Today's Marketing Pulse
McKinsey predicts agentic AI will power two‑thirds of marketing activities
McKinsey’s new report forecasts that agentic AI could drive up to two‑thirds of all marketing functions, shifting AI from a productivity add‑on to a core strategic engine. The analysis notes early adopters are using generative tools, while the next wave will involve autonomous agents that orchestrate decisions across workflows, guided by a five‑step implementation roadmap.
Power Growth With Synthetic Data — Lessons From Qualtrics X4
At Qualtrics X4, the company highlighted synthetic data as a transformative tool for market research. Synthetic data creates virtual respondents that mimic real‑world behavior without direct personal links, allowing far more complex studies at a fraction of traditional costs. Early tests suggest these artificial participants are less prone to cognitive biases such as priming, delivering potentially more accurate insights. By blending synthetic and real‑human panels, brands can capture a fuller picture of consumer motivations.
FMG Acquires Testimonial iQ to Add Another Piece to Its Offering
FMG announced the acquisition of Testimonial iQ, a client‑testimonial platform launched in 2023, and will rebrand it as FMG Testimonials. The tool will be sold both as a standalone product and as part of FMG’s broader digital‑marketing suite, which already spans website...
I Was a Broke American Living in New Zealand. A Viral TikTok Turned My Taco Stand Into 3 Restaurants.
American expatriate Sean Yarbrough turned a TikTok‑fueled taco stand into three New Zealand restaurants within three years. After quitting a burger‑flipping job, he launched Broke Boy Taco with a three‑item menu and leveraged a revenue‑share kitchen partnership. A viral TikTok...
McDonald’s Rolls Out Simplified $3‑Or‑Less McValue Menu to Boost Sales
McDonald’s launched a simplified McValue menu of 10 items priced under $3 on April 21, replacing its previous value lineup. The move, driven by a desire for clearer pricing and higher basket values, mirrors similar tactics by rivals and responds...
Quit Algorithm Chasing, Reclaim Your Creative Labor
This year, I stopped optimizing my content for algorithms. Social media was built to commodify your attention and sell it to advertisers. Every hour I spend chasing perfect posting times, or perfecting every element of a post, is me exploiting my own...
LinkedIn Pulse Lost 89% of Its Google Traffic.
LinkedIn’s long‑form Pulse articles have seen a dramatic drop in Google visibility, falling from a peak of 33 million monthly visits in March 2024 to just 3.6 million in March 2026 – an 89 % decline. In contrast, the platform’s shorter Posts have surged, climbing...
E‑commerce Ad Spend Loses Cash‑back as Platforms Ditch Credit
Devastating news - the ecommerce points game is over. Amazon was the last ad platform taking credit cards. Meta moved everyone to invoicing last month. Google did it last year. Millions of $ of monthly ad spend that was earning 2% cash...
Batch Content From Client Insights, Post only when Inspired
I also love to post from inspiration. Sometimes it's my best piece of content that resonate deeply. Other times it makes it obvious I was having a hard day as I show up defeated. So here’s what’s been working better for...
#852 I Wasted $40K on an AI Agency. Here's What I Built Instead
In this episode, host Dan interviews Aaron Anderson, founder of the link‑building agency LinkPitch.io, about his journey from hiring a $30K AI agency to building his own AI‑driven automation tools. After a disappointing agency experience, Aaron used Claude Code (via...
Grokipedia Loses Visibility Across Google and AI Platforms
Grokipedia drops in search (and more with the March 2026 core update) and then Grokipedia drops in AIOs, AI Mode, and yes, ChatGPT. Again, drop in Google and you can drop in AI Search (across surfaces and platforms). First screenshot...
Align Your Marketing Systems, Turn $250k Yearly Into $250k Monthly
My client went from $250k a year to $250k in a single month. Same offer. Same audience. She didn’t add anything new. She aligned the marketing systems she already had. If you’re a female founder earning $150k–$500k, I want to teach you...
Singular ROI Index 2026 Introduces First-Ever Multi-Touch Attribution Leaderboards
Singular released its 2026 ROI Index, the most extensive mobile‑marketing benchmark built on trillions of impressions, billions of clicks and installs. The report adds the first multi‑touch attribution (MTA) leaderboards, revealing that Meta delivers up to 50% higher ROAS and...
We Analyzed 12,154 Pages. The Most Popular B2B Content Format Has a 44.8% Fail Rate.
A new analysis of 12,154 pages across 24 B2B brands finds that thought leadership accounts for 37% of all content but only generates 27.5% of referring domains, resulting in a 44.8% fail rate. The format’s efficiency score of 0.74× places...
Advisors Overlook High‑Revenue Tactics Despite Referral Dominance
The typical advisory practice used 5 marketing tactics in 2024, up from 4 in 2022. Larger practices cast a wider net, with advisors with <$250k in revenue using a median of 4 tactics while practices with $5+ million in revenue...
Never Stop Disrupting Yourself; Introducing the Fin API Platform
Fin announced its new Fin API platform, exposing its high‑performing customer‑service AI models via a scalable API. The service offers three options—a fully managed agent platform for most firms, a flexible API for custom integrations, and the Apex specialized LLM...
CMOs Fail When They Prioritize Deliverables Over ROI
I began my solo consulting journey in 2021. Since then, I have worked with A LOT of B2B SaaS CMOs... And once you see it, you can't unsee it. Now I get why so many of them don't...
Tech Companies Are Churning Out Agentic AI Tools, but Agencies Are Still Scratching Their Heads
Tech giants are rapidly releasing agentic AI tools aimed at reshaping commerce and advertising, highlighted by Google’s Universal Commerce Protocol and Meta’s new agents. Brands are urged to enrich product data to enable seamless AI‑driven shopping experiences, while retailers like...
3 Strategy Shifts That Take You From 0 to 5k Followers
The post outlines three strategic pivots creators need to break the 0‑to‑5,000 follower barrier in 2026. It argues the old consistency‑trend‑viral playbook is obsolete, urging a shift toward retention‑focused growth content that aligns with a niche, delivers real value, and...
Viral Posts Follow a Predictable Five‑step Structure
Viral content often looks random only if you don’t study structure. Behind a lot of strong posts and videos there’s a pattern: - a hook family - a framing choice - a pacing decision - a CTA - a distribution fit
Embrace Daily Failures: Lessons Shaping My Business
Looking back at my "failures" makes me grateful for them, but in the moment... holy fuck do they suck. I feel like I fail at something everyday, and it is always a lesson in how to do something better the next...
Reddit Partners with Anonym
Reddit has teamed up with Mozilla’s Anonym platform to offer encrypted, privacy‑first advertising measurement. Anonym’s confidential computation layer lets advertisers gauge incremental lift without sharing raw first‑party data. The integration expands Reddit’s ad toolkit for brands operating under strict data‑governance...
Coca-Cola Unites Foodservice Partners in Latest Campaign
On April 2, 2026, Coca‑Cola launched the U.S. “And a Coke” campaign, uniting 13 major food‑service partners such as Arby’s, Domino’s and Wendy’s. The campaign, debuting in cinemas on April 3, features three TV spots that culminate with the tagline...
ChatGPT Ads Prioritize Clarity Over Creative Hype
Interested in ChatGPT Ads? -> Data shows ChatGPT ads favor clarity over creativity (Adthena analysis) *The average headline clocks in at just 30 characters and around 5 words. *Body copy averages 116 characters and roughly 19 words. "The overall tone across these ads...
MMA POSSIBLE Miami Beach 2026
The MMA POSSIBLE 2026 marketing conference will run April 27‑29, 2026 at the Miami Beach Convention Center. Organized by MMA and Hyve, the three‑day event gathers senior leaders from brands, agencies, media, and technology to shape future marketing strategies. Attendees...
Inbound Content Attracts Brands, Cold Pitches Fail
Cold pitching brands is a losing strategy. Response rates sit in the low single digits, and brands ignore generic emails. Inbound flips the script by making you discoverable through SEO, problem-solving content, and organic brand mentions. Warm inbound leads close at higher rates...
Delta Adds New York Times To Seatback Screens — ‘Free Access’ Is Really A Subscription Pitch
Delta Air Lines has partnered with The New York Times to provide SkyMiles members aged 18 and older with free, all‑access NYT content through its seat‑back entertainment system, Delta Sync. The offer grants up to 24‑hour access and can be used up to...
Optimove Mid-Tournament March Madness 2026 Analysis: Betting Surges 60%, With 97% of Bettors Being Loyal Players on Online Sportsbook Platforms
Optimove Insights examined betting activity from more than 3.1 million U.S. sports bettors during March Madness 2026 and found a 60% surge in wagering during the first two weekends. Remarkably, 97% of all depositing players were existing loyal customers, with first‑time depositors...
Nielsen Renews Multi‑year Deal with TelevisaUnivision to Broaden Hispanic Audience Measurement
Nielsen has signed a new multi‑year measurement and data agreement with TelevisaUnivision, extending its analytics across the Spanish‑language broadcaster’s TV, cable, streaming and radio assets. The deal adds Nielsen’s Advanced Audiences, streaming ratings and out‑of‑home tools, promising marketers deeper insight...
TikTok's 'Girl Math' Trend Fuels Gender‑Focused Marketing on Prediction Platforms
TikTok influencers are using the viral ‘Girl Math’ meme to promote prediction‑market apps, prompting brands like Kalshi to double their female user base to 26% and igniting a debate over how the trend reshapes consumer perception and platform revenue.
TV: ‘A Full-Funnel Driver Of Performance’
A new Comcast Advertising report finds that brand recall spikes dramatically when television is combined with other media channels. Recall is 8.7 times higher when TV is paired with search, 1.8 times higher with social media, and 1.6 times higher...
Create, Edit and Share Videos at No Cost in Google Vids
Google Vids now offers free, high‑quality video generation using the Veo 3.1 model, granting every Google account ten video generations each month. Subscribers to Google AI Pro and Ultra gain access to custom music creation via Lyria 3 and Lyria 3 Pro, as well...
Fix Post‑click Funnels, Turn $1 Into $4
Most businesses think scaling = increasing ad budget. But in reality, 80% of growth comes from fixing what happens after the click. We’ve seen brands turn $1 into $4 just by improving funnels + follow-ups. Traffic gets attention, but systems...
Quick Score Reveals Hidden Gaps in Unpredictable Pipelines
Pipeline feels unpredictable for a reason. • Month to month swings • MQL vs quality debates • No clear root cause Usually not one issue. A few small gaps across the system. We built a simple score to spot them fast. Takes 5 minutes. Shows where...
Liquid Death’s Mike Cessario on Building a Brand That Can’t Be Copied
Liquid Death founder Mike Cessario explained how the water brand leverages comedy to create a branding moat that rivals like Coke and Pepsi cannot duplicate. He argues that most consumer products are commodities, so differentiation must come from memorable entertainment...
Strategy Decisions Must Be Rooted in Real Data
One thing I’m relentless about in strategy work 👉 Nothing gets recommended unless it’s grounded in data or market research. Brand decisions. Messaging direction. Funnel structure. Channel mix. All of it ties back to real inputs: → Stakeholder and customer research → Peer and competitor analysis → Patterns...
Stagwell Names AI Chief
Stagwell announced the creation of a senior vice‑president, enterprise AI solutions role, appointing Michael Twedell to lead it. Twedell will drive the go‑to‑market strategy for the firm’s AI‑driven offerings, including The Machine, the industry’s first agentic operating system, and the...
Attribution: From Credit Scoreboard to Coordination Engine
Attribution was supposed to tell us which channels deserve credit. It mostly told us which teams should fight about it. Frans Riemersma and I just published The State of Marketing Attribution 2026 (sponsored by CaliberMind), and the finding that hit hardest...
Traditional Marketing Fails in the AI-Driven Era
if you're running traditional marketing playbooks in an age where OpenAI acquires TBPN, you're ngmi. The game has completely changed
How Purchase Data Is Redefining TV Ad Performance and Driving Revenue
Purchase‑based segmentation is reshaping TV advertising, letting brands move beyond reach metrics to drive sales. Circana’s data shows that targeting 126 million U.S. households with past‑purchase signals can boost incremental sales, as demonstrated by Roku’s 35 % lift with half the impressions....
Ditch “Bookworm”—Embrace the Fierce “Bookbeast”
We need to rebrand the term bookworm. It sounds weak and lame. Don't be a bookworm. Be a bookbeast or a bookbaddie.
Virality Depends on Attention Structure, Not Just Creativity
#AD @nemovideoai Most people misunderstand why videos go viral. They frame virality as a creativity problem. In reality, it is a structural one. What matters is not just what a video says, but how attention is sequenced, sustained, and resolved. That is where NemoVideo becomes interesting.
Where Should Retail Media Networks Make Their Pitch for Ad Dollars?
Retail media is transitioning from a lower‑funnel, conversion‑only model to a full‑funnel, brand‑building channel, prompting networks to showcase broader capabilities. Major players such as Albertsons Media Collective and Walmart‑Vizio used this year’s IAB NewFronts to demonstrate scale, data assets, and...
Bitly Introduces AI-Powered Features to Simplify and Accelerate Marketing Analytics
Bitly has launched two AI‑powered features—Bitly Assist, a conversational chat assistant, and Weekly Insights, an automated performance‑highlighting report—aimed at speeding up marketers' data‑to‑action workflow. Assist lets users query link and QR‑code metrics and create assets through natural language, delivering answers...
How Kraft Heinz’s NFL Deal Could Help the Marketer Get Back on Track
Kraft Heinz has signed a five‑year deal to become the NFL’s first global condiment partner, integrating brands like Heinz, Kraft and Velveeta into game‑day experiences. The partnership, launching with a Draft Week activation in Pittsburgh, is designed to boost the...
Review Intelligence as a GTM Signal Layer
Slang AI, a voice‑AI reservation platform, is using restaurant reviews as a direct go‑to‑market (GTM) signal layer to pinpoint eateries that lose bookings due to phone‑answering gaps. The company built a five‑tool pipeline—Serper.dev for Google Maps discovery, Clay as a...
Beyond the Song: Why Artists Need Transmedia Storytelling
Artists are turning to transmedia storytelling to turn music into multi‑platform brands, as shown by BTS’s ARIRANG campaign that linked Spotify, Instagram and Google fan activities. Record labels are backing the trend, with Warner Music striking an exclusive Netflix documentary...
E.l.f. Promotes Affordable Beauty with True Crime-Inspired Mockumentary
E.l.f. Cosmetics launched a 10‑minute true‑crime mockumentary called “Vanity Vandals” to spotlight vanity clutter caused by its low‑priced products. The film premiered at the TCL Chinese Theatre with a live Twitch watch party and is supported by a Roblox experience,...
5 Questions That Drive 80% of Your Growth
In this episode of the eCommerce Playbook, host Richard Gaffin and CTC VP of e‑commerce strategy Luke Austin break down the five core questions that drive the majority of a direct‑to‑consumer brand’s growth work: forecasting targets, optimal channel spend allocation,...
Marmon Rail Announces Unified Railserve Brand
Marmon Rail announced a unified Railserve brand that merges its Railserve, Ameritrack and Powerhouse divisions under a single identity and refreshed visual design. The consolidation bundles industrial switching, material handling, transloading, track construction and locomotive repair into one offering across...
The NFL Has a New Official Professional Services Partner, and Yes, It’s a Legal Tech Company
Legal tech firm 8am, parent of LawPay and MyCase, has become the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Official Professional Services Partner, securing naming rights to a 10,000‑square‑foot lounge now called the 8am Club at Raymond James Stadium. This follows a wave of high‑profile...