Coach Arrives at The Sims
Luxury fashion brand Coach announced a partnership with Electronic Arts’ The Sims franchise, introducing a line of virtual clothing, accessories, and home décor for players. The collection will be available for purchase through The Sims’ in‑game store, marking Coach’s first foray into digital fashion. By leveraging The Sims’ 30 million monthly active users, Coach aims to reach a younger, digitally native audience. The collaboration reflects a broader industry shift toward virtual goods and brand extensions within gaming ecosystems.
Twilio and AEG Bring Real-Time Personalization to Live Sports and Entertainment
Twilio has deepened its multi‑year partnership with AEG, extending its customer‑engagement platform to Crypto.com Arena, the LA Kings and the AXS ticketing system. The collaboration enables real‑time, data‑driven personalization of fan communications across SMS, email and in‑app channels. By integrating...
Instagram Tests Changing ‘Following’ Display to ‘Friends’
Instagram is piloting a profile redesign that swaps the traditional “Following” count with a “Friends” metric, showing only users who follow each other. The small‑scale test, confirmed by Instagram to Business Insider, aims to make reciprocal connections more visible. The...
How Foodology Is Accelerating Its US Growth Through TikTok Super Brand Day
Foodology, a Korean inner‑beauty brand, leveraged TikTok’s Super Brand Day to launch its Cutting Jelly in the United States. A Kylie Jenner mention sparked viral buzz, helping the product earn Amazon’s Best Seller badge and a 378% year‑over‑year revenue increase...
TikTok Adds More Control Options to Smart+ Campaigns
TikTok has upgraded its AI‑driven Smart+ campaigns with new creative‑selection and management tools. The Auto‑select feature scans existing ads and creator content to recommend top‑performing creatives automatically. Advertisers can now preview every possible creative combination in Ads Manager and use...
YouTube’s CEO Outlines Key Areas of Focus for 2026
YouTube CEO Neal Mohan unveiled the platform’s 2026 roadmap, emphasizing AI‑driven creator tools, new Shorts formats, and expanded commerce. Over one million channels already use YouTube’s AI suite daily, and the company will roll out AI‑generated Shorts, text‑prompt games, and...
What’s Actually Working in B2B SaaS Marketing in 2026
Enterprise B2B SaaS marketers in 2026 are abandoning the myth of a single magic channel and instead layering eight proven acquisition levers—retargeting, LinkedIn sponsored and thought‑leader ads, Meta lookalikes, Google search, high‑volume AI‑personalized cold email, systematic LinkedIn connections, and weekly...
Nick LeRoy Turns SEO Consulting Into Fundraiser for Minnesota Immigrant Support
SEO veteran Nick LeRoy converted his consulting platform into a fundraiser for Minnesota immigrant support, offering services in exchange for donations to the GiveMN charity. Within seven hours the campaign raised roughly $1,950, backed by prominent SEO agencies, SaaS firms,...
How Macy’s Media Network Navigates Complex ‘Coopetition’ with Amazon
Macy’s Media Network partnered with Amazon’s Retail Ad Service (RAS) in August, becoming the first major retailer to pilot the platform ahead of the holiday season. The collaboration has attracted over 175 new brands to Macy’s sponsored‑products offering and bolstered...
Same URL in AI Overviews and Blue Links Counts as One Google Search Console Impression
Google Search Console treats a URL that appears in both an AI Overview and the traditional blue‑link list as a single impression. John Mueller confirmed that the platform aggregates multiple appearances of the same URL on a SERP into one...
Small Business Marketing Predictions for 2026
Constant Contact’s 2025 Small Business Now survey highlights five marketing trends that will shape small‑business success in 2026. Email continues to deliver the highest engagement, even as only 41 % of owners view it as their primary channel. Social media is...
Channel99 Introduces AI-Driven Paid Search Optimization for B2B Marketers
Channel99 unveiled an AI‑driven Paid Search Optimization tool aimed at B2B marketers, shifting measurement from click‑based metrics to cost‑to‑engage target accounts. The platform scores keywords and ad groups by their ability to reach ideal customers, surfacing waste and recommending budget...
Zamora Books Into Motel for Premium Limoncello Brand
Spanish family-owned Zamora Company has appointed creative agency Motel to develop an integrated global campaign for its premium limoncello brand, Villa Massa. The partnership follows Zamora’s €2 million investment to double production capacity at its Sorrento plant, targeting expansion into the...
Guideline Strengthens Senior Leadership Team with Three Strategic Appointments
Guideline announced three senior leadership appointments: Steve Silvers as Chief Product Officer, Michael Laxineta as Senior Vice President of North American Data, and Vivian Herron as Senior Vice President of Sales for North America Brands and Agencies. The hires follow...
Instagram’s Top Boss Is Missing the Point About AI on the Platform
Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri warned that AI‑generated content will flood the platform and threaten authentic creator voices. He argues that authenticity will become “infinitely reproducible” and that labeling AI work will be harder than watermarking. The article counters that Instagram...
How to Turn Packaging Into a Revenue Driver (Not Just Another Cost)
Packaging is often seen as a cost, but the article shows it can be a revenue driver. By treating packaging like a marketing asset and measuring revenue per visitor, brands can justify higher spend when conversion lifts outweigh material costs....
Wix Introduces Harmony AI Website Builder via @Sejournal, @Martinibuster
Wix unveiled Harmony, an AI‑powered website builder that blends natural‑language prompts with its existing visual editor. The new platform, featuring the Aria AI agent, lets users generate pages, adjust designs, and add commerce features through simple commands. Harmony supports seamless...
Web Governance As A Growth Lever: Building A Center Of Excellence That Actually Works via @Sejournal, @Billhunt
Web governance is positioned as the missing link that turns digital strategy into measurable growth. The article outlines how a Center of Excellence (COE) built on guardrails, clarity, and evolution aligns leadership, tech, marketing, and data teams. It stresses that...
Lloyds Expands AI Training Scheme to Entire Workforce
Lloyds Banking Group will roll out AI training to its entire 67,000‑strong workforce over the next 12 months, aiming for 100% AI literacy as part of a £4 billion digital transformation agenda. The programme will deliver bite‑sized modules on ethical AI...
Using AI for Email Content: What Marketing Leaders Should Know
AI is becoming a staple in email marketing, but its success hinges on solid governance, high‑quality data, and strict consent management. Marketers must integrate AI with CRM systems, consolidate records, and ensure compliance before automating subject lines, copy, and calls‑to‑action....
International SEO in 2026: What Still Works, What No Longer Does, and Why
International SEO’s traditional playbook—country‑specific URLs, localized content, and hreflang—no longer guarantees visibility in 2026’s AI‑driven search landscape. AI models now prioritize semantic equivalence, entity clarity, and local authority before applying ranking signals, causing simple translations and page‑centric tactics to be...
Google Search Ranking Volatility Heated Again January 21
Google’s search algorithm exhibited renewed volatility on January 20‑21, following a previous spike reported on January 15. The fluctuations resurfaced after a brief lull over the weekend, causing noticeable position swings for many sites. Analysts observed that the volatility is...
Google Ads Still Not Coming To Gemini (Post ChatGPT Ads Announcement)
Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis confirmed at Davos that Google has no plans to introduce ads to its Gemini AI product, even as OpenAI announced upcoming ads in ChatGPT. The statement reiterates Google's December claim that Gemini will remain ad‑free,...
Google Adds "Answer Now" Button To Gemini App - If You Can't Wait...
Google has introduced an “Answer now” button in its Gemini app, allowing users to halt the model’s ongoing reasoning and receive an immediate reply. The shortcut leverages the Gemini 3 Flash model, which prioritizes speed over the more nuanced answers generated by...
Google Local Service Ads Verified Section Details
Google is trialing new verification fields in its Local Service Ads detail screen. The pilot adds “Passed License Check,” “Number of Recent Bookings,” “Passed Background Check,” and “Has Business Insurance.” The changes were first spotted by Anthony Higman, who posted...
Google Search Monopoly Appeal Legal Docs Mention Search Signals
Google has appealed the search‑monopoly ruling and filed affidavits arguing against court‑ordered data disclosures. The documents detail the proprietary signals—DocID mappings, crawl timestamps, spam scores, and device flags—that Google would have to share with qualified competitors. Google claims releasing this...
How Recommender Systems Like Google Discover May Work via @Sejournal, @Martinibuster
Google Discover operates as a large‑scale recommender system built on the Two‑Tower architecture originally devised for YouTube. The model creates separate embeddings for users—based on watch history, search tokens, location and demographics—and for content items, matching them via similarity scores...
TransAct Appoints Dana Loof as Chief Marketing Officer to Accelerate Growth and Platform Expansion
TransAct Technologies announced the appointment of Dana Loof as Chief Marketing Officer to steer its global marketing strategy and accelerate growth of its BOHA! platform and casino‑gaming solutions. Loof brings a 30‑year track record in high‑growth tech firms, including senior...
Consumer Text-Based Purchases on the Rise
In 2025, 65% of consumers completed purchases through brand text messages, marking the first time text messaging outpaced email for promotional offers in Vibes’ nine‑year study. The report also found 81% of respondents view RCS messaging as superior to SMS,...
Five Tanning Firms Scorched as ASA Turns up the Heat
The UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has banned five tanning‑related advertising campaigns after finding them to be misleading and irresponsible. The ads, from SunShine Co, Tanbox Towcester, The Sun Company, Tan & Deliver Home Hire Sunbeds and Byrokko, claimed sunbeds...
Liverpool FC Signs SAS to up the Club’s Marketing Game
Liverpool Football Club has signed a multi‑year global partnership with SAS, appointing the tech giant as its official AI marketing automation partner. The club will roll out SAS Customer Intelligence 360 and SAS Viya to power real‑time analytics, campaign management...
Identity Violation and Pricing
Seth Godin argues that pricing across industries is shaped more by cultural identity than pure economics. Creators view their work as cultural stewardship, leading to price norms that signal belonging rather than profit maximization. Dynamic pricing in concerts sparked moral...
![What Profitable Google Ads Look Like in 2026 [Webinar] via @Sejournal, @Hethr_campbell](/cdn-cgi/image/width=1200,quality=75,format=auto,fit=cover/https://cdn.searchenginejournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/3-529.png)
What Profitable Google Ads Look Like in 2026 [Webinar] via @Sejournal, @Hethr_campbell
DigiCom, a 2025 Inc. 5000‑listed ecommerce growth agency, hosted a webinar revealing how its $200 M+ Google Ads portfolio leverages Performance Max Smart Bidding in 2026. The session detailed account architecture, creative tactics, and profit‑driven frameworks that keep ROAS under control in...
Myer to Launch Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty Brands in Australia
Myer will introduce the complete Fenty Beauty portfolio—including Fenty Skin and the Australian retail debut of Fenty Eau de Parfum—across all stores and its e‑commerce platform starting in May. The rollout stems from a new partnership with Kendo Brands, the...
Comcast’s Universal Ads Appoints David Shaw as Head of Global Expansion to Oversee Platform’s International Rollout
Comcast’s Universal Ads has hired David Shaw, a veteran of Twitter, Snap, TikTok and Reddit, as Head of Global Expansion. Shaw will oversee the commercial rollout of the TV‑focused ad platform beyond the United States, beginning with a UK launch...
Why Beginning Boutique Collabed with ‘the Most Famous Woman in Men’s Tennis’
Beginning Boutique, the Brisbane‑based e‑tailer famed for party dresses, has unveiled a 20‑piece capsule with influencer Morgan Riddle, dubbed the most important woman in men’s tennis. The collection, blending festival flair with tennis‑inspired aesthetics, launches alongside the Australian Open to...
The Australian Open Wants to Be ‘the Super Bowl’ for Experiential Beauty Marketing
Australian tennis’s governing body has elevated beauty retailer Mecca to a flagship sponsor for the 2026 Australian Open, positioning the event as a hub for experiential marketing aimed at Gen‑Z. In 2025 Mecca supplied gift bags to over 800 players...
Behind Pacsun’s Strategy for Keeping a Pulse on the Changing Tastes of Gen Z
Pacsun has launched a Youth Advisory Council and published its first Youth Report, gathering insights from 6,000 Gen‑Z and Gen‑Alpha respondents. The data fueled the creation of the PS Community Hub, a shoppable app that lets users curate purchases and...
FTC Announces Appeal in Meta Antitrust Case
The Federal Trade Commission announced it will appeal the November district‑court ruling that rejected its antitrust case against Meta. The lawsuit, filed in 2020, alleges that Meta’s acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp were intended to neutralize competition and should result...
WOW Index Shows In-Store Experience Slipping in 2026
Léger’s 2026 WOW Index reveals a measurable decline in in‑store experience across Ontario and Western Canada, driven by higher prices, longer checkout waits, stockouts and fewer staff interactions. The study surveyed over 18,000 shoppers, evaluating 264 retailers in 34 sectors....
OpenAI Search Crawler Passes 55% Coverage In Hostinger Study via @Sejournal, @MattGSouthern
Hostinger’s analysis of 66 billion bot requests shows a sharp divergence between AI crawlers. Training bots such as OpenAI’s GPTBot saw coverage plunge from 84% to 12% as sites increasingly block them. In contrast, assistant bots that power AI search, like...
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SaasRise Enterprise Mastermind Call Recap Jan 20, 2026
The SaasRise Enterprise Mastermind call highlighted four critical growth levers for high‑ACV SaaS firms. It recommended starting with retargeting ads and LinkedIn sponsored messages, then scaling AI‑personalized cold outreach to improve lead response rates. The discussion also covered AI‑driven coding...
GrowthRise Mastermind Recap Jan 20, 2026
The GrowthRise Mastermind on Jan 20 2026 covered AI‑driven content creation, LinkedIn message ads, trade‑show marketing, and email list hygiene. Participants learned to use AI as a brainstorming aid, apply structured markup for SEO, and leverage tools like Canva, ChatGPT, and Gemini....
Organic Search Traffic Is Down 2.5% YoY, New Data Shows
A new Graphite analysis of Similarweb data for over 40,000 U.S. sites shows organic search traffic fell only 2.5% year‑over‑year, far less than the 25‑60% declines often cited. The largest publishers actually grew organic traffic by about 1.6%, while mid‑size...
Overcoming the Barriers to Omnichannel by Recognising that One Size Doesn’t Fit All
Omnichannel retail is no longer a one‑size‑fits‑all proposition; success depends on tailoring strategies to each retailer’s customers, operating model, and growth goals. Consistent experiences across digital and physical touchpoints are now a baseline expectation, not a differentiator. Persistent challenges such...
Google Shopping API Cutoff Looms, Putting Ad Delivery at Risk
Google is sunsetting its legacy Shopping APIs and mandating migration to the Merchant API, the new single source of truth for Shopping Ads. Advertisers using the beta version must switch by February 28 2024, while Content API users have until August 18 2024. Failure to...
Meta Adds More Languages to AI Translations for Reels
Meta has expanded its AI‑powered translation feature for Instagram Reels, adding Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Marathi and Kannada to the existing English, Hindi, Portuguese and Spanish options. The new languages focus on India, now Meta’s largest single market for Facebook and...
How Brands Can Build AI that Inspires
The article argues that AI’s next evolution is moving beyond pure efficiency toward inspiration, creativity, and emotional engagement. Consumers now use generative AI for personal expression in areas like fashion, travel, and beauty, prompting brands to design AI that feels...
X Publishes AI-Powered Algorithm Code
Elon Musk’s X has finally published the source code for its AI‑driven “For You” feed on GitHub, revealing the new Thunder and Phoenix ranking modules. The algorithm, fully AI‑powered since November, blends posts from followed accounts with machine‑learned recommendations based...
Does llms.txt Matter? We Tracked 10 Sites to Find Out
A recent study of ten diverse websites tracked AI traffic before and after adding llms.txt files. The data showed that eight sites saw no measurable change, two experienced traffic spikes that were tied to unrelated PR and content initiatives, and...