Digital Marketing News and Headlines

How Schools Can Keep up as AI Changes College Search
NewsMar 6, 2026

How Schools Can Keep up as AI Changes College Search

Nearly 80% of prospective students now rely on Google’s AI-generated overviews for degree information, often bypassing university websites entirely. This shift forces colleges to rethink digital visibility, ensuring that AI tools surface accurate, institution‑specific data. Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) and...

By University Business
Introducing London: The AI Agent Rebuilding Influencer Marketing
NewsMar 6, 2026

Introducing London: The AI Agent Rebuilding Influencer Marketing

Creator.co unveiled London, an AI‑powered influencer marketing agent built directly into its platform. The tool automates three core execution steps—brief generation, creator matching, and personalized outreach—using a database of over 400 million influencer profiles and a community of 270 k creators. By...

By Influencer Marketing Hub
Week in Review: BBC Mulls Opening Up iPlayer to Other PSBs, Video Leads Digital Ad Growth in the UK, and...
NewsMar 6, 2026

Week in Review: BBC Mulls Opening Up iPlayer to Other PSBs, Video Leads Digital Ad Growth in the UK, and...

The BBC warned that declining licence‑fee revenue and rising streaming competition threaten its funding model, and proposed opening iPlayer to other public‑service broadcasters while keeping BBC content ad‑free. Meanwhile, UK digital video advertising grew 20 % to £9.3 billion, now accounting for...

By VideoWeek (UK/Europe)
Why Unleashed Brands Tapped VaynerX to Pump up Social Media Marketing
NewsMar 6, 2026

Why Unleashed Brands Tapped VaynerX to Pump up Social Media Marketing

Unleashed Brands, the youth‑enrichment operator behind Urban Air Adventure Parks, appointed former Burger King CMO Pat O’Toole as chief marketer and enlisted VaynerX to overhaul its social media strategy. Moving away from a purely lower‑funnel, conversion‑heavy approach, the partnership launched...

By Marketing Dive
Influencer Pay Lacks Transparency: Here’s What the Numbers Say
NewsMar 6, 2026

Influencer Pay Lacks Transparency: Here’s What the Numbers Say

Marketers are increasingly splitting influencer efforts between in‑house teams and agencies, with 52% adopting a hybrid approach and 16% moving fully in‑house. Only 25% of agencies tie compensation to key performance indicators, and just 51% of marketers have full visibility...

By Marketing Dive
Bing With Asian Owned Labels On Microsoft Ads
NewsMar 6, 2026

Bing With Asian Owned Labels On Microsoft Ads

Microsoft Advertising introduced Asian‑owned labels for search ads on Bing, mirroring a similar feature on Google. A recent X post by Khushal Bherwani captured an ad for Amazon displaying the Asian‑owned badge, which appears to be a labeling error. The...

By Search Engine Roundtable
Google Local Service Ads Won't Credit Calls For Existing Clients (Not Lead)
NewsMar 6, 2026

Google Local Service Ads Won't Credit Calls For Existing Clients (Not Lead)

Google Local Service Ads (LSA) charged a $400 fee for a call that originated from an existing client, not a new lead. Despite confirming the call’s source, Google refused to refund the charge, highlighting a flaw in the platform’s auto‑credit...

By Search Engine Roundtable
How Affina Partners Promotes Benchmarks for Premium Growth
NewsMar 6, 2026

How Affina Partners Promotes Benchmarks for Premium Growth

Affina Partners has positioned itself as a premium‑focused affiliate program, leveraging immersive storytelling and high‑end animation to elevate brands like iGaming newcomer Millioner. The network operates on a semi‑closed registration model that favors quality traffic, offering affiliates personal managers and...

By AffiliateINSIDER
What Are Secondary Keywords? (And How to Use Them)
NewsMar 6, 2026

What Are Secondary Keywords? (And How to Use Them)

Secondary keywords are related search terms that support a page’s primary keyword, allowing a single article to rank for dozens or hundreds of variations. The guide explains how these terms differ from long‑tail and LSI keywords and why the average...

By Ahrefs Blog
AI Max Brand Controls Expand, VRC Non-Skip Ads Go Global – PPC Pulse via @Sejournal, @Brookeosmundson
NewsMar 6, 2026

AI Max Brand Controls Expand, VRC Non-Skip Ads Go Global – PPC Pulse via @Sejournal, @Brookeosmundson

Google has broadened its AI Max text‑guidelines beta to all advertisers worldwide, letting brands set natural‑language guardrails for AI‑generated search and Performance Max copy. At the same time, Video Reach Campaign non‑skippable ads are now generally available globally, offering automated delivery of...

By Search Engine Journal
Google Says Disavow Links If You’re Conflicted And Need To Be Sure via @Sejournal, @Martinibuster
NewsMar 6, 2026

Google Says Disavow Links If You’re Conflicted And Need To Be Sure via @Sejournal, @Martinibuster

Google’s John Mueller told SEJ that using the Disavow Tool is acceptable when SEOs feel uneasy about questionable links. He explained that many spam redirects use tracking URLs, JavaScript rewrites, or link wrappers, which often result in no actual backlink...

By Search Engine Journal
John Lewis Enlists Daisy May Cooper to Highlight What Mums Want for Mother’s Day
NewsMar 6, 2026

John Lewis Enlists Daisy May Cooper to Highlight What Mums Want for Mother’s Day

John Lewis has teamed up with actress Daisy May Cooper for its Mother’s Day social campaign, developed by Saatchi & Saatchi. The initiative spotlights what mums truly want, moving beyond conventional gift tropes. Launched across digital channels, the content aims...

By Campaign UK
SHEIN’s U.S. Influencer Marketing Director on the Secret to Partnerships
NewsMar 6, 2026

SHEIN’s U.S. Influencer Marketing Director on the Secret to Partnerships

SHEIN’s U.S. influencer marketing director Jennifer Brown explains that rapid agility, authentic creator collaboration, and aligning cultural moments with brand purpose turn influencer partnerships into measurable business results. She cites successful campaigns with Cardi B, Normani’s debut fashion line, and a...

By PR Daily (Ragan)
That’s What Studies Are For
NewsMar 6, 2026

That’s What Studies Are For

The article argues that the right question when proposing a study is not whether it will work, but whether the problem merits solving, the cost is justified, and the risk is manageable. It outlines four practical criteria—problem relevance, reasonable expense,...

By Seth’s Blog
Aspire Launches Updated Creator Portal to Improve Brand–Creator Matching
NewsMar 6, 2026

Aspire Launches Updated Creator Portal to Improve Brand–Creator Matching

Aspire has unveiled a redesigned Creator Portal that adds a structured profile system, multi‑profile management, and agency‑friendly controls. The update surfaces creators' rate expectations, preferred campaign formats, and collaboration history, letting brands assess fit earlier. New authentication options such as...

By Influencer Marketing Hub
WHOOP Selects Viant as Strategic Ad Platform
NewsMar 6, 2026

WHOOP Selects Viant as Strategic Ad Platform

Viant Technology announced a multi‑year strategic partnership to serve as the DSP of record for WHOOP’s connected‑TV advertising. The collaboration will enable household‑level CTV activation, linking media exposure directly to measurable business outcomes. Viant’s AI‑powered, transparent programmatic platform will provide...

By MarTech Series
Inside Life360’s Plan To Build An Ad Platform On Top Of Nativo
NewsMar 6, 2026

Inside Life360’s Plan To Build An Ad Platform On Top Of Nativo

Life360 has accelerated its entry into advertising by acquiring Fantix’s AI‑driven ad unit and the native‑ad platform Nativo for $120 million. Nativo generated $63 million in revenue in 2023, and its white‑label ad server now powers Life360’s family‑focused ad stack. The combined...

By Multichannel Merchant
One in Five Australians Have Bought a Big-Ticket Item on Social Media
NewsMar 6, 2026

One in Five Australians Have Bought a Big-Ticket Item on Social Media

A Finder survey of 1,003 Australians reveals that one in five have purchased a big‑ticket item—such as cars, holidays, artwork or even a house—through social platforms like TikTok, Instagram or Facebook Marketplace. The study estimates roughly 4.4 million people were influenced...

By Inside Retail Australia
Urbanrise Launches “Welcome to the Celebrity Life” Campaign for Whispers of Sky
NewsMar 6, 2026

Urbanrise Launches “Welcome to the Celebrity Life” Campaign for Whispers of Sky

Urbanrise, a leading South Indian developer, unveiled the “Welcome to the Celebrity Life” advertising campaign for its new luxury project Whispers of Sky in Chennai. The campaign, created by Dentsu Creative, stars designer Gauri Khan in two films directed by...

By Campaign Brief Asia
PregaNews Film Encourages Conversations Around Postpartum Depression This Women’s Day
NewsMar 6, 2026

PregaNews Film Encourages Conversations Around Postpartum Depression This Women’s Day

India’s leading pregnancy detection brand PregaNews has launched a digital film ahead of International Women’s Day to spark open conversations about postpartum depression. The short film highlights how many new mothers silently endure emotional and physical strain, normalising these challenges...

By Campaign Brief Asia
Retail and Grocery Brands Dominate ChatGPT Ads
NewsMar 5, 2026

Retail and Grocery Brands Dominate ChatGPT Ads

OpenAI’s ChatGPT has entered its fourth week of serving contextual ads, with Sensor Tower reporting that retail and grocery promotions dominate the ad inventory. Over a two‑week sample, more than 100 distinct brand ads appeared, outpacing other categories such as...

By Social Media Today
Inside ‘AutoBait’: DoubleVerify Exposes AI Slop Factory Sucking Ad Budgets
NewsMar 5, 2026

Inside ‘AutoBait’: DoubleVerify Exposes AI Slop Factory Sucking Ad Budgets

DoubleVerify’s Fraud Lab has uncovered AutoBait, a coordinated network of more than 200 AI‑generated lifestyle sites that churn out clickbait articles and hyper‑realistic images to harvest advertising revenue. The operation delivers tens of millions of ad impressions each month, with...

By Mediaweek (Australia)
TikTok Ad Campaigns Drive Movie Ticket Purchases
NewsMar 5, 2026

TikTok Ad Campaigns Drive Movie Ticket Purchases

TikTok released data, in partnership with measurement firm Samba, linking ad exposure to real‑world movie ticket purchases across 38 U.S. campaigns from early 2023 to mid‑2025. The analysis shows a median 172% lift in purchase rates for exposed audiences, with...

By Social Media Today
How to Run an Instagram Account Performance Review that Actually Leads to Growth
NewsMar 5, 2026

How to Run an Instagram Account Performance Review that Actually Leads to Growth

Most Instagram monthly reports focus on vanity metrics like reach and follower count, which do not drive growth. The article proposes a five‑step performance review that centers on actionable signals such as saves‑to‑reach ratio, profile visits, and story completion. Using...

By Later Blog
What SMEC’s Data Reveals About AI Max Performance via @Sejournal, @Brookeosmundson
NewsMar 5, 2026

What SMEC’s Data Reveals About AI Max Performance via @Sejournal, @Brookeosmundson

Smarter Ecommerce (SMEC) examined over 250 e‑commerce Search campaigns that used Google’s AI Max feature. The study found a median 13% lift in conversion value but a 16% rise in cost per acquisition, indicating higher revenue at a higher price....

By Search Engine Journal
Konodrac Launches Smart TV Self-Promotion Platform
NewsMar 5, 2026

Konodrac Launches Smart TV Self-Promotion Platform

Spanish tech firm Konodrac has introduced Smart Self-Promotions, an automated platform that turns traditional TV self-promotion into data-driven campaigns for linear, HbbTV and OTT environments. The solution leverages census-level audience data to segment viewers, deliver interactive calls-to-action, and provide full-funnel...

By Broadband TV News
Ex-Comscore Innovation Head Resurfaces At Tenetic
NewsMar 5, 2026

Ex-Comscore Innovation Head Resurfaces At Tenetic

Tenetic, an AI‑powered insights platform for advertising buyers and sellers, announced the hiring of former Comscore innovation head David Algranati as Chief Research and Production Officer. Algranati is known for leading initiatives aimed at attracting Nielsen’s customers. The move is...

By Radio & TV Business Report (RBR+TVBR)
How Brands Are Measuring Value Across the Entire Customer Journey
NewsMar 5, 2026

How Brands Are Measuring Value Across the Entire Customer Journey

Advertisers struggle to monetize brand‑building efforts, with only 53% confident in ROI measurement. Amazon Ads introduced Long‑Term Sales (LTS), a metric that assigns monetary value to shopper actions across the full journey using its authenticated identity graph. LTS combines short‑term...

By Digiday
Mistplay Launches Playtime Events to Deepen Engagement in Rewarded Ads
NewsMar 5, 2026

Mistplay Launches Playtime Events to Deepen Engagement in Rewarded Ads

Mistplay has introduced Playtime Events, a hybrid reward system that blends time‑based incentives with event‑driven milestones to extend mobile gameplay sessions. Early testing in North America showed a 30% increase in average playtime and a 20% lift in D30 return...

By PocketGamer.biz
Will The Trade Desk Right-Size Its Margins?
NewsMar 5, 2026

Will The Trade Desk Right-Size Its Margins?

The Trade Desk faces criticism for a complex, opaque fee structure that includes platform, data, and bid‑shading charges. Consultant Sarah Caputo argues the DSP should lower its take rate and simplify fees, especially the double‑digit bid‑shading fee on savings. Recent...

By AdExchanger
Domino’s Redefines Celebrity Meals in Social-First Campaign
NewsMar 5, 2026

Domino’s Redefines Celebrity Meals in Social-First Campaign

Domino’s is rolling out a social‑first campaign that showcases influencer‑crafted pizza combos ahead of March Madness, promoting its under‑$10 “Best Deal Ever.” The initiative pairs creators like Jesser, Trisha Paytas and Courtney Cook with college basketball players, and includes a partnership with...

By Marketing Dive
The Next Phase of Search: AI SEO Playbook for 2026 and Beyond
NewsMar 5, 2026

The Next Phase of Search: AI SEO Playbook for 2026 and Beyond

Search is shifting from clicks to AI‑generated answers, with Google’s AI Overviews delivering roughly 49% more impressions while click‑through rates fall about 30%. Assistants such as ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity cite only ~1% of listed sources, favoring high‑trust domains like...

By SurferSEO
Mobile Games Host Three Times More Malicious Ads than Other Apps Says AppHarbr
NewsMar 5, 2026

Mobile Games Host Three Times More Malicious Ads than Other Apps Says AppHarbr

AppHarbr’s in‑app network quality index reveals that mobile games display malicious ads at a rate of 58 per 165 ads, nearly three times the frequency seen in non‑gaming apps. The report links weaker ad‑quality controls and formats such as rewarded...

By PocketGamer.biz
Original Content on Social: Harder to Find, but More Important for Brands to Nail
NewsMar 5, 2026

Original Content on Social: Harder to Find, but More Important for Brands to Nail

A new Sprout Social report shows just 56% of social users think brands deliver truly original content. Meanwhile, about one‑third find trend‑jacking embarrassing and only 27% consider it effective if executed within 48 hours. Marketers are prioritizing AI‑generated assets, yet...

By Sprout Social Insights
12 Best Rank Tracker Tools I've Tested
NewsMar 5, 2026

12 Best Rank Tracker Tools I've Tested

Rank tracker tools monitor keyword positions across search engines, offering daily updates, SERP‑feature insights, and competitor analysis. The article reviews twelve leading solutions—from Surfer and Ahrefs to Nightwatch and AccuRanker—highlighting each platform’s unique capabilities such as local‑level tracking, AI‑driven overviews,...

By SurferSEO
The Verified Source Pack Agents Trust First via @Sejournal, @DuaneForrester
NewsMar 5, 2026

The Verified Source Pack Agents Trust First via @Sejournal, @DuaneForrester

The article introduces the Verified Source Pack (VSP) as a new infrastructure layer that delivers machine‑readable, authoritative truth for AI agents. It outlines four core components—content, structure, provenance, and discoverability—and explains how VSPs complement existing pages and schema. The piece...

By Search Engine Journal
Guideline Launches Media Plan Management MCP Server, Enabling Agentic AI Workflows Across Media Planning & Buying
NewsMar 5, 2026

Guideline Launches Media Plan Management MCP Server, Enabling Agentic AI Workflows Across Media Planning & Buying

Guideline launched its Media Plan Management MCP Server, allowing agencies and advertisers to link any MCP‑compatible AI agent—such as Claude or ChatGPT—to its media planning platform. Built on the open Model Context Protocol, the server provides a plug‑and‑play, read‑only connection...

By MarTech Series
PulsePoint Scales HCP Omnichannel Offering with Reddit Integration
NewsMar 5, 2026

PulsePoint Scales HCP Omnichannel Offering with Reddit Integration

PulsePoint announced an integration that lets healthcare marketers activate its proprietary HCP audience segments directly on Reddit. The self‑serve capability joins PulsePoint’s broader omnichannel ecosystem, enabling coordinated campaigns across social, programmatic display, EHR, DOOH and more. Marketers gain NPI‑level measurement...

By MarTech Series
Gaming Marketing Consultancy Open World Acquires Influencer Platform Drope.me to Scale Creator Campaigns
NewsMar 5, 2026

Gaming Marketing Consultancy Open World Acquires Influencer Platform Drope.me to Scale Creator Campaigns

Open World, the marketing consultancy division of Loaded Holdings, has acquired influencer platform Drope.me to add automation and performance‑tracking tools to its gaming creator campaigns. The acquisition enables Open World to scale activations from dozens to thousands of creators simultaneously....

By Net Influencer
Men’s Wearhouse Grows Its Audience Through A Campaign Run Solely On Digital Audio
NewsMar 5, 2026

Men’s Wearhouse Grows Its Audience Through A Campaign Run Solely On Digital Audio

Men’s Wearhouse partnered with Ovation Group and The Trade Desk’s Kokai platform to run an audio‑only campaign from March to June 2025 across Spotify, iHeart, Acast and Pandora. The effort, aimed at younger, digitally‑first men, leveraged Ovation’s EMRge marketing intelligence...

By Multichannel Merchant
Men’s Wearhouse Grows Its Audience Through A Campaign Run Solely On Digital Audio
NewsMar 5, 2026

Men’s Wearhouse Grows Its Audience Through A Campaign Run Solely On Digital Audio

Men’s Wearhouse partnered with Ovative Group and The Trade Desk’s Kokai platform to run an audio‑only campaign across Spotify, iHeart, Acast and Pandora from March to June 2025. The campaign, aimed at younger “Stylish Steve” and older “Professional Paul” men,...

By AdExchanger
Brand Buzz: Social Highlights From McDonald's, Aldi, Guinness and More
NewsMar 5, 2026

Brand Buzz: Social Highlights From McDonald's, Aldi, Guinness and More

Campaign’s Brand Buzz roundup highlights how major brands used social media last month to drive conversation and sales. McDonald’s launched a limited‑time menu item on TikTok, sparking viral user videos. Aldi promoted its new eco‑friendly packaging through Instagram Stories, while...

By Campaign UK
Thrad Joins AgenticAdvertising.org as Founding Member
NewsMar 5, 2026

Thrad Joins AgenticAdvertising.org as Founding Member

Thrad, a leading AI advertising infrastructure provider, announced its entry as a founding member of AgenticAdvertising.org (AAO), an initiative to develop open standards for AI‑powered ads through the Ad Context Protocol. The move comes amid OpenAI’s launch of a high‑cost,...

By ExchangeWire
Lumen Launches New Attention Measurement Solution for Advertisers with Netflix
NewsMar 5, 2026

Lumen Launches New Attention Measurement Solution for Advertisers with Netflix

Lumen Research has teamed up with Netflix to launch an attention‑measurement solution that tracks how viewers engage with ads across Netflix’s ad‑supported CTV, desktop, and mobile platforms. The offering is initially available to advertisers in the UK, Germany, France, Italy,...

By ExchangeWire
Zink Talent: Samantha Zink’s Strategy for Developing Long-Term Creator-Brand Partnerships
NewsMar 5, 2026

Zink Talent: Samantha Zink’s Strategy for Developing Long-Term Creator-Brand Partnerships

Zink Talent, founded in 2018 by former fashion PR executive Samantha Zink, now manages about 70 creators across beauty, skincare, fashion and lifestyle. The agency has shifted its roster criteria from raw follower counts to engagement, consistency and business discipline,...

By Net Influencer
Comscore and Yahoo DSP Partner to Advance CTV Political Advertising with Proximic Political Audiences
NewsMar 5, 2026

Comscore and Yahoo DSP Partner to Advance CTV Political Advertising with Proximic Political Audiences

Comscore and Yahoo DSP have launched Proximic Political Audiences, a first‑to‑market solution that merges linear TV exposure data with Connected TV (CTV) targeting for political advertising. The partnership leverages Comscore’s local market measurement, Proximic’s activation platform, and Yahoo’s programmatic inventory...

By MarTech Series
EXTE Joins Forces with HUMAN Security to  Protect Ad Inventory Quality & Integrity
NewsMar 5, 2026

EXTE Joins Forces with HUMAN Security to  Protect Ad Inventory Quality & Integrity

EXTE announced a strategic integration with HUMAN Security, embedding the MediaGuard Ad Fraud Defence solution into its programmatic platform. The joint offering combines pre‑bid mitigation and post‑bid reporting to verify impressions, block bots, and curb invalid traffic in real time....

By ExchangeWire
10 Steps To Develop A Content Strategy
NewsMar 5, 2026

10 Steps To Develop A Content Strategy

The article outlines a ten‑step framework for building a data‑driven content strategy that aligns with business objectives and audience needs. It emphasizes defining SMART goals, deep audience research, competitor audits, and selecting the right content formats. Distribution, repurposing, and a...

By SurferSEO
The Wires 2026: What Makes an Award-Winning Entry?
NewsMar 5, 2026

The Wires 2026: What Makes an Award-Winning Entry?

ExchangeWire’s The Wires 2026 marks a decade of ad‑tech awards and unveils a globally diverse judging panel spanning EMEA, APAC, MENA and the US. Judges from brands, agencies and publishers emphasize consumer‑centric insight, AI‑driven measurement, and clear ROI as hallmarks...

By ExchangeWire