Asia-Pacific Loyalty Awards Reveal Surge in Innovation
The 2026 Asia Pacific Loyalty Awards announced a 50% jump in entries, underscoring loyalty’s rising strategic weight across the region. Eighteen categories, from Best Overall Program to Best Use of AI, showcase innovations from retailers, banks, travel and telecom giants. The awards are hosted by the Australian Loyalty Association and will culminate at a gala in Melbourne on 19 March. Market forecasts predict the APAC loyalty sector to reach $60 billion by 2029, driven by digital and sustainability trends.
Cosmix by the Numbers: What Marico Gets in Its Latest D2C Acquisition
Marico announced the acquisition of a 60% stake in plant‑based nutrition startup Cosmix, adding the brand to its growing D2C portfolio that already includes Plix, True Elements, Just Herbs and Beardo. Cosmix more than doubled its FY25 revenue to ₹50.93 crore...
JB Hi-Fi Launches Retail Media Network, a First for the Electronics Sector
JB Hi-Fi announced the launch of its own retail media network, the first dedicated to the consumer electronics sector. The service is built in partnership with Retail MediaWorks and will allow brands and agencies to run targeted omnichannel campaigns across...
Glossy Beauty Podcast: Why Creators Are Building Systems — Not Chasing Virality — on TikTok Shop
TikTok’s U.S. operation was sold for roughly $14 billion to a consortium that includes Oracle, Silver Lake and MGX, underscoring the platform’s strategic value. Recent data shows TikTok Shop moved about $19 billion of goods globally in Q3 2024, rivaling legacy marketplaces. Brands...
Google AI Overviews Bug Removes Links & Citations
Google has acknowledged a bug in its AI Overviews feature that omits citation links from certain responses. The issue was first highlighted by SEO researcher Lily Ray, and Google’s VP of Search Engineering, Rajan Patel, confirmed the problem and said...
Google Ad Revenue Up 14% - Google's Biggest Revenue & Ad Revenue Yet
Alphabet announced its Q4 2025 earnings, showing ad revenue climbing 14% to $82.3 billion. Total revenue rose 17% to $113.8 billion, pushing annual revenue past $400 billion for the first time. The company highlighted AI‑driven growth, citing Gemini 3 integration in Search and a surge...
Google’s Mueller Calls Markdown-For-Bots Idea ‘A Stupid Idea’ via @Sejournal, @MattGSouthern
Google Search Advocate John Mueller publicly dismissed the practice of serving raw Markdown files to AI crawlers, calling it a “stupid idea.” Developers experimenting with Next.js middleware claim the approach can slash token usage by up to 95 % for LLMs...
Senate Bill Would Require Online Platforms to Prevent Fraudulent Ads
Senators Ruben Gallego and Bernie Moreno introduced the Safeguarding Consumers from Advertising Misconduct Act (SCAM Act) on Feb. 4, requiring online platforms to take reasonable steps to block fraudulent and deceptive ads. The bill expands the Federal Trade Commission’s and...
X Awards $1 Million to Top Article for January
X announced a $1 million cash prize for the best January article, part of a push to encourage long‑form content on the platform. The competition awarded $250 k to a self‑help piece, $250 k to a Trump‑focused analysis, and $500 k to a government‑spending...
Top 10 Best Crypto Marketing Agencies for Web3 Growth – MEXC 2026 Rankings
MEXC’s 2026 ranking spotlights the ten leading crypto marketing agencies, placing Bond Finance at the top followed by Coinbound, NinjaPromo, ICODA and others. The agencies were evaluated on ROI, Web3 expertise, regulatory compliance, community building, client portfolio, innovation, market presence...
YouTube Expands Auto-Dubbing to All Creators
YouTube is rolling out its auto‑dubbing feature to all creators, expanding language support from eight to twenty‑seven. The tool automatically translates videos and lets creators review scripts before publishing. New “Expressive Speech” AI adds emotional nuance in eight languages, and...
UGC Product Videos that Actually Reduce Returns
User‑generated content (UGC) videos are emerging as a practical tool to curb e‑commerce returns by filling the information gap that static images and copy often leave. Short, authentic clips demonstrate fit, material feel, color fidelity, setup steps, and performance, turning...
Dentsu Appoints Duo to Bolster Leadership Media Team
Dentsu UK&I announced James Bailey as media CEO and Shenda Loughnane as Ireland market lead and global president of Dentsu X. Bailey moves up from leading iProspect UK, where he secured major accounts such as Kering, eBay, Netflix and Tapestry....
Ulta Spotlights 6 Female Athletes with New Beauty Roster, Strengthens Support for Women’s Sports
Ulta Beauty has introduced its inaugural Ulta Beauty Roster, partnering with six high‑profile female athletes across emerging and established sports. The roster is supported by a Roster for Change grant program aimed at reducing the dropout rate of girls in...
Google Ads Adds a Second Set of Eyes for High-Risk Account Changes
Google Ads has introduced multi‑party approval, a security layer that obliges a second administrator to sign off on high‑risk actions such as adding or removing users and changing roles. When an admin initiates such a change, an in‑product request is...
In Google Ads Automation, Everything Is a Signal in 2026
Google Ads automation in 2026 relies entirely on signals rather than manual settings, turning AI into the primary performance driver. Every account element—from conversion actions and keyword data to creative assets and budget pacing—feeds the learning model. High‑quality signals, especially...
New Intuit Mailchimp Report Reveals What Marketers Overlook at the Opt-In Moment and Why It Matters
Intuit Mailchimp’s new “Art of the Opt‑In” report reveals that most marketers misjudge consumer willingness to share data, leading to low‑quality email and SMS lists. Only a third of marketers rate their lists as very high quality, and merely 8%...
The PPC Skills That Won’t Be Replaced By Automation
Automation is handling routine PPC tasks, pushing specialists toward consulting roles. The most valuable PPC experts now blend profit‑focused economics with campaign execution, moving beyond ROAS to contribution margin. They diagnose when paid search isn’t the answer, integrate cross‑channel insights,...
Accel Doubles Down on Fibr AI as Agents Turn Static Websites Into One-to-One Experiences
Fibr AI announced a $5.7 million seed round led by Accel, bringing total funding to $7.5 million. The Boston‑based startup uses autonomous AI agents to convert static webpages into real‑time, one‑to‑one experiences for each visitor. Early adoption is picking up among large...
Google On Serving Markdown Pages To LLM Crawlers
Google’s John Mueller warned that serving raw Markdown files to large language model (LLM) crawlers poses significant technical risks. He highlighted uncertainties around link parsing, internal navigation, and whether bots even recognize Markdown as anything beyond plain text. Mueller also...
Google Ad Network Invalid Clicks Report: Fraud vs Accidental
Mike Ryan examined over 550 million ecommerce clicks from Q4 2025 using Google’s new “general invalid clicks” metric. He found the Google Display Network (GDN) registers the highest invalid‑click rate—nearly one in five clicks—though most are accidental. In contrast, the Search Partner...
Catalyst IQ Unveils Intelligent SEO/AEO Technology to Increase Automotive AI Search Results
Catalyst IQ introduced an AI‑focused SEO, AEO and GEO platform at the NADA convention, targeting automotive dealers. The solution uses real‑time market intelligence to match keywords with actual inventory and local demand, updating content as AI‑driven search trends evolve. Powered...
Similarweb and Bloomberg Expand Data Available on the Bloomberg Terminal
Similarweb’s premium digital performance metrics are now embedded in Bloomberg Terminal’s Alternative Data Analytics Platform (ALTD ). Bloomberg selected Similarweb as its premium alternative data provider, delivering near‑real‑time signals such as unique visitors, average visit duration, bounce rate and page...
Marketing Email Campaigns Reflected Tariffs, TikTok Trends in 2025
Omnisend’s 2025 analysis shows that three‑quarters of marketing email campaigns referenced tariffs or broader trade‑policy news, underscoring how supply‑chain costs dominate brand messaging. Thirteen percent of those emails highlighted “Made in USA” to reassure shoppers about product origin and pricing...
‘Incestuous’ and ‘Harmful’ Mobile Ad Ripped Down by ASA
The UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has banned a mobile ad for the game Animals Solitaire: Protect after finding it promoted a potentially incestuous scenario and objectified a step‑daughter character. The ad featured a lingerie‑clad woman with text suggesting sexual...
Samsung Ads Expands Integration with Amazon DSP Into Europe
Samsung Ads announced that its premium Samsung TV Plus inventory is now available to marketers through Amazon DSP across Europe, extending the existing U.S. and Canada integration. Samsung TV Plus, the free ad‑supported streaming service on Samsung Smart TVs, serves...
IG Turns to AI to Transform Marketing Compliance
IG Group has partnered with fintech compliance platform Adclear to embed AI‑driven checks across its UK and Ireland marketing and product content. The technology automatically scans promotions for finprom rule breaches, flagging required edits and accelerating approvals. In the first...
Hey Papi Promotions Launches AI Marketing Services to Help Businesses and Organizations Get Discovered on AI Platforms
Hey Papi Promotions, an award‑winning Christian digital agency, announced AI Marketing Services designed to make businesses, churches, nonprofits and event organizers discoverable on AI chatbot platforms such as ChatGPT, Google Gemini and Microsoft Copilot. The offering blends ethical, values‑driven marketing...
Marketers Have the Data. Audience+ Finally Puts It to Work.
Stirista launched Audience+, a next‑generation audience platform that consolidates first‑party data, third‑party identity graph information, and website interactions into a single workspace. The tool offers real‑time audience building, multichannel activation and built‑in compliance safeguards, aiming to eliminate data silos that...
AI Surpasses Google: 53% Of Marketers Turn To AI Over Search Engines For Information
A CoSchedule survey of 900 marketers reveals that 53% now turn to AI tools for information discovery, overtaking the 35% who still rely on Google search. This marks the first time AI has surpassed Google as the primary research source...
CoSchedule Expands Social Media Management Capabilities With Mobile Publishing To Every Network
CoSchedule has upgraded its mobile app to let users publish content to every major social network, adding support for TikTok, YouTube Shorts, Mastodon, and Google My Business. The enhancements mirror the desktop experience, offering improved previews, color‑coded labels, first‑comment insertion,...
Co-Op Price-Match Ad Banned After Aldi Complaint
The UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) issued three rulings on Co‑op’s price‑match campaign that compared its "Everyday Essentials" to Aldi. While two complaints – about the overall clarity of the claim and the completeness of the product list – were...
When Shoppers Become the Audience: How Retail Theatre Is Rewriting the Store
Retail theatre is shifting stores from pure transaction hubs to staged experiences, where staff act as cast and purchases become props. In Melbourne, the MC Takeaway pop‑up replaces food with plush collectibles, turning a simple order into a nostalgic performance....
The Modern Retail Marketing Summit Heads to Huntington Beach This April
The Modern Retail Marketing Summit will convene top brand and retailer marketers in Huntington Beach from April 20‑22, spotlighting how companies are navigating rapid shifts in SEO, influencer, and AI-driven channels. Speakers include ThredUp’s SVP Kristen Brophy, Thrive Market’s CMO Amina Pasha, PacSun’s CMO...
X Adds Images to In-Stream Polls
X has launched a new feature that lets users attach images to each option in in‑stream polls. The visual poll format mirrors similar tools on platforms like Facebook, aiming to make polls more eye‑catching and interactive. Users add images via...
How to Turn Packaging Into a Revenue Driver (Not Just Another Cost)
Packaging is no longer a hidden expense but a strategic growth lever. By treating packaging like a marketing asset, brands can boost conversion rates, lower customer acquisition costs, and increase average order value. Real‑world tests—such as a beauty brand’s $1.00...
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GrowthRise Mastermind Recap Feb 3, 2026
The GrowthRise Mastermind on February 3, 2026 highlighted three core challenges for B2B marketers: low demo show‑up rates, confusion between demand generation and capture, and inefficient platform spending. Experts advised retargeting engaged audiences, layering educational content before live demos, and separating US‑Canada...
Microsoft Launches Publisher Content Marketplace for AI Licensing
Microsoft Advertising unveiled the Publisher Content Marketplace (PCM), a platform where publishers can license premium articles and media to AI developers and receive usage‑based payments. The system lets publishers set licensing terms while AI builders discover content for grounding specific...
Google Updates Googlebot File Size Limit Docs via @Sejournal, @MattGSouthern
Google has reorganized its documentation, moving default file size limits to the broader crawler overview and refining Googlebot‑specific limits on its own page. The crawler infrastructure now lists a 15 MB default limit for all crawlers, while Googlebot is capped at...
Downloads of TikTok Alternatives Slow in the US
TikTok’s U.S. joint venture resolved a data‑center outage, restoring service after a week of zero‑view counts and restricted searches. The brief controversy sparked a surge in downloads for alternatives like UpScrolled and Skylight Social, but both have since slipped back...
LinkedIn Shares Key Trends in B2B Marketing
LinkedIn’s latest B2B marketing report highlights a shift toward human‑centric content, emphasizing video, events, and creator‑driven storytelling. The platform reports that 75% of decision‑makers view thought‑leadership pieces as more trustworthy than traditional product materials. Employee advocacy amplifies reach, with staff...
Arc’teryx Brings on Tommy Hilfiger Vet as First Chief Brand Officer
Arc’teryx has appointed Avery Baker, a former Tommy Hilfiger chief brand officer, as its first chief brand officer. Baker will oversee global brand strategy, marketing, communications and a new consumer‑experience team, reporting to CEO Stuart Haselden. The move coincides with the...
Machines Are Your Content’s New Audience
The episode explores how AI is reshaping content creation and consumption, introducing the new Business‑to‑Agent (B2A) model alongside B2B and B2C. It highlights that while many firms adopt generative AI, legacy workflows and siloed repositories limit impact, leading to wasteful,...
Clutch Play: Advance Auto Parts Shifts New Loyalty Program Into Gear
Advance Auto Parts has introduced a three‑tier Advance Rewards loyalty program, replacing its Speed Perks scheme. The free‑to‑join tiers—1st Gear, 2nd Gear and Top Gear—award five to ten points per dollar and allow members to stack up to $100 in...
Introducing the Agentic Customer Platform
HubSpot unveils the Agentic Customer Platform, a unified system that embeds business context into AI agents to bridge the gap between AI output and real‑world results. The platform layers a Smart CRM that aggregates structured records, unstructured communications, and industry...
Best SMS Marketing Company and Provider Guide: Choosing a Reliable, Efficient, and Affordable Global Two-Way SMS Marketing Platform
Businesses across e‑commerce and finance rely on global SMS marketing platforms to deliver timely notifications, verification codes, and interactive messages. The guide evaluates providers on reliability, two‑way capability, true global coverage, operational efficiency, and scalable affordability, highlighting ITNIO TECH as the...
Why Buyers Buy: Books for Marketers
The article curates a list of must‑read marketing books that blend academic rigor with practical tactics, covering consumer psychology, digital advertising, first‑party data, emotional targeting, and behavioral economics. Titles such as Gareth J. Harvey’s *Applied Consumer Psychology* and Lisa L....
Basware Appoints Chief Marketing Officer
Basware announced the appointment of Kira Mondrus as its new Chief Marketing Officer, joining the executive team reporting to CEO Jason Kurtz. Mondrus brings over 20 years of B2B technology marketing experience, most recently scaling Tricentis from $13 million to more than $500 million in...
Privy Acquires Sendlane to Strengthen Its Position as an Ecommerce Growth Platform
Privy announced the acquisition of Sendlane, an email and SMS marketing platform, to strengthen its unified ecommerce growth solution. The deal follows Privy’s 2023 purchase of Emotive and builds on a client base of more than 6,000 brands. Privy reports...
Google: Search Algorithms, Spam Detections & Policies Don't Fundamentally Change With AI Search
Google’s John Mueller told the SEO community that the rise of AI‑driven search does not fundamentally alter the core ranking algorithms, spam‑detection systems, or policy framework that have long governed Google Search. He emphasized that while the web is constantly...