Today's Digital Marketing Pulse
Ad tech vendors pivot to cloud‑hardware ownership to cut latency and costs
Vendors are splitting between owning their own cloud infrastructure and renting from public clouds such as AWS, Google Cloud and Azure. SSPs PubMatic and Index Exchange introduced containerized solutions—Decision Fabric and Index Cloud—that let DSPs run models on‑premise, lowering latency and data‑transfer expenses. The shift balances cost savings against control of the stack.
Also developing:
By the numbers: Accenture Song acquires influencer marketing agency Whalar
StackAdapt Co-Founder On Cracking The Holy Grail, Training The Next Gen & Why He Won’t Use ‘AI Efficiencies’ To Cut...
StackAdapt co‑founder and CTO Yang Han says AI in advertising is still in its infancy, and the Canadian adtech firm is building a unified end‑to‑end AI platform that links data, creative, buying and measurement within the next year. The company has doubled its machine‑learning headcount and grown overall staff 30% year‑on‑year to roughly 1,650 employees, while expanding dynamic creative optimisation into video and connected TV. Han stresses that AI will augment, not replace, marketers, and highlights a partnership between AI‑savvy junior talent and seasoned industry veterans.
Google Search Box and Core Update Unrelated, Say Experts
Makes me sad to see SEOs relate the new Google search box and the new core update. They are unrelated and have no impact on each other. https://t.co/zGSlAgXdA6
How I Rewrote an 11,700-Product Google Shopping Feed (Real Before/After)
The author rewrote the titles and descriptions of a 11,700‑product Google Shopping feed for fashion brand Bellerose, moving product type, material, color and key features to the front of each title and placing the brand last. By pulling existing attribute...
Omnisend's ChatGPT Integration Brings AI to Real-Time Email Insights
Btw: the AI feature you want from your ESP isn’t going to be in your ESP. @omnisend just plugged their entire platform into ChatGPT through MCP - the protocol that lets AI read and act on your live account data. What this...
Walmart's Ad Revenue Jumps 44% as E‑Commerce Flywheel Powers Digital Marketing Surge
Walmart reported a 44% year‑over‑year rise in its Walmart Connect advertising business, while B2B platform Udaan is courting a $50‑60 million top‑up to sharpen its go‑to‑market engine. Amazon and other Indian platforms also logged double‑digit order growth amid a summer heat...
Multi-Agent SEO Research
Shawn, the CEO of a mid-sized PropTech SaaS firm, saw organic traffic plunge after Google’s latest core update labeled his generic blog posts as commodity content. Competitors gained visibility by covering niche topics like IoT predictive maintenance and sustainability reporting....
Distilling Black‑Box Ads to Predict ROAS via Multimodal Context
I'm happy to share some of the research that I've been working on today: As ad platforms become more opaque and automated end-to-end, advertisers are left with few levers of control over campaign performance. I wanted to interrogate an idea: could...
DemandBird Launches New B2B Social Media Management Platform
DemandBird, a Portland‑based startup founded in 2025, announced the public launch of its B2B‑focused social media management platform. The solution emphasizes human‑crafted content, limiting AI to back‑office tasks such as image reformatting and trend spotting. Core features include multi‑brand workspaces,...
Universal Music Group and TikTok Ink Multi‑Year Licensing Deal to Boost Artist Reach
Universal Music Group and TikTok have sealed a multi‑year licensing agreement that keeps UMG’s catalog on the platform while adding new advertising, e‑commerce, and AI‑protection features. The deal aims to deepen fan engagement, improve artist promotion, and safeguard human‑created music.
Zeta Global's Athena AI Platform Delivers Six‑Times ROAS, Sparks Investor Surge
Zeta Global launched Athena, an AI‑driven marketing platform that Forrester says generates six‑times return on ad spend and $21.4 million in net present value over three years. The rollout, coupled with new collaborations with OpenAI and Snowflake, has lifted Zeta’s stock...
May 2026 Google Core Update Hits Sites Over Weekend
The Google May 2026 core update touched down and was felt in a big way over this weekend https://www.seroundtable.com/google-may-2026-core-update-landed-41380.html hat tip @glenngabe #google #googlecoreupdate #googlealgorithmupdate #googleupdate #googleseo #seo
The $3.1 Billion Marathon: A Strategic Playbook for the 2026 World Cup Affiliate Manager
The 2026 World Cup will generate a $3.1 billion betting handle across 48 teams and a 39‑day schedule, forcing affiliate managers to overhaul their playbooks. They must replace generic banners with country‑specific hubs, player‑prop guides, and AI‑driven SEO tactics while coping...
Mine Real Questions From Comments, Not Keyword Clichés
Ur competitors are Googling the same keywords as you. That's why those posts all look identical. I mine: • Reddit threads with 200+ comments • YouTube video comments • Client's customer support emails These reveal questions GKP can't. Write what people actually ask.
Trade Desk Vs. Magnite: 2026 Stock Outlook Amid Shifting AdTech Landscape
The Trade Desk reported $2.9 billion in 2025 revenue, an 18% jump, while Magnite posted $714 million, up 6.9%. Both firms posted healthy net margins, but their differing business models and customer concentration expose distinct risks as advertisers and publishers migrate away...
Team Pumpkin Bags Social Media Mandate for Lavie World
Team Pumpkin, an integrated marketing agency, has won the social media mandate for Lavie, one of India’s leading fashion‑accessories brands. The agency will oversee Lavie’s digital presence, creating platform‑native content, influencer collaborations, and community management. The partnership targets fashion‑forward millennials...
Gentenox Enterprises Limited Opens Up the Agency Black Box With a Live Campaign Visibility Framework
Gentenox Enterprises Limited unveiled its Live Campaign Visibility Framework, a suite of real‑time dashboards and weekly working sessions that let brands monitor spend, creative performance, and conversions as campaigns run. The model replaces traditional monthly recap decks with transparent, audit‑ready...
Binge Labs Bags Digital Mandate for Mumbai Tech Week 2026
Binge Labs has secured the end‑to‑end social media mandate for Mumbai Tech Week 2026, slated for May 29‑30 at the Jio World Convention Centre. The firm will drive pre‑event campaigns, on‑ground content creation, and post‑event amplification, delivering real‑time storytelling across...
Triple Whale Still Leads DTC Attribution in 2026 Amid Rising Competition
Triple Whale, the Columbus‑based DTC attribution platform, remains the market leader in 2026 after rolling out its AI assistant Moby and expanded creative analytics. The move comes as rivals like Northbeam and Elevar sharpen their own offerings and Shopify deepens...
Pattern Secures U.S. Patent for True ROAS Ad‑Tech, Redefining ROI Measurement
Pattern Group Inc. (NASDAQ: PTRN) was granted U.S. Patent No. 12,626,273 B2 for its True Return on Advertisement Sales Value (True ROAS) technology. Announced at the company’s Accelerate conference, the patent covers a model that blends experimental and non‑experimental data...
Bad Landing Pages Waste High‑intent Traffic, Not CPM
Most founders think their Meta Ads stopped working because CPMs increased or competition got aggressive. But after looking deeper, the real issue is usually the funnel. Weak landing pages quietly destroy high-intent traffic every day. More spend only makes the leak bigger.
EBay Live Doubles Down on Gaming-Led Fandom and Collectables Culture in Campaign via Dentsu
eBay Australia, together with agency dentsu, has rolled out an integrated eBay Live campaign across YouTube, TikTok and Meta, timed for Star Wars Day. The initiative pairs the platform’s real‑time auction format with top gaming creators, including Fortnite star Lachlan Power,...
TraPilot.ai Launches World’s First AI‑Native SEO Service Platform
TraPilot.ai announced the launch of what it calls the world’s first AI‑native SEO service platform, a solution that promises to deliver completed search‑growth outcomes rather than isolated tools. Built on Sequoia Capital’s “Services: The New Software” thesis, the platform employs...
OpenAI Adds Daily Budgets and Zip‑code Targeting to Ads Manager Beta
OpenAI rolled out new features in its Ads Manager beta, allowing advertisers to set daily budgets and target U.S. states, DMAs and zip codes. The update also introduces aggregate reporting tables, signaling a push toward a full‑fledged programmatic platform.
Hotels Deploy AI Chatbots and Semantic SEO as Generative Search Redefines Guest Acquisition
Hotels worldwide are launching AI chatbots and revamping their digital presence to appear in generative AI travel searches. A BCG report finds 37% of travelers already use AI‑enabled sites, while 35% of French consumers relied on AI to find lodging...
Google Announces Gemini‑Powered ‘Chat with Ads’ for AI Mode Search
Google said it will embed Gemini‑based conversational and shopping ads into AI Mode and core Search, introducing “Chat with ads,” highlighted sponsored answers, and a Business Agent for Leads. The move follows internal data showing 75% of users decide more...
Aimotion Teams with Google Cloud to Boost Automotive Marketing Efficiency 30‑Fold
Aimotion announced a partnership with Google Cloud that uses a multi‑agent AI system to slash automotive video production time from four hours to ten minutes, delivering more than a 30‑fold boost in content‑creation efficiency. The collaboration also reduces AI hallucinations...
E.l.f. Beauty Posts 35% Q4 Revenue Surge on AI and SAP Push
e.l.f. Beauty announced Q4 FY2026 net sales of $449.3 million, up 35% year‑over‑year, as AI‑driven marketing and a SAP‑led digital overhaul accelerated global growth. The surge lifted full‑year revenue 25% to $1.76 billion, while the company flagged a slowdown in organic consumption...
Choosing CRMs Now Requires Human and AI Experience
As it stands, and likely for a short time longer, a human will pick the customer platform (CRM) that will be used by the company. If the company has some users that will need to access the system across Android/iOS...
Vinted Launches TikTok‑driven U.S. Expansion After $1.3 Bn European Sales Surge
Vinted announced a U.S. growth push built around TikTok and Instagram ads, following a 38% jump in European sales to €1.1 bn ($1.3 bn) in 2025. The company, now valued at €8 bn ($9.3 bn), hopes its zero‑fee seller model will capture a share...
Meta Advantage+ Shopping Slashes DTC Email Budgets, Shifts Paid Media Spend
Meta’s Advantage+ Shopping campaigns are delivering 18‑31% lower customer‑acquisition costs for mid‑market DTC brands, leading marketers to reallocate up to 60% of prospecting spend from email to the platform. The shift reshapes budget allocations and agency compensation models.
Garrett Kappel Marketing Rolls Out Cross-Channel Messaging Consistency Program for Growing Firms
Garrett Kappel Marketing announced a Cross-Channel Messaging Consistency Program aimed at small and mid‑size firms in Lisle, Chicago and the broader Midwest. The service offers a full audit and unified messaging framework to eliminate brand fragmentation as companies scale.
Google Deploys May 2026 Core Update and AI Mode Overhaul Amid I/O
Google began rolling out its May 2026 core algorithm update on May 21, coinciding with a major redesign of the Search box and the first official usage data for AI Mode. The changes, announced at I/O, introduce Gemini 3.5 Flash...
ShengShu Technology Launches Vidu Claw AI CMO, Promising Ads at 1% of Traditional Cost
ShengShu Technology introduced Vidu Claw, an AI‑driven chief marketing officer that can turn a brief into a finished ad in hours, cutting production costs to roughly 1% of conventional methods. The platform uses a subscription model that charges for completed...
SEO Wins Fade; Brand Trust Endures
For a long time great SEO could beat bigger brands, in this example a company in the coloring pages space beat Crayola. Nick Leroy laid out a great example of how that is changing, algorithms change, our memories of...
CRMs Become Foundational Data Source for AI Agents
The Great Martech Inversion: Why your CRM will become the grounded data for your AI Agents front end by @Timothy_Hughes https://t.co/RpQYSsd0Fz @DLAIgnite #SocialSelling #DigitalSelling #Sales #Marketing #Leadership #ArtificialIntelligence #AI #CX #CRM #MarketingSuccess #MarketingStrategy #AIAgents
Meta Launches 'Forum' App, a Reddit‑style Hub for Facebook Groups
Meta Platforms released Forum, an iOS‑only app that surfaces only Facebook Group posts in a Reddit‑style feed. The surprise launch, discovered by industry analyst Matt Navarra, adds a generative‑AI chatbot and strips out the traditional News Feed, creating a dedicated...
X Launches Creator Connect, AI‑Powered Matchmaking Service for Brands and Creators
X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, introduced Creator Connect, an AI‑powered service that matches brands with content creators. Built on xAI technology, the managed service handles discovery, outreach, production and distribution, marking a shift from a simple directory to...
Google Adds Open‑source Meridian to Analytics 360, Boosting Ad Attribution
Google announced today that its open‑source marketing mix model, Meridian, will be built directly into Google Analytics 360. The integration lets large advertisers combine first‑party, cross‑channel data and predictive signals to measure causal performance and improve budget allocation.
NYC Ferry Leverages TikTok to Boost Ridership and Cut Subsidies
NYC Ferry’s social‑media push on TikTok and Instagram, now boasting over 100,000 followers and nearly 2 million likes, has helped lift weekday ridership to a record high and push its subsidy per rider to the lowest level since the service began...
The End of the Internet's Golden Age
Google unveiled the biggest upgrade to its Search box in over 25 years, swapping traditional blue‑link results for AI‑driven zero‑click answers. The change instantly reduces click‑throughs for publishers, SEO firms, and affiliate marketers who rely on organic traffic. Simultaneously, public...
FTC Fines Cox Media Group $880K Over Fake ‘Active Listening’ Ad Service
The Federal Trade Commission ordered Cox Media Group to pay $880,000 and its partners MindSift and 1010 Digital Works $25,000 each for falsely advertising an AI‑powered “Active Listening” service that never actually listened to consumers’ conversations. The settlement underscores a...
Pattern Launches Pi AI Engine to Automate Marketing and Operations for E‑commerce Brands
Pattern introduced Pi, an AI‑driven execution engine that automates marketplace tasks for DTC brands across Amazon, Walmart, TikTok Shop and eBay. Built on a proprietary 77 trillion‑point dataset, Pi already logged hundreds of thousands of automated actions, promising faster, data‑rich decision‑making.
OpenAI Launches Beta Self‑serve Ads Manager, Adds CPC Bidding to ChatGPT Ad Pilot
OpenAI has broadened its ChatGPT advertising pilot by introducing a beta self‑serve Ads Manager that lets businesses purchase and manage ads directly, adding cost‑per‑click bidding and new technology partners. The move aims to integrate existing media‑buying workflows while preserving user...
Google Rolls Out Gemini‑Powered Ads in AI Search Results
Google introduced two Gemini‑driven ad formats—Conversational Discovery and Highlighted Answers—into AI Mode search results, letting advertisers serve AI‑generated explanations and chat‑based leads. The move expands Google’s ad inventory as search becomes more conversational.
What Most Brands Get Wrong Measuring Influencer Marketing ROI
Influencer marketing ROI should be measured through engagement, user‑generated content, consumer intent signals, and retail impact rather than simple impressions. Brands that focus only on reach miss the bulk of value, including cost savings from repurposing influencer‑created assets. A strong...
TikTok Metrics: What To Track And Why In 2026
TikTok’s algorithm continues to prioritize short‑form video engagement, making metric tracking essential for brands in 2026. Marketers should focus on average watch time, follower growth, click‑through rates, hashtag performance, and conversion tracking to measure both reach and ROI. The platform’s...
Brands Are Crediting the Wrong Channel for Sales
Brands rely on last‑click attribution, crediting channels that capture intent rather than those that create it. The rise of AI‑driven discovery hides early‑stage touchpoints, inflating the perceived performance of downstream media. Marketers who continue to allocate budgets based on flawed...
What to Look for in an AI Advertising Platform in 2026
The article outlines the criteria brands should use when selecting an AI advertising platform in 2026. It emphasizes that true value comes from reducing operational complexity, leveraging real‑commerce signals, and delivering unified cross‑channel management. Platforms that automate creative production and...
Banks Lag AI; Marketers Drive Growth with Micro‑cohorts
Most banks are still mailing in their response to AI. Meanwhile, leading marketers are using micro-cohort targeting, predictive analytics, and personalization tied directly to revenue growth. 👉 Check out the full episode: https://t.co/J0OQpdqc6K https://t.co/fuw2d2D6mB
Webflow Rolls Out Enterprise AEO Platform to Boost AI Search Optimization
Webflow has launched its Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) suite for enterprise customers, pairing AI‑powered analytics with execution agents to automate SEO at scale. The move follows a company‑wide AI transformation and a study showing 93% of marketing leaders view AEO...