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.
How Google Ads Quality Scores Work: Boost Your Quality Score
Google Ads Quality Score, a 1‑to‑10 metric, gauges keyword, ad and landing‑page relevance and directly influences ad rank and cost‑per‑click. A high score can elevate ads to premium positions while reducing fees, whereas a low score may prevent ads from running altogether. The score is calculated from three pillars: expected click‑through rate, ad relevance, and landing‑page experience. Advertisers can improve it through focused keyword research, compelling copy, optimized landing pages, ad extensions, and negative keywords.
Centralize Client Brand Assets with BrandChek
I built a web product called BrandChek to solve a very specific marketing problem- which client is on what platform, what’s their font, brand colors, and point of contact? BrandChek keeps all of that in one place…not scattered across emails,...
Measure Content by Relationship Depth, Not Speed
So - I'm wrapping up my March series on Content Marketing Measurement with a wider lens look at how we design a measurement framework to begin with... Most content marketing measurement today is like evaluating a symphony orchestra based on...
Automated Social Reporting That Saves Hours
Manual social media reporting forces teams to export data, clean spreadsheets, and rebuild slide decks each week, turning strategy into admin work. Fragmented sources like Meta Business Suite, TikTok Business Center, and Pinterest Analytics require tedious stitching, leading to errors...
Episode 143 - Chasing Shiny Objects
Superpath has rolled out an upgraded partner program designed to reach roughly 18,000 content marketers, promising better revenue sharing and co‑marketing resources. The initiative follows the podcast episode "Chasing Shiny Objects" and highlights the platform’s push to expand its ecosystem....
Data + AI Brings The Next-Generation CDP Into View
Customer data platforms have solidified as a core martech component, with the vendor landscape consolidating into a clear top tier and a unified definition emerging. Marketers are demanding more reliable, AI‑enhanced solutions that respect privacy and deliver measurable ROI. The...
How Often Should You Be Marketing Your Law Firm
Law firms that market only during slow periods lose momentum, while firms that maintain a steady flow of content stay top‑of‑mind with prospects. Consistent marketing—such as weekly or monthly newsletters, two to three social posts per week, and one blog...
3 Things AI Has Changed About Content Marketing That Aren't Going Back
Artificial intelligence is reshaping content marketing by enabling hyper‑personalized experiences, automating large‑scale content creation, and delivering real‑time performance analytics. Marketers now rely on AI‑driven tools to generate copy, optimize SEO, and predict audience engagement, reducing production cycles from weeks to...
Secure AI Visibility: Access, Usefulness, Recognition Drive Brand Presence
🤖 How AI Systems Surface Your Brand: From Inputs to Outcomes 👇 Before a brand can perform well in AI answers, AI systems need three things from it: 1. Access: They need to be able to reach and process your content. 2. Usefulness: They...
From Insight to Impact:
The article presents a five‑phase global branding framework for pharmaceutical companies, beginning with local market intelligence and analytical foundations, then moving through strategic synthesis, creative development, local testing, and execution planning. It stresses cross‑functional collaboration, integration of clinical data, and...
The Compliance Tightrope
Pharma marketers are rapidly adopting AI content‑generation tools that can produce polished promotional assets in minutes, promising faster go‑to‑market and richer personalization. However, the speed and volume of AI output heighten compliance risk, as FDA, FTC and emerging state or...
Even AI Struggles With One‑Shot Real‑World Business Tasks
things that seem possible but are hard to one-shot* with the latest agents - come up a unique tee concept, design it, and sell at least 100 tee shirts for a profit - sell $1000 worth of drop shipped goods for a...
Zara Teams with Willy Chavarria for Global ‘Vatisimo’ Collection
Zara has launched the Vatisimo collection with designer Willy Chavarria, rolling it out worldwide this week. The partnership merges Chavarria’s culturally rooted aesthetic with Zara’s massive distribution network, sparking debate over authenticity and mass‑market representation.
Chipotle's Burrito Vault Returns, Offering $2 Million in Free Food and Record Engagement
Chipotle has relaunched its Burrito Vault game for a third year, putting more than $2 million in free food on the line and attracting over 3.5 million player attempts. The hourly puzzle, hosted on UnlockBurritoDay.com, rewards the first correct guess each hour...
Microsoft Mulls Cheaper Xbox Game Pass Tier as Sony Raises PS5 Prices
Microsoft is exploring a lower‑cost Xbox Game Pass tier, possibly with ads or limited perks, to attract budget‑conscious gamers. The move comes as Sony lifts PS5 prices to $649.99 for the standard model, $599.99 for the Digital Edition, and $899.99...
KFC Rolls Out $7 Value Feast Lineup to Capture Budget‑Conscious Diners
KFC unveiled a new Value Feast menu starting at $7, featuring box meals that bundle chicken, fries and a drink. The rollout aims to win over cost‑aware consumers as everyday expenses climb, and is backed by a high‑energy ad campaign.
How Marketing Leaders at Clinique and ScottsMiracle-Gro Are Meeting Consumers Where They Are Online—And in AI
Marketing heads at ScottsMiracle‑Gro and Clinique are shifting from product‑centric promotion to digital education, using AI‑driven tools to meet consumers where they research online. Scotts’ senior vice president John Sass highlighted the use of agentic AI to deliver hyper‑local gardening...
IAB Recognizes Future Video Outcomes From Agentic
The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) released a whitepaper titled “AI‑Powered Video Outcomes: Agentic AI,” outlining how autonomous AI systems will reshape video planning, optimization, measurement, and creation. The report notes that 69% of analytics teams are scaling AI and 44%...
Aerie Doubles Down on Its No-AI Pledge in Its Latest Campaign
Aerie reaffirmed its "no AI" policy by launching a new campaign that features only real people, including Pamela Anderson, and explicitly rejects generative‑AI‑created models. The brand’s Instagram post announcing the pledge became its most‑liked content, surpassing 40,000 likes. In Q4...
With Jackie Lombard and AEG Presents, JCDecaux Showcases in France and Around the World Céline Dion’s Return to the Stage
JCDecaux, the world’s leading out‑of‑home media group, launched a multi‑city teaser campaign for Céline Dion’s long‑awaited return, displaying iconic song titles on flagpole screens across Paris’s busiest streets. The climax arrived at 9:10 p.m. on the Eiffel Tower, where the artist’s...
Interesting (To Me): American Admirals Clubs Are Getting Citi Branding
American Airlines will begin displaying Citi branding at the entrances of its Admirals Club lounges starting in April 2026, beginning with locations in Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles and Miami. The move expands the exclusive credit‑card partnership between American and Citi,...
Turn Social Posts Into Leads with a Simple System
Most founders waste hours on social media and have nothing to show for it. No leads. No pipeline. Just "engagement." I've been doing this for 10+ years and here's what I've learned: Posting more content is not the answer. The...
Informa TechTarget Launches Two New Content Solutions
Informa TechTarget announced two AI‑focused content solutions—the AI Visibility Audit and the GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) Topic Planner—to help B2B marketers improve brand discoverability in an AI‑driven search environment. The AI Visibility Audit evaluates how audiences encounter a brand through...
What If the Best GEO Strategy Is the One You Stopped Investing In?
Marketers are racing to optimize for AI visibility, but a new cross‑industry study shows only a handful of web signals actually correlate with ChatGPT citations. Analyzing 37 metrics across 62 brands in travel, cinema, B2B payments and databases, the research...
The BEST Times to Post on FACEBOOK (TO REACH USA AUDIENCE)
The post outlines optimal Facebook publishing times for U.S. audiences, highlighting a sweet spot of 9 am‑12 pm EST to capture both coasts. Data points show Wednesday at 2 pm EST delivers the highest weekly engagement, while the first hour after posting is...
Point-of-Care Isn’t a Marketing Tactic—It’s a Gross-to-Net Strategy
Point‑of‑care (PoC) messaging has shifted from a peripheral marketing tactic to a core gross‑to‑net lever for pharmaceutical brands. By delivering timely, relevant information at prescribing or dispensing moments, PoC improves first‑fill rates and therapy continuity. The rise of electronic health‑record...
Microsoft Lets Merchants Update Store Names and Domains in Merchant Center
Microsoft Advertising now lets e‑commerce merchants edit their Merchant Center store name and domain directly, removing the need for support tickets. Store‑name changes undergo editorial review while existing ads keep running, and domain updates require ownership verification before activation. The...
Retail Media’s Measurement Problem Is A Trust Problem – And Incrementality Is The Way Forward
Retail media spending is surging, yet marketers struggle to prove true performance because attribution models often credit sales that would have happened anyway. The industry’s fragmented measurement standards make cross‑platform comparison unreliable. Incrementality—measuring the causal lift of ads—offers a clearer...
Guess Drops Second Campaign with Hyunjin
Guess unveiled the second wave of its Spring/Summer 2026 global campaign, starring Hyunjin of K‑pop group Stray Kids. The Los Angeles‑based denim label is using the partnership to inject a bolder, more expressive energy into its heritage denim line. A Korea‑led creative...
Survive Q2: Validate Offer, Refresh Creative, Know Break‑Even ROAS
Operators enter Q2 with the same targets they exited Q1 with. CPMs are about to rise 20-35% Creative fatigue compounds faster And the brands that survive it answered these 3 questions before April 1: 1. Does your offer convert at current CPMs...
The Costco Hot Dog Themed Bourbon Customers Are Buying Just For The Label
Costco partnered with Rare Character to release a limited‑edition, hot‑dog‑themed bourbon priced at $85.99. The single‑barrel, 11‑year‑old whiskey appeared in a Washington, D.C. store and sold out within 24 hours, driven largely by the novelty label rather than the spirit...
Reddit Pro Opens to All Publishers, Adds New Features in Public Beta
Reddit has opened its Pro publishing tools to all publishers, ending the waitlist and launching a free public beta. The platform now offers features such as AI‑powered community recommendations, RSS auto‑import, community snapshots, and profile flairs. Early testers reported a...
Looney Tunes ‘Rabbit Season’ Month Launches April 1
Warner Bros. Discovery has kicked off a month‑long "Rabbit Season" Looney Tunes spring campaign on April 1, featuring Bugs Bunny across gaming, streaming, retail and live events. The initiative introduces Bugs Bunny to Fortnite with exclusive skins and accessories, while also reviving classic content through a...
Automation Frees Reps to Focus on Real GTM
Before every episode in our VC series, @PaulGTM and I talk through what we're seeing across founders, funds, and go-to-market teams right now. Here’s what we covered - available in full here on X. - Why the core of great GTM hasn't...
Data-Driven Shift: Preorder Model Beats Early Access
One thing I’m always going to do is use data (both qualitative and quantitative) to make the best recommendation for that particular client, based on their particular circumstances. 👀 I was recently helping a client map out a course launch and...
Google: Pages Are Getting Larger & It Still Matters via @Sejournal, @MattGSouthern
Google’s Gary Illyes and Martin Splitt discussed the rapid growth of page size on the Search Off the Record podcast, citing the 2025 Web Almanac which shows median mobile homepages have tripled from 845 KB in 2015 to about 2.36 MB today....
Reddit Posts Remain SEO Gold for Years
Reddit threads from 3 years ago are still ranking on Google today... Still getting cited by ChatGPT and Perplexity today. Still shaping buyer opinions today. The content you put on Reddit right now is a long game asset. Treat it like one.
If You Need Paid Ads to Explain, You're Wrong
If you have to do a paid ad campaign to clarify this, you’re doing something wrong—
Insurance Assurance: A Strong Use Of Spot TV For A Key Category
The latest Spot Ten report from Media Monitors shows that two auto‑insurance specialists and a leading accident‑attorney firm are maintaining strong commitments to spot TV advertising. These brands continue to allocate significant budgets to local television spots, reinforcing the medium’s...
Google Search Console Reports Spike on Merchant Filters
ICYMI: Google Search Console performance reports spiking for some filters, like merchant/product filters https://t.co/R8urwCAUnm https://t.co/uVdoDw9I5u
AI Amplifies Bad Outreach, Not Booked Meetings
10,000 emails and not a single meeting booked. AI didn’t fix the problem, it just scaled a message that wasn’t working. https://t.co/IY09YG0v89
Why Most Referral Programs Don’t Work — and How to Build One That Does
Most small and mid‑size businesses rely on referrals passively, lacking a structured system that turns word‑of‑mouth into a repeatable acquisition channel. The article outlines why typical programs fail—unclear asks, misaligned incentives, poor timing, cumbersome processes, and no feedback loop. It...
Match Guest Post Style to Audience for Maximum Reach
RT @InspireToThrive Do they like personal stories, step-by-step advice, or opinion pieces? Read the full article: Writing Guest Posts for Blogging That Actually Grow Your Reach ▸ https://t.co/Fa7HOkHaR4
Inclusive Shade Range Fuels Explosive Sales, Limited Options Stall
Fenty Beauty launched with 40 foundation shades, hitting $100M in sales in 40 days because they served a market everyone else ignored. Meanwhile you're launching with 3 shades and wondering why nobody buys.
Google Ads Editor Bug Links Structured Snippet Languages Across Accounts
Google Ads Editor has a bug that unintentionally links structured snippet extensions when they are copied between accounts. Changing the language setting in one account automatically propagates to the linked snippet in another account, even though the extensions appear separate....
Make Subject Lines Short, Specific, and Evocative
Your cold email subject line is killing your open rates. Stop being vague. Stop being long. Stop being logical. Be evocative. Examples that work: • "Beat Tableau" • "Avoid expensive mishires" • "Stop losing great people" Short. Painful. Specific. That's what gets opened.
Smashburger Named Official Smashburger of the Colorado Rockies for 2026 MLB Season
Smashburger announced it will serve as the Official Smashburger of the Colorado Rockies for the 2026 MLB season. The partnership includes a home‑run promotion that gives fans a free Single All‑American Smashburger or Americana Big Dog at participating Colorado locations...
Introducing Curated Packages: Commerce Creative + Audiences
Criteo unveiled Curated Packages, pairing deterministic, SKU‑level Commerce Audiences with dynamic, placement‑optimized creative through a single deal ID. The solution leverages real shopper behavior—product views, price checks, and purchase intent—to replace broad demographic targeting. In tests, a gaming console brand...
Acquia Engage Denver 2026
Acquia Engage Denver 2026, the company’s North American flagship conference, will take place April 27‑28 at the Gaylord Rockies Resort. The two‑day event gathers digital leaders, marketers, and technical practitioners to explore AI‑driven digital strategies, platform innovations, and security‑focused ecosystems....
Free Gifts Beat Discounts, Preserve Margin and Loyalty
Discounts train your customers to wait. A free gift with purchase moves the same needle without torching margin or creating an expectation you can't walk back. Most stores only run discount campaigns. That’s the problem, and it's why we built...