News•Feb 26, 2026
Google Nano Banana 2 Promises Smarter, Faster Image Generation
Google DeepMind unveiled Nano Banana 2, the Gemini 3.1 Flash Image model that blends the intelligence of Nano Banana Pro with the lightning speed of Gemini Flash. The new model adds real‑time web grounding, sharper visual fidelity, and production‑ready outputs ranging from 512 px to 4K. It also improves in‑image text rendering, multi‑layered prompt handling, and maintains consistency across multiple characters and objects. Nano Banana 2 is being rolled out across Google Ads, the Gemini app, Search AI Mode, Lens and other Google services.
By Search Engine Land
News•Feb 26, 2026
Podcast Advertising Projected to $1B/Year by 2029 (EMARKETER)
A new eMarketer survey of 100 U.S. marketers shows digital audio advertising is gaining traction, with 67% of respondents already allocating budget to the channel. While only 25% plan to increase spend within the next year, 83% view incremental reach...
By RAIN News
News•Feb 26, 2026
COMvergence: 2025 Marcom M&A Volume Grew Slightly
Marcom M&A activity in 2025 edged higher to 55 deals, reflecting a modest rise from 2024 but still far below the 2016 peak. The sector’s focus has shifted from expansion‑driven roll‑ups to infrastructure‑led consolidation centered on AI, cloud, and data...
By MediaPost
News•Feb 26, 2026
Walmart's Advertising Revenue Is Outpacing Amazon's
Walmart’s advertising business surged 46% to $6.4 billion in FY26, outpacing Amazon’s 22% rise to $68.6 billion. The dollar gap narrowed from roughly 15:1 to 11:1, though it remains sizable. Growth figures include the VIZIO acquisition, while Walmart Connect – the core...
By Marketplace Pulse
News•Feb 26, 2026
This March 23, We’ll Be Introducing the Gemini Advantage in Google Marketing Platform.
Google Marketing Platform announced the "Gemini advantage" at NewFront on March 23, showcasing AI‑powered Gemini models across its entire suite. The rollout promises deeper visibility into the consumer journey, real‑time data activation, and reduced fragmentation for advertisers. Leading brands will demonstrate...
By Google Analytics Blog
News•Feb 26, 2026
Publisher Advertising Alliance Teams up with Microsoft Ad-Buying Platform
Ozone, a coalition of more than 500 UK and US publishers, has secured its first deal to list inventory on Microsoft’s Media Marketplace, exposing over 200 million monthly users to programmatic buyers. The integration leverages Ozone’s first‑party reader data, promising more...
By Press Gazette
News•Feb 26, 2026
How to Monitor Brand Mentions in ChatGPT
ChatGPT now influences buying decisions but offers no native analytics, forcing brands to devise a dedicated monitoring strategy. Mentions appear either from the model’s training corpus or real‑time Retrieval‑Augmented Generation searches. The guide outlines a quick manual audit using targeted...
By Ahrefs Blog
News•Feb 26, 2026
ChatGPT Ecommerce Traffic Converts 31% Higher than Non-Branded Organic Search
Visibility Labs analyzed 94 ecommerce sites in 2025 and found that traffic referred from ChatGPT converted at a 1.81% rate, 31% higher than non‑branded organic search. While ChatGPT visits surged 1,079% over the year, they accounted for only 1.48% of...
By Search Engine Land
News•Feb 26, 2026
Why Deep Analysis Is Essential for Influencer Marketing Governance
Influencer marketing budgets are set to surge, with 72% of marketers expecting over a 50% increase in 2026. This rapid expansion brings heightened scrutiny from finance, procurement and leadership, especially around audience authenticity, which 56% cite as their top risk....
By Influencer Marketing Hub
News•Feb 26, 2026
Meta Andromeda Update Explained: How Meta Ads Work Now
Meta’s Andromeda overhaul replaces the legacy ad‑retrieval layer with a unified deep‑learning system, reshaping which ads enter the auction on Facebook and Instagram. The change was driven by exploding creative volume, the rise of Advantage+ automation, and the limits of...
By Influencer Marketing Hub
News•Feb 26, 2026
When Google Is No Longer A Verb: Search Becoming Infrastructure via @Sejournal, @DuaneForrester
The article argues that traditional keyword‑based search is being eclipsed by AI‑driven personal agents that handle the entire decision‑making workflow. As conversational interfaces reach massive scale, users shift from typing queries to delegating outcomes, turning the search loop into a...
By Search Engine Journal
News•Feb 26, 2026
Heineken Recruits New Chief to Build ‘Digital Backbone’
Heineken has named Romain Apert, former Mars Petcare CIO, as its new chief data and technology officer, effective May. Apert succeeds Ronald den Elzen, who is stepping down after a 31‑year tenure that saw the launch of a “best‑connected brewer”...
By DecisionMarketing
News•Feb 26, 2026
We’re Expanding Beta Access to Text Guidelines for All Advertisers Globally in AI Max.
Google is rolling out beta access to text guidelines for all advertisers worldwide within its AI Max platform, covering both Search and Performance Max campaigns. The feature now supports every language and industry vertical, letting marketers define prohibited terms or...
By Google Analytics Blog
News•Feb 26, 2026
Google Opens 'Text Guidelines' To More Advertisers
Google is expanding its AI‑driven "text guidelines" feature to all AI Max and Performance Max advertisers in a global beta. The tool lets brands specify terms or concepts to include or exclude, ensuring AI‑generated headlines and descriptions stay on‑brand, tone‑appropriate,...
By MediaPost
News•Feb 26, 2026
Google Expands AI Max Text Guidelines Globally
Google has opened beta access to AI Max text guidelines for all advertisers worldwide, covering Search and Performance Max campaigns. The new feature supports every language and industry vertical, letting marketers steer AI‑generated ad copy with plain‑language instructions. Brands can...
By Search Engine Land
News•Feb 26, 2026
How to Create an Effective Instagram Sales Funnel
Instagram is evolving from a visual showcase into a platform‑native sales engine, replacing traditional landing‑page funnels with content‑driven conversations. Brands move prospects from Reels‑based discovery through interactive Stories and comments into direct‑message (DM) dialogues that close sales without leaving the...
By Influencer Marketing Hub
News•Feb 26, 2026
What to Know When Marketers Compare Free vs Paid UGC Video Creation Tools
User‑generated content (UGC) video has become a cornerstone of social and performance marketing, offering authentic, creator‑style creatives for paid ads and testing. Marketers must decide whether free editing tools or paid platforms best support the volume, speed, and brand control...
By Influencer Marketing Hub
News•Feb 26, 2026
Google Circle to Search Looks At The Whole Image
Google announced a major upgrade to its Circle to Search feature, enabling the tool to analyze an entire image rather than just the circled portion. Powered by Gemini 3’s multi‑object recognition and visual query fan‑out, the system automatically crops and searches...
By Search Engine Roundtable
News•Feb 26, 2026
Google Ads API Version 23.1 Now Available
Google has launched version 23.1 of the Google Ads API, introducing enhancements across account management, campaigns, conversions, incentives, planning, reporting, and a new YouTubeVideoUpload service. The update adds EU political advertising declaration fields, AI‑driven text‑guidelines for Performance Max and Search campaigns,...
By Search Engine Roundtable
News•Feb 26, 2026
Microsoft Updates Bing Webmaster Guidelines (A Bit)
Microsoft has refreshed the Bing Webmaster Guidelines, updating the page design to match the new Bing Webmaster Tools interface. The most notable textual change adds references to Bing’s AI-driven Copilot and grounding API results. While the revisions are largely cosmetic,...
By Search Engine Roundtable
News•Feb 26, 2026
Google Post Recurring Scheduling Coming
Google announced that its Business Profile platform will soon support recurring scheduling for Google Posts, enabling businesses to set a post to repeat on a defined cadence. The feature, revealed by product manager Mike Gnagy during a live workshop, builds...
By Search Engine Roundtable
News•Feb 26, 2026
Complaints Soar but ICO Insists ‘We Won’t React to Noise’
Information Commissioner John Edwards warned that ICO complaints could hit 75,000 by the end of FY 2025/26, nearly double the 40,000 logged in 2023/24. He defended the regulator’s selective enforcement approach, saying it will not chase every report to avoid...
By DecisionMarketing
News•Feb 26, 2026
CTV Is Defining the Future of Streaming Ads
Connected TVs now reach over 85% of U.S. households, with roughly 60% of Gen Z streaming on them, and have surpassed cable as the primary source of video consumption in 2025. Advertisers are shifting focus to CTV because it gathers the...
By Streaming Media
News•Feb 26, 2026
Agencies Using Open, AI-Driven Media Buying Are Outperforming the Market – AI Digital’s Open Garden Framework Animation Shows Exactly Why
AI Digital unveiled an animated explainer of its Open Garden Framework, highlighting how AI‑driven, open‑ecosystem media buying outperforms closed‑platform approaches. The data shows advertisers achieve 2.9‑times higher performance, 26% greater ROI, and make decisions 73% faster when leveraging predictive analytics...
By MarTech Series
News•Feb 26, 2026
Nestlé’s AI Push Brings New Marketing Tools Into Daily Workflows
Nestlé is embedding artificial intelligence across its marketing and sales functions by upgrading to SAP S/4HANA Cloud Private Edition, a platform now serving over 50,000 users in 112 countries. The rollout introduces SAP’s AI copilot, enabling automated insights and routine‑task...
By Marketing Tech News
News•Feb 26, 2026
EcoVista Evolves Brand to Sharpen Focus on Retail Media, DOOH and Stadia
EcoVista has launched a refreshed brand identity and website, sharpening its focus on three core verticals—Retail Media, Digital Out of Home (DOOH), and Venues & Stadia. Over the past year the company expanded its retail‑media projects, moving from pure installation...
By Retail Focus (UK)
News•Feb 26, 2026
AdPlayer.Pro Introduces New Results-Driven Features in Its Ad-Enabled Video Player
AdPlayer.Pro has rolled out new configuration capabilities for its ad‑enabled video player, targeting both instream and standalone video placements. The updates expand ad‑interval settings and aim to boost performance amid a market slowdown reported by over 40% of its users....
By ExchangeWire
News•Feb 26, 2026
Study: Addressable TV Delivers 3x Web Uplift vs Linear
Sky Media’s Addressable Advantage study of 2,400 campaigns shows addressable TV generates a 121% lift in aided ad recall and delivers three times more incremental web traffic than linear TV. The analysis, based on household‑level data from a five‑million‑home panel,...
By Advanced Television
News•Feb 26, 2026
How to Automatically Respond to Google Business Profile Reviews
The article explains how to build a Zapier workflow that uses OpenAI’s GPT‑4o to draft replies to new Google Business Profile reviews. By setting Google Business Profile as the trigger, feeding the review data into a ChatGPT prompt, and sending...
By Zapier – Blog
News•Feb 26, 2026
Klook Inks Osaka Tourism Partnership to Support Regional Growth
Klook has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Osaka Convention & Tourism Bureau to combine its digital platform and traveler data with OCTB’s local expertise. The partnership will deliver joint content, online promotions, data sharing and digital tools such...
By TTG Asia
News•Feb 26, 2026
Shiine Media Drives Rooftop Rideshare OOH Growth Across WA
Shiine Media, a Perth‑based rooftop rideshare OOH operator, is experiencing rising demand for its mobile digital inventory as advertisers target events and nightlife districts. The company runs 20 rideshare vehicles equipped with 40 programmable LED panels that can be geofenced...
By Mumbrella Australia
News•Feb 26, 2026
Meta Is Auto-Generating AI Ads for Its Advertisers, Causing Headaches for Image-Conscious Fashion Brands
Meta has begun automatically generating AI‑derived advertisements from brands' existing creative assets, inserting them into Facebook and Instagram feeds without explicit advertiser approval. The move aims to boost ad inventory and lower production costs, but early adopters like British tights...
By Glossy
News•Feb 26, 2026
Why Ruggable’s Lauren Sherman Is Focused on Resetting the Balance of Brand and Performance Marketing
Lauren Sherman, Ruggable’s chief marketing officer, is leading a deliberate reset that shifts focus from pure performance‑driven digital spend to brand‑centric initiatives. After seven months in the role, she aims to embed consumer‑led creative, real‑world activations, and designer collaborations into...
By Modern Retail
News•Feb 26, 2026
Coach Just Turned Storytelling Into a Fashion Statement
Coach’s Spring 2026 "Explore your story" campaign turns storytelling into a fashion platform, pairing a new book‑charm collection with the iconic Tabby bag. The initiative was co‑created with Gen Z communities across the U.S., China and beyond, and features ambassadors from film,...
By Marketing-Interactive
News•Feb 26, 2026
International PPC: Why Consistency Is So Hard To Maintain via @Sejournal, @Brookeosmundson
International pay‑per‑click (PPC) programs often stumble on consistency as agencies across regions diverge on creative assets, bidding tactics, and reporting formats. This fragmentation leads to brand dilution, inflated costs, and regulatory blind spots. Experts recommend a global brand playbook, centralized...
By Search Engine Journal
News•Feb 26, 2026
CTV Fueled Magnite’s Q4 Growth As Display Falters
Magnite reported Q4 revenue of $205 million, a 6% year‑over‑year increase, driven largely by its fast‑growing connected‑TV (CTV) segment. While the DV+ platform’s display revenue grew modestly 4% to $101.5 million, CTV revenue surged 32% to $93.6 million, representing 48% of the quarter’s...
By AdExchanger
News•Feb 26, 2026
Urban Ethos Appoints TRP For Brand Strategy, Creative & Media
Urban Ethos, the Australian design‑focused kitchenware brand, has engaged independent agency TRP to steer its brand strategy, creative development, and media planning. The partnership targets accelerated growth and heightened category recognition amid a crowded, competitive market. Urban Ethos emphasizes eco‑conscious...
By B&T (Australia)
News•Feb 26, 2026
‘Humour Is How We Connect With Customers’: Jetstar Boards MAFS Bandwagon
Jetstar tapped the popularity of Nine’s reality show Married At First Sight (MAFS) with a humor‑driven TikTok video that links the show’s drama to its flight offers. The clip uses AI‑generated dancing footage of a contestant in an orange star...
By B&T (Australia)
News•Feb 26, 2026
Skincare Brand QV Launches First Global Campaign ‘Skincare For Life’ via Those That Do
Australian skincare staple QV has launched its first ever global campaign, “Skincare for Life,” created by the Sydney‑based agency Those That Do. The multi‑platform effort will run across Australia, New Zealand, the Middle East, Southeast Asia and China, featuring TV, out‑of‑home,...
By Campaign Brief Asia
News•Feb 26, 2026
AMA with Krista Doyle on Reddit Best Practices
In a recent AMA, Reddit community strategist Krista Doyle shared actionable best‑practice guidelines for hosting successful Ask Me Anything sessions. She emphasized the importance of pre‑planning topics, crafting concise prompts, and leveraging Reddit’s moderation tools to maintain focus. Doyle also...
By Superpath
News•Feb 26, 2026
DoubleVerify Holdings Inc (DV) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
DoubleVerify reported a 15% year‑over‑year revenue increase to $657 million in 2024, driven by double‑digit growth across measurement, activation and a 25% surge in supply‑side revenue. The company recorded a record $8.3 trillion in billable media transactions and delivered a 33% adjusted...
By Motley Fool – Earnings Transcripts
News•Feb 26, 2026
PubMatic Inc (PUBM) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
PubMatic reported a 9% year‑over‑year revenue increase for 2024, with underlying Q4 growth of 16% after excluding a DSP‑related headwind and political ad boost. CTV surged to 20% of quarterly revenue, more than doubling its share, while adjusted EBITDA margin...
By Motley Fool – Earnings Transcripts
News•Feb 26, 2026
Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings Inc (CCO) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
Clear Channel Outdoor reported fourth‑quarter 2020 revenue of $541 million, a 27% year‑over‑year decline, but showed sequential improvement in the Americas. The company added 74 digital billboards in Q4, bringing its U.S. digital inventory to over 1,400 screens, and expanded programmatic...
By Motley Fool – Earnings Transcripts
News•Feb 26, 2026
Gushwork Bets on AI Search for Customer Leads — and Early Results Are Emerging
Gushwork, an India‑founded startup, closed a $9 million seed round that values it at $33 million post‑money. The company’s AI‑driven platform creates search‑optimized content, builds backlinks, and tracks leads to help businesses appear in AI‑powered search results such as ChatGPT and Gemini....
By TechCrunch AI
News•Feb 25, 2026
TikTok Releases Its 2026 Discover List
TikTok unveiled its 2026 Discover List, highlighting 50 creators across five categories—Educators, Foodies, Icons, Innovators, and Originators. Selections were based on video volume, account growth, engagement, and social impact. The program adds extra training and direct TikTok support for the...
By Social Media Today
News•Feb 25, 2026
How to Roll Out a Successful Rebrand on Social Media
The article outlines a step‑by‑step framework for launching a social‑media rebrand, emphasizing internal alignment before any public post. It advises a comprehensive audit of existing profiles, followed by a structured content arc—teaser, reveal, and reinforcement—tailored to each platform. The guide...
By Later Blog
News•Feb 25, 2026
Gen Z Preference For TikTok Over Google Drops 50%, Data Shows via @Sejournal, @MattGSouthern
Adobe Express’s February 2026 survey of 807 U.S. consumers shows TikTok usage as a search tool rose to 49%, yet Gen Z’s preference for TikTok over Google fell from 8% in 2024 to just 4% today. Across all ages, 14% of...
By Search Engine Journal
News•Feb 25, 2026
6 Best Influencer Marketing Tools Built for Real Results in 2026
Influencer marketing has become a core growth channel in 2026, with budgets expanding and board‑level scrutiny demanding measurable ROI. The article outlines the three critical stages—discovery, campaign management, and performance measurement—and why integrated tools are essential to avoid manual inefficiencies....
By Later Blog
News•Feb 25, 2026
From Cart to Couch: How Retail Data Is Powering the Next Era of Premium Video
Retail data is now the backbone of outcome‑based CTV audiences, allowing brands to target known, competitive or lapsed shoppers on premium video platforms. Kroger Precision Marketing reports that campaigns built on its grocery‑derived audiences generate a median 5% lift in...
By Multichannel Merchant
News•Feb 25, 2026
Forget the Full Season: Why Gen Z Is Ghosting Traditional Sports Sponsorships for ‘Vibe-Check’ Marketing
Gen Z’s relationship with sport is shifting from season‑long sponsorships to moment‑driven, digital‑first engagement. A Pureprofile study of 1,004 Australian 18‑29‑year‑olds shows 83% interact with sport, yet only 42% attend live events, preferring high‑impact tentpole moments. Merchandise consumption focuses on...
By Mediaweek (Australia)