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 marketing activities, shifting AI from a productivity add‑on to a core campaign engine. Early adopters are already using generative tools, while the next wave will involve autonomous agents that coordinate decisions across workflows. The firm outlines a five‑step roadmap for implementation.
Apple Appoints Eva Yao as Greater China Marketing Director, 20% of Sales
Apple has named Eva Yao as Marketing Communications Director for Greater China, placing a 25‑year veteran at the helm of consumer marketing in a region that accounts for roughly one‑fifth of the company’s global revenue. Yao will report to Isabel Ge Mahe and is expected to sharpen Apple’s brand messaging across all media as the tech giant eyes deeper penetration in the market.
Trip.com Unveils Eight Tips to Slash Hotel Costs, Up to 25% Off
On May 11, 2026, Trip.com published an eight‑point guide that shows travelers how to lower flight and hotel prices, bundle bookings, and leverage its loyalty program. The tips promise discounts of up to 25% on hotels and 200% more Trip...
Brand Values: Non‑negotiable, Public, and Consistently Lived
Talking about your brand values in your content is not some weird corporate values statement. They are what you refuse to compromise on... in public.... consistently.
Amazon Launches Dynamic TV Creative to Power AI‑Driven CTV Ad Optimization
Amazon Ads unveiled Dynamic TV Creative, an AI‑powered add‑on to its Interactive CTV suite that tailors interactive elements based on shopper data. The feature is live for U.S. advertisers now and will expand to live‑sports inventory in Q3, promising higher...
TelevisaUnivision’s Upfront Pitch To Advertisers: ‘We Get Hispanics’
TelevisaUnivision’s new head of ad sales, John Kozco, is steering the company’s 2024 upfront with a clear message: it understands Hispanic audiences, a $4 trillion economic force in the U.S. The pitch centers on three pillars—sports, streaming and culture—highlighting exclusive Spanish‑language...
Run Entire Email Campaigns Using Only ChatGPT & Claude
I literally cannot wait to build emails and run my entire email channel all from within ChatGPT and Claude. Right now, my email creation process is: - Write/edit my emails inside Claude - Create images for my emails inside ChatGPT - Take the copy...
The Best Way To Build AI Agents That Customers Trust
Companies are shifting from personality‑flavored chatbots to character‑driven AI agents that act consistently with brand values. Salesforce senior UI/UX director Yvonne Gando explains that true character means durable decision systems, not just tone. Real‑world failures—like a delivery‑service bot that spewed...
Kraft Heinz’s Biggest Portfolio Campaign to Date Celebrates America250
Kraft Heinz is launching its biggest portfolio campaign, "The United Tastes of America," to coincide with the United States' 250th anniversary and the Memorial Day cookout season. The multi‑channel effort features limited‑time star‑shaped products and patriotic packaging across its core...
AI Citation Patterns Reveal Sub‑Vertical SEO Strategies
💰 Ecommerce AI Search Optimization: What Citation Patterns Across 5 Subverticals Tell Us About Optimizing Beyond PDPs and PLPs 👇 My latest analysis. For this research, I reviewed AI citation-source and cited-page data for 25 leading ecommerce sites across five...
Omnisend Launches MCP to Bring Ecommerce Marketing Into ChatGPT
Omnisend introduced Model Context Protocol (MCP), allowing ecommerce marketers to access its email and SMS platform inside ChatGPT. The feature lets users ask plain‑language questions about revenue, campaign performance, and root‑cause analysis without leaving the AI chat. MCP also generates...
Advertisers Crave Broader Agentic Tools, Will Boost Spend
Performance advertisers are seeing results with Agentic advertising, but they want more. Advertisers want more agentic options outside of search and social, and they would invest a lot more if the right agentic tech existed. Great insight from a new study...
ODAIA Marketing Intelligence Brings Real-Time, Individualized Campaign Orchestration to Pharma HCP Engagement
ODAIA launched Marketing Intelligence, an AI‑powered solution that orchestrates real‑time, individualized campaigns for pharmaceutical brands targeting healthcare professionals. The platform ingests prescribing data, CRM records, and engagement signals to score each HCP at the NPI level and recommend the optimal...
SEO Expands Beyond Google: Leverage Reddit, Podcasts, YouTube, PR
Everyone says "GEO" and "AEO" are the same as what we've been doing... But LOTS of SEOs slept on these ideas for years: 1) Reddit as a growth channel 2) Podcast optimization 3) PR & review sites 4) YouTube for SEO 5) News releases 6)...
fullthrottle.ai® Announces Strategic Audio Partnership With TuneIn to Power Outcome-Driven Campaigns
Fullthrottle.ai has integrated TuneIn’s live and on‑demand audio inventory into its ad‑tech operating system, letting advertisers plan, activate, and optimize audio alongside CTV, video, display and direct‑mail campaigns. The partnership gives marketers a single workflow to reach listeners on mobile,...
Engineer Brothers Launch Automata Studio, an AI-Native Software and Marketing Agency
Engineer brothers Marc and Ralph Ghannam have launched Automata Studio, a Boston‑based agency that combines custom software development, website creation, and full‑funnel growth marketing under one roof. Leveraging 14 years of AI, blockchain, and MIT‑backed startup experience, the firm promises...
How Small Businesses Can Avoid ‘AI Homogenization’ Without Abandoning Automation
Small businesses are rapidly embracing AI, with 80% planning to use it for marketing by year‑end. While AI boosts efficiency, reliance on generic large language models threatens the personal touch that differentiates local brands. The article warns that off‑the‑shelf tools...
Daily Search Forum Recap: May 12, 2026
Google announced that its Merchant Center for Agencies, previously limited to the US and Canada, is now live worldwide, giving e‑commerce partners a unified platform to manage product feeds across all markets. At the same time, Google is testing enhancements...
Downtown’s CD Baby Launches ‘Full-Service’ Artist Program Offering Marketing, Distribution, and Financial Support for 10 Indie Acts in 2026
CD Baby, the artist‑direct arm of Downtown Music, unveiled the Stages Selects program, a full‑service offering that will support ten independent musicians through 2026. The package delivers priority distribution, targeted DSP marketing, paid digital‑campaign funding and strategic release guidance, with...
DepositPhotos Introduces AI Assistant to Help Users Go Beyond Keyword Search
DepositPhotos has launched an AI Assistant that transforms its vast library of licensed images, videos, and audio into a conversational search and creation platform. The tool combines contextual search, real‑time refinements, AI‑generated visuals and in‑app editing, allowing users to describe...
Four Ways to Hire and Retain Storytellers in Tech
Tech companies are increasingly hiring “storytellers” to shape brand narratives, a trend highlighted after LinkedIn listings for the title doubled. Clay, a NYC B2B software firm, leveraged this role to grow from fewer than a dozen employees to over 400,...
Where Nike’s Marketing Comeback Is Stumbling — and Where It Can Still Win
Nike's ambitious “Win Now” turnaround is faltering as Q3 revenue stalled and marketing missteps erode its brand momentum. A controversial Boston Marathon ad and uneven campaign execution have drawn criticism for lacking inclusivity, while competitors gain ground in running and...
CQL Introduces New AI Commerce Services to Help Brands Drive Revenue
CQL, a Shopify Platinum Partner, announced AI Commerce Services to help brands capture revenue from AI‑driven shopping experiences while boosting on‑site performance. The suite includes a strategic roadmap, visibility monitoring, product revenue optimization, and AI‑powered UX and conversion audits. By...
Swap Storefront Delivers 2x Conversion Rates as Leading Brands Adopt AI-Powered Commerce
Swap has introduced an AI‑powered Storefront that operates as a separate, fully branded .ai site for each merchant. Early adopters such as SIMKHAI, Retrofête and Odd Muse report conversion rates up to twice the industry average, three times longer site...
Dynamic Abandonment Emails Outperform Static Welcome Flows
A high-performing welcome flow is usually a sign that nothing else in your email channel is working… These flows should be your top revenue drivers: > Browse abandonment > Cart abandonment > Checkout started …every time a high-intent shopper bounces. But most flows are static with...
Aline Launches Aline Connect, an AI-Powered Outbound Agent Built Natively Into Its Senior Living CRM
Aline announced the general availability of Aline Connect, an AI‑powered outbound agent embedded directly in its senior‑living CRM. The tool automatically follows up on every digital inquiry, launching a 20‑touch, 90‑day outreach cadence that includes calls and texts. Early data...
Kroger Launches Limited‑Edition 7UP Mandarin Orange to Spark Summer Traffic
Kroger has added a new Mandarin Orange‑flavored 7UP, offered in full‑calorie and Zero Sugar versions, as a limited‑time product in partnership with Keurig Dr Pepper. The launch is designed to create urgency, draw shoppers back to stores, and capitalize on...
Microsoft Teams Up with WWE for Gears of War: E-Day Sponsorship, Hinting at September Release
Microsoft announced that its upcoming title Gears of War: E-Day will serve as the presenting sponsor for WWE's AAA Triplemania 34, a two‑day event in Mexico City on Sept. 11‑13. The partnership, revealed during the Backlash show, suggests the game could...
Content Pillars Aren’t Topics, They’re Strategic Outcomes
Content pillars are not things like education, motivation, or inspiration. Those are end goals for your content... they are not what your content is actually about.
Win Clients by Listening More, Asking Less
In this latest #FASuccess episode, Sara Grillo identified several (perhaps counterintuitive) ways financial advisors can win more clients, including by talking less about their expertise and reducing 'friction' by asking less of prospects early on in the relationship. https://t.co/rKe1FReyCq Sara, a...
Email Marketing Benchmarks: What Good Looks Like in 2026
Omnisend analyzed over 20 billion campaign emails and 470 million automated sends from more than 27,000 ecommerce brands to establish 2025 benchmarks that will guide 2026 performance. Across all industries, campaign emails averaged a 30.41% open rate, 0.74% click‑through rate and 0.08%...
Global Ad Tech Player GumGum Expands Into France with Its Innovative Mindset Graph™ Technology
GumGum, a California‑based global SSP, is opening a Paris office to deepen its presence in France. The expansion is anchored by its proprietary Mindset Graph™ technology, an AI‑driven platform that gauges a user’s real‑time mindset to serve more relevant ads...
Finally, a Foot Fungus Box You Don’t Have To Hide In Your Grocery Cart
FungiCure has launched a new packaging design for its anti‑fungal liquid, created by the design studio Soulsight. The redesign swaps the traditional red‑alert, photorealistic toe image for a soothing green box with a stylized toe graphic. By softening the visual...
Mizzica’s Italian Cream Liqueur Convinces a New Generation to Stay for One Last Drink
Mizzica, a new Italian cream liqueur crafted by branding agency Percept, launches with a tactile ribbed glass bottle and a striking diagonal diamond‑shaped label. The design deliberately breaks from the traditional, nostalgic aesthetic of cream liqueurs, positioning the product as...
20‑Email Sequence Generates $20M in Sales
Over the last 5 years, my little business has generated $20,000,000. The secret? Email. For all our digital product launches, we use a specific 20-email sequence. And now I want to share it with you. So you can sell your own digital products with email And...
Email Is the Overlooked Powerhouse Marketing Channel
The most misunderstood marketing channel: (It's not paid ads) It's email. Every year: • People tell me email doesn't work • Newsletters are too saturated • Customers don't read emails It's all wrong. Anyone can build an email list that powers their entire business. Here's how to write your...
Cocie AI Launches CTV Autopilot, The First Agentic Contextual Intelligence Platform Built for Programmatic CTV
Cocie AI unveiled CTV Autopilot, an agentic contextual intelligence platform that transforms a single buyer brief into a live, show‑level targeted CTV campaign within minutes. The system ingests billions of bid‑stream and programming signals, enriches them with granular context, and...
AI Generates Behavior‑Based Email Sequences Automatically
I built a skill that designs email sequences — welcome, onboarding, nurture, upgrade, re-engagement, and winback flows with timing, copy, and personalization. You describe your product and goals, and it builds complete sequences: subject lines, preview text, body copy, CTAs, and...
Rapid Customer Acquisition Is the Core Lesson for Serial Founders
Almost all of my serial founders have figured out how to get customers super quickly, even sometimes pre-product. They learned from their first business that that was the primary problem.
Research: Traditional Marketing Doesn’t Work on AI Shopping Agents
A new study shows that traditional e‑commerce persuasion tactics—such as scarcity badges, countdown timers, and strike‑through pricing—do not reliably influence AI shopping agents like ChatGPT, Google’s UCP, or Amazon’s assistant. The researchers simulated over 16,000 purchase decisions across four AI...
Scale AI Content Wisely: Avoid Penalties and Quality Pitfalls
Enterprise brands want to scale AI content, but data shows penalties and quality issues are real. Here's what to understand to scale the right way. https://t.co/a5RVSJXToq via @theshelleywalsh, @sejournal
Automate Budget Pacing to Stop Noon Spend Drain
Why does your PPC budget vanish by noon or barely spend at all? Most "solutions" are too theoretical to be useful. Episode 1 of our new series breaks down the real mechanics of budget pacing and how to automate the fixes. Watch...
‘Designed To Last’: American Family Launches Reality Competition Series on Hul
American Family Insurance launched “Designed To Last,” a four‑episode reality competition on Hulu that debuted May 5. The series teams architects, engineers and inventors to redesign tiny homes to survive wind, water, snow/ice and fire threats. Hosted by Maria Menounos and...
New Updates: Google Merchant for Agencies & YouTube Integration
It's New 5/12: Google Merchant Center for Agencies for all @gregfinn, @TheMarketingAnu links Google Ads and YouTube, Bing Webmaster Tools HTTP/S does not distinguish & @mordyoberstein sees no colors https://t.co/3oFzs2Gvhi
Write for Humans and Machines—Or Lose Both
Two readers visit your site: A human looking for an answer. A machine looking for an authority. If you only write for one, you lose both.
TikTok to Launch Paid, Ad-Free Tier in UK
TikTok announced it will roll out a paid, ad‑free subscription tier in the United Kingdom, letting users browse without targeted ads. The service will charge a monthly fee (price not disclosed) while the platform’s free, ad‑supported version continues. Creators can...
X Rebrand Flops: No Global Recognition, No Marketing
If I say “Twitter,” every person in the whole world knows what I’m talking about. If I say “X,” only the people on this app are sure to know what I’m talking about. As a rebrand, X has categorically failed, and largely...
Foot Locker Debuts Year-Round Basketball Brand Platform Under New CMO
Foot Locker introduced a year‑round basketball brand platform called “Hoops Lives Here,” aimed at deepening its connection to sneaker and basketball culture. The initiative, developed with agency Someplace, rolls out across broadcast, digital, out‑of‑home, in‑store and e‑commerce channels, featuring NBA...
Keep Walking or Get Left Behind: Josh Dean on Reinventing Johnnie Walker
Former Johnnie Walker global VP Josh Dean explains how the brand’s “Keep Walking” platform serves as a creative north star, enabling authentic collaborations with cultural icons like Squid Game and Sabrina Carpenter. He argues that creativity should be treated as...
TikTok Introduces UK Ad-Free Subscription
TikTok is rolling out a paid ad‑free tier for users in the United Kingdom, priced at £3.99 per month (approximately $5.07). The offer, available to anyone 18 or older, requires users to choose between the subscription and the free, ad‑supported...
Google Discover Adds Links and Featured Posts for Publishers
Google Discover publisher pages gain links, featured posts and more https://t.co/f4X5m1o5LT via @AndellDam and @1492_Vision https://t.co/9VSIakWFJv