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.
Small Businesses Boost Site Speed as Breeze Launches Version 7
A new Forbes study shows 43% of small businesses will invest in website performance, underscoring a shift toward speed‑first digital marketing. Builder platform Breeze responded with its most ambitious release yet, Version 7, adding two‑factor authentication and a modern payment system. The move highlights growing tension between complex legacy CMSs and the demand for simple, high‑performing sites.
5W PR Launches Digital Growth Program Tailored to B2B Clients
5W PR unveiled a new digital growth program aimed at B2B companies in technology, enterprise solutions, and professional services. The offering fuses public relations, search‑engine optimization, generative engine optimization (GEO) and content creation into a single growth engine. It promises...
10 Influencer Marketing Tips From the Minds Behind the Internet's Biggest Campaigns
Duolingo’s influencer team outlines ten actionable tactics for scaling creator marketing. They emphasize treating creator relationships as long‑term investments, extending outreach to talent managers, and applying “story fitting” to align narratives rather than demographics. The framework also leverages internal passions,...
Simply Social Reels in Princes Group Digital Overhaul
Princes Group, the owner of brands such as Branston, Napolina and Crosse & Blackwell, has hired digital agency Simply Social to overhaul its UK organic social strategy, content creation and community engagement. The agency won a competitive pitch to become...
‘Brands Can’t Guide Culture’: Creators and Marketers on Ditching Skin-Deep Allyship
At Social Media Week 2026, experts warned that brands cannot own culture and must instead immerse themselves in the communities they wish to serve. Alejandra Salazar of Croing urged marketers to rely on cultural experts and listen deeply. Deaf creator...
AI Makes SEO a Top Budget Priority—Will You Get Hired?
AI is the greatest thing that ever happened to SEO. Hear me out. It's suddenly the highest marketing priority. Demand is off the charts. You don't need to convince companies they should be doing this. They have genuine burning desire...
What Dove, Netflix, and Nike Didn’t Do on Reddit Is Why They’re Winning
Brands are abandoning high‑frequency posting on Reddit in favor of authentic, low‑volume engagement. Research from Reddit’s insights team shows sentiment drops sharply after three weekly posts, prompting marketers to focus on community contribution rather than follower counts. Companies like Netflix,...
Google Is Now Targeting Bad Ads over Bad Actors
Google reported blocking a record 8.3 billion ads worldwide in 2025, up from 5.1 billion in 2024. The surge was driven by its Gemini AI models, which the company says caught more than 99% of policy‑violating ads before they reached users. Despite...
Gemini Is Stopping Harmful Ads Before People Ever See Them
Google’s Gemini AI is now powering its ad‑safety engine, catching more than 99% of policy‑violating ads before they ever appear. In 2025 the system blocked or removed over 8.3 billion ads and suspended 24.9 million accounts, including 602 million scam‑related ads. Gemini’s intent‑focused...
ESPN Reveals Football-Focused Creator Program Ahead of 2027 Super Bowl
Disney’s ESPN announced the fourth edition of its Creator Network will be football‑centric, timed to the lead‑up to the 2027 Super Bowl. The year‑long program will embed creators at Monday Night Football, college games and culminate in a week‑long VIP...
SEO Is One of the Most Powerful Channels, but Still Misunderstood
Hotel SEO transforms Google into a direct sales channel by capturing travelers at the moment they search to book. Unlike brand‑awareness tactics, it targets high‑intent queries such as “boutique hotel in New York” or “last‑minute hotel deals San Francisco.” Effective...
Instagram Re-Enters Creator Affiliate Commerce Years After Rivals Built Lead
Instagram announced in March 2026 that creators can now tag up to 30 affiliate products directly in Reels and earn commissions on sales. The move ends a four‑year hiatus after the platform shut down its 2022 affiliate program and removed...
PR Firm News: Highwire Launches AcroAI
Highwire introduced AcroAI, an agentic AI platform that equips marketing and communications leaders with real‑time strategic insights drawn from over 100 data sources. The platform extends Highwire’s AI suite, promising secure, scalable campaign execution while preserving brand voice. In parallel,...
SAMY Debuts Proprietary AI Platform to Consolidate Social Media, Influencer Marketing Data
Global social‑media agency SAMY launched Maia, an AI‑powered platform that consolidates paid social, influencer activities, and owned media into a single management environment. The solution delivers a real‑time campaign dashboard, influencer approval hub, streamlined content‑approval workflows, brand‑safety screening, spoken‑word analysis,...
Metro Hit 4 Million TikTok Followers. Should Affiliate Publishers Follow?
Metro grew from 8,000 to over 4 million TikTok followers by April 2026, launching four vertical channels—news, sport, entertainment and gaming. The publication spent ten months producing platform‑native, presenter‑led videos without any commercial intent, then began monetising through brand partnerships rather than...
How The Daily Show Is Outsmarting the Social Media Algorithm
The Daily Show posted its strongest 18‑49 ratings in eight years while its digital footprint surged to 2.5 billion views in 2026, a 56% jump from the prior year. Producers explained that a dedicated digital team creates content that flows between...
Your AI Visibility Strategy Doesn’t Work Outside English via @Sejournal, @DuaneForrester
Duane Forrester argues that AI visibility strategies built around English‑centric benchmarks are increasingly ineffective as multilingual large language models dominate regional markets. A 2024 study shows over 75% of LLM benchmarks favor English, leaving translation‑first approaches blind to platforms like...
Why Brand Safety on Social Is No Longer Enough
Social media ad spend is projected to top $317 billion in 2026, making it the world’s largest advertising channel. Yet more than half of U.S. marketers consider social the greatest brand‑safety risk as shoppers increasingly decide purchases on these platforms. Integral...
How Amika’s Marketing Aims to Make Prestige Hair Care More Approachable
Amika launched the "On Your Wavelength" campaign on April 3, centering stylists instead of celebrities to showcase its top hair‑treatment line. The initiative coincides with the brand’s rapid growth after its Ulta debut, where it quickly became the retailer’s No. 2 prestige...
Macro Influencers Explained: Definition, Follower Count, and When to Use Them
Macro influencers, typically boasting 100,000 to 1 million followers, sit between micro and mega tiers, offering a blend of broad reach and higher engagement. Their audience is large enough for brand awareness yet niche enough for authentic connections, making them attractive...
Pepcal Heating & Air Teams with Audience Boost to Power Seasonal Digital Marketing
Pepcal Heating & Air has joined forces with digital‑marketing agency Audience Boost to overhaul its website, launch an aggressive SEO program and push educational content across 300+ platforms. The partnership aims to capture spring‑time search traffic and drive homeowners to...
Comments Dominate; LinkedIn Profiles Poised for Growth
I'm writing a newsletter recap from Social Media Week — but first some bullet point thoughts: - Comments are and will be everything - LinkedIn has tons of growth potential (for personal profiles according to Metricool) - Molly McPherson is the GOAT -...
Influencer Lame Secures $975M AI Twin Deal as Brands Bet on Digital Avatars
Senegalese‑born Italian influencer Lame landed a $975 million stock agreement to create an AI‑generated digital twin, while the backing firm’s shares have slumped over 90%. The move accelerates a broader industry shift toward AI avatars, as creators, platforms and brands scramble...
Ohio Finfluencer Sentenced to Six Years for $23 Million Real‑Estate Ponzi Scheme
Columbus‑based social‑media promoter Tyler Bossetti received a six‑year federal prison term and more than $12.5 million in restitution after pleading guilty to wire and tax fraud. Prosecutors say his “Boss Lifestyle” scheme raised over $23 million and left investors with losses exceeding...
Paramount’s Upfront Pitch Is About Three Things
Paramount’s upfront pitch centers on three marketer priorities—streaming, programmatic and live sports. The company will merge the ad‑tech stacks behind Paramount+ and Pluto TV this summer, launch a new performance tool called Precision+, and push streaming fixed units that give...
IAB: Digital Audio Grew 10% In 2025 as Podcasts Near $3B
The IAB/PwC 2025 Internet Advertising Revenue Report shows digital audio reaching $8.4 billion, a 10.2% year‑over‑year increase. Podcast advertising grew 17.6% to $2.86 billion, maintaining double‑digit growth after a slowdown from earlier spikes. Despite the gains, audio’s share of total internet ad...
Holistic Media Mix Beats Legacy Tactics in Furniture Marketing
In Episode 3 of From Screen to Store, sponsored by @JamLoop , Alex Back, CEO and Co-founder of Couch, joins hosts Jeremy Bloom and AdTechGod to discuss what’s actually working in modern marketing and why legacy industries are falling behind. The...
Viaccess-Orca Supports MasOrange TV Expansion and Ad Rollout
Viaccess‑Orca has been chosen by MasOrange to underpin a major expansion of its multi‑brand TV portfolio and to launch targeted advertising across both IPTV and OTT services. The operator will use VO’s client‑side and server‑side ad technology, Secure Video Player...
Cut SEO Update Work by 90% with AI Tool
I have 20+ content assets that need to be updated before a "re-rank" event. I call these updates "Rank Enhancement". The whole idea is to take whatever pages you have and improve them based on the data Google uses to rank them. The...
Digital Ad Revenue Climbs to Nearly $300B as IAB Celebrates 30 Year Anniversary
The IAB’s 2025 Internet Advertising Revenue Report shows digital ad spend hit $294.6 billion, up 13.9% year‑over‑year. Social media led with $117.7 billion (32.6% growth), followed by search, video and commerce media. Programmatic advertising rose 20.5% to $162.4 billion, while creator advertising reached...
Search Ad Growth Slows As Social & Video Gain Faster via @Sejournal, @MattGSouthern
The IAB’s 2025 report shows digital ad revenue hitting $294 billion, up 13 percent year‑over‑year. Search advertising, still the largest segment at $114 billion, slowed to 11 percent growth, while social media ads surged 32 percent to $117 billion and digital video rose 25 percent to $78 billion....
Roku’s Platform Crosses 100 Million Users, Fueling Ad Business
Roku Inc. announced its streaming platform now serves more than 100 million U.S. households, cementing its position as a leading TV‑connected ecosystem. The company says its devices are installed in over half of all broadband homes, and user growth continues in...
The Gambling Industry Is Spending $3.9B the Wrong Way
In 2025 U.S. sports betting and online gaming spent $3.9 billion on marketing, with 36% allocated to TV ads and only 2.3% to earned media and PR. The 5WPR Gaming Trust Index shows that the bulk of spend still targets awareness,...
Urban Company Says ‘We’re Here for You’ with Stories From the People of the UAE
Urban Company launched the ‘UC Heroes’ campaign in the UAE, featuring video testimonials from its service professionals and adding personalized thank‑you cards and fridge magnets to each appointment. The initiative also awards a ‘UC Heroes’ badge to workers, highlighting their...
Wizz App & AppHarbr by GeoEdge Set a New Standard for Ad Safety
GeoEdge’s AppHarbr platform partnered with Gen Z social app Wizz App to launch a year‑long ad safety program. Over the past 12 months the system examined more than 4 billion ads, automatically blocking roughly 0.17% that violated the app’s community standards. The...
Instagram Adds In‑Reel Affiliate Tags, Boosting Creator Earnings
ICYMI: Instagram is rolling out the ability to use affiliate links to tag products in Reels. 🛍️ This removes friction that often comes with creators driving audiences to their link in bio or using comment automations to share affiliate links, likely...
What’s the Scrappiest Tool You’ve Built?
In this 1‑minute, 27‑second episode of Voices of Search, host Jordan Cooney chats with Celeste Gonzalez, SEO testing director at Rickeroo and founder of the LA SEO Meetup, about the importance of getting scrappy with existing data and building custom...
Turn PAA Questions Into Subheadings for SEO Wins
Most bloggers ignore this goldmine: “People Also Ask” (PAA) Every question in the PAA box is a ranking opportunity. Take those questions, turn them into subheadings, and answer them directly. Now your post is optimized for: • Featured snippets • More SERP real estate • Higher authority...
Hands‑off Media Buying Redefines Creative Strategy
Killer video from @DenneyDara. So much to take away about creative and media buying, especially how they're doing very hands off media buying...
Meta Completely Ignores TV, and Other Ad Wisdom. Its the Biggest Ad Player Anyhow
Meta’s advertising business is now outpacing traditional TV despite the company’s near‑zero presence on television, lack of original programming, and no sports‑rights deals. eMarketer data shows Meta’s ad revenue surpassing most broadcast networks, driven by rapid growth in Reels, Threads...
Avoid Offerwall: It Will Frustrate Your Users
Offerwall, or as I call it, "Navboost Killer" is now generally available to all publishers. I highly recommend NOT implementing Offerwall. You will anger and frustrate your users to no end. I have covered this before. Beware.
Google Ads PMax Spend Trends Across Channels
Google Ads PMax channel performance report on the insights report that shows spend over time per channel https://t.co/1qbNeb12Tq via @AndrewLolk https://t.co/FE8snV6sFF
Can AI Read Your Homepage?
Adobe reports AI chat platforms drove a 269% year‑over‑year surge in referral traffic to U.S. retail sites in March 2026, with overall AI‑generated traffic up 393% for Q1. Its AI Content Visibility Checker found that 75% of retailer homepages are...
The Identity Crisis Coming for News SEO
Google is experimenting with AI‑generated headlines and summaries that rewrite or replace news publishers' original titles, as seen in a recent test on The Verge. The move extends to Google Discover, which now auto‑summarizes headlines, sometimes producing inaccurate or misleading...
The World’s Largest Ad Holding Company Just Bet Its AI Future on One Vendor
Publicis Groupe has deepened its partnership with Microsoft, creating a full‑stack agentic marketing platform that combines Azure cloud, Copilot tools, and Publicis’ Epsilon data and Sapient consultancy. The deal makes Azure the preferred cloud for Publicis and rolls out Microsoft...
Amazon MGM Leverages E‑Commerce Power to Market ‘Project Hail Mary’ at CinemaCon
Amazon MGM Studios showcased an integrated marketing playbook at CinemaCon, pairing its e‑commerce clout with theatrical distribution to amplify the $525 million worldwide run of ‘Project Hail Mary.’ Executives promised 15 new releases per year and an international distribution unit, underscoring...
Tinuiti Appoints Abbey Klaassen as CEO, Adds Bryan Wiener as Board Chair to Boost Growth for CMOs
Tinuiti announced Abbey Klaassen as its new chief executive, succeeding Zach Morrison after 21 years, and named Bryan Wiener chairman of the board. The leadership overhaul is designed to accelerate AI‑driven, data‑centric services for chief marketing officers seeking faster, independent...
Google’s Patent On Autonomous Search Results via @Sejournal, @Martinibuster
Google has filed a continuation patent that enables its search engine and AI assistants to monitor unanswered queries and automatically deliver answers once satisfactory information becomes available. The invention defines quality, authority and completeness standards, stores the query, and pushes...
FTC and Eight States Settle Antitrust Case with WPP, Publicis and Dentsu Over Brand‑Safety Collusion
The Federal Trade Commission and eight Republican‑led states secured a consent decree with advertising giants WPP, Publicis and Dentsu, prohibiting coordinated brand‑safety rules that allegedly suppressed conservative media. The agencies denied wrongdoing but agreed to a court‑ordered monitor and five‑year...
WPP Media Wins Strategic Media Mandate for KFC and Pizza Hut Singapore
WPP Media has been selected as the integrated media agency for KFC Singapore and Pizza Hut Singapore after a competitive pitch. The agency will handle media strategy, planning and buying, using its AI‑driven WPP Open platform to turn consumer insights...