they remain ultra‑cautious. At a recent conference, a media exec warned that every ad will still be manually reviewed, slowing the promised hyper‑automation. Lenovo’s SVP of Intelligent...
The Problem with Influencers No One Seems to Talk About
The post argues that the influencer economy is a cultural virus that spreads misinformation, unrealistic wealth promises, and radical ideas, eroding critical thinking across platforms like LinkedIn, Substack, and TikTok. It highlights how many influencers lack real credentials, using sensational...
$250b in Ad Budget AI Reallocation: Bad News for Media.
The global advertising market is set to expand from about $1.25 trillion in 2026 to $1.5 trillion by 2030, adding $250 billion of new spend. Analysts predict AI‑native platforms could capture $200‑$300 billion of that growth, effectively reallocating most of the incremental budget. This...
Content Marketing Jobs Are Splitting in Two: Semrush
Semrush’s analysis of 8,000 U.S. content marketing job listings reveals a clear bifurcation of the role spectrum. Execution‑focused creator positions now account for about one‑third of openings, while senior leadership titles such as Head of Content have surged by more...
Groas Introduces a Fully Autonomous Approach to Google Ads Management by Groas
Groas unveiled a fully autonomous AI‑driven platform that handles every step of Google Ads management, from campaign creation to dynamic landing‑page testing, without human intervention. The system relies on a distributed network of specialized agents that process over 100,000 data...
Nike Pulls "Runners Welcome. Walkers Tolerated" Ad After Runner Backlash
Nike withdrew a Boston Marathon window sign that read "Runners welcome. Walkers tolerated" after a wave of criticism from the running community. The incident highlights a misstep in a segment that has driven a 20% revenue rise but comes as...
AI Is The New Ad Space
Debra Aho Williamson, founder of Sonata Insights, argues that AI tools such as ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, Google AI Overviews, and retail assistants constitute a new media environment rather than just efficiency enhancers. She calls this “AI media,” where users can...
AI Is The New Ad Space
Debra Aho Williamson, founder of Sonata Insights, will keynote AdExchanger’s Programmatic AI conference in Las Vegas (May 18‑20). She argues that AI tools like ChatGPT, Copilot, and retail assistants constitute a new media environment—“AI media”—that can guide consumers from query to...
Google Adds New Tasked-Based Search Features via @Sejournal, @Martinibuster
Google rolled out three travel‑focused tools that push Search toward a task‑based model. Users can now toggle hotel price tracking to receive email alerts when rates fall, while AI Mode can launch an agent that calls nearby stores for real‑time...
12 Features Powering Affiliate Success with Affilka’s Affiliate Tracking Solutions
Affilka unveils a twelve‑feature affiliate tracking suite tailored for the iGaming sector, aiming to streamline partner management, payments, reporting and scalability. The platform integrates payment processors such as Skrill, Neteller, crypto and bank transfers, while offering flexible commission constructors for...
Signals in the Noise 2
The Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA) released a new whitepaper, Signals in the Noise 2: Doing the Right Things, co‑authored by Work Research Partner Tony Regan and Barb CEO Justin Sampson. The paper warns that advertisers and agencies are increasingly dependent...
AI Enhances SEO, Yet Human Expertise Remains Crucial
I created an AI tool to improve internal linking and enhance meta titles and meta descriptions. After a few weeks, I can tell it's working nicely (we started where you see the dip in the graph around mid-march) But you have to...
Axis Achieves Google Authorised Buyer Status, Expanding Premium Inventory Access for Partners
Axis, a multi‑product ad tech firm, has been granted Google Authorized Buyer status (Buyer ID 8045927652), giving it direct access to Google’s Ad Exchange. The accreditation confirms Axis meets Google’s strict standards for platform quality, financial health, and compliance. With this...
Choosing an Email Marketing Platform to Consolidate Tech Stacks
Marketing teams are consolidating fragmented tech stacks by using email marketing platforms as a central hub. Emma, a leading email solution, offers drag‑and‑drop design, AI‑driven optimization, and deep integrations with CRM and e‑commerce systems. The article highlights that email delivers...
Weak Product Pages, Not Meta, Kill D2C Conversions
Low ROAS ≠ Meta Ads India Problem Many D2C India founders blame the platform first. But often the leak starts after the click. Weak product pages kill conversion faster than bad ads.
Higher Ad Spend Won’t Fix Funnel, Drops ROAS
More Meta Ads Spend ≠ More Sales Many Indian D2C brands raise budget during festivals. Then blame ads when ROAS drops. Spend scales systems. Not broken funnels.
Retail Media Finds a New Signal: The Shopper’s State of Mind
Retail media is shifting from pure intent data to interpreting shoppers' cognitive and emotional states. Mental‑health experts highlight grocery trips as high‑stress decision points where fatigue, overload, and anxiety shape buying behavior. Platforms that can read in‑session signals—such as lingering,...
ChatGPT Ads Launch CPC Campaigns with $3‑5 Bids
Interested in ChatGPT ads? Looks like CPC campaigns are live for some advertisers. @juokaz pinged me with some screenshots. You can select between Reach or Clicks for objective and then enter your Max CPC for the campaign. ChatGPT says to...
AI Overviews and Zero-Click Search Redefine SERP
#AI Overviews, Zero-Click Search, and the New SERP: Key Takeaways from STAT’s 2026 Analysis [NEW POST] - B2B Marketing Blog | Webbiquity - https://t.co/IlliieKlqo New #GEO and #SEO research from @getSTAT . https://t.co/RKdz1POwmU
Index Exchange Welcomes DSPs Into New Cloud Infra, Bringing Bidders Closer to Ad Inventory
Index Exchange has launched Index Cloud, a neutral, containerized compute environment that lets demand‑side platforms (DSPs) run bidding logic directly within the supply‑side platform. The move aims to cut latency in programmatic auctions and lower operational costs. Bedrock Platform, an...
Google Search Console's Job Appearance Data Is Buggy
Google Search Console performance report for job appereance data is buggy https://t.co/3NitEYBZHY via @maxjpeters https://t.co/d0nGRKr4Ma
Creative Testing Beats Secret Algorithms for Scaling Success
I've hired 20+ media buyers. Here's the pattern: The ones who talked about 'secret algorithms' and 'growth hacks' were useless. The ones who talked about 'creative testing' and 'offer construction' scaled accounts. Your guru's secret sauce is a myth. Fundamentals...
The Real Problem with Marketing Intelligence Isn’t Insight, It’s Execution. How Can AI Help?
The NinjaCat and UserEvidence report reveals that marketing intelligence is hampered more by execution bottlenecks than by lack of data. Marketers spend an average $26.2 million annually and juggle eight martech platforms plus three performance tools, yet only 37% have a...
Scale to 20 AI‑driven Articles for Traffic
Watching your organic traffic drop 40% after the latest Google update because you're still doing SEO like it's 2019 while everyone else adapted their AI workflows months ago What you need to do? Compete on volume Forget about 4 articles a month Go...
Why Those Engagement Ring Ads Keep Finding You Ft. Hope Bellair
In this episode of In The Loop, host Michael Burpo and Punchmark Digital Marketing Manager Hope Bellair break down retargeting for jewelry retailers, explaining how it works across platforms like Meta and Google and how it can be automated using...
The Deliverability Tax: Why Your Messages Are Disappearing
Marketers are seeing engagement drop not because of creative flaws but due to a growing "deliverability tax" that limits message visibility. MoEngage’s analysis of 40 billion messages shows behavior‑based pushes achieve 93% delivery versus 81% for generic broadcasts, with conversion rates...
Advanced TV Study 2026: Connected TV Becomes Primary Viewing Environment
The Advanced TV Study 2026, conducted by Azerion Austria and Goldvertise Media, finds that Connected TV (CTV) has become a core part of media consumption in Germany and Austria. Ninety‑four percent of German TV households own an internet‑enabled TV and...
Project Agora Brings Realize to North Africa, Expands Access to AI-Driven Performance Advertising
Project Agora has launched the AI‑driven performance platform Realize across North Africa, covering Egypt, Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia. The service taps a network of more than 11,000 premium publishers and offers format‑agnostic ad placements, AI‑optimized bidding and predictive audience models....
Complex SEO Lets Ineffective Tactics Still Succeed
Google's @johnmu says since SEO is so complex, you can still do a lot of SEO that does not work and still do okay https://t.co/GdDY0OVDPW https://t.co/yqJnuS4xN3
Who Is Manufacturing the Faces We Trust?
Indian advertisers and brands are rapidly adopting AI‑generated digital spokespersons that can speak regional languages, adjust facial features, and deliver consistent messages without fatigue. Mankind Pharma announced a partnership to embed these generative systems across its marketing and multilingual communications,...