What's happening: Retail marketers must look beyond price to forge true agency partnerships
Retail marketers typically shortlist agencies based on relationships, reputation lists, price, and niche experience. However, lasting partnerships depend on transparent KPI sharing, resistance to price‑driven undercutting, and a client roster that aligns with the retailer’s scale.
The article argues that traditional Boolean audience segments have become a bottleneck in the era of AI‑driven, millisecond‑level ad decisioning. As publishers, measurement firms, and first‑party data sources flood the bid stream with real‑time signals, the combinatorial possibilities outpace any pre‑built segment taxonomy. The proposed solution, User Context Protocol (UCP) or Agentic Audiences, replaces segment IDs with dense vector embeddings that fuse multiple signals at impression time. This vector‑based format enables agents to compute relevance scores instantly, eliminating the binary blind spot and unlocking higher ROI.
Merrell is celebrating its 45th anniversary by unveiling the global brand platform “It Starts Outside,” which reframes outdoor activity as everyday and inclusive. The campaign, produced with Uncommon Creative Studio, features short vignettes starring Olympian Alexi Pappas and visually‑impaired marathoner...

Retail marketers often pick agencies based on relationships, reputation lists, price, and niche experience, but those criteria only get to the long‑list stage. The article argues that true partnership hinges on deeper factors such as transparent KPI sharing, resistance to...

Bunnings’ marketing chief Justine Mills and CommBank’s Jo Boundy discussed the disruptive potential of retail media during B&T’s CMO Power List interview. They highlighted how Hammer Media reshapes supplier‑to‑consumer engagement and how Bunnings is now acting as a publisher, leveraging...

Digital growth consultancy TAG announced it has secured Australian skincare brand Skin Control as a new client, expanding its portfolio that already includes MYOB, Modibodi, Morgans, Australian Unity and Nala. The partnership tasks TAG with overseeing strategy, marketing and technology...

The video warns that in 2026 a Shopify store’s biggest obstacle isn’t the product but the lack of trust, as consumers remain wary after experiences with slow shipping and low‑quality drop‑shipping scams. It advises merchants to embed genuine trust signals from...

The video warns that AI chat platforms are about to launch advertising slots, likening the moment to the early days of Google Adwords and Facebook ads when cheap clicks gave early adopters a competitive edge. The presenter outlines a timing framework:...

The video tackles widespread misconceptions about Meta’s Andromeda platform, explaining that it is fundamentally an ad‑retrieval engine—the first step in deciding which users see a given advertisement. Andromeda’s recent hardware and software upgrade was necessary to support today’s massive scale...

QBE Insurance marks 40 years with the Sydney Swans, one of the longest-running sports sponsorships in Australia. To celebrate, The Core Agency rolled out an integrated campaign featuring out‑of‑home billboards, a digital video series and season‑long online activations. The partnership...

Yo‑Chi, the Gen Z‑focused snack brand, has partnered with Victoria’s Department of Transport and Planning (DTP) and creative agency Snack Drawer to launch “my‑Chi Monday.” The eight‑week campaign runs until 23 March, offering Youth myki holders a 20% discount on Yo‑Chi purchases every Monday. The...

Newcastle Permanent launched a new creative platform called “Head and Heart Approved,” developed by indie agency Enigma. The campaign visualizes the tension between rational and emotional decision‑making, positioning the bank as a choice both the head and heart can agree...
Hotel loyalty programs are rolling out a slate of March‑2026 promotions aimed at accelerating point earnings and elite status. Major chains such as IHG, Hyatt, Marriott, Hilton and Choice are offering double or triple points, bonus elite nights, and stay‑based...
Marriott Bonvoy launched a global promotion running Feb 25‑May 10, 2026, granting 2,500 bonus points for each qualifying stay and a bonus elite night credit for every brand visited. The elite night credits are posted up to six weeks after the promotion...
Authenticity is increasingly linked to purchase intent, prompting brands to seek consistent, genuine voices. Because a brand isn’t a single individual, creating a brand persona—an internal fictional character—helps translate abstract identity into concrete actions. The guide outlines a seven‑step process...

The article warns that the emerging GTM singularity is widening capability gaps for B2B leaders, who now need a cross‑functional skill stack to run a connected revenue engine. Traditional functional expertise no longer suffices; leaders must align marketing, sales, product...
In a new episode of Thinking With Mitch Joel, marketing veteran Ann Handley critiques the panic surrounding AI, arguing that hype outpaces proof. She challenges the claim that AI will eliminate half of white‑collar jobs, emphasizing that technological capability doesn’t...
Dutch Bros, founded by two Oregon dairy farmers, has become the third‑largest coffee chain in the United States, trailing only Starbucks and Dunkin’. The chain’s 1,140 locations serve roughly 90% of their beverages cold, focusing on highly customizable energy drinks...
Marketers are wrestling with the optimal email cadence – the frequency and sequencing of messages that keep customers engaged without causing fatigue. MailerLite’s analysis of over one million 2024 campaigns shows that twice‑weekly sends deliver the highest click‑through rate (5.8%)...

The video argues that billion‑dollar brands are losing ground to nimble creators because they still treat every marketing effort as a traditional advertisement, a costly, one‑off push. Instead, the speaker urges brands to embed video capture into every photo shoot, creating...

The video cautions sellers that Amazon’s new Ads Agent should not be the sole tool for managing PPC campaigns, urging a shift toward more hands‑on methods. The presenter argues the Agent provides only surface‑level data and lacks the granularity to assess...

The conversation centers on today’s turbulent business climate, highlighted by Block’s recent 40% workforce reduction and the broader narrative that marketers are dying amid a flood of AI tools. The hosts argue that while AI hype is intense, the reality...
![Win the Demand-Gen Game in 39 Days With This System [VIDEO]](/cdn-cgi/image/width=1200,quality=75,format=auto,fit=cover/https://i.ytimg.com/vi/xeg-Jpf5yts/maxresdefault.jpg)
The video introduces a “GTM Survivor Island” framework that promises marketers to win demand‑generation in 39 days by treating the go‑to‑market process like a reality‑show competition. Josh Bayz, senior demand‑gen manager at Netline, outlines three phases—lighting the signal fire (day 1),...

The video argues that distinctive brand assets—colors, mascots, patterns, and audio cues—can carry the bulk of brand awareness work, even for companies with modest marketing budgets. It highlights how Gong deliberately broke away from the industry’s muted "Series A blues"...

The video explains how Total Advertising Cost of Sale (TACoS) and organic rank are intertwined in an Amazon seller’s growth strategy. Maintaining a steady TACoS—e.g., 10%—allows advertisers to scale spend without eroding margins, provided organic sales keep pace. Key data points...

Udi’s founder Dave Fagerty walks viewers through the end‑to‑end process of launching a new Harry Potter collection, illustrating how a mid‑size DTC brand can turn a blockbuster license into a growth engine. The team emphasizes a disciplined licensing model: presenting realistic...