From Media Channel to Brand Architecture: How Influencer Marketing Grew Up
Influencer marketing in the Middle East has evolved from a budget‑line vanity channel into a core, always‑on pillar of the marketing mix. Brands now run multi‑month creator programmes that simultaneously drive brand awareness, generate platform‑native content, and deliver measurable sales through affiliate links and CPA deals. The shift toward long‑term creator partnerships and performance‑based compensation reflects a deeper understanding of trust‑based commerce. Regional spend is projected to reach $897 million by 2029, outpacing global growth rates.
Should Affiliates Focus on SEO or GEO?
Affiliates face a false choice between traditional SEO and Generative Engine Optimization (GEO). Recent research shows AI citations depend heavily on existing search authority, with 40.58% of AI citations originating from Google’s top‑10 results. While GEO demands structured, source‑rich content,...
Audio Ads Are Coming to 6,000 More Dollar General Stores
Dollar General is expanding its in‑store audio advertising network, partnering with retail ad‑tech firm Qsic to equip an additional 6,000 locations. The rollout will bring audio ads to 12,000 stores—about half of the retailer’s 21,000‑store footprint—by the end of Q2....
Industry Snapshot: The New Social Playbook
Brands are shifting from platform‑first to audience‑first ecosystems, concentrating spend on fewer high‑impact channels and treating owned social feeds as media products. AI is redefining content planning, moving decisions from intuition to data‑driven signals while accelerating iteration. Creator partnerships have...
Pinterest Pushes Real-World Inspiration as Social Media Backlash Grows
Pinterest has launched a new campaign urging users to put their phones down and seek real‑world inspiration, marking the first major initiative under new CMO Claudine Cheever. The 60‑second spot stitches together home movies from the 1950s‑80s and is narrated...
The Quiet Shift Putting Content at the Centre of Retail
Retailers in Australia are confronting a quiet but decisive shift: content has become the central engine of the omnichannel experience. Legacy, siloed systems struggle to keep pace with shoppers who expect real‑time, consistent information across web, mobile, stores and marketplaces....
Why CTV Is Becoming The First Real Test Of Agentic Advertising
Connected TV (CTV) ad inventory is expanding rapidly, but its highly customized deals clash with traditional real‑time bidding (RTB) workflows. Publishers must juggle premium placements, audience targeting, and guaranteed delivery across disparate systems, creating friction, slower cycles, and missed revenue....
BoF Professional Masterclass | The Fashion Marketer’s Guide to AI
The Business of Fashion will host a Professional Masterclass on April 15, focusing on how AI has become a core component of fashion marketing and offering practical frameworks for its implementation. The event features case‑study author Haley Crawford, BoF editor Marc Bain,...
For Mother’s Day, Kendra Scott Invests in Its Largest Influencer Activation to Date
Kendra Scott unveiled its "Mark It: Jewelry for the Moments That Matter" campaign for Mother’s Day, fronted by influencer Sara Foster and featuring more than 200 short‑form videos across TikTok, YouTube, Meta and Pinterest. The effort represents the brand’s largest influencer...
With the World Cup Around the Corner, Media Buyers Expect Streaming Prices to Soar
Marketers are rolling out World Cup campaigns, highlighted by Unilever’s Rexona ad starring top soccer stars, while media agencies brace for a steep rise in streaming ad prices. In the U.S., Fox and Telemundo have set minimum spends of $5 million...
Sol De Janeiro’s Director of Global Influence on the Rise of ‘Non-Followers’ and the New Rules of Social Engagement
Sol de Janeiro’s new director of global influence, Avrielle Cortes, says the brand is shifting from a TikTok‑centric strategy to a fragmented, multi‑platform approach. She highlights the rise of “non‑followers” – viewers reached through algorithmic feeds – as a key...
Kohl’s Is Stepping up Its Creator Efforts as It Attempts a Sales Reset
Kohl’s is expanding its creator marketing program to reverse a 4% drop in net sales and a softer‑than‑expected fourth‑quarter. The retailer now works with about 1,500 nano‑creators, offering commissions, free products and exclusive event access, while maintaining a roster of...
Candy Brand Behave Bet Everything on TikTok Shop, Went Viral and Secured a Target Launch
In summer 2024, low‑sugar candy brand Behave faced bankruptcy with only 60 days of cash left. The founders pivoted to TikTok Shop, posting multiple daily videos until a viral post of their Super Sour Skulls sold out in three days...
Creator Content Has Become Critical for Retail Media Networks
Retail media networks are weaving creator‑led content into brand campaigns, leveraging sales data to pinpoint influencers with the highest conversion potential. Walmart Connect has expanded its Omnicom partnership to include Meta insights, while Best Buy will run seasonal YouTube spots with...
I Evaluated the 10 Best SMS Marketing Software for 2026
Marketers are shifting from email to SMS as 25% of businesses now adopt text messaging for its high engagement. After testing over 20 solutions, G2’s Devyani Mehta identified the ten best SMS marketing platforms for 2026, ranging from AI‑driven tools...
One NZ’s ‘Finding Jade’ Campaign Returns Via McCann
One New Zealand has launched the third chapter of its “Finding Jade” campaign, produced by McCann New Zealand. The new instalment follows Jade and his friend Pepper on a cross‑country quest to locate Jade’s biological father, filmed entirely in New Zealand and featuring...
Clear Tackles Hair Loss in Turkey with ‘Scalp Before Skin’ Campaign via Ogilvy Singapore
Clear, Unilever’s scalp‑care brand, teamed with Ogilvy Singapore to launch the “Scalp Before Skin” campaign in Istanbul on World Health Day. The initiative reframes scalp health as a preventive step, targeting Turkish men aged 25‑35 who are increasingly interested in...
Are Media’s Blake Talarico Says Marketers Have a Signal Quality Problem, Not a Data One.
Blake Talarico, head of commercial data at Are Media, says marketers face a signal‑quality problem rather than a data shortage. He points to tightening privacy rules, fragmented identifiers and AI‑driven data volume that have shifted focus from scale to the...
Teaching Marketing—But Are We Doing It Well Ourselves?
Guest faculty Unmisha Bhatt highlights a paradox: Indian institutes excel at teaching brand strategy yet lag in showcasing their own legacy online. A study of six million searches and 28 million social engagements shows Instagram #campusdiaries posts now serve as the...
X Boosts Incentives for Original Content Creators
X announced a revamp of its creator revenue‑share program to prioritize original content. The company will cut aggregator payouts to 60% for the current cycle and plans a further 20% reduction in the next cycle. New detection tools will allocate...
Coachella Looks Like Fun and Glamour for Influencers. Behind the Scenes, They Fiercely Strategize
Coachella 2026 has become a high‑stakes arena where influencers treat the festival like a content‑creation boot camp. Creators such as Sam Mintesnot hustle for brand invitations, often securing passes just days before the event. YouTube streams the festival across seven...
Generative Engine Optimization: The New Tech Hustle or a CX Reality?
The marketing world is moving from traditional SEO to Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), where large language models like ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini decide which sources appear in AI‑generated answers. Because these platforms hide query volumes and ranking formulas, a new...
Gambling.com: SEO Recovery Appears Underway
Gambling.com Group (GAMB) is trading at distressed levels even though it posted record free cash flow and revenue in FY‑25. Insiders recently purchased roughly 1.5% of the float, hinting at confidence in the turnaround. The company’s marketing arm is wrestling...
The New LinkedIn Algorithm Rewards This One Thing. Are You Doing It?
LinkedIn’s latest algorithm updates prioritize a clear, authentic professional signal over sheer posting volume. The system now reads a user’s headline, About section, and experience to gauge relevance, while also analyzing over a thousand recent interactions to infer professional identity....
Tired of Posting Into the Void? This Simple Social Media Tactic Will Turn Followers Into Devoted Superfans
Entrepreneurs are urged to replace ad‑hoc social posts with a recurring, social‑first show. By structuring content around a consistent format, theme, cast and set, creators can turn scattered engagement into a loyal audience that tunes in weekly. One episode can...
Ampd’s Agentic Shoppable Media Assists Shoppable Media Strategies
Ampd unveiled Agentic Shoppable Media, a solution that uses intelligent deep linking to route shoppers directly to their preferred retailer’s product detail page, achieving almost 100% click‑to‑PDP transfer. The platform addresses the industry‑wide 95% drop‑off problem by eliminating extra clicks...
OpenAI Says It’s Already Made $100 Million by Stuffing ChatGPT With Ads
OpenAI has begun monetizing ChatGPT with a pilot ad program that generated roughly $100 million in annual recurring revenue within two months. The company told investors it expects ad revenue to climb to $2.5 billion by the end of 2026 and $53 billion...
What Pichai’s Interview Reveals About Google’s Search Direction via @Sejournal, @MattGSouthern
Google CEO Sundar Pichai described search as an "agent manager" during a candid hour‑long interview with Stripe founder Patrick Collison, outlining a roadmap that targets a 2027 inflection point for fully agentic workflows. He highlighted internal use of a tool called...
Netflix Signs on as Mumbai Indians’ Official Entertainment Partner for IPL
Netflix has become the official entertainment partner of the Mumbai Indians, launching a short‑form digital film that riffs on Rohit Sharma’s viral “Garden mein aaya hai kya?” meme. The parody, starring comedian Sunil Grover as a Rohit look‑alike, was designed...
First DMs, Now Replies: Instagram Lets You Edit Pesky Typos Out of Your Comments
Instagram is adding a comment‑editing button that lets users modify their remarks within 15 minutes of posting. The edit option appears directly beneath a comment and adds an “Edited” label once the change is saved. This mirrors the edit functionality...
Unilever Builds 300,000-Strong Influencer Network From 10,000 in Just 2 Years
Unilever has expanded its creator‑led marketing engine from roughly 10,000 influencers to almost 300,000 in just two years, a move the company says will drive peer‑driven brand advocacy. CEO Fernando Fernandez highlighted the rapid growth during a Barclays fireside chat,...
How Content Characteristics Foster Audience Engagement on Instagram
The study investigates how Instagram content traits affect audience engagement for Oman’s nation branding. Quantitative metrics and qualitative themes reveal that self‑created posts outperform collaborative or reposted material, confirming the power of authenticity. Visually refined images—strong composition, vivid colour, creative...
Crocs India Ropes in Rakesh Bedi for Quirky New Digital Campaign
JioHotstar has introduced Tadka, a vertical micro‑drama vertical delivering 60‑ to 120‑second episodes designed for mobile thumbs. The service launches with more than 100 original titles and aims to exceed 1,000 by year‑end, coinciding with the Indian Premier League to...
Elon Musk's X Is Finally Cracking Down on Engagement Farming with Big Overhaul to Its Monetization Program
X, the platform owned by Elon Musk, announced a revamp of its revenue‑sharing program to prioritize original, high‑quality posts and de‑rank low‑quality engagement‑farming content. Product head Nikita Bier said new tools will identify original authors and allocate a portion of...
Maddie Lightening Speaks on Misreported ROAS, Account Structure Chaos & AI Mistakes
Maddie Lightening, Hallam’s head of paid media, recounted three pivotal errors that shaped her PPC career: a currency‑conversion mistake that halved reported ROAS, a legacy account structure that conflicted with AI‑driven bidding, and delayed restructuring that hurt peak‑season performance. She...
Google Ads Agencies Hit With Scam Client Leads
Google Ads agencies are facing a surge of phishing scams that masquerade as high‑value client inquiries. Scammers craft spoofed emails and newly registered domains to trick agencies into granting access to My Client Center (MCC) accounts. Google’s product liaison, Ginny...
AMC Decides to Recreate Quibi, Release The Audacity Pilot in Three-Minute Clips on TikTok
AMC is launching the pilot of its tech‑drama "The Audacity" on TikTok, breaking the episode into 21 three‑minute vertical clips. The move revives the short‑form streaming playbook popularized by the now‑defunct Quibi. The series, starring Billy Magnussen, will also air...
Why Instagram’s Shoppable Reels May Be Too Little, Too Late
Instagram has finally rolled out shoppable Reels, letting creators tag products and earn affiliate commissions directly within the app. The feature arrives after rivals such as TikTok Shop, YouTube Shorts and dedicated influencer platforms have already built robust commerce ecosystems....
Merchant API Lands in Google Ads Scripts Ahead of Content API Sunset
Google Ads scripts will start supporting the Merchant API on April 22, 2026, as the legacy Content API for Shopping is slated for retirement on August 18, 2026. The Merchant API introduces a modular architecture that breaks functionality into sub‑APIs,...
5 Best Tools to Auto-Generate Ads in 10+ Languages for Social Media
Social media marketers now need to produce ads in multiple languages quickly, and AI‑powered platforms are filling that gap. The article lists five top tools—Lapis, Canva, AdCreative.ai, Smartly.io and Creatopy—that can auto‑generate creatives and copy in ten or more languages....
DerbySoft Case Study: Scaling Success with AI Max for Search
DerbySoft integrated Google’s AI Max for Search into campaigns for major Japanese hotel chains, delivering a 68% lift in clicks, 51% more conversions, and a 45% boost in conversion value between November 2025 and February 2026. AI Max consumed just 34% of the total...
How Fake People Became Real Influencers
The New York Times reports that AI‑generated influencers—synthetic avatars that look human—are flooding social feeds to market supplements and other products. A Graphite study shows AI‑written articles have outpaced human writers since November 2024, and venture‑backed firms like Doublespeed are offering bulk...
Google Ads Simplifies Enhanced Conversions Into a Single Switch
Google Ads is consolidating its enhanced conversions tools into a single feature with an on/off toggle, eliminating the split between web and lead conversions. Starting June 2026, advertisers can feed user‑provided data through website tags, Data Manager, and API integrations...
LinkedIn Is A Sales Tool. Start Treating It Like One
LinkedIn is no longer just a networking platform; it has become a core sales engine for B2B firms. The article argues that executives should treat LinkedIn with the same rigor as traditional sales tools, leveraging data, targeted outreach, and content...
Inside 5 Food and Beverage Influencer Campaigns that Delivered Measurable ROI
Food and beverage brands are turning to highly strategic influencer programs to cut through a crowded market. Campaigns by Habit Burger, Chobani, Tapatío Ramen, bibigo and Totino’s combined creator‑led activations, cultural‑moment ownership, and direct shoppable paths to generate measurable impressions,...
Local Ad Spend Forecast To Grow 8.1% This Year
U.S. local advertising is forecast to reach $184.5 billion in 2026, an 8.1% increase year‑over‑year. Digital media drives the bulk of growth, expanding 9.3% to $104.1 billion and representing 56.4% of the market. Traditional media still adds $80.4 billion, buoyed by $8.4 billion in...
Oikos Celebrates Athletes' Strength, Perseverance
Danone’s Oikos yogurt brand has unveiled its first All‑Strength Team, led by top high‑school basketball recruit Saniyah Hall, to showcase athletes’ perseverance across Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and TikTok. The campaign, produced with Over The Edge, highlights training, recovery and high‑protein...
March Google Core Update Brings Modest Gains for News Websites
Google rolled out its March 2026 core algorithm update between March 27 and April 8, aiming to surface more relevant content. Sistrix data shows modest visibility gains for top news brands – The Guardian (+9.0 points) and Money Saving Expert...
The Creator Who Paid for the Product: Dan Lovatt on What Builds a Real Brand Partnership
Interior designer Dan Lovatt formalized a long‑term ambassadorship with COAT, a climate‑positive paint brand, after a year of buying and recommending the product out of his own pocket. The partnership, built on genuine product use, shared values and minimal briefs,...
Stanify’s Hank Leber on Turning Brand Comment Sections Into Business Intelligence Tools
Stanify, a Los Angeles‑based AI startup founded in 2025, automates brand comment and direct‑message management across Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and YouTube. In its first ten months the platform processed close to three million comments for enterprise clients in CPG, gaming,...